211: Why isn't that enough? - 1 (Bonus Chapter)

At nine in the evening, Jiang Ye's zeekr x pulled up to the entrance of Old Tian's Ramen Shop.

He had chosen this timing after careful consideration.

If he came to pick her up at five or six, it would be only natural to bring her back before ten; if he didn't, it would be Jiang Ye who was being inconsiderate.

But arriving at nine was equivalent to throwing the problem directly to Old Tian, letting the man decide for himself.

As soon as the car was turned off, Tian Lijuan rushed out excitedly, then paused, turned back into the shop, and dragged out a helpless-looking Old Tian.

Jiang Ye pushed open the door and got out, greeting the conflicted-looking Old Tian, "Hello, Uncle Tian."

Hearing that "Uncle Tian," Old Tian's mouth twitched slightly.

He looked at his cheerful daughter, then at Jiang Ye, who stood by the car looking all dapper and well-dressed... though he wondered if the man was actually a wolf in sheep's clothing.

If his daughter were more sensible, he wouldn't even think twice about refusing a request to take her out "to play" this late at night.

But as it happened... this young Jiang was the only person in the past two years who both father and daughter found agreeable.

Seeing the changing expressions on her father's face, Tian Lijuan scratched her head. "Dad? What are you thinking about? I'm leaving, okay?"

Old Tian clicked his tongue. Seeing his daughter's impatient look and thinking about her usual "friends" with their multi-colored hair and crooked gaits, he gritted his teeth and made a decision.

"Fine! Go ahead!"

Seeing that her dad had actually relented and hadn't even mentioned the crucial "what time are you coming home," Tian Lijuan was instantly overjoyed.

She was about to head for the passenger seat when she suddenly remembered something. She ran back into the shop and came out carrying two bottles of Iced Red Tea, then trotted over, opened the car door, and hopped in.

Looking at those two bottles of Iced Red Tea, Old Tian felt his blood pressure spike.

He suppressed the urge to nag and managed to squeeze out a sentence to Jiang Ye:

"That... Xiao Jiang... drive slowly... be safe..."

Jiang Ye: "???"

He gave a wry smile and responded, "Sure, don't worry, Uncle Tian," while wondering if Old Tian was trying to warn him about something else.

Sitting back in the driver's seat, Jiang Ye looked at Tian Lijuan, who was snapping photos of the car's interior with her phone.

"Xiao Tian, where are we going? Send me a location."

"Got it!"

Tian Lijuan replied, handing him a bottle of Iced Red Tea. "Here, so you don't have to buy water on the way."

After saying that, she looked down at her phone, tapped around, and sent the location.

Jiang Ye took the tea, twisted it open, and took a sip. The cool, sweet liquid slid down his throat.

Just as he was about to screw the cap back on, he suddenly paused.

Eh?

Wait, wait?

Wait, wait, wait?

Holy crap?!

With a stiff neck, he slowly turned his head and stared intently at Tian Lijuan—

A classic loli face, exquisite features, well-endowed chest, slim waist, straight legs... he couldn't see her feet since she was wearing shoes.

Aside from being a bit short, her physical attributes were definitely top-tier.

With these conditions... her charm value wouldn't reach 80? No cashback was triggered?!

Where was the shortfall?!

Tian Lijuan spent a long time admiring her "luxury car selfies" on her phone. Looking up and seeing the car hadn't moved, she blinked in confusion.

"Uncle? What's wrong? Let's go!"

"Um... Xiao Tian, let me ask you something. When you went out with those friends before... did you ever... uh... drive?"

"Drive? Drive what? I don't have a license, Uncle."

Jiang Ye was choked up, feeling a bit awkward.

But this matter concerned the standards for future "talent acquisition," so he had to figure it out. Otherwise, he might encounter more "seemingly qualified but actually not" pitfalls.

Based on his observations and experience with his three "staff members"—Ye Cheng, Su Ning, and Lin Wanxing—over the past month, Tian Lijuan's base score for looks and figure definitely wasn't low. Even with a deduction for height, she should at least have a solid 82 or 83.

Since the hardware was sufficient, the problem could only lie in the "software."

He could only think of three possible gaps:

First, experience.

He had taken Ye Cheng's first time, Lin Wanxing's first love was Zhang Wenhai (who hadn't even touched her hand), and while Su Ning's situation was uncertain, if Tian Lijuan wasn't a virgin, that might be a deduction point.

Second, cultural literacy.

Ye Cheng, Lin Wanxing, and Su Ning were all university students. Tian Lijuan looked like she had graduated high school at most. Her education and overall quality might be a weakness.

Third, conduct and emotional intelligence.

Lacking IQ could just make her a "clumsy beauty," but low EQ, being loud and rowdy, and speaking without thinking were definitely fatal flaws.

It was possible... Tian Lijuan hit all three points, dragging her score directly below the passing line.

Jiang Ye looked at Tian Lijuan's face full of question marks. After a moment of hesitation, he decided to be direct. After all, she probably wouldn't understand if he beat around the bush.

"Xiao Tian, have you... ever had a boyfriend?"

"Of course! I'm nineteen, how could I not have had one? People used to chase me at school, okay!"

"Then how... how far did you go?"

Seeing his hesitant manner, Tian Lijuan suddenly seemed to understand something, her eyes widening instantly.

"Uncle... you don't happen to have some... strange cleanliness fetish, do you? No non-virgins allowed in the car?"

Jiang Ye: "..."

Seeing him speechless, Tian Lijuan grinned and patted his shoulder. "Relax, relax! I am! And don't worry, I definitely won't discriminate against you!"

Jiang Ye: "..."

Discriminate against my foot! Who should be discriminating against whom? Do you even know how to talk!

He didn't bother explaining and said irritably, "You hang out with that crowd every day, how could you still be..."

Tian Lijuan shrugged and pointed out the window at Old Tian, who was peeking out from the shop.

"My dad is strict! And Uncle, I'm not like those people. Lulu and I are pursuing a free, unconstrained lifestyle! It's... oh, you wouldn't understand. If you don't believe me..."

As she spoke, she made a move as if to pull down her pants. "I'll show you..."

Jiang Ye was startled. "Holy crap! Stop! What the hell are you trying to show me?!"

Tian Lijuan burst out laughing and pulled her hand back. "Tch, Uncle, I'm joking. If I showed everyone, how could I still be one? Are you going to play or not?"

"..."

Jiang Ye had completely lost his temper.

If she really was a virgin, then the reason her charm value wasn't high enough was likely the other two reasons—her internal refinement and speech were too poor.

He suddenly lost all interest, feeling like this trip was a total waste of time.

"Forget it, I'm not going. It's boring. Get out, I'll send you back to the shop." He started unbuckling his seatbelt.

"Don't, Uncle!"

Tian Lijuan got anxious and grabbed his arm. "It wasn't easy to get a chance to go out! Aren't you going to flirt with girls?"

Jiang Ye tried to pull his arm away. "I told you, I'm going to experience the atmosphere! Not to flirt! Let go!"

Tian Lijuan held on even tighter, leaning half her body over. "Right, right! Experience the atmosphere!"

"Let go, let go, hurry up."

"I won't! You already promised!"

As the two of them struggled in the car, the vehicle began to rock slightly.

Inside the shop, Old Tian, who had been watching closely, saw his face instantly darken.

He had thought it was strange that the car hadn't moved for so long, but now the car was actually... rocking right in front of his shop?!

He couldn't sit still anymore. He rushed out of the shop in a few steps, walked to the passenger side, and "thump, thump, thump" knocked on the car window.