Reborn not to be a beast of burden, I set the rules.

The school bus hasn't arrived yet.

Ruan Xing tiptoed to look at the intersection.

A gust of wind blew from the side, lifting the stray hairs by her ears. A few strands brushed against her cheeks before falling back down, clinging to her earlobes and curving into a thin arc.

Looking at her beautiful profile, Ye Ming felt a surge of youthful restlessness that he could hardly contain.

She seemed to sense Ye Ming's gaze, and tilted her head slightly. Sunlight fell on her face, highlighting her straight nose, pursed lips, and curved eyes, giving her a kind and gentle smile.

How did this little Ruan student manage to develop charm skills without any instruction?

Ye Ming felt his throat was a little dry. He turned his head to the side and caught a glimpse of Wang Chao out of the corner of his eye.

unlucky!

Ye Ming turned his head again and looked openly at his good deskmate.

Anyway, Xiao Ruan is sunny and cheerful, unlike Xu Wei who makes teasing remarks. So what if you watch it? It's all high-level aesthetic that pleases the mind and body.

When Ruan Xing saw Ye Ming turn back to look at her again, she felt a little hot-faced. She took half a step closer to Ye Ming, her hand resting on the backpack strap, her fingertips white and her nails neatly manicured.

The hem of the off-white sweatshirt hung down to the edge of the shorts. When the wind blew, the hem billowed slightly, clinging to the waist and then loosening.

Her legs were thin and straight, forming a straight line from thigh to ankle, without an ounce of excess fat.

Those legs are so bright and shiny, and that hoodie is so white!

Ye Ming saw Ruan Xingxiao looking at him, and he became even more self-righteous. Wasn't this little girl looking at him too?

That's fairness!

Wang Chao stood at the other end of the platform, holding his phone in his hand.

He looked up and glanced in this direction, his gaze landing on Ruan Xing.

She raised her hand and tucked her hair behind her ear, the movement very light. Her fingers slid through her hair, lifting a small stray strand before it fell back down.

Wang Chao stared at that gesture for two seconds. He had never thought before that a girl could look so beautiful flipping her hair.

Looking at Ye Ming next to her again, she suddenly felt extremely uncomfortable.

He lowered his head, opened Su Qing's chat window, and typed a few words: "What are you doing?"

I waited a few seconds, but there was no reply.

He then typed, "Are you free today?"

Su Qing replied with a single word: "No."

"Ever since we held hands, she's been so hot and cold towards me. Could it be that she's really gotten back together with her ex-boyfriend?"

With a hiss, the school bus came to a stop.

Ruan Xing tugged at Ye Ming's sleeve: "The car is here."

Ye Ming withdrew his gaze and got into the car with her.

After Wang Chao and everyone else got on the bus, he was the last to board.

Ruan Xing sat down by the window, and Ye Ming sat down next to her. Sunlight streamed in through the window, falling on her legs, dazzlingly white.

As the car started moving, Ruan Xing's long, fair legs kept brushing against Ye Ming's legs, and he gradually felt even hotter.

If I had known it would be this hot, I would have worn riding breeches today.

"Hey deskmate, are you nervous?" Ruan Xing suddenly leaned closer and asked Ye Ming in his ear.

Ye Ming felt a strand of hair brush against his left ear, and the faint scent of fruit stirred something within him: "I'm not nervous."

"You seem fearless and capable of solving anything." Ruan Xing's voice softened slightly as she ran her fingers along her backpack strap.

Ye Ming didn't reply, feeling his throat getting even drier.

What a disaster! Are they all reincarnated demons?

The thing is, I'm not exactly a piece of Tang Sanzang's flesh!

Can't you have a little sense of boundaries?

Ye Ming frowned slightly, feeling both tormented and enjoying it.

Ruan Xing turned her head to look out the window, a smile playing on her lips. She seemed to have found a way to get under her deskmate's thumb.

My deskmate was surprisingly inexperienced in this regard.

Meanwhile, the Provincial Communications Administration.

Liu Zhiyuan took out the filing materials that Xiao Zhou had printed out from the drawer, took a sip of tea, and began to study them carefully.

When Ye Ming and Ruan Xing arrived at Zhujiang Road, it was almost two o'clock.

The hotel's sign was definitely standing across the street, and the windows on the third floor were closed with the curtains drawn tightly.

Ye Ming glanced at the street and saw the COSTA downstairs in the Golden Eagle building.

It has large glass windows facing the street, so you can see the hotel entrance from inside.

"Walk."

He pushed open the thick wooden-framed glass door, and the aroma of coffee wafted out, mixed with the sweetness of milk foam and the richness of roasted beans.

The shop was lit with warm yellow lights, wall lamps illuminating the velvet sofas, and the reddish-brown wooden tables were polished to a shine.

The window seats were empty, so the two of them went over and sat down.

Ruan Xing opened the drink menu, and Ye Ming opened his as well. The number following the word "coffee" made his eyelids twitch.

"What would you like to drink?" Ruan Xing looked up at him.

"Iced Americano".

Ruan Xing was taken aback. "That's very bitter."

"I know," Ye Ming said. "You drink this too."

Ruan Xing blinked, somewhat surprised.

Without asking why, she closed the order and told the waiter, "Two iced Americanos."

The waiter left, and Ruan Xing lay on the table, her chin resting on the back of her hand, looking at Ye Ming.

"Why are you making me drink this too?"

Ye Ming smiled and said, "Being scammed out of five thousand yuan, isn't that tough?"

Ruan Xing pursed her lips: "Bitter."

"It won't happen again."

Ruan Xing stared at him for two seconds.

"The greatest hardship we'll ever endure is the hardship of an iced Americano," Ye Ming said, taking a sip from his glass. "Nothing else will ever touch us."

Ruan Xing also picked up her cup and took a sip.

He frowned for a moment, then relaxed.

"It was tough, but I could endure it."

She put the cup down, ran her fingers along the rim, and suddenly smiled.

Her eyes were curved as she looked at Ye Ming.

"From now on, you have to be there every time we suffer."

Ye Ming didn't reply, but simply raised his glass and drank with her.

Ruan Xing didn't press further, her lips still curled up in a smile.

The sunlight streaming in through the window fell on the back of her hand, making it shine brightly white.

She pulled her hand back and placed it on her knee, then after a while, she stretched it out again and rested it on the edge of the table.

Her fingers were very close to his hand, but they didn't touch.

Wang Chao followed the crowd into the Hotel.

We arrived at the third floor. The banquet hall door was open, and inside there were more than a dozen rows of folding chairs, seating fifty or sixty people.

The projection screen is directly in front of you, showing a curve graph rising from bottom to top.

The speakers were playing rousing music, and the drumbeats pounded against his chest.

Wang Chao sat down in the fifth row, and the music stopped. Wang Deming walked onto the stage, his tie neatly tied, his hair slicked back with gel, and gleaming under the lights.

"Good afternoon, everyone. Those of you sitting here today are all people with vision. Groupon achieved a valuation of several billion US dollars in the US in just one year, and we secured the exclusive license for China. You are the first to get on board."

He pressed the remote control, and several large words appeared on the screen: Founding Members - 150 seats nationwide.

"What is a founding member? It means that on the day the company goes public, you will not be users, but shareholders and co-founders."

Whispers began to circulate among the audience. A man in the front row raised his hand: "Mr. Wang, are there any spots left?"

Wang Deming picked up the bottled water and took a sip, moving slowly.

"In Nanjing, five. We've already collected three today. Two are left."

The music started again, and the drumbeats quickened.

"Mr. Wang, there are too few spots available," someone in the back row called out.

Wang Deming took out his phone, walked to a corner, and turned his back to the audience. After about a minute, he turned back with a smile on his face.

"Headquarters said that everyone who came today has had a tough time. They're adding twenty more spots."

The audience erupted in a buzz, and many people rushed forward.

Wang Chao felt a surge of heat rush to his head. He unzipped his bag and took out the envelope from his backpack. Inside was 4,500 yuan, which, together with the 500 yuan he had paid earlier, made a total of 5,000 yuan.

He clutched the money, his palms sweaty, and stood up, ready to push his way forward.

Suddenly, the door was pushed open.

A dozen uniformed police officers walked in. The leader flashed his badge, his voice not loud, but the entire banquet hall fell silent.

"Don't move, sit still."

Wang Deming's hand froze in mid-air, and he almost dropped the microphone.

Someone in the front row stood up, but the police forced them back down.

The music was still playing, the drumbeats pounding, and no one turned it off.

Wang Chao stood there, his fingers still clutching the four thousand five hundred yuan, not letting go.

He saw Wang Deming being led out from behind the podium by the police. His tie was askew, his hair was disheveled, and the expression on his face changed from astonishment to ashen.

He kept his head down and was led out.

The police began registering each person individually, distinguishing between the agents and the victims.

When it was Wang Chao's turn, he gave his name and said he had paid a 500 yuan deposit. The policeman wrote it down in his notebook and told him to wait.

He sat back down, his mind blank.

Ye Ming's phone rang in the coffee shop. He glanced at the screen and answered it.

"Officer Li."

"Xiao Ye, the guy's been caught. Why weren't you there?"

"I'm at the coffee shop across the street. I've already gotten my money back."

There was a pause on the other end of the phone. "You wanted to come back yourself?"

"Um."

"You rascal..." Officer Li chuckled, "Alright, come over here and give a statement. Is your classmate here too?"

"exist."

Let's come together.

Ye Ming hung up the phone and glanced at Ruan Xing.

Ruan Xing had already stood up, put her schoolbag on her back, and her eyes were bright.

"Let's go." Ye Ming stood up and walked towards the cashier.

Ruan Xing tugged at his sleeve. "I've already paid."

Ye Ming was stunned for a moment, then turned to look at her.

"I paid while you were on the phone," Ruan Xing said, slinging her backpack over her shoulder with a bright smile. "I'm having an iced Americano, so you have to drink with me every time from now on, no cheating."

After she finished speaking, without waiting for his reply, she turned around, pushed open the door, and stood at the doorway looking back at him.

"Come on, deskmate."

The hotel lobby was a mess.

Wang Deming was being escorted out by two policemen when he ran into Ye Ming.

He struggled suddenly, and his voice changed tone.

"It was you, you called the police, wasn't you! You're so ruthless! I already gave you the money, why did you call the police?"

Ye Ming glanced at him, his attitude calm, without anger or smugness.

Wang Deming was provoked. As the police forced him to leave, he kept shouting, "You're ignoring me! Just you wait..."

Ye Ming had already turned around and was talking to Ruan Xing.

Ruan Xing nodded, took a piece of paper out of her bag, and handed it to the policeman next to her.

Wang Chao came downstairs and happened to see this scene, and also heard what Wang Deming shouted.

Ye Ming was tricked into paying a deposit by a scammer, but he managed to get the money back from the scammer and even outsmarted him.

After Ye Ming and Ruan Xing finished their business, they turned and walked out without looking at Wang Chao.

After they left, Wang Chao stood up, his legs feeling a little numb. He walked up to the old policeman and spoke in a low voice.

"Officer, that person just now... he's my roommate."

The older policeman looked up at him. "Ye Ming?"

"Um."

The older police officer looked down at the documents in his hand, his tone indifferent. "Him? He got the money back a long time ago, and even got a refund statement. He was the one who filed the police report. Didn't he tell you?"

Wang Chao opened his mouth, but no words came out.

The old policeman continued registering the next person without even looking up. "But you're lucky, you only paid five hundred. If it weren't for this incident today, you would have lost your entire four thousand five hundred."

Wang Chao stood there, feeling dizzy and disoriented. He felt as if all his recent stubbornness, resentment, and subtle malice had been a joke.

At the other end of the corridor, Ye Ming and Ruan Xing had just stepped out of the hotel when Ruan Xing suddenly smiled, a smile more radiant and dazzling than the sunlight:

"Even the scammers say you're too ruthless."

Ye Ming glared at her: "Can you believe a liar's words?"

Ruan Xing was taken aback.

"Do you believe him, or do you believe me?" Ye Ming stared at her fiercely.

Ruan Xing's face turned bright red instantly. She turned her face away and muttered softly, "Of course I believe my deskmate."

"Then admit your mistake." Ye Ming deliberately pressed on.

Ruan Xing's face turned even redder. She grabbed Ye Ming's arm and whispered, "Good deskmate, I was wrong, really wrong. Don't be angry, okay?"

Upon hearing this, Ye Ming turned around and walked forward, a slight smile playing on his lips, clearly pleased.

You little brat, you dare to tease me?

If I don't suppress you once and for all, you might become the next Xu Wei.

You want to ride on my head? No door, no window!

Ruan Xing followed behind him, looking like a wronged little wife, her face flushed, her heart pounding, and the sunlight shining on her long, slender legs, making them appear bright white.