We agreed not to date, so why are you crying now that I've become the richest man?

In the bathroom, Ye Chen took a cold shower, washing away his fatigue.

After washing up and lying back in bed, the dormitory had become quiet.

Sun Haoyu was still scratching his head in front of his phone screen, deleting and revising, trying to come up with his invitation message.

Ye Chen picked up the iPhone 4 from beside his pillow and turned on the screen.

The lock screen is clean and there are no missed calls.

After unlocking and logging into QQ, several new messages popped up in the list.

Shen Anran's profile picture lay quietly on it; the message had been sent ten minutes earlier.

"Good night."

Extremely brief, yet it reveals the earnestness unique to that aloof academic genius, and a hint of expectation hidden between the lines.

Ye Chen looked at the screen, a smile unconsciously creeping onto his lips.

He knows this girl's personality too well.

An overly enthusiastic reply might disrupt the perfectly balanced ambiguity.

He tapped his fingers on the keyboard and replied with the same solemnity, two words.

"Good night."

Exit the chat window; below is a message from Zhao Peng.

The screen was filled with exclamation marks, and you could feel the resentment even through the screen.

"Old Ye! I finally got through this awful military training, it was absolutely inhuman! They treated us like animals! I'm going to die!"

"That instructor is even more ruthless than Zhou Bapi (a notorious exploiter in Chinese folklore). After more than half a month of this torture, my body doesn't even feel like my own anymore!"

"Even if the King of Heaven himself came, I'd stay in my dorm bed for two days to recover from this loss!"

Ye Chen couldn't help but chuckle as he read these comments and replied with a comment.

"With your small frame, you think the instructor is tough? I think you're just too weak."

After sending the message, I locked the screen, closed my eyes, and fell into a deep sleep.

……

The scene changes.

Sunday morning, in a shared apartment in Jing'an District, Shanghai.

The sky outside was just beginning to brighten, and sunlight streamed into the bedroom through the gaps in the curtains.

This room, less than ten square meters in size, looked as if it had been ravaged by a tornado.

Xia Shiqing got up very early and was standing in front of the full-length mirror with her brows furrowed.

Her wardrobe had been completely ransacked, with dresses, shirts, and jeans of all styles piled up on the bed, forming a colorful little mountain.

As a newcomer struggling in Shanghai's high-end car sales industry, Xia Shiqing has always had absolute confidence in her appearance and figure.

But today, she tried on seven or eight outfits in a row, but she was still not satisfied with any of them.

Wearing your usual work attire?

It's too rigid and has a sales-driven, utilitarian feel to it.

Wearing a floral dress?

She was too young and couldn't possibly control Ye Chen, who was eighteen years old but as experienced as a monster.

Is she dressed too revealingly?

It looks cheap.

Dressed too conservatively?

And it's utterly unappealing.

No, we absolutely cannot let things go wrong today.

Xia Shiqing turned around and pulled out a set of battle robes that she rarely wore from the bottom of the wardrobe.

A few minutes later, she stood in front of the full-length mirror again.

The woman in the mirror had changed into a pure white, tight-fitting V-neck knit top.

The dress was cut extremely close to her body, outlining her figure perfectly, neither too revealing nor lacking in a clean sexiness.

For her lower body, she paired it with a light gray bodycon mini skirt. The high-waisted design accentuated her slender waist, and the hem of the skirt stopped just above her knees.

Wearing a pair of beige pointed high heels, she looked capable yet feminine.

Xia Shiqing turned halfway around in front of the mirror and took a deep breath.

She knew very well that today's date was more than just "after-sales service".

Ye Chen possessed an irresistible attraction for her.

If we can seize this opportunity...

She didn't dwell on it, but simply pursed her lips and finally let out a satisfied sigh.

Just then, the bedroom door, which was half-open, was pushed open.

My roommate, Zhou Tong, walked in yawning, holding a toothbrush covered in toothpaste, her hair a mess.

"Shiqing, what are you doing playing ping-pong on this weekend...?"

Zhou Tong's words were cut off abruptly before she could finish speaking.

Her eyes widened, and the toothbrush fell directly onto the carpet.

After a two-second pause, Zhou Tong pounced on Xia Shiqing, circling her once and making exaggerated clicking sounds.

"My goodness! Xia Shiqing, who are you going to seduce?"

Zhou Tong's gossip spirit ignited instantly, banishing all sleepiness, and he grabbed Xia Shiqing's arm.

"That tight-fitting outfit, that bodycon skirt, those long legs! Even I, a woman, can't resist!"

"Tell me honestly, are you going on a date? Which rich kid is worth you spending so much money on?"

Xia Shiqing blushed as her best friend teased her.

She quickly pulled away from Zhou Tong's hand, turned around and walked to the dressing table, picked up a bright red lipstick, and carefully applied it.

The color of her lipstick made her skin look even whiter than snow, and her eyes sparkled with alluring charm.

"Don't talk nonsense, what date? I'm just meeting a client."

Xia Shiqing tidied her hair while stubbornly retorting.

But whenever the word "customer" was mentioned, Ye Chen's young yet profound profile involuntarily appeared in her mind.

My heart skipped a beat for no apparent reason.

"Pfft, I don't believe you for a second!"

Zhou Tong rolled her eyes and leaned against the door frame with her arms crossed.

"Dressed like this to meet a client? With that kind of style, the client is probably going to be completely smitten!"

"Stop pretending with me! Looking at your rosy cheeks, I definitely guessed right!"

Xia Shiqing pursed her red lips, the blush spreading all the way to her ears.

She didn't answer Zhou Tong's teasing, but instead picked up the perfume bottle next to her, sprayed it twice into the air, closed her eyes, and gracefully walked through the fragrant mist.

The fragrance has a subtle woody rose note, sophisticated yet understated.

When Zhou Tong saw her shy yet undeniable expression, he knew he had guessed everything correctly.

"Alright, alright, I won't ask anymore. I wish our beautiful Xia all the best today, and hope she wins over her dream guy!"

Zhou Tong picked up the toothbrush from the ground and shook her head as she walked out.

"Who is this unlucky guy? He's probably going to be completely smitten today."

The very second Zhou Tong stepped out of the room—

The phone on the dressing table suddenly started vibrating rapidly.

Xia Shiqing turned around abruptly, her gaze fixed on the screen.

The caller ID only showed two characters.

— Ye Chen.

She took a deep breath and tried to calm her wildly beating chest.

After letting the ringtone ring a few times and getting myself ready, I swiped to answer.

"Hey, Ye Chen~"

His tone was gentle and natural, with a slight upward inflection at the end.

Ye Chen's calm and languid voice came from the other end of the phone, accompanied by the deep roar of a car engine.

"I've arrived. You can come down now if you're ready."

Xia Shiqing hung up the phone, walked quickly to the bedroom window in her high heels, and pulled back the curtains.

In the morning sunlight, a black and imposing Mercedes-Benz S600 is quietly parked outside the somewhat dilapidated iron gate of the residential area.

Xia Shiqing grabbed her bag, put on her high heels, and rushed out of the room without looking back.

The stairwell echoed with the rapid clatter of high heels.

Her heart was racing, and her palms were sweating slightly.

The moment she pushed open the iron gate, she saw Ye Chen getting out of the car.

A black collared short-sleeved shirt paired with dark casual pants—simple yet sophisticated.

The morning light shone on his young profile, highlighting his well-defined features.

The Vacheron Constantin watch has a subtle sheen on the wrist.

He looked up, his gaze falling on her, a smile playing on his lips.

Good morning.

Xia Shiqing's breath hitched for a second.