A super-rich tycoon? No, just call me the gentlemanly gigolo.

Jiang Ye checked his WeChat balance and sent a message to Fang Wei, his closest friend in the dorm:

[Old Fang, I'm in dire need of help. Lend me 5 yuan. If you really can't, 500 will do.]

Fang Wei: [...]

Jiang Ye: [......]

A few seconds later, a notification popped up on the screen: Fang Wei has transferred 500 yuan to you.

Jiang Ye immediately accepted the message and casually replied with a voice message: "Thanks, bro! You're a true friend! I'll give you a surprise when you come to Shengtian."

Fang Wei: [It would be best if I didn't go to your house for the banquet; I'd just waste 500 yuan and still have to give a gift.]

Jiang Ye: [You're being cheeky! When you get here, don't you dare kneel down and beg me for forgiveness!]

Fang Wei: [Are you begging me to pay you back?]

Jiang Ye clicked his tongue, lamenting the decline of morality and how brotherhood was as thin as paper.

He immediately contacted the car rental company and extended the rental for another day, reducing his cash on hand to 400 yuan again.

At 6 p.m., Jiang Ye once again parked his BMW 5 Series at that familiar intersection near the music academy.

As dusk fell and the city lights began to twinkle, he continued to execute the bleak Plan B—waiting for the rabbit to run into his trap.

Hoping to meet another girl like Ye Cheng who is "highly perceptive" or at least able to "mistake cars," he idly took out his phone and started searching for stocking prices on Taobao.

Ye Cheng's teasing remark during the day opened up a new perspective for him.

Getting her to pay directly might be a bit difficult, but if you take advantage of her "misunderstanding" about you, guide her to wear some particularly expensive socks, and then give them to you, wouldn't that be a cashback?

There's nothing wrong with this logic, right?

After searching for a while, Jiang Ye was dazzled by the various brands and prices.

Especially the "Balenciaga" brand I mentioned earlier, with prices ranging from 19.8 to 2000, which is a huge markup.

He recalled that the woman seemed to be using an iPhone 14, so her spending level was probably average. Even if she did have one, it would most likely be the kind that costs 19.8 yuan with free shipping. A 10x cashback would only be 198 yuan, which wouldn't be very appealing.

So he opened Ye Cheng's WeChat.

Jiang Ye: [Hey beautiful, are you out yet?]

Ye Cheng quickly replied: [Not off work yet, almost done, what's up?]

Jiang Ye: [I was joking when I said before about the black stockings with letters.]

Ye Cheng: [Hmm? Is that so?]

Jiang Ye: [Yeah, just kidding. It's cold now, don't wear that, you'll freeze.]

Ye Cheng: [Oh, you're quite thoughtful.]

Seeing that the time was right, Jiang Ye immediately shared a JD.com link:

Look at this! It's Victoria's Secret's "bare leg" tights, the kind that costs 300 yuan. I've read the reviews, and the ladies all say they're really warm; you can wear them directly without feeling cold. If you buy it now, it'll arrive tomorrow.

Ye Cheng: [...]

Ye Cheng: [No, bro, you...]

Ye Cheng: [Are you ordering this food? Or maybe you should go see a therapist?]

Jiang Ye: [Isn't this for your own good? This is thick and perfect for this season!]

Ye Cheng: [Heh, you're just worried the flavor will dissipate, aren't you?]

"..."

Jiang Ye jumped up and down, then threw his phone onto the passenger seat.

This woman has no idea how to talk to anyone!

Sigrún has taught at the Iceland University of the Arts as a part-time lecturer since and was Dean of the Department of Fine Art from -. In – she held a research position at Reykjavík Art Museum focusing on the role of women in Icelandic art. She studied fine art at the Icelandic College of Arts and Crafts and at Pratt Institute, New York, and holds BA and MA degrees in art history and philosophy from the University of Iceland. Sigrún lives and works in Iceland.

Time flew by, and for the next three hours, Jiang Ye's "waiting for the rabbit to run into the tree stump" yielded little result.

Four girls got into the passenger seat, and two more knocked on the car window.

Jiang Ye estimates that two of them have a charm score of around 80.

As usual, he tried to probe by asking to "buy water," but both girls looked blank and didn't react at all.

Jiang Ye pondered for a long time before finally figuring it out.

These girls came here with a very clear purpose: to quickly monetize their money.

It's not that they lack understanding or are unwilling to "invest a little and get a big return," nor are they stingy and unwilling to spend even a few dollars; it's that they simply don't think in that direction at all.

Their mindset is simply "What can I get from you?" rather than "What can I do for you in exchange for more?"

Plan B has now been completely failed.

The only good news was that, in the process, they unexpectedly found Ye Cheng, who was completely drunk, which was a lucky accident.

Seeing that it was almost time, Jiang Ye drove to Millennium Bar.

Millennium Bar has a small storefront and a decor that leans towards an artsy, light industrial style. It's more like a quiet bar for friends to gather in, rather than a noisy disco.

He found a parking space near the entrance, parked his car, and sent Ye Cheng a WeChat message: 【Arrived.】

While waiting, he got bored and started looking at the other cars parked in front of the bar.

BMW, Mercedes-Benz, Infiniti...

There were indeed quite a few expensive cars parked there, among which a Porsche Cayenne stood out.

He took out his phone, opened an image recognition app, and took pictures of each of the cars to check their prices.

"A BMW 5 Series, over 60... A Mercedes-Benz E-Class, 100... Oh wow, this BMW 7 Series, almost 4.0 million... A Lexus LS, also in the million-yuan range... A Porsche Cayenne 40T hybrid, wow, 200 million..."

As Jiang Ye checked, he clicked his tongue in amazement. These cars were indeed luxury cars that were out of reach for ordinary families.

But somehow, he always felt something was missing.

In the past, when I read novels, the protagonist's opponents or supporting characters were always driving Maybachs, Bentleys, Rolls-Royces, or at the very least, top-of-the-line Audi A8s.

These cars in front of me are all pretty good, but why do they always seem... a bit low-end?

Is it because the cost of living is just like this in Shengtian?

Or is it that the real big shots wouldn't come to this kind of place to wait around, and those squatting here are actually secondary options or backup plans?

Eh?

Am I being used as a backup option by that woman?

Just as he was lost in thought, the bar door was pushed open, and more than a dozen people walked out chatting and laughing. Most of them were stylish young women carrying various styles of bags, while there were only two men.

Jiang Ye subconsciously looked towards the bar, and his gaze quickly locked onto a somewhat familiar figure.

Unlike her disheveled, drunken state last night, Ye Cheng was clearly dressed up carefully today.

She had a classic oval face, fair and radiant skin, and long hair that cascaded down to her waist.

Her eyebrows and eyes were slender with slightly upturned corners, giving her a natural charm. She had a high nose bridge and light-colored lips with a touch of glossy lip gloss.

Wearing... wearing...

Holy crap! Isn't this woman cold?

She was wearing a lace-up knit top, seemingly with only a camisole underneath, black shorts, black over-the-knee socks, and Doc Martens boots.

picture-----

Compared to the various coats, sweaters, and long skirts worn by other girls around her, this outfit stood out conspicuously.

Ye Cheng glanced around the doorway, quickly spotted Jiang Ye's BMW, jogged over, opened the door, and climbed inside.

Outside the car, several of her classmates pointed and whispered in this direction, talking amongst themselves.

Ye Cheng rolled down the car window, waved to them, and turned to look at Jiang Ye: "Let's go."

As he started the car, he couldn't help but glance at her drafty clothes: "Uh... sister, aren't you cold?"

Ye Cheng glanced at him, then continued to wave gracefully goodbye to her classmates outside the window. Once the car reached the main road, she suddenly hugged herself tightly, curling into a ball, her teeth chattering.

"Quick, quick! Air conditioning! Turn the air conditioning up! I'm freezing!"

Jiang Ye: "..."