I agreed to be a kept man, but I'm still being punished by the system.

As night deepened, Lin Yang drove back to his building, number 32, in Tianyue Huafu.

Property manager Wang was very efficient. A private parking space was marked out on the underground parking lot floor with brand-new white paint, directly opposite the elevator entrance, with a sign that read "Private Parking Space".

After parking his car, Lin Yang took the elevator upstairs but didn't return to room 2403.

He turned and walked towards room 2404 across the hall.

That socially awkward, anime-loving rich woman is probably buried in code again, forgetting the time and even forgetting to eat.

Enter the smart lock password, and the door opens.

The room was pitch black, except for a faint blue light coming from the direction of the study, accompanied by a series of rapid, intermittent sounds.

Lin Yang walked over quietly.

In the study, Chen Wanjun wore noise-canceling headphones and curled up in her gaming chair. Her slender, pale hands flew across the mechanical keyboard, moving so fast that they were just afterimages.

On the screen, the waterfall-like scrolling of code dazzled Lin Yang.

He stood behind her, stunned.

Is this the world of top programmers?

Just then, a sudden cell phone ring broke the silence of the room.

Buzz—Buzz—

Chen Wanjun's body trembled violently, like a startled fawn. She took off her headphones as if she had been electrocuted, only to find that there was someone behind her at some point.

Lin Yang held up his vibrating phone, a hint of apology on his face.

"Excuse me, I'm sorry to bother you."

"I just came to see if you've eaten properly."

Chen Wanjun's gaze shifted downwards, landing on the crumpled takeout box in the corner. She extended her slender finger and gently pointed at it.

Lin Yang nodded, indicating that he understood the answer.

He waved his phone, indicating that he needed to go outside to answer the call, and then turned and left the study.

Watching Lin Yang's figure disappear through the door, Chen Wanjun's gaze lingered for a few seconds, her heart filled with joy. This man cared about her.

Lin Yang walked to the balcony and looked at the caller ID.

[Ah Viagra]

He swiped to answer the call.

"Hey, Wei-ge, what's up now?"

Zhang Wei's loud and boisterous voice came from the other end of the phone.

"Xiao Lin, let's go out for some barbecue skewers, the usual spot!"

"What's your location? Send me your location."

"Okay!"

After hanging up the phone, Lin Yang saw the location pop up on WeChat. He thought for a moment and then went back to his study.

"My friend invited me out for barbecue, would you like to go and meet them?"

Chen Wanjun shook her head decisively without any hesitation, her gaze already fixed back on the screen.

"Then go to bed early, don't overwork yourself."

Lin Yang gave instructions.

"I won't come over to keep you company tonight."

With her back to him, Chen Wanjun softly hummed in agreement.

……

The Cayenne's engine let out a deep roar as it drove through the city streets at night.

Based on the location, Lin Yang arrived near a brightly lit night market food stall.

He slowed down and dialed Zhang Wei's number.

"Hey, Wei-ge, which company is it?"

"Fatty's BBQ! By the roadside! Right by the roadside! Can you see it?" Zhang Wei's voice boomed loudly into the phone.

Lin Yang looked in the direction of the sound and sure enough, he saw a familiar figure standing up by the roadside, tiptoeing and looking around.

He turned the steering wheel, and the dark blue Porsche Cayenne came to a smooth stop in front of Zhang Wei.

"Damn it, who is this? So rude! Can't they see I'm looking for someone?" Zhang Wei cursed under his breath, clearly annoyed.

The next second, the driver's side window silently slid down.

Lin Yang's handsome face appeared under the soft ambient lighting inside the car.

Zhang Wei's cursing stopped abruptly, his eyes widened like copper bells, and his mouth opened into an "O" shape.

"Holy crap! Kobayashi? This...this car is yours?"

Lin Yang turned off the engine, got out of the car, and casually locked the door, making a crisp "beep" sound.

"be mine."

He patted Zhang Wei on the shoulder.

"What's wrong? Didn't I tell you to move to my place? I haven't seen you do anything about it."

"Ugh, don't even mention it. My lease at that lousy place isn't up yet, and the landlord absolutely refuses to return my deposit." Zhang Wei finally snapped out of his shock. He looked Lin Yang up and down, then at the ridiculously expensive luxury car, and felt like his brain wasn't quite working properly.

"Come, come, look who's here."

Lin Yang followed Zhang Wei to the barbecue stall table and saw a familiar figure.

Zhou Qing.

A hint of surprise flashed in his eyes, but he quickly concealed it.

Deep down, he subconsciously commanded the system to remain silent.

He didn't want to, and was unwilling to, use that set of cold data to measure his former classmates.

"Oh, isn't this Miss Zhou?" Lin Yang pulled out a plastic stool and sat down, his tone slightly teasing. "What brings you to this roadside barbecue stall?"

Zhou Qing rolled her eyes at him, but the corners of her mouth were turned up.

"Pshaw, can't I eat at a street stall?"

"Okay, okay, I misspoke. I'll punish myself with three drinks." Lin Yang picked up a bottle of beer and pretended to chug it.

"You're driving after drinking?" Zhou Qing interrupted.

"It's fine, we can just call a designated driver," Lin Yang said nonchalantly, his tone revealing a composure he had never shown before.

Zhang Wei chimed in from the side, "It's rare for Zhou Qing to come over; the three of us haven't had a drink together in ages."

"Yeah," Lin Yang said with emotion, "Of all my high school classmates, only the three of us got into Huahai High School, and we haven't been in touch for the past six months."

"You were busy graduating and looking for a job, and I was busy writing my novel in seclusion. Zhou Qing went home to help out as soon as she graduated," Zhang Wei explained.

Lin Yang looked at Zhou Qing: "Then why did you go back to Huahai again?"

Zhou Qing's gaze, filled with a hint of inquiry, fell upon him.

"It's all because of Ah Wei. He said he hadn't been in touch with you for a long time and was worried that something might happen to you while you were out alone. That's why I was concerned and rushed over to check on you."

Her gaze finally settled on the conspicuous Porsche not far away.

"By the way, where did you get this car? Do Uncle Lin and Aunt Chen know about it?"

Lin Yang picked up a skewer of sizzling, oily kidneys, took a bite, and explained, half-jokingly, "I borrowed the boss's car for a bit. Don't worry, I know what I'm doing."

His relaxed tone and calm gaze eased Zhou Qing's worries somewhat.

Lin Yang then asked, "Hey, where are you staying tonight?"

"Stay in a hotel? Where else would you stay? Your house, of course?"

"It's not my home, it's the company dormitory."

"Company dormitory, how dare you ask me to stay there?"

Zhou Qing picked up a bottle of beverage, took a sip, and casually mentioned it.

"By the way, Xiaolin, did you know that Gu Dandan is coming to Huahai University for graduate studies?"

The name "Gu Dandan" made Lin Yang's hand holding the wine bottle pause in mid-air for a fraction of a second.

A barely perceptible ripple spread through his heart, but he quickly suppressed it.

"have no idea."

His voice was devoid of any emotion.

Which university did she get into?

"I heard it's Aurora University."

"What a great university." Lin Yang smiled and took a big gulp of beer.

Zhang Wei, watching him from the side, couldn't help but interject, "Xiao Lin, back when we graduated high school, we were all still quite naive. Now, maybe... things are different."

Lin Yang knew what Zhang Wei was implying.

At his high school graduation party, fueled by alcohol, he confessed his feelings to Bai Yueguang and Gu Dandan, only to be rejected outright by her on the grounds that she "wanted to focus on her studies." This scene was the most embarrassing chapter of his youth.

But now, times have changed.

"It's all in the past now."

Lin Yang put down the wine bottle and spoke in an unprecedentedly calm tone.

"The most important thing is to seize the present; there's no need to look back."

Zhang Wei paused for a moment, then nodded.

"oh."

That night, the three of them drank until after midnight, reminiscing about their high school days.

Zhou Qing stood up and stretched: "It's good to see you're alright. I'm planning to go back to Linhai tomorrow too."

Lin Yang had already booked a designated driver on his phone.

A few minutes later, the driver, wearing a designated driver vest, arrived and skillfully took the car keys from Lin Yang's hand.

Lin Yang directed the designated driver to first take Zhou Qing back to her booked hotel, and then, with Zhang Wei, who was already somewhat drunk, he drove towards Tianyue Huafu.