197: Chapter 191 The Rude Woman

Lin Yu left. Yu Heng leaned back on the sofa as footsteps echoed from the stairs; Bai Xinran and Shen Yueling walked down one after the other.

Shen Yueling walked over to the other side of the sofa and sat down, picking up an apple from the coffee table and taking a bite.

"The spectator sees most of the game," she said while chewing. "Listening from upstairs, you really sound like a scammer."

Bai Xinran didn't sit; she walked over to stand beside Yu Heng.

"Then you're mistaken," Yu Heng smiled, raising his arm to naturally rest it on Bai Xinran's thigh behind him. "Every word I said was the truth, facts laid out right in front of her."

"The fact is you want to reel her in step by step." Shen Yueling swallowed the apple. "First a little sweetness, then paint a big picture, and finally, boil the frog in lukewarm water."

"The process and motivation don't matter; what matters is the result and the power of choice." Yu Heng's fingers gently stroked Bai Xinran's leg. "She needs money, so I provide a legal and lucrative channel. She wants independence, so I build a platform for her to succeed. She reads the contract herself and signs it herself. At every step, she has the room to say no."

"Eloquent and glib," Shen Yueling rolled her eyes at him. "Just call it trickery if you're tricking people."

"So you think I'm wrong?" Yu Heng said with a smile.

"You're right, I suppose," Shen Yueling pursed her lips. "It just feels a bit..."

"Immoral?" Yu Heng arched an eyebrow. "She should actually be glad she met me. If it were anyone else offering such a high price and opportunity, I'm afraid the first shoot wouldn't have been as simple as just taking photos. At least, I won't actually force her to do anything."

Shen Yueling curled her lip, not refuting him.

"Aren't you afraid she'll actually be tough and refuse to sign? Or sign but stubbornly refuse to let you have your way?" Shen Yueling asked.

"Then she doesn't sign, or we proceed according to the contract." Yu Heng withdrew his hand from Bai Xinran's leg and patted the spot next to him.

Bai Xinran immediately sat down next to him, leaning her body against his.

"What I need is a partner who can make money, not just a plaything. If she truly has that kind of resolve and keeps the boundaries strictly within a professional relationship, I'll actually admire her, and we'll still do business," Yu Heng raised an eyebrow. "But does she have that resolve?"

"Who knows," Shen Yueling pursed her lips. "She looks like someone with some backbone."

"Then let's wait and see." Yu Heng gave a short laugh and waved his hand. "Let's not talk about that. Yesterday, the payouts from the Douyin Guild and A Ling's Bilibili were settled. Along with the earnings from the voice recordings, it totals over 200,000. Tomorrow is Saturday; let's go to the city to have some fun and celebrate?"

Shen Yueling threw the apple core into the trash. "How are we celebrating?"

"We'll take Mengqi with us, wander around Central Department Store, have hotpot for lunch, and go to a KTV to sing in the evening. We won't come back tonight; we'll find a hotel to stay over in the city." As Yu Heng spoke, his fingers played with a lock of Bai Xinran's hair.

Bai Xinran leaned against him without moving, her eyelashes trembling slightly.

She thought to herself that Master was taking everyone out to play as a reward.

She had to behave even better.

"Sure," Shen Yueling had no objections. "Your treat?"

"If I don't pay, who will?" Yu Heng laughed. "Isn't the money I earn meant to be spent on the family?"

Hearing the word "family," Shen Yueling glanced at him but didn't respond.

The current members of this "family" were becoming a bit complicated.

"A Ling," Yu Heng let go of her hair and moved to pinch the back of her neck, his fingertips brushing against the edge of her collar. "Wear that new dress I bought you tomorrow."

"Mm," Bai Xinran replied softly.

"I'll tell Mengqi in a bit." Yu Heng took out his phone and sent a WeChat message to Zhou Mengqi. "By the way, has anyone noticed the thing on your neck lately?"

"It seems..." Bai Xinran thought for a moment. "No? It seems like no one really notices."

"Haha," Yu Heng laughed. "Since it's a plain band, they probably just think it's an accessory."

—

The next morning, everyone met at the entrance of Zhou Mengqi's Villa.

When Yu Heng and the others arrived, Zhou Mengqi was already waiting at the gate.

Just as Yu Heng was about to speak, a white Mercedes-Benz GLC turned the corner and pulled up beside them.

The driver's door opened, and He Mengyao stepped out of the car.

Yu Heng narrowed his eyes.

A Mercedes-Benz GLC.

Tsk, this woman really has come into some money.

"What are you doing here?" Yu Heng asked, looking at her.

He Mengyao closed the car door, spinning the key around her finger. "It's my turn to teach today."

"Didn't I tell you on WeChat yesterday that it wasn't necessary today?" Yu Heng raised an eyebrow.

"I didn't see it." He Mengyao narrowed her eyes. "Maybe the message got buried."

Yu Heng looked at her phone but didn't say anything.

He had indeed sent it yesterday, but if she really hadn't seen it, there was nothing he could do.

"Then there's no helping it," Yu Heng said. "We're going to the city."

"What are you going to the city for?"

"To have fun and celebrate," Yu Heng said. "So sorry for the wasted trip. You should head back."

He Mengyao stood her ground. "Then I'm coming along too."

"What are you going for?" Yu Heng raised an eyebrow.

"Why can't I go?" He Mengyao also raised an eyebrow. "You guys go your way, and I'll go mine."

Yu Heng looked at her for two seconds and nodded. "Fine, then you go ahead."

After saying that, he ignored her, took out his phone, opened Gaode Maps to call a car, and started entering the destination.

Zhou Mengqi looked at Yu Heng, then at He Mengyao, but remained silent.

Are He Mengyao and Yu Heng this close?

He Mengyao didn't leave either; she leaned against the hood of her car, watching Yu Heng.

After waiting for about five minutes, Yu Heng watched the screen display "Calling a vehicle for you...", but no driver accepted the order.

In a place like University Town, cars were already scarce, and it was currently an awkward time in the morning.

He Mengyao laughed. She spoke with a smile, her voice tinged with smugness. "Don't you know how hard it is to get a car around here?"

Yu Heng looked up at her.

He Mengyao jingled her car keys. "Beg me, and I'll take you there."

Yu Heng didn't say anything.

This woman hadn't replied to his WeChat yesterday, came all this way today, and now insisted on following them to the city.

She clearly wanted to join them but couldn't swallow her pride, so she had to find an excuse to make it look like she was doing them a favor.

Yu Heng tucked his phone back into his pocket. "If you really want to follow us, I suppose it's not impossible."

"Really?" He Mengyao immediately replied.

Yu Heng chuckled, pulled open the passenger door, and sat inside. "Start the car!"

Yu Heng didn't speak much along the way, either looking at his phone or out the window.

He Mengyao didn't speak either, glancing at the three girls in the back through the rearview mirror whenever she had the chance.

She was undoubtedly most familiar with Shen Yueling. In her past life, within a few years of her marriage to Yu Heng, this woman had appeared frequently, always showing up during holidays. If she hadn't known they were childhood friends, she would have thought she was some cousin of Yu Heng's.

As for Shen Yueling, she naturally didn't know He Mengyao. She just felt like this woman was constantly looking at her.

And her attitude toward Yu Heng was even ruder than Zhou Mengqi's!