In the evening, Chen Pingjiang went to eat hotpot with Yan Yan and Zhou Guanghan.
The tag-along Cao Jie heard that Chen Pingjiang had arrived, and immediately remembered the incident where she couldn't post the article trying to "rectify the name" of the sports academy last time.
She happily ran down and got into the car.
"Chen Pingjiang, this car is so weird, square like an urn."
Chen Pingjiang snapped back,
"Don't you have any taste? Such a good car and that's all you have to say?"
Yan Yan also asked curiously,
"When did you get a new car?"
"A friend's. Just borrowing it for a drive."
Yan Yan saw that although Chen Pingjiang still didn't talk much, his eyebrows were raised, showing uncontrollable happiness.
Yan Yan's outfit today still made Chen Pingjiang's eyes light up.
Her fair skin and long, flowing hair easily carried a long purple knit cardigan that other girls wouldn't even dare to imagine, paired with white straight-leg pants and white chunky shoes.
The whole ensemble created a rare sense of luxury and a mature, dominant vibe.
A small cowhide cross-body bag made her appear more lively, and a four-leaf clover pendant adorned her delicate earlobes.
Although the final layer of separation between her and Chen Pingjiang hadn't been broken, the continuously warming Yan Yan seemed to have opened her Ren and Du meridians, becoming more varied in her dressing and styling.
Her inherently cool and divine beauty, along with her slender long legs, allowed her to easily pull off various types of clothing.
"Chen Pingjiang, did Renren.com block the words 'Yan Yan'? I tried posting each character individually, and it went through smoothly, but these two characters just don't work when put together."
"Are all men like this? Your Yan Yan can only be seen by you, and can't go out and show her face?"
"Do you know that our sports academy was eliminated in the first round, and other schools are mocking us for having no one?"
"It's laughable that they don't know our sports academy's campus belle is in a sealed state."
"You're too selfish, Chen Pingjiang."
Chen Pingjiang felt like his dog brain had been smashed, as if N flies were buzzing around his ears.
"Do you believe me if I say one more word of nonsense, I'll throw you out?"
"Always squawking, I truly feel sorry for your future boyfriend."
After getting familiar with Cao Jie, Chen Pingjiang's poisonous tongue potential erupted, and they started bickering as soon as they met.
Yan Yan sat smiling in the passenger seat, watching the two of them quarrel.
Not long after, Zhou Guanghan got into the car, giving Chen Pingjiang a reprieve.
Cao Jie's attention was drawn to how Zhou Guanghan addressed Chen Pingjiang, and even Yan Yan remembered the embarrassing incident with Chen Pingjiang at the start of school, curiously pricking up her ears to listen.
Zhou Guanghan looked completely natural.
"A great-uncle is a great-uncle."
"Not only do I call him great-uncle, but people in their thirties older than me also have to call him great-uncle."
"When we go back to our hometown for Chinese New Year, great-uncle sits in a chair, and the younger generation from outside comes over one by one to kowtow for red envelopes."
This kind of situation where a person is young but has a high generational seniority is hard for outsiders to understand.
It's like during Chinese New Year, northerners also don't understand the endless folk activities in coastal areas.
Things like Yingge dance, You Shen, burning fire dragons, and so on.
"Wow, Yan Yan, Chen Pingjiang has such high seniority, then you'll be incredibly grand when you get married in the future. Imagine having a bunch of juniors kowtow to you, that scene sounds interesting."
Yan Yan's face turned red from Cao Jie's unrestrained words.
If it were just Cao Jie and her, it would have been fine, but now in front of Chen Pingjiang and Zhou Guanghan, she was particularly shy.
At the hotpot restaurant, Cao Jie, who was sitting in the back, thought for a moment before getting out of the car and said to Chen Pingjiang,
"I don't want to carry my bag, put it in your car's armrest box."
Chen Pingjiang, who was looking at the rearview mirror to park, hadn't reacted yet when Cao Jie had already clicked open the armrest box.
Then a surprised "Yeah!" sounded.
Cao Jie took out a lipstick, a pack of sanitary pads, and hair clips from the armrest box.
Chen Pingjiang parked the car and turned around to find Cao Jie and Yan Yan looking at him, their gazes a bit strange.
His peripheral vision caught sight of the "treasures" Cao Jie had discovered, but Chen Pingjiang not only showed no guilt but instead glared at her complainingly.
"Don't just grab things. This is someone else's car. If something is missing when I return it in a couple of days, they'll think I'm a pervert."
At this moment, if Chen Pingjiang had shown even a hint of guilt, or averted his gaze, or lacked confidence, Yan Yan's eyes would have seen right through him.
Looking at Chen Pingjiang's confident demeanor, Cao Jie stuck out her tongue, put the items back, and then mumbled,
"Such an old-fashioned car, what kind of woman can hold it?"
"Chen Pingjiang, could it be that some shady woman has been in your car?"
Chen Pingjiang chuckled inwardly; this silly Cao Jie was really providing a pillow just when he wanted to sleep.
If Cao Jie hadn't said that, Yan Yan might not have said anything, but she would have had doubts and held a grudge, and even if Chen Pingjiang explained it later, it would sound like an excuse.
But now that Cao Jie voiced Yan Yan's doubts, Chen Pingjiang only needed to retort more forcefully, and there would be no problem.
"I'm busy like a dog every day, where would I have time to find shady women?"
"If you don't believe me, ask Zhou Guanghan, he also knows the owner of this car."
"Do you believe me if I make a call now to prove it?"
Zhou Guanghan, who was daydreaming, heard his name called and cleverly nodded,
"It's Dai Sheng's former boss's car."
Still somewhat suspicious, Cao Jie then heard Chen Pingjiang open the speakerphone and start talking.
"Hello, President Ge, is my car washed? When are we swapping back?"
President Ge Mengshi on the other end didn't notice,
"Anytime, depends on your schedule."
"Oh, okay, then another day when I'm free."
Chen Pingjiang added,
"President Ge, I heard last time that your thirty-third birthday is coming up soon? Remember to let me know when you celebrate your birthday."
After that, the call was hung up.
It was Ge Mengshi who hung up actively, mainly because Chen Pingjiang deliberately emphasized the number "thirty-three", which made Ge Mengshi quite displeased.
This suited Chen Pingjiang perfectly.
Cao Jie then nodded,
"She's already thirty-three, so she's probably not a shady woman."
Normal people wouldn't connect twenty-year-old Chen Pingjiang with a thirty-three-year-old woman, and their conversation had no problems at all.
Yan Yan also let out a sigh of relief imperceptible to the naked eye, and said with a smile,
"Next time, don't emphasize a woman's age so much, it's very taboo."
Chen Pingjiang put on an enlightened expression,
"No wonder she suddenly hung up on me. Women really are something, she just hung up on me because I mentioned her age?"
A potential Shuraba was extinguished by Chen Pingjiang before it even erupted.
His strong inner composure, coupled with the cooperation of Zhou Guanghan and Cao Jie, eliminated the hidden danger.
Chen Pingjiang remained as calm as ever.
Strictly speaking, there was nothing between him and Ge Mengshi; even if he pretended to be her boyfriend to meet her parents, it was just a paid service.
During the hotpot meal, the four personalities were vastly different.
Zhou Guanghan ate heartily, head down, speaking pitifully little; Yan Yan was gentle and affectionate, occasionally putting food into Chen Pingjiang's bowl; Cao Jie ate dog food ferociously, constantly bickering with Chen Pingjiang.
After the meal, on the way back, as soon as Chen Pingjiang got into the car, he heard Cao Jie shout,
"I'm going back to school, tomorrow is the weekend, Yan Yan is going home."
Chen Pingjiang, who was fastening his seatbelt, thought for a moment and drove off with Yan Yan.
After the G-Wagon left, Zhou Guanghan and Cao Jie stared at each other.
Cao Jie stood with her hands on her hips, grumbling,
"Damn Chen Pingjiang, so pragmatic!"
After cursing, she glanced at the gleefully smiling Zhou Guanghan beside her, and immediately got angry,
"What's so funny? He left you behind, and you're still smiling?"
"It's fine, I'll just take a taxi back."
Watching Zhou Guanghan walk away, Cao Jie got even angrier,
"Wait, take me with you."
Chen Pingjiang wasn't crazy; Xianlin University Town was in the northeast of Dongjiang, and Yan Yan's home was in the direction of Mochou Lake in the city.
Dropping Zhou Guanghan and Cao Jie off at the sports academy first, and then Yan Yan, would undoubtedly be a big detour.
Yan Yan watched Chen Pingjiang's mischief and smiled, truly a beauty that would make the moon hide and flowers blush.
"Actually, it was Cao Jie's idea for me to participate in the Spokesperson Competition. I didn't want to participate at all. Luckily, you blocked my name."
Chen Pingjiang, driving, asked with a smile,
"You don't resent me for depriving you of your freedom of speech?"
"Of course not."
Yan Yan shook her head, her fair face faintly visible in the dim car, covered with a hazy beauty.
This gave Chen Pingjiang a deeper understanding of Yan Yan's elegance and grace.
If it were an ordinary "little fairy", she would probably have been clamoring about Chen Pingjiang restricting her rights, but unexpectedly, Yan Yan seemed to like this feeling of being protected by Chen Pingjiang.
His heart stirred, he turned the steering wheel, and pulled over to a roadside with fewer cars and people.
Yan Yan, not knowing why, looked at Chen Pingjiang with wide, puzzled eyes.
Chen Pingjiang's figure in her pupils grew larger and larger, gradually occupying her entire field of vision, then a warmth came to her lips, followed by a nimble tongue prying open her pearly teeth.
Yan Yan's eyes were still open, staring blankly at Chen Pingjiang's eyes and high nose bridge.
The movement in her mouth changed from clumsy and passive to gradually active.
The second time is always easier than the first.
Who knows how long passed, both of them feeling a bit breathless, before Chen Pingjiang finally released her and returned to the driver's seat.
Yan Yan's eyes were still open in a daze, she pursed her lips, a little unsatisfied, her cheeks were burning red, and her eyes had a shimmering, watery look.
Her heart pounding, she got out of the car, and dazedly opened her front door.
As soon as Yan Yan stepped inside, she was startled; she couldn't let her parents see anything unusual.
"Yan Yan's back?"
Yan Liming, who was watching News Broadcast, heard the door open and asked with a smile.
"Uh, back... back."
Yan Liming, usually serious and unsmiling at work, was unexpectedly kind at home, especially towards his daughter.
Her mother, Li Yuhua, happened to walk out of the kitchen with fruit.
Looking at her daughter's graceful figure, she smiled and said,
"This outfit looks good. I haven't seen you wear it before. Did you just buy it?"
The speaker was unintentional, but the listener took it to heart.
Yan Yan's heart pounded uncontrollably.
"Yes, last week, I bought it last week."
Li Yuhua didn't notice her daughter's guilt, and nodded in satisfaction,
"Good taste."
Yan Yan, still feeling her face burning, casually chatted with her parents for a couple of sentences, and went straight back to her bedroom.
After hiding in her bedroom, she secretly let out a sigh of relief, sitting dazedly on the bed.
She also felt that she had been daydreaming more and more lately, because then her mind could always be empty.
That nervous yet exciting feeling still lingered in her heart, as if she could still feel the hot afterglow between her lips.
Yan Liming, who was watching the news in the living room, picked up the remote control and turned up the TV volume, then sighed, and looked deeply at his wife who was eating fruit,
"Our daughter is in love."
Li Yuhua, who had just peeled a segment of honey tangerine, didn't even notice when the tangerine dropped.
"How do you know?"
Yan Liming's heart was filled with mixed emotions.
Somehow, the scene of an old colleague crying uncontrollably at his daughter's wedding flashed before his eyes, and he suddenly felt that the cabbage he had raised for 19 years had been taken.
"Haven't you noticed her dressing and styling differently lately? She never used to wear makeup, but she came back with makeup just now."
Li Yuhua, an editor at the newspaper, didn't have her husband's keenness.
When he mentioned it, she remembered how she had praised her daughter's outfit when she came in earlier.
"Is it because you usually work at the Disciplinary Inspection Commission, always used to being tense?"
Li Yuhua said this without much confidence, as if refuting half-heartedly, but in her heart, she already felt that her husband's words were largely true.
"Should we talk to Yan Yan openly?"
"Talk about what?"
"Just ask her if she's in a relationship?"
Yan Liming retorted,
"What if she says she isn't?"
Li Yuhua paused,
"Then, she wouldn't lie to us."
"No need, besides, Yan Yan is an adult, I believe she can handle herself properly."
Li Yuhua, who had worked at the newspaper for many years, had seen all kinds of news, and shook her head in disagreement,
"That won't do, I at least need to meet the boy before I can rest assured. We're not unreasonable parents."
As maternal love surged, Li Yuhua also lost her composure, especially worried that her well-behaved daughter had found a punk, or a scumbag who toyed with emotions.
Yan Liming thought for a moment and said,
"How about this, in a few days, I'll go to the sports academy and ask Li Yuan."
"Hmm, be sure to ask clearly. I never agreed to her going to a sports academy; the boys there...sigh."
"That's all old news, what's the point of talking about it now? No need to get stressed. Don't you know how high your daughter's standards are?"
Yan Liming, feeling a bit sour, had to turn around and comfort his wife.
Fortunately, the comfort had some effect, and Li Yuhua felt much more at ease.
"You're right, Yan Yan has always been reliable since she was little, not messing around, and didn't give us any trouble during adolescence. Now that you mention it, I'm also curious, what kind of boy can catch our daughter's eye?"
Yan Liming also smiled,
"I originally expected that with her cool personality, she wouldn't get married until at least twenty-seven or twenty-eight. Never thought this would happen."
The feelings of a father upon learning his daughter is in love are difficult for outsiders to understand.
This emotion lies in: not believing that any other man could do better for his daughter than he could, yet secretly hoping such a person would appear.
This was especially true for Yan Liming, the "daughter slave".
He had previously mocked an old colleague for crying uncontrollably at his daughter's wedding, and now it was his turn, filled with mixed feelings.
They say when a daughter falls in love, it's also when a father starts to lose sleep.
Tough guy Wang Shuo didn't even dare to attend his daughter's wedding, afraid he couldn't handle the scene and would cry uncontrollably.
(End of chapter)
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