291: Chapter 291 That's it? - 1

After having his secrets exposed by Fang Wei and being stared at by Ye Cheng like that, Jiang Ye couldn't quite keep his composure. He gave Fang Wei a sharp, annoyed glare:

"Beat it, beat it, beat it! Why aren't you at that table waiting to drink? What are you doing back here?"

"You think I want to come back and eat dog food next to you?"

Fang Wei gestured toward the other table with a look of disdain. "That damn Lu Mingxuan sat right next to me. I'm too lazy to listen to him brag, so I came here to take cover."

With the arrival of the two "focal figures," Lu Mingxuan and Cheng Weiwei, almost everyone had arrived.

The waiter walked over to Lu Mingxuan, whispered a question, and then began serving the dishes one after another.

Lu Mingxuan stood up naturally, raised his wine glass, and gave a few polite remarks—nothing more than "missed you all after half a year," "may our friendship last forever," and "wishing you a bright future."

Everyone gave him face, raising their glasses in response, and the banquet officially began.

The private room immediately became lively, filled with the sounds of clinking glasses, laughter, and playful banter.

Fang Wei had originally planned to pull Jiang Ye aside and secretly ask for the details of being "kept"—like, was the female boss generous? Did she have any special kinks?

And most importantly—were there any other similar rich older sisters he could be introduced to?

But Jiang Ye was clearly too lazy to delve into a topic where he had dug his own hole.

He pointed to Ye Cheng, who was taking small bites of food while occasionally glancing at the other table. "I have to take care of your sister-in-law. I can't just leave her aside while the two of us whisper, right? That would be inappropriate."

Fang Wei was stunned for a moment, looked at Ye Cheng, and felt that Jiang Ye had a point.

This was probably like his hotel internship; you couldn't leave a guest aside to chat with colleagues. It was basic "professionalism."

He immediately dropped the idea of further questioning and decisively turned around to join several other rowdy classmates in boisterous drinking games.

While eating, Ye Cheng continued to calmly observe Cheng Weiwei at the other table, who was smiling prettily and occasionally leaning in to whisper a few words to Lu Mingxuan.

Her desire to attend this gathering, besides being curious about Jiang Ye's past and wanting to know him better, was indeed fueled by a bit of intent to see this Cheng Weiwei, whom Jiang Ye had once "offended," with her own eyes.

The "replacement" comment she made half-jokingly yesterday wasn't actually entirely a joke.

In the quiet of the night, she would occasionally wonder: wasn't Jiang Ye being a bit too good to her, beyond all reason?

He was generous with money, gave her enough freedom and respect, could be crazy and playful with her, and was even very considerate of her feelings during that kind of thing...

This kind of goodness sometimes made Ye Cheng, who had lacked a sense of security since childhood, feel a hint of unreality.

She had even suspected at one point: could it be because she lacked fatherly love in this life, so her father from her previous life had transmigrated to compensate her?

Or...

Even more melodramatically, could her personality or looks happen to match the shadow of some unattainable "White Moonlight" in Jiang Ye's memory?

What? He has a harem?

Well...

Fortunately, this guy had a harem, and his behavior patterns fit the "scumbag" setting. Otherwise, she would really suspect she had encountered a high-level player who, under the banner of true love, was preparing to trick her into going to Northern Myanmar to have her kidneys harvested, and she'd have to flee overnight on the back of a train.

Now, seeing Cheng Weiwei in person, Ye Cheng felt much more at ease.

Whether in terms of physical style or temperament, Cheng Weiwei and she were completely different.

It seemed she wasn't anyone's shadow...

Then, if Jiang Ye was so good to her, could it really be because... she was special?

Hehe, is it true love?

Ye Cheng was a bit embarrassed by this sudden thought. Her cheeks flushed slightly, and she instinctively lowered her head, poking at the rice in her bowl with her chopsticks.

"...?"

Jiang Ye watched the woman beside him giggle one moment and frown the next, before finally lowering her head with a red face. He immediately stroked his chin suspiciously:

"Cheng Cheng, what's the deal with you? Having such rich expressions while eating? Is one of the dishes not fresh? Quick, point it out to me. I have a weak stomach and don't have as much rich experience with diarrhea as you do."

"..."

The little pink bubbles that had just emerged around Ye Cheng were instantly popped.

Damn it! True love my ass!

Maybe it's just because I'm exceptionally gifted and can especially tolerate this guy's abstractness!

She was just about to snap back when a crisp female voice suddenly came from behind her.

"Jiang Ye? Long time no see. How have you been lately?"

Jiang Ye turned at the sound, slightly surprised. "Jiang Shuang? Yeah, long time no see."

The girl named Jiang Shuang stood behind him with a drink in hand, smiling. She was tall with great proportions, wearing a form-fitting sweater and long boots that made her legs look exceptionally long.

Her gaze seemingly inadvertently slid over the watch on Jiang Ye's wrist, then quickly scanned the shoes on his feet, the smile at the corners of her mouth deepening a bit:

"Mm-hmm, it has been a long time. You look great, even more handsome... Eh? Why are you still wearing a hat? It's quite warm in the private room."

Jiang Ye coughed unnaturally and instinctively touched the brim of his hat:

"Oh, this... cough, mainly because I'm too handsome now and business is busy. It's better to keep it on. Safety first, safety first."

Jiang Shuang was amused by his words and giggled, covering her mouth as a blush appeared on her face. she playfully patted his arm:

"Oh, you. Your girlfriend is still right here, don't... don't talk such nonsense."

"..."

Ye Cheng's movement of picking up food paused slightly. She sniffed lightly—strange, who's brewing tea?

She put down her chopsticks and carefully sized up this girl who had suddenly appeared—pure makeup, seductive eyes, and a look of faint "admiration" and "curiosity" in her eyes as she looked at Jiang Ye, her gaze frequently scanning his attire.

Heh...

A Green Tea, a Calculating Bitch, a Gold Digger—and the kind with a low rank and clear purpose.

She hadn't expected there to be this type of player in this guy's university class. This was actually quite interesting.

The little Green Tea at home was one thing; although she spoke in tea-isms, her heart wasn't bad, and she was stupidly cute—she'd whimper if you teased her, which was quite fun.

But the one in front of her...