114: Inside the car - 1 (Bonus chapter)

December 24th, Christmas Eve.

The sky was just beginning to lighten, and Jiang Ye, still not fully awake from his sleep, heard a sticky, nasal whimper next to his ear:

"Brother... don't leave me behind..."

"Yaoyao wants to be with you forever..."

"How about a kiss, baby? Please..."

Jiang Ye slowly opened his eyes, glanced sideways at the phone on his pillow that was still on a call, and a row of ellipses silently floated past his mind.

"..."

This woman... starting her little act first thing in the morning?

Did she really think Buddy would believe this was a genuine outpouring of emotion in her sleep and be moved by it?

"Alright, alright, stop whining."

He rubbed his forehead in exasperation and spoke into the phone with annoyance, "It's early in the morning, settle down. What time is your PK tonight? I'll go over, send you the support, and that'll be it."

Yaoyao on the other end of the line didn't seem surprised at all to be exposed. She giggled, her voice instantly clear:

"Eight p.m.! It's mainly because I was afraid Brother might be spending Christmas Eve with Sister tonight. What if you forgot about Yaoyao? So I had to use this method to give a little reminder~"

Jiang Ye rolled his eyes at the air: "Fine, got it. But if I don't have time tonight, don't expect any fancy timing, okay? I'll just go over, send the votes, and that's it."

"Mhmm, okay, Brother! Anything is fine, just come!"

Yaoyao quickly agreed, then cautiously asked, "Then... Brother, are we still going to Voice chat tonight?"

Jiang Ye yawned and sat up, stretching with a big, lazy motion.

"We'll see... But if you want to listen, if you want to feel involved, then we don't have to 'see'. Actually, it might be good. Maybe I'll even need your help with some voice acting or to help set the mood or something."

Immediately, the other end erupted with a fit of coughing and muffled whimpers, as if Yaoyao had choked on her own saliva. She clearly didn't dare touch that topic.

Jiang Ye chuckled mischievously: "Alright, hanging up now. Heading out in a bit."

"Mhmm, okay, Bro! Merry Christmas Eve!~~"

"Merry Christmas Eve."

Jiang Ye rolled out of bed, went into the bathroom for a quick wash, changed into his outfit, and headed straight out to Bubble Forest.

Based on Ye Cheng's reactions during their WeChat voice calls these past couple of days—how she kept getting shy and changing the subject—Jiang Ye had a strong premonition: tonight might just bring some unexpected 'special benefits'.

Plus, he still had to help Ye Cheng save face in front of her dorm sisters tonight. This 'pre-battle preparation' had to be absolutely perfect!

Body scrub, massage, full-body SPA, skincare, ear cleaning, then finding Tony for a meticulously styled haircut... The entire process took several hours.

By the time he emerged from the bathhouse, it was already afternoon. Jiang Ye felt refreshed, radiant, and in top form.

He hailed a taxi and went straight to the car rental place he'd used before, renting the same BMW 5 Series again.

Driving all the way to the North Gate of ShengYin, he spotted Ye Cheng from afar, standing by the roadside with a backpack.

"Been waiting long?"

He watched her get into the car, took in her outfit—a down jacket paired with jeans and UGGs—and was momentarily stunned:

"What about those two 'Battle outfits' you bought before? You're going to the 'Comparison contest' dressed like this?"

"They're on underneath. The shoes are in my bag."

Ye Cheng placed her backpack on her lap and rubbed her hands together. "It's so cold. If I walked from the dorm to the gate dressed that lightly, waiting for you, I'd have turned into an icicle!"

Jiang Ye pursed his lips, slightly disdainful: "Then why didn't you buy a couple of decent coats? Didn't I give you money?"

Ye Cheng smiled but didn't respond to that. Her gaze fell on his new hairstyle, and her eyes lit up slightly:

"Oh? Not bad, not bad. You even specially got a haircut? Seems Master Jiang is taking today very seriously!"

"You bet!"

Jiang Ye raised his chin proudly. "Extremely serious! Buddy here has been groomed from head to toe, inside and out—scrubbed, SPA'd, no corner left untouched! Hmm... I even got my fingernails trimmed!"

"..."

Ye Cheng's face involuntarily flushed slightly. Using the motion of rubbing her hands, she turned to look out the window and muttered softly, "Oh... cleaned up so thoroughly, what are you planning?"

Seeing her reaction, Jiang Ye's earlier premonition grew stronger. "Hey, by the way, didn't you say you had a Tribute for me today? Where is it?"

Ye Cheng fidgeted with the strap of her backpack, glancing at him quickly out of the corner of her eye:

"Ahem... it's in the bag. In a hurry? Should I give it to you now?"

Seeing her flushed profile and evasive eyes, Jiang Ye instantly understood. "No rush! Tonight is fine!"

Ye Cheng seemed scalded by his words. She sharply turned her head away a bit more, this time a blush creeping all the way to her earlobes.

A momentary quiet settled in the car.

A strange, ambiguous atmosphere secretly flowed and fermented within the cramped space of the vehicle.

Jiang Ye was almost certain that Ye Cheng's 'Tribute' this time was definitely not just a pair of tights. Tonight, she might very well be planning to 'offer up' herself.

Even if it wasn't the final step, it was probably a major development.

And Ye Cheng, clearly aware that Jiang Ye had guessed her thoughts, could only force herself to remain calm and pretend nothing was happening.

This state of 'I know you know, but we're both pretending not to know' made the atmosphere in the car both ambiguous and a bit awkward.

After a while, Ye Cheng pursed her lips, rummaged in her bag, took out an exquisite box printed with an LV logo, and handed it to Jiang Ye:

"Here, for you. A Christmas Eve gift."

Jiang Ye took it, opened it, and saw it was a classic LV men's belt.

Almost simultaneously, the system prompt in his mind arrived as expected:

[Received a gift from Ye Cheng: One LV HERITAGE belt. System appraisal value: 39,000 RMB. Triggered 1000% cashback, obtained 390,000 RMB!]

Another huge cashback of nearly four hundred thousand entered his account.

But this time, Jiang Ye's attention, for once, wasn't on the money. Staring at the belt in his hand, he blurted out:

"Huh? This is the gift? Not yourself?"

"Hey, hey, hey!"

Ye Cheng's face flushed completely red in an instant. She glared at him, speechless. "Have you saved up enough money yet? Dream on!"

Jiang Ye looked at her, her neck now red too, and grinned, leaning in slightly:

"Then why are you blushing? Student Xiao Ye, if you really had no such thoughts, you could have just laughed it off and ignored it, right? The harder you refuse, the more..."

"What are you mumbling about? Not enough money means no deal!"

Jiang Ye: "..."

Damn!

The same tactic, a completely different reaction. It really is you, Ye Cheng!

"What are you looking at? If you're fine, try on the belt. Why are you staring at me?"

Ye Cheng felt uncomfortable under his gaze, pursed her lips, and turned her face away a little more.