31: Trick 2

Ten minutes later.

Jiang Ye stood by a pool table, his mouth twitching as he watched Ye Cheng skillfully pull a cue from the wall rack. She rubbed the tip with chalk, looking at him with a half-smile.

“Buddy, playing pool, isn't it great?~”

He took a deep breath, suppressing the urge to call the police immediately, and spoke slowly: “Uh... Little Ye, I have a question I need to get off my chest.”

Ye Cheng raised an eyebrow solemnly: “Ask.”

Jiang Ye pointed at the pool table in front of him and then scanned the surroundings: “What happened to the Private Screening Room? What happened to the service? Why the hell are we playing pool?”

Ye Cheng couldn't hold it back and burst out laughing. She turned to the break point and set up the triangle rack:

“What Private Screening Room? I have no idea what you're talking about.”

She looked up and winked at Jiang Ye: “I'm a Pool Teaching Assistant here. Isn't this providing you service?”

Jiang Ye: “...”

Expressionless, he pointed at the front desk not far away and shook the membership card Ye Cheng had stuffed into his hand when they entered:

“Not a Private Screening Room? Didn't you say it was 800 an hour, 1500 for two? Why did the front desk say it was for 8 hours?”

Ye Cheng had already set the balls. She straightened up, picked up her cue, and looked innocent:

“When did I ever say I was 800 an hour?”

She paused and explained: “800 is the price for the Private Screening Room over there. Over here, pool assistants are normally 200 an hour, or 1500 for an 8-hour package. I gave you a 100-yuan discount, nothing wrong with that, Buddy.”

Jiang Ye: “...”

He was left dizzy by her combination of moves. He carefully recalled their conversation from earlier.

It seemed... apparently... probably... Ye Cheng really hadn't explicitly said she was a Companion for the Private Screening Room.

She had only asked 'do you want me to provide some service', and then gave a price... Damn it!

He'd been played!

Jiang Ye pointed to the next table, where a chubby guy was hugging a sexy assistant in black stockings and a short skirt, their posture incredibly intimate.

He then pointed at Ye Cheng's outfit—pretty, but wrapped up tight and strictly guarded. His heart was filled with grief and indignation:

“Student Xiao Ye! Even if I misunderstood, look at how passionate and professional that other assistant Girl is! Then look at you! This outfit, this service attitude... are you a Teaching Assistant or a dean of students?!”

Ye Cheng, who was leaning over to aim at a colored ball, glanced up at him and gave a soft snort, her tone tinged with pride:

“This is just how I am! So what? Everyone knows Ye Cheng only teaches technique and doesn't provide extra services! Who told you to pick me without looking? Since you picked me, you follow my rules!”

After saying that, with a 'thwack,' she cleanly sank the ball into the corner pocket.

Jiang Ye: “...”

He was completely speechless. He cast a jealous and resentful glance at the fat guy next to him, who was hugging his assistant and smugly raising an eyebrow at him, and let out a heavy sigh.

God dammit, this is blatant fraud!

False advertising! Maliciously misleading consumers!

I'm writing a report the moment I get home. You just wait for the 315 Consumer Rights Gala!

Seeing his look of utter despair, Ye Cheng suppressed a laugh, walked over to him, and lightly poked his arm with her cue:

“Hey, Buddy, are you really that repressed? Do you have to find those kinds of places? Let me tell you, I've heard those Private Screening Rooms are just for hugging and watching movies. At most, it's some kissing, undressing, and touching, but you can't do anything else. What's the point? And they're ridiculously expensive, just pure scams for suckers like you.”

As she spoke, she continued playing, gesturing with her chin toward the other assistants:

“Same goes for these Girls. It's just letting you hold them, getting a bit of a cheap thrill with your hands. What else is there? And they all think they're getting a great deal. Aren't they stupid?”

Jiang Ye clicked his tongue, feeling even more annoyed by her words: “Well, if it's 'no big deal' like you say, why don't you let me hold you too? Let me experience this 'idiot's happiness'!”

As he spoke, he half-jokingly opened his arms to move in for a hug.

However, Ye Cheng reacted instantly, raising her pool cue and firmly pressing the tip against Jiang Ye's chest:

“To you men, of course it's no big deal; a hug won't make a piece of you fall off. But for us Girls, it's different! Feelings, reputation, boundaries—these are all very important, okay?”

She paused, looking at Jiang Ye with a half-smile: “Buddy, tell the truth. When you thought I was working over there just now, didn't you have doubts? Weren't you secretly labeling me in your head?”

“I...”

Jiang Ye was momentarily speechless. He really had been roasting her like crazy in his mind just now.

Seeing his reaction, Ye Cheng gave a triumphant snort, moved the cue away, and accurately sank the final 8-ball into the pocket:

“Buddy, if I were the kind of Girl who let anyone hug her and could be taken advantage of for some money, would you still be willing to solemnly swear you'd pay a million a month to keep me? You'd probably be running away as fast as you could!”

After saying that, she couldn't help but giggle, her laughter clear and crisp.

After laughing for a bit, she bent over to reset the balls and looked up at Jiang Ye:

“Classmate Xiao Ye, you haven't forgotten that boast you made last time... I mean, that goal you set, right? So, how much startup capital have you saved? I'm still waiting for your million-dollar contract~”

Jiang Ye watched Ye Cheng laughing heartily and looking provocative, and he ground his molars hard.

He really couldn't win an argument with this woman!

He couldn't out-reason her, and he couldn't out-bicker her!

Damn it!

When I get back, I have to keep increasing the intensity for Yaoyao! Crank it up to the max!

Once I've saved enough money, the first thing I'll do is shut this woman's mouth!

You're dead meat!

...The money was already spent, and seeing Ye Cheng's attitude, he wasn't getting it back. Jiang Ye simply gave up and started playing pool with her.

However, amidst his gritted teeth, he secretly felt a sense of relief.

Ye Cheng's 'iron wall' attitude and strict boundaries had cost him 1500 and made his current 'consumer experience' terrible, but in the long run, it actually made him feel more at ease.

At least it showed she wasn't the kind of Girl with no bottom line who would do anything for money. Although she loved money, she had her principles.

Hmm... This Girl is indeed a potential partner for long-term cooperation and worth investing in. She's worth cultivating.

Over the next three hours, Jiang Ye deeply understood what it meant to 'pay for suffering'.

Ye Cheng's pool skills were indeed excellent, her positioning precise and her cueing sharp.

Jiang Ye usually considered himself a decent amateur who could occasionally show off in front of friends, but in front of Ye Cheng, he was like a novice who had just touched a cue, crushed without any power to fight back.

And Ye Cheng had absolutely no sense of 'the customer is king.' She didn't go easy on him at all, providing serious instruction (a complete beatdown) the whole time. After three hours, Jiang Ye hadn't won a single game.

This pure, skill-based crushing made him feel like he'd lost face as a man; his self-esteem had taken a serious hit.

Especially when he turned his head and saw that the fat guy next to him had upgraded from hugging his assistant Girl to feeding each other fruit, occasionally casting a sympathetic look at Jiang Ye. His resentment almost solidified into physical form, and black smoke was practically rising from his head.

After another game ended with no suspense, Ye Cheng looked at Jiang Ye, who was slumped over the table with a look of despair, and couldn't help but laugh as she poked him with her cue:

“Hey, Buddy, you've got a dark aura on your forehead today.”

Jiang Ye groaned weakly: “Yeah, bad day for traveling, bad day for spending, and especially bad for people named Ye.”

Ye Cheng laughed even harder: “What? Encountered a scam? Feeling like your body's been hollowed out?”

Jiang Ye: “...” He didn't want to talk and threw a glare at Ye Cheng.

Ye Cheng was in a great mood. She stretched, her beautiful curves faintly visible: “Still want to play? My part-time hours for today are about up; I can get off work. Seeing as you're so miserable... how about I treat you to dinner?”

Dinner?

The moment Jiang Ye heard those words, he instantly perked up!

Even though he'd been scammed out of 1500, if he could scrounge back a meal—even if it was only worth a few dozen yuan—that would still be getting something back, right? A way to recover part of that 1500 loss?

He immediately straightened up, his face turning from cloudy to sunny: “Let's go, let's go! Let's eat! Should we go to that hotpot place from last time? I saw that 178-yuan set meal was quite a good deal!”

“Hotpot? Maybe not. I've been eating too much greasy food lately.”

Ye Cheng looked at him, tilted her head in thought, and said, “Hmm, I'll treat you to noodles. Warm and filling.”

As she spoke, she began to efficiently pack away the cues and set the balls on the table.

Although he'd been downgraded from hotpot to noodles, it was still a 'treat.' Jiang Ye nodded quickly: “Fine, fine, noodles it is! You're treating, so you decide!”

Ye Cheng said goodbye to the front desk and led Jiang Ye, who had been listless all evening but finally had some energy, out of the club.