228: Character design can be chosen randomly - 1 (Bonus chapter)

The next day, they were originally scheduled to head out at nine, but just after seven-thirty, Jiang Ye knocked on Lin Wanxing's door and pulled her out of the house.

Speaking of which, it was a bit embarrassing.

Jiang Ye's expenses over the past half month had been quite high, leaving him with only 220,000 left.

The small amount of cashback Comrade Su Ning gave him for ordering takeout and buying milk tea during the day was completely insufficient to pay Ye Cheng's "tuition fees" at night.

During this half month, he and Ye Cheng had a total of four "academic exchanges."

Every time, it started with Ye Cheng being extremely reluctant and Jiang Ye using all sorts of tricks to "invite" her;

But as soon as the first round ended, the situation would take a sharp turn. Jiang Ye would want to quit while he was ahead, while Ye Cheng, in the spirit of "since we're already here," would enthusiastically invite him for a second, third, fourth time... Later, to stimulate "consumption," she even launched promotions like "second time half price," "buy three get one free," and "special skin available for the fourth time."

Jiang Ye... couldn't resist the temptation.

Of course, Student Ye Cheng's New Year's gift was still worth looking forward to, but the most urgent matter right now was to quickly handle Coach Lin and open up a new cashback channel.

And before handling her, the even more crucial part was—handling her family first... At the car rental agency, Lin Wanxing looked at the imposing Mercedes S480 in front of her and hesitantly tugged on Jiang Ye's sleeve:

"Jiang Ye, you don't need to rent such an expensive car, do you? How much does this cost per day? It's such a waste."

Jiang Ye glanced at her, shouted "Buddy, hurry it up" to the staff member doing the vehicle inspection, and then turned back:

"Buddy has decided that I'm going to help you completely settle your family over the next few days. The props must be in place."

"Jiang Ye, it's useless."

Lin Wanxing looked at him and sighed softly, "They... they only care about money. This kind of superficial work will only make them even more demanding."

"They care about money?"

Jiang Ye grinned as if he had heard some good news. "If they care about money, then it's easy! I was afraid they'd have some other weird pursuit; that would be the real trouble."

"Jiang Ye, I'm already very grateful that you can pretend to be my boyfriend and help me deal with them."

Lin Wanxing tried to persuade him to give up his unrealistic ideas. "I've talked to them many times. Logic doesn't work, and emotions don't move them. It's really useless."

"Stop, stop!"

Jiang Ye waved his hand to interrupt. "Don't bother talking about 'logic' here; that approach only works on me. Let's get straight to the point. If I can handle them, how will you thank me?"

Lin Wanxing instantly became alert and took half a step back. "What do you want to do?"

Seeing her look like she was facing a great enemy, Jiang Ye rolled his eyes speechlessly:

"Coach Lin, I just... accidentally saw you that one time. You really don't have to hold a grudge until now, do you? Am I the kind of person who takes advantage of someone in trouble?"

Lin Wanxing's face turned red, and she gritted her teeth, whispering, "You still dare to mention it?!"

"Fine, fine, I won't mention it."

Jiang Ye spread his hands. "How about this: I help you handle them. In return, for the next year, you treat me like a 'bestie.' How about it?"

"Bestie?"

"Yeah, just have a better attitude toward me normally. Don't always keep a stiff face. During holidays... cough, just treat me as your best male friend. The very best kind!"

Hearing this, Lin Wanxing frowned and hesitated.

Putting aside those ambiguous moments and this guy's talent for infuriating people, they were originally roommates sharing a rental, and they were familiar with each other.

The so-called "best male friend" sounded like it was just being a bit closer and more casual than now, with no real loss... She carefully pondered the wording and didn't find any obvious linguistic traps.

"What... do you plan to do?"

Seeing her interest, Jiang Ye immediately perked up. "Come, Buddy will give you a few persona options. See which one is easier to cooperate with."

"Persona? What persona?"

"Cold Aloof CEO, Sharp-tongued Tsundere, Refined Scum, Psychotic Yandere, Big Pervert... Personally, I highly recommend Big Pervert. After all, I'd be playing myself, so there's zero difficulty and stable performance."

"Okay, first, exclude Big Pervert."

"Tsk, no vision. Then which one do you choose?"

Lin Wanxing recalled those options that made her skin crawl just hearing their names... She could probably imagine what a Cold Aloof CEO would be like;

Big Pervert was definitely out;

Sharp-tongued Tsundere... This guy was already sharp-tongued enough; strengthening it might cause the situation to spiral out of control.

"What about this Refined Scum...?"

"You have good taste!"

Jiang Ye's eyes lit up, and he immediately pulled a pair of gold-rimmed glasses from his pocket and put them on:

"This Refined Scum actually has a lot in common with the Big Pervert, except the surging desires are hidden under an elegant surface! I'll demonstrate for you..."

"Thanks, but no need for a demonstration."

Seeing him instantly switch to "Beast in human clothing" mode, Lin Wanxing decisively raised her hand to stop him. "Not this one. Let's see the Psychotic Yandere."

"Oh? Hehe..."

Jiang Ye gave a light chuckle, readjusted his expression, and a hint of obsession and gloom gradually seeped into his eyes.

He walked slowly toward Lin Wanxing, his pace not fast, yet carrying an invisible sense of pressure.

Lin Wanxing was a bit flustered by this sudden change in aura. She subconsciously stepped back until her back hit the zeekr x next to her.

Looking at Jiang Ye's face getting closer and the unfamiliar gloom in his eyes, she felt a bit creeped out:

"Jiang Ye, what... what are you doing now?"

"Heh..."

Jiang Ye didn't answer. He reached out and lightly gripped Lin Wanxing's neck with the web of his hand, pulling her head closer to his.

His voice was low, carrying a trace of suppressed madness and pain:

"Lin Wanxing, your heart is with your mother, you worry for your father, you're tied to your brother, and you care for others... Why is it that when it comes to me, all that's left is a plea for mercy?"