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

Ye Chen leaned back in his chair and smiled modestly, "I only know a little bit."

Shen Anran bit her lower lip lightly, and as they passed each other in the back row, she whispered in a voice only the two of them could hear, "Thank you."

"It was no trouble at all." Ye Chen said calmly, opening the driver's side door and getting in.

Coach Li, holding the scoreboard, said with a hint of skepticism, "Young man, you talk a good game in theory, but let's see how you play it."

Ye Chen didn't waste any words.

Adjust the rearview mirror, fasten your seatbelt, depress the clutch and shift into gear.

With a soft hum of the engine, the training vehicle sped off like a dragon.

Starting on a slope is as stable as Mount Tai, and making right-angle turns is incredibly smooth.

The final reverse parking maneuver was completed in one smooth motion, with the car perfectly centered, without even the slightest unnecessary correction.

Coach Li was stunned, not even noticing the ballpoint pen he dropped: "You call this a little bit? Even experienced drivers don't have your footwork! Where did you learn this?"

"I drove the bus for a few days before, following my relatives around. I learned by watching," Zhao Peng said, his eyes practically bulging out of their sockets. "Damn! Chenzi, you even kept this from me? When did you become a driving god behind my back?"

Ye Chen pulled out the key and chuckled, "While you were spending the whole night in the internet cafe feeding kills to other players."

Zhao Peng clutched his chest, feeling as if he had been hit by a critical strike.

Shen Anran sat in the corner, her gaze secretly falling on Ye Chen's composed profile.

She knew that when she was so nervous and at a loss, only he saw through her embarrassment and helped her out of the predicament in the most understated way.

Six o'clock in the evening, at the Yingbin Hotel.

Zhao Peng, dragging his nearly broken body, followed Ye Chen and pushed open the door to the Peony Hall on the second floor.

The private room was brightly lit, and more than twenty people were already seated around the large round table.

Li Hao, dressed in an expensive designer shirt, sat at the head of the table, boasting enthusiastically about his summer vacation plans. Meanwhile, Lin Wanqing sat at the center of another table, her white dress exuding a cool and aloof elegance, like a star surrounded by admirers.

The noise stopped abruptly as the door opened.

Seeing Ye Chen enter, a sinister glint flashed in Li Hao's eyes. He then deliberately raised his voice, "Oh, isn't this our class's famous 'lovesick' Ye Chen? What brings you so late?"

A burst of laughter immediately erupted around them. The failed confession that had caused a sensation throughout the school a few days ago had long become a source of amusement for everyone.

Zhao Peng was so angry he wanted to curse, but Ye Chen walked to the empty seat at the very edge with a blank expression and sat down, not even bothering to glance at Li Hao.

This disregard infuriated Li Hao even more. He picked up his wine glass and walked towards Ye Chen in a sarcastic tone: "Don't sit so far away! There's an empty seat next to Wan Qing. If you go over and offer her a toast now, and bow your head, maybe she can still be your friend."

All eyes in the room instantly focused on Ye Chen and Lin Wanqing.

Lin Wanqing frowned slightly, a hint of disgust flashing in her eyes. She was about to tell Li Hao to stop making trouble when she saw Ye Chen slowly wiping his hands with a hot towel.

"Li Hao, do you think stepping on me makes you more attractive?" Ye Chen didn't even raise his head, his voice as cold as ice.

Li Hao's face stiffened: "What do you mean? I was just trying to help you save face!"

"Kindness?" Ye Chen finally raised his eyelids, his gaze piercing him like a knife. "In the second semester of your junior year, you wrote three love letters to the prettiest girl in the neighboring class, only to have them returned in front of everyone. To cover up the embarrassment, you spread rumors everywhere, saying that you actually had a crush on Lin Wanqing and that you only wrote the love letters to spite her. What, you've gotten so used to using others as shields that you really think you're a Casanova?"

The room fell silent instantly upon hearing this.

Everyone's expression froze. Even Lin Wanqing looked up in astonishment, staring at Li Hao in disbelief.

"You...you're talking nonsense! This is slander!" Li Hao was like a cat whose tail had been stepped on, instantly breaking down and his face turned bright red.

Ye Chen sneered and threw the towel on the table: "The class beauty of Class 3 is called Su Xiaoyue. In your first love letter, you even copied the lyrics to Jay Chou's 'Sunny Day,' and drew a misaligned heart at the end. Do you want me to recite the original words to you word for word?"

"Clatter."

Someone's chopsticks fell on the table, and the sound was particularly jarring in the quiet private room.

Li Hao's legs went weak, cold sweat streamed down his forehead, and he couldn't utter a single word despite his mouth being open.

Zhao Peng burst out laughing: "Hahaha! So you're just a backup plan after a failed confession, huh? Stop pretending to be all lovey-dovey!"

At this moment, Li Hao became a complete clown. Lin Wanqing, looking at Ye Chen not far away with his cold eyes and commanding presence, suddenly felt a strange sense of estrangement—was this still the boy who had once been so obedient and submissive to her?