Saturday.
Early in the morning, Sun Xinyi got up to wash up, preparing to take a long-distance bus back to her hometown of Jingmen to celebrate her motherâs birthday.
Zhao Yingying, who had the early shift today, was already sitting on the living room sofa applying makeup.
âXinyi, I really regret making that call to Mr. Yang!â
âWith Meng Yuyu, there was at least a Mercedes worth over half a million. With you, thereâs nothing!â
âMen are truly like pigsâ trotters; once they get what they want, they donât cherish it!!â
Zhao Yingying complained while doing her makeup.
She had thought that after her bestie hooked up with Mr. Yang, she would be on the fast track to success and that sheâd be able to bask in the glory as well.
But there had been no change in their situation, and she was even taking a long-distance bus to go home!
Hearing Zhao Yingyingâs gripes, Sun Xinyi gently shook her head: âIt was my own choice; this isnât any sort of transaction!â
âIâm protesting on your behalf!â
âHow can Meng Yuyu compare to you!â
âYet, that kind of woman gets to drive a Mercedes, while you still have to cram into a long-distance bus.â Zhao Yingying continued to pout and grumble.
At that moment, Sun Xinyiâs phone suddenly rang.
Seeing the caller ID, a smile instantly appeared on her face. Some women are like that â they might seem indifferent before being intimate, but once they have, you become their everything.
In psychology, this is referred to as physiological dependency!
Recently, Sun Xinyi was experiencing exactly this.
âSun Xinyi!â
âCanât we stop acting so cheapâ¦â
Seeing her bestie smile like a blooming flower, Zhao Yingying knew the caller must be Mr. Yang and couldnât help but voice her opinion.
Sun Xinyi didnât pay her any attention and answered the phone instead.
âXinyi, are you all packed up?â Yang Haoâs voice came through the receiver.
âUhâ¦â
Sun Xinyi was a bit confused, not quite understanding why he would ask such a thing. Did he know she was heading out?
Or did he want to ask her out?
âYang, are you taking me out?â
âYeah, Iâll be at your residential areaâs entrance in five minutes.â
âAh?â
Sun Xinyi was startled, frowning subconsciously, troubledly said, âYang, I have to go home today.â
In fact, she did want to go out with Yang Hao, but today was her motherâs birthday, and she had to go back home.
âJust come downstairs!â
âWeâll talk when we meetâ¦â
After saying that, Yang Hao hung up the phone.
âItâs the weekend; Yang must want to take you out for some retail therapy!â
Now energized, Zhao Yingying excitedly said, âXinyi, this is a golden opportunity, you must go!â
âBut I have to go home!â
Sun Xinyi shook her head.
âAre you silly? It doesnât matter if you go back a day later, or you could shop during the day and then return in the evening!â As the proverbial bad advisor, Zhao Yingying even offered her suggestions.
âYang will be here soon, Iâm heading out!â
Not interested in her bestieâs unsound advice and already changed into her clothes, Sun Xinyi picked up the Prada handbag Yang Hao had given her and took the cosmetics she bought for her mother and went downstairs.
Worried about making Yang Hao wait too long, she even quickened her pace.
Stepping out of the residential area, the familiar Yangtze U8 was already parked at the entrance.
She hurriedly walked over, pulled open the passenger door, and got into the car.
âYang, today is my momâs birthday; I have to go home.â
âSo, I probably canât accompany you.â
After getting in the car, Sun Xinyi took the initiative to explain the situation.
âReally!â
âThen Iâll just accompany you back home!â
Yang Hao said with a chuckle.
âAh?â
âYouâre coming with me??â
Sun Xinyi was shocked. Previously when her mother had called, she had asked if she had a boyfriend and if she did, to bring him home.
At the time, Sun Xinyi hesitated for a while before finally saying, âNo.â
She didnât want to tie someone down just because theyâd been intimate.
Furthermore, she was aware of Meng Yuyuâs existence and hadnât yet found her place within this complex relationship.
But now, with Yang Hao offering to go home with her, she naturally felt very happy and a little sweetness in her heart.
âWhatâs wrong?â
âAre you afraid Iâll embarrass you?â Yang Hao teased with a chuckle.
âOf course not.â
âIt just feels a bit suddenâ¦â Sun Xinyi admitted honestly.
âSudden, huh?â
âThen, letâs not go!â Yang Hao shrugged lightly.
âAh??â
Upon hearing this, Sun Xinyiâs pretty little face was instantly filled with disappointment.
âJust kidding!â
Yang Hao pinched Yibaoâs soft cheek.
Seeing that he appeared to be joking, Sun Xinyi finally let out a sigh of relief.
âBut before accompanying you back to Jingmen, I need to make a quick stop at the fitness centerâ¦â
His check-in task was almost over, and a free enterprise was still worth taking advantage of.
So Yang Hao first went to the Bolli Fitness Center to get a membership card before driving to Jingmen.
Once he was out of the Jiangcheng District, Yang Hao drove directly onto the highway.
Jiangcheng is over two hundred kilometers away from Jingmen, an approximately two-hour drive.
âXinyi, you have a driverâs license, right?â
While driving, Yang Hao casually asked.
âYes.â
Sun Xinyi nodded. These days, driving was no longer a craft but an essential skill.
âDo you have a car you like?â
Instead of beating around the bush, Yang Hao asked directly.
After all, Yibao had a dedicated five hundred million in spending money!
That money was meant to be spent!
Moreover, among the three women in his âharemâ,
the one he spoiled the most was this Water System Mage.
The girl was a bit simple-minded, but she was incredibly fun to be with.
A house, a car, he had to make sure she had it all!
According to the standards of marrying a principal wifeâ¦
âYang, I donât know much about cars,â
âAnd I donât really need oneâ¦â
Sun Xinyi knew her âboyfriendâ was extravagant, but she genuinely had no obsession with cars nor much of a concept of them.
Seeing her respond like that, Yang Hao didnât continue on the topic. One hand on the steering wheel, his other hand involuntarily rested on Sun Xinyiâs thigh.
She was wearing a pair of tight jeans today, the kind that accentuated the shape of her legs. Although the pants were too thick for a good tactile experience, Yibaoâs excellent fundamentals still made it quite enjoyableâ¦
However, Sun Xinyi, extremely sensitive in nature, blushed. She suddenly remembered an alert she had seen on a highway: XXXXâtouching the passengerâs thigh while driving will result in a deduction of 6 points and a fine of 200 yuan.
It wasnât clear if the photo was doctored, but if it were true, the car owner would most likely be in trouble. Even proper couples at home are supposed to treat each other with respectâthereâs no touching thighs while driving!
Such behavior would mean either the couple was romantic, or the relationship was a clandestine oneâ¦
âYang, stop itâ¦â
After a while, Sun Xinyi said with her head down.
âWhatâs wrong?â
Yang Hao asked casually.
âI donât have another pair of pants to change intoâ¦â
Sun Xinyi said with a flushed face, softly.
âUhâ¦â
Yang Hao was taken aback, and then he realized that his Yibao was a Junior Water Mage and hadnât yet learned water control techniques. One careless move could result in a flood!
With that in mind, he quickly withdrew his hand. If her passive ability was triggered in the car, it would indeed be quite troublesome.
As for Sun Xinyi, she let out a sigh of relief. She really had been restraining herself like mad. If Yang Hao had not stopped, she wouldnât have been able to hold on much longerâ¦
Jingmen.
Guangming Residential Area.
This residential area was funded and built by Jingmen Thermal Power Plant in the preceding years and was intended for the employeesâ families.
Half of the residents in the community worked at Jingmen Thermal Power Plant.
Sun Xinyiâs parents both worked at the thermal power plant.
The Sun Family had purchased their home through an internal deal over twenty years ago. It was a two-bedroom and one-living room apartment, a little over sixty square meters.
For a family of four living in it, naturally, it was quite cramped, but things improved a bit after Sun Xinyi went to college.
However, since the Sun Family had only daughters, especially after they had grown up, Sun Degang as a father had to avoid impropriety, hence the small size of the home was somewhat disadvantageous.
At the moment, Sun Degang was bustling about in the kitchen. Today was his wifeâs fiftieth birthday, and their eldest daughter was coming home, which made him quite happy.
He also invited his brotherâs family to join them, so they could all enjoy the celebration together.
The birthday girl, He Min, was deveining shrimp, ready to entertain her brother-in-lawâs family with several elaborate dishes.@@novelbin@@
While the couple was busy, someone knocked on the door.
âNannan, go open the door.â
He Min, too busy to tend to the door herself, called out to the bedroom.
Then, a girl who looked about seventy to eighty percent similar to Sun Xinyi, but a tad shorter, came running out.
She was Sun Xinyiâs younger sister, Sun Nannan.
Sun Degang was fixated on having a son, hence he named his second daughter âNannanâ; her original name was to be âNannan.â
However, He Min found it too blatant and changed it at the last minute when registering the birth.
Later on, the couple tried for a third child, but it ended in miscarriage, and He Minâs health suffered as well. With that, Sun Degangâs dream of having a son was shattered.
Sun Nannan opened the door to find her uncleâs family had arrived.
âSister-in-law, the birthday star is getting hands-on today!â
Zhang Hongli, upon entering, joked with a laugh.
âHongli, Dehai, please have a seat, Iâm almost finished.â
âOh? Who is this??â
He Min had expected only her brother-in-law and sister-in-law, but to her surprise, there was a young man with them. He appeared to be in his thirties, not very tall, wearing glasses, and quite bookish-looking.
âSister-in-law, this is my nephew Bai Wensong Iâve mentioned to you. It just so happened he was around, so I brought him along for you to meet.â
Zhang Hongli introduced the young man with her.
âAunt He, happy birthday.â
Bai Wensong brought giftsâa couple of bottles of Huanghelou liquor produced in Jiangcheng and an elegantly wrapped shopping bag.
âThisâ¦â
Taken off guard, He Min quickly wiped her hands and hesitated before reluctantly taking the gifts, âThank you, you shouldnât have gone through the trouble.â
âAunt He, youâre too polite. Itâs no big deal, Iâm just here to join the meal!â Bai Wensong replied cheerfully, showing he had a way with words.
âLetâs sit in the living room and talk.â
He Min led the three of them to the living room. Sun Degang, hearing the voices, also came out of the kitchen. Seeing that they had an extra guest in addition to his brother, he hurriedly made some tea and joined the two guests in conversation.
Zhang Hongli took the opportunity to pull He Min aside and whispered, âSister-in-law, youâve been looking for a partner for Xinyi, havenât you? My nephew works at a bank and his family is well-off. I thought itâd be a good opportunity to have him meet Xinyi. Maybe theyâll hit it offâ¦â