The school didn’t have a coffee shop, so the three of them ended up chatting at a simple table in front of the stir-fry window.

There was no air conditioning inside. The remote control for the electric fan was kept by the restaurant management staff and could only be turned on at set times. Fortunately, there was a weak cross-breeze, so it wasn’t stuffy. However, the sanitary conditions weren’t very good—several flies circled around them, and the breeze carried an unpleasant smell of slop water.

Chen An didn’t mind these things much. Dong Ping in Shenzhen had also treated him to Longjiang pork knuckle rice. It was just that he didn’t really want Cheng Lele to stay here. Although Cheng Lele was born into an ordinary family, she was still quite particular about clothing, food, housing, and transportation. Even when she occasionally requested to eat at an outdoor food stall, before Chen An accompanied her, he would confirm in advance whether the hygiene was up to standard. He had once raised her like a little princess.

Cheng Lele explained her purpose. She wanted to invite Shao Kang to be the campus district agent for Star Cinema. In exchange, she could offer him prices close to the lowest distribution price and give him a commission for each ticket sold.

“Taixi is very small. When young couples or close friends go out to relax, their entertainment options are limited, and watching movies is still mainstream. There are only two cinemas in Taixi. Although Ocean Cinema is upscale, the prices are outrageously high and very unfriendly to students. Even with a student ID discount, one ticket costs over forty yuan. For two people with some additional spending, it won’t be less than one hundred yuan. Tianhe isn’t a prestigious school. I believe for the vast majority of students, such prices don’t support frequent consumption. Moreover, I also saw on the forum that students from the technical school, because they dress maturely, are often given a hard time by ticket sellers who suspect fake IDs. The service experience is very poor.”

Cheng Lele paused, giving Shao Kang a moment to consider, then continued: “I know Student Shao Kang’s influence at Tianhe didn’t come easily, and you cherish your reputation. I guarantee Star Cinema will give Tianhe students the most sincere prices and provide the highest quality service. If the cooperation goes well, in the future we’ll also sponsor school club activities, especially your basketball team, which will be given top priority consideration.”

Shao Kang displayed a maturity that didn’t match his age. Even if he was tempted, he appeared calm and casual: “Sister Cheng, let me think about it.”

Cheng Lele pouted slightly and placed her WeChat QR code on the table, speaking with a slightly coquettish tone: “Student Shao Kang, don’t make me wait too long. Otherwise I’ll be disappointed.”

Chen An hadn’t spoken throughout, but when he heard this, he couldn’t help glaring at Cheng Lele. Then his gaze dropped to the QR code on the table—it wasn’t the business QR code from the first email Cheng Lele had sent him. He had never scanned that one either.

He had been awkwardly waiting for Cheng Lele to add him using her personal account, but it never came. On the contrary, yesterday she was clamoring to add her great-uncle’s daughter-in-law’s WeChat, and now she naturally added a little wolf-dog, but she never thought to add him—as if his WeChat wasn’t worth adding.

After Shao Kang finished adding her, Chen An opened his QR code and placed it over Cheng Lele’s phone, saying: “Student Shao, add me too.”

Chen An’s original intention was to remind Cheng Lele to add him on WeChat. However, Shao Kang was momentarily stunned, and while scanning, joked: “Brother Chen, are you worried about Sister Cheng and me having one-on-one contact? You want to supervise me?”

Cheng Lele had been so busy these past few days that her feet barely touched the ground. She hadn’t noticed at all that she still hadn’t added Chen An on WeChat, so she didn’t catch Chen An’s hint. Instead, led astray by Shao Kang’s comment, she recalled how Chen An had mocked her earlier for relying on her looks, and only then realized that her older brother was jealous.

Then, belatedly, she reflected that attracting another man’s attention in front of someone who liked her, regardless of the reason, was indeed very inappropriate. When she mentioned the “little wolf-dog,” it was adding fuel to the fire.

So she said to Chen An very seriously: “Feel free to supervise—I definitely won’t make any mistakes.” As she spoke, she subconsciously took back her phone.

Chen An watched as she put her phone in her pocket, nodded, and stood up, not mentioning adding her on WeChat at all. Now even he couldn’t figure out what kind of attitude he was maintaining. It was as if he had been persistently using his Taixi phone number, persistently using the WeChat account bound to that number, stubbornly waiting for her to contact him. If he took the initiative to add her, it would make him seem humble and pitiful.

On the way back from Tianhe, Cheng Lele noticed Chen An’s mood had become slightly low. She guessed Chen An was still jealous and spent the whole journey trying to cheer him up, explaining that her flashy appearance earlier was purely to gain attention and increase the possibility of conversation. However, it was indeed a bit opportunistic. She had deeply reflected on it and promised not to do it again in the future.

Chen An thought about it. In other bosses’ eyes, Cheng Lele’s reaction at the basketball court might have earned praise for being adaptable and flexibly clever, and her subsequent negotiation also demonstrated her work ability. So, like a qualified leader, he said to Cheng Lele: “I’m not angry. Also, you performed very well when negotiating with Shao Kang.”

Although Chen An said this, Cheng Lele still keenly sensed he hadn’t let it go. When they got to the cinema, she started searching like a scumbag for what gift to buy to make her partner happy.

In the past, she had many romantic ideas and plenty of time to design things carefully. Unfortunately, her work was now oversaturated, and she really didn’t have the energy to create surprises.

After searching for a long time, she didn’t find any valuable answers.

Cheng Lele sent Chen Xiaomu a WeChat message: [Older brother is mad at me. What gift should I buy to make him happy?]

Chen Xiaomu replied: [If you’re not going to marry him, why are you flirting?]

Cheng Lele deleted and revised, revised and deleted, before typing out two words: [I’ll marry him.]

After Chen Xiaomu sent a string of exclamation marks, she said: [Why do I have the illusion of forcing a decent person into prostitution?]

Cheng Lele: [Fine. Can you tell me what gift to buy now?]

Chen Xiaomu replied instantly: [Just wash yourself clean and lie in his bed.]

Cheng Lele: [Get lost.]

What had Hengdian taught this child to turn her into?