481: Heading home

"This one is for you."

After using the system to check and confirm that all ten pendants still had the lucky attribute, Ye Su picked one with a pearl and handed it to Li Mengyao:

"This one is for you, to keep you safe."

Taking the pendant, Li Mengyao pouted in dissatisfaction: "You have so many of these stones, can't you give me a couple more?"

"That won't do." Ye Su decisively shook his head in refusal:

"One for you, one for me, four for my family, and the rest have to go to my girlfriends."

"Girlfriends!" Li Mengyao's eyes widened instantly: "You have four girlfriends?!"

"Not quite." Ye Su scanned his upper body with his hands:

"But look at this, dude has the conditions, strong and healthy; I'll definitely have many girlfriends in the future."

"Ugh—"

Hearing that Ye Su didn't actually have four girlfriends, Li Mengyao quietly breathed a sigh of relief, then felt nauseous at Ye Su's narcissistic display:

"You scumbag, don't tell me you're trying to learn from that one male celebrity, giving a stone to every girlfriend you find?"

"That's not all; I also give massages and stuff."

Hearing Ye Su's words, Li Mengyao, holding the stone, had images of Ye Su giving her massages over the past few days flash through her mind, causing her heart to skip a few beats involuntarily.

She glanced at Ye Su with inexplicable guilt. Finding that he had no further reaction after speaking, Li Mengyao, thinking she had misinterpreted him, became flustered and didn't know how to respond.

Seeing Li Mengyao remain silent, making the atmosphere a bit awkward, Ye Su, thinking he had killed the conversation, had to suggest:

"I'm heading home tomorrow. Since we have some free time now, do you want to go grab some afternoon tea together?"

Hearing this, Li Mengyao's expression returned to normal: "Are you treating?"

Ye Su said indifferently: "Sure, I'll treat. Consider it the processing fee for these stones."

"Hmph, that's more like it."

Given the materials and labor costs Li Mengyao spent on the ten pendants, the cost of one afternoon tea was naturally far from enough.

But given their relationship, it was impossible for Li Mengyao to actually charge Ye Su.

Settling the bill with an afternoon tea was just right for Li Mengyao:

"Wait for me a moment, I'll finish up the things on my hands."

"OK."

After saying that, Li Mengyao returned to her role as a professional career woman and went to her desk to continue processing documents.

Ye Su didn't treat himself as an outsider at all; after placing a cushion, he lay on the sofa with zero decorum.

The only bit of manners he showed was knowing to stretch his legs out over the armrest.

To this, Li Mengyao just rolled her eyes in disgust and continued finishing her work.

Li Mengyao didn't keep Ye Su waiting too long before she finished the documents and went with him to the restaurant for afternoon tea.

They ate afternoon tea until around four o'clock before they both went home.

...

After dinner in the evening, while the three were sitting on the sofa chatting, Ye Su pulled two pendants made of [Lucky Stones] from his pocket and handed them to the two on his left and right.

"What is this?"

Taking the pendant, Chen Xinyi's eyes widened as she curiously examined it from all sides.

After taking the pendant, Yan Ran also placed it in her palm and examined the stone that formed the main body of the pendant:

"Is this some kind of jade? I've never seen it before. Why does it look like a pebble?"

"It is a pebble."

"Huh?"

The two, currently examining the pendants, both curiously turned their heads to look at Ye Su, not understanding why he would give them a pebble for no reason.

Ye Su didn't beat around the bush and said directly: "This stone has been consecrated. It's very effective. Wearing it with you can bring good luck, and if you two carry it with you usually, it can keep you safe."

Ye Su reached out and pinched Chen Xinyi's cheek:

"Especially you, you're so timid, even afraid of driving yourself. After you pick up the car in a few days, you can hang this stone in the car."

Chen Xinyi puffed up her cheeks like a pufferfish, and after making Ye Su's hand slide off her cheek, she curiously examined the pendant again:

"What 'consecrated'? Isn't this feudal superstition? You haven't been scammed by some charlatan, have you?"

"Do you think I look like the kind of fool who would get scammed?"

"Uh... no." Chen Xinyi said sincerely: "You look like the kind who would scam fools."

"Don't talk about yourself like that."

"Oh, so you are hiding something from me, right?" After saying that, Chen Xinyi realized something was wrong: "You're the fool!"

Yan Ran chimed in at this moment: "Alright, stop teasing Chen Xinyi. She's already not very smart; if you tease her more, she'll become even dumber."

Betrayed by Yan Ran, Chen Xinyi shouted in grief and indignation: "Sister Ran!"

"Hahaha—"

Yan Ran remained unmoved and even laughed until she was trembling, which made Ye Su stare for several seconds.

After the joke, Ye Su urged: "Anyway, carrying a pendant on you isn't troublesome. Even if it's just for the psychological effect, it's good."

"Got it. I'll just put it in my bag when I go out, okay?"

Yan Ran didn't really believe in these things.

But since it was a gift from Ye Su, it didn't matter if it was effective or not; just for the sentiment, she was willing to carry it with her always.

"Got it."

Since even Yan Ran said so, Chen Xinyi could only nod obediently.

Since they would be briefly parting tomorrow, Chen Xinyi and Yan Ran were naturally reluctant, and they had extra to say tonight, as if they could never finish chatting.

...

The next day, Ye Su opened his eyes only after the nine o'clock alarm finally rang after a long time.

When he got up, he felt a familiar soreness in his lower back that he hadn't felt in a while.

Can't be helped; he wouldn't be back for half a month, so he couldn't help but exert himself a bit more last night.

"It's a good thing my [Physique] has reached 130 points now, otherwise I really wouldn't have been able to handle it."

The person beside him heard the alarm, muttered something, turned over, and continued sleeping. Ye Su had to get up on tiptoes, wash his face, brush his teeth, and prepare to go home.

Confirming that the things he needed to bring had already been packed by Chen Xinyi, Ye Su looked at his phone to kill time.

Thinking that he would be able to eat home-cooked meals tonight, Ye Su felt a little excited, so much so that he couldn't even focus on his phone.

It wasn't until noon, after Ye Su ordered takeout, that Chen Xinyi and Yan Ran successively got up and left their room.

Even with Ye Su's 130 points of [Physique], he felt sore today, so it wasn't hard to understand why the two of them were walking with a strange gait.

After finishing lunch, seeing Ye Su pulling his suitcase and carrying big and small bags ready to go downstairs, Chen Xinyi and Yan Ran finally felt the reality of parting.

"Hey, when I call to check up on you, don't you two dare tell me any nonsense like you're out running or eating spicy gluten strips."

With one sentence, Ye Su instantly broke the atmosphere of parting, making both of them want to punch him.

"Alright." Ye Su opened his arms: "I'm heading home first. Wait for me to come back."

"You're annoying!"

Chen Xinyi's eyes instantly welled up with tears as she hugged Ye Su tightly.

Yan Ran stopped being reserved and also dove into Ye Su's embrace.

After one last moment of tenderness, the two helped Ye Su move the wine, dried tangerine peel, and other things into his car in the underground garage, then stood there like two waiting wives, watching Ye Su's car drive away.