229: Character design can be chosen at will - Part 2 (Bonus Chapter)

Lin Wanxing was startled by this sudden movement. Though his grip on her neck didn't hurt, her heart rate suddenly skyrocketed.

“Jiang Ye! What are you doing? Let go of me!”

Jiang Ye's expression remained cold and stubborn, a whirlpool of emotions swirling in his eyes.

“The things of this world don't always yield results just because one forces them; it is nothing more than mutual torture...”

He paused, his fingertips lightly stroking the side of her neck, sending a fine shiver through her.

“But, bitter fruit is still fruit! Lin Wanxing! What exactly are you afraid of me for?!”

He almost growled the last sentence, carrying an irrepressible madness.

The previous sentence had only felt strange, but hearing this last one, Lin Wanxing completely understood—this was that 'crazy yandere' persona!

Her secondhand embarrassment flared up instantly, her toes curling so hard in her shoes she almost got a cramp. Especially when she caught a glimpse of the shocked look from the car rental staff out of the corner of her eye, she wished she could just self-destruct on the spot.

“Alright, alright, I get it!”

Lin Wanxing hurriedly patted the hand he had on her neck, her tone urgent: “Not this one! Definitely not this one! overbearing ceo! Let's just go with the overbearing ceo!”

Jiang Ye seemed a bit unsatisfied, but seeing her intense reaction, he had no choice but to let go and scratch his head.

“Settled on the overbearing ceo? You sure? Actually, I thought the one just now was pretty cool...”

“I'm sure! Very sure!”

Lin Wanxing said decisively, “The overbearing ceo it is. At least it's somewhat normal!”

Jiang Ye gave an “oh,” paused, then pulled a credit card from his pocket. He twirled it between his fingers and gave a wicked smile.

“Woman, take this. A Centurion Black Card exclusive to the Jiang Group. Spend as you wish.”

Lin Wanxing stared in astonishment at the very ordinary China Merchants Bank credit card in front of her. “Jiang Ye, this is...?”

“A prop, obviously. What else?”

Jiang Ye blinked, keeping a straight face. “It belongs to Comrade Xiao Su. It has a twenty thousand limit, twelve thousand of which is temporary. If you actually spend anything, remember to pay her back yourself.”

“...”

Lin Wanxing's lips twitched uncontrollably. Watching Jiang Ye's series of antics, she felt her decision to take him to see her family waver for the first time.

The nearby staff member, seeing that they seemed to have finished 'rehearsing,' braced himself and approached.

“Sir, the paperwork for that S480 is ready. Here is the contract. Should I put it in the car's storage compartment again?”

Hearing this, Jiang Ye tilted his chin slightly and glanced at the staff member out of the corner of his eye.

“There's no need to ask me about such trifles. Send it directly to the Jiang Group.”

The staff member looked bewildered. “Huh? Send it where? Should I call a courier?”

Lin Wanxing's face turned bright red as she quickly apologized to the staff member. “I'm so sorry, I'm sorry. Just give the contract to me...”

After saying that, she didn't care about anything else and practically dragged Jiang Ye into the driver's seat of the Mercedes-Benz.

Even as he was stuffed into the car, Jiang Ye didn't forget to give her a doting smile. “Heh, woman, the way you take charge is actually quite cute to me.”

“...”

Lin Wanxing's head was full of black lines as she quickly circled to the passenger seat and got in, urging him repeatedly, “Go, go, go! I'm going to die!”

...It was just after 9:40 when they arrived at the North Station parking lot.

After the car came to a stop, Lin Wanxing looked at the man beside her, who was still occasionally throwing her looks that tried to convey 'doting' and 'overbearing.' She felt a throbbing pain in her head.

“Jiang Ye, I'm begging you, stop with the personas. It's too terrifying. Just be yourself, really.”

Jiang Ye blinked, looking innocent. “Be myself? But I'm a complex individual; I'm afraid you won't be able to keep up with me.”

“It's fine! I'll definitely keep up! Absolutely! Alright, just wait in the car for a bit. I'm going to the exit to pick them up.”

“Fine, go ahead. I'll scroll through TikTok for a while.”

Twenty minutes later, while Jiang Ye was watching Tian Lijuan's livestream of her solving problems, Lin Wanxing walked over from the exit with three people.

Leading the group was a middle-aged woman wearing mink. She had slightly high cheekbones and a serious, harsh-looking face, scolding someone as she walked.

Beside her was a young man in tight jeans and loafers with shifty eyes, giving off a bit of a hooligan vibe.

On the other side was a young girl in a white down jacket, dressed fashionably. Her looks were about a 7.5 out of 10, with a hint of shrewdness and mockery in her eyes.

Yeah, they perfectly matched the stereotypes in his mind.

Even from a distance, the middle-aged woman's dissatisfied complaints could be heard.

“...Finding a partner is such a big deal, and you didn't even tell the family! What kind of thing did you find? He doesn't even know to come inside to pick us up! Letting me, your mother, drag my own suitcase out? I told you long ago how much Uncle Bai's second son likes you and how good his situation is, but you just wouldn't listen! You're just trying to spite me!”

Lin Wanxing followed silently beside her, struggling to drag two large suitcases while the other three were empty-handed.

She pursed her lips and didn't respond.

The middle-aged woman glanced at her, her tone becoming even more biting. “What? Tired from dragging a suitcase? Isn't this your own fault for being useless? Finding someone unreliable! Nana, don't you agree?”

“Auntie, stop scolding her.”

The young girl named Nana smiled, her voice sweet and cloying. “It's not easy for her to make it on her own out here. She had to find someone to partner up with and look after each other, right?”

As they drew closer, Lin Wanxing saw that Jiang Ye had already rolled down the window and was looking over. Hearing her family's blatant sarcasm, her face burned with shame, and a strong sense of regret welled up in her heart.

This was no different from exposing her most unsightly, inferior, and fragile side to him in the raw.