It's hard to persuade the damn ghost with good words

The longer Lin Yuan interacted with Xia Ye, the more he felt she was a girl who lacked a sense of security.

If Song Xiaoxiao had gotten such an opportunity to blend into the middle-class group, Lin Yuan imagined she would most likely have networked extensively. But Xia Ye's first reaction was resistance.

Xia Ye seemed to have arrived in a world that didn't belong to her; she instinctively remained wary of that world.

Just like when she faced the sudden influx of traffic, she chose to avoid it.

Xia Ye belonged to the common type of shy, unresourceful personality. If it weren't for her looks, she would be just an ordinary person.

Lin Yuan had once curiously asked her, "With such a beautiful face, how did you manage to escape harm throughout your long academic career and end up with me?"

Xia Ye herself had thought about it, "Before university, my parents watched me every day. After university, it was Xiao Xiao who watched me every day."

"And watching and watching, she ended up watching you into a maid café?"

"Can't you just not bring that up? Xiao Xiao is very good to me. Recently, she's even been asking me to do your ideological work and go help her out."

"Uh..." Lin Yuan was momentarily speechless. Song Xiaoxiao asking Lin Yuan for help naturally wasn't truly to help Lin Yuan; she was actually worried Lin Yuan couldn't afford to support Xia Ye.

Lin Yuan found her to be a strange person. If you said she wasn't good, she always had Xia Ye in her heart, constantly worrying that Lin Yuan wouldn't be able to support Xia Ye after delivering food. But if you said she was good, her methods of helping were too unconventional.

"First, she recommended a maid café to you, and now she wants me to join her in swindling people. Should I thank her or scold her?"

"Uh... haha~" Xia Ye laughed awkwardly, "Xiao Xiao meant well, she doesn't know anything else."

"You're absolutely right. What good ideas can you expect from someone stuck in a quagmire? I really should thank her for not planning to introduce me to be a gigolo."

"Let's invite her to dinner together."

"What?"

"You told me to interact with her less, and I haven't seen her in a long time. Now that I'm earning money, just let me treat her to a meal. Xiao Xiao is my best friend."

Xia Ye still respected Lin Yuan's opinion greatly.

"Alright." Although Lin Yuan didn't want Xia Ye to interact too much with that jinx, he wouldn't be so heartless. "I'll go with you." Lin Yuan wasn't comfortable letting Xia Ye go alone.

"Great! Xiao Xiao also said she wanted to call you along."

"Hmm? She wants to do my ideological work in person?"

"I don't know either."

---

So, on an ordinary evening at a small street-side restaurant, Lin Yuan and Xia Ye awaited Song Xiaoxiao's Benz.

Through the car window, Lin Yuan could feel the flashy ambient lighting of this Benz. After all, some car brands put all their effort into the interior.

Song Xiaoxiao wore a black trench coat and knee-high boots, looking very cool. She had the aura of a strong businesswoman.

"Lin Yuan, how exactly did Xia Ye end up teaching dance at Zhongshan?" Song Xiaoxiao's first question after sitting down was this.

Xia Ye interjected, "Xiao Xiao, didn't I tell you? Another agency headhunted me."

"With your cat-like dancing, you got headhunted?"

"I... I work very hard." Xia Ye refused to be outdone.

"I'm serious, Lin Yuan, she's brainless, you need to pay more attention and absolutely not let her suffer losses outside."

Xia Ye's cheeks puffed out with anger, "Am I really that useless?"

Song Xiaoxiao and Lin Yuan exchanged speechless glances. They rarely reached a consensus, but on the matter of Xia Ye, they could.

"Alright." Xia Ye turned her head away, pretending to ignore them.

"Lin Yuan, I've already started to slowly transition now. Come help me. Xia Ye said you two plan to meet each other's parents at the end of the year. Marriage requires a lot of money."

This was the first time Lin Yuan had heard someone describe 'washing clean' so refreshingly.

"If you really want to transition, hurry up and take down all those links for selling courses and tutoring for college entrance exams on your account."

"Heh~" Song Xiaoxiao was unconcerned, "I haven't broken the law. If I don't earn that money, plenty of others will."

"Is the profit from selling goods not enough for you anymore?"

"We've carefully calculated it. Given my fan base, the current monetization method is the most reasonable. I haven't excessively scammed people either; a college entrance exam tutoring session only costs a few hundred yuan. What kind of service do they expect me to provide?"

Lin Yuan said with a slight smile, "So, are you genuinely selling courses?" Lin Yuan even wondered if she was doing some kind of VIP 'welfare perspective' thing.

"In short, it's not illegal, and it's all consensual." As she said this, Song Xiaoxiao's eyes drifted towards her brand new Benz outside the window.

Lin Yuan shook his head slightly, "You're consistent as always."

"Speak human. Don't make me scold you again."

"You clearly could have slowly built up your popularity, become a minor internet celebrity, and then sold goods, which would be enough for you to live comfortably. But you were too impatient. You bought a car, but you just had to buy a badge. The 1.3T Benz A-Class preys on people like you. You're clearly not a stupid person, but why do you always do such flamboyant things?"

"I'm flamboyant?" Song Xiaoxiao sneered, "Then what car do you drive? An Emma? Or a YaDi?"

Lin Yuan answered firmly, "My dream car is a Z9." His goal was very practical; he was indeed considering whether to buy a car first. As for a house, he might not stay in Zijin City in the future.

"Can you be more practical? Do you think I'm being a masochist trying to pull you up? If it weren't for Xia Ye's sake..." Song Xiaoxiao looked like she was frustrated with him, "Xia Ye can now earn fifteen thousand a month just from weekend part-time work. How can you, a grown man, sit still?"

"Xiao Xiao, don't talk about him like that." Xia Ye said, holding Lin Yuan's hand, "Lin Yuan didn't despise me for working at a maid café either."

"Oh my, what was that? You just stood at the door for a few days. Even if you spent every night in a nightclub, it wouldn't be his turn to take over."

Lin Yuan stopped Xia Ye's comfort, "It's alright, she's doing it for your own good." Then he turned to Song Xiaoxiao, "Let's agree to disagree. Don't keep trying to persuade me, and I won't criticize you. Today is a rare friends' gathering, let's just enjoy this meal, okay?"

Song Xiaoxiao took a deep breath, clearly forcing down the anger in her chest, "Alright. Xia Ye, since you've never had a boyfriend, just consider this a willful indulgence. This scoundrel got off cheap. But, you absolutely must take precautions."

"Huh?" Xia Ye's face immediately turned red, "What are you talking about?"

Song Xiaoxiao turned to Lin Yuan, "I can give you a sum of money, as compensation for you serving my sister. You've already freeloaded off her, so leave her belly alone, okay? Don't push me."

Lin Yuan was very depressed, "Song Xiaoxiao, I really don't want to interfere with you. But you care so much about Xia Ye, it makes things very difficult for me."

Song Xiaoxiao was surprised by Lin Yuan's answer, "Can you stop being a pretentious jerk with me? I can't stand your holier-than-thou attitude. What right do you, a delivery guy, have to look down on me?"

"Stop! Let me correct you on one point: I'm not looking down on you. I'm just advising you, but I know 'good advice is hard to give to those who are doomed.' Oh, never mind. What's meant to be will be. Let fate decide."

Lin Yuan thought about it carefully and still decided not to reveal his true identity to her.

Because Song Xiaoxiao's methods were too unconventional. Who knew what crazy ideas she would give Xia Ye if she knew Lin Yuan's identity? Or perhaps she would simply use Xia Ye to forcefully cling to Lin Yuan. Lin Yuan instinctively didn't want too much contact with such a person.

But this person just had to care about Xia Ye.

Contradiction!!!

Lin Yuan and Song Xiaoxiao finally called a truce, forcing themselves to sit at the table and finish the meal.

On the way back, Lin Yuan sighed, "A complex world, ridiculous humans."

"What is it?" Xia Ye asked curiously.

"She's not a lesbian, is she?"

"Huh?"

"She doesn't like you, does she?"

Xia Ye immediately stomped hard on Lin Yuan's foot, making him yell in pain!