Chapter 231: Low Emotional Intelligence

Under the pitch-black sky, the Hengdian night market street was brightly lit; the hawkers' cries rose and fell, the sounds of children playing and laughing, people chatting and joking, and the music played by street performers...

These sounds intertwined, giving this marketplace a bustling, vibrant atmosphere.

In front of the ring-toss stall.

Meeting again after several months, no matter how much Shen Yan had changed, Shen Jiaqing was absolutely certain that this was his cousin.

His gaze swept over the three beautiful women nearby, and after recognizing one of them as Yu Youwei, Shen Jiaqing greeted him in a bookish manner: "Long time no see, are you here for a trip?"

Shen Yan said: "Yes, taking advantage of the New Year's holiday to come out and look around."

"And these are?"

"You know Youwei; these two are my classmates."

While Shen Jiaqing had a moment of realization, he felt a slight disappointment inside.

He had thought this blockhead had found a girlfriend.

As the saying goes: "A scholar should be looked at with new eyes after three days apart."

Although the old Shen Yan had an introverted and shy personality and was not good with words, the current him had undergone a complete transformation; he was handsome, so finding a girlfriend shouldn't be a matter of minutes.

It was a pity that he had been wishful thinking.

The men of the Shen Family in this generation seemed to be good-for-nothings; like him, they didn't even know how to pursue girls—commonly known as having low emotional intelligence—and would often make a girl angry within two sentences.

"Shen Jiaqing, do you know this handsome guy?"

At this moment, He Wenhui, who was nearby, chimed in with a question.

Facing He Wenhui, Shen Jiaqing no longer maintained his previous steady posture; he wore a slightly ingratiating smile and said: "Forgot to introduce you, Wenhui, this is my cousin, Shen Yan."

"Shen Yan, this is He Wenhui, a colleague from my company."

Shen Jiaqing graduated from an undergraduate institution in Jinhua City and was currently working as a programmer at an internet company in the city; in the current social climate, the internet was undoubtedly one of the hottest markets.

Having graduated for only two years, Shen Jiaqing's salary had doubled time and again; earning six thousand a month was easy, and it could be even higher if he went to a big city.

He Wenhui's eyes lit up; she hadn't expected the two to have this connection. She leaned into Shen Jiaqing's ear and asked: "What does your cousin do?"

Being so close to the person he liked for the first time and feeling the scorching breath on his earlobe, Shen Jiaqing, a man who had never been handled before, felt as if a little deer were trapped in his heart, his little heart pounding at a speed of 120 miles per hour.

His fair cheeks instantly turned as red as a monkey's butt.

He stammered: "He... he's just a college student, why do you care about that?"

"A college student? Then his family background must be quite good; just that Youngor down jacket on him must cost at least two thousand." He Wenhui's interest remained undiminished.

"Ah?" Shen Jiaqing suddenly widened his eyes and looked at Shen Yan in disbelief.

As an IT guy, he had never paid much attention to clothing brands, and that horse-like logo was like a heavenly book to him.

He couldn't understand it at all!

And he had no idea how much it was worth.

However, since He Wenhui had said so, it couldn't be wrong, which left Shen Jiaqing completely baffled; Grandma Shen was a retired old woman who had been frugal her whole life, so it was impossible for her to give Shen Yan that much money.

Moreover, as far as he knew, since entering college, Shen Yan had never asked his family for a single cent.

So there was only one possibility: Shen Yan had earned all this money by his own ability.

It was hard to imagine through what means a college student could earn so much money, and what exactly had happened to make a person suddenly undergo such a huge change.

Seeing that Shen Jiaqing remained silent for a long time, He Wenhui poked his shoulder impatiently and asked again: "Hey! What does his family actually do?"

Shen Jiaqing didn't notice He Wenhui's hidden agenda; still feeling confused, he shook his head and said: "It's hard to explain in a moment, let's talk when we have time later."

The scene of the two whispering and murmuring was all seen by Shen Yan.

His brows furrowed slightly.

To be honest, the first impression this girl named He Wenhui gave Shen Yan was not very good.

She was a bit frivolous and didn't seem like a decent girl, but to judge a person's character based on just a few words was too rash.

Through the series of actions just now, it could be judged that Shen Jiaqing probably liked He Wenhui, while He Wenhui didn't seem to care for Shen Jiaqing.

She even addressed him by his full name.

The two had likely only just met, yet they had run off to Hengdian together...

Forget it, why think so much; I'll just ask later and I'll know.

Failing to get an answer, He Wenhui pouted, looking a bit unhappy. Then, thinking of the relationship between the two brothers, she immediately took advantage of the situation and said in a soft, sweet voice: "Little Brother Shen, Sister is a friend of your brother's; could you do me a favor and toss that Mickey Mouse for me, please?"

Shen Jiaqing looked at Shen Yan in confusion, completely out of the loop.

Uh...

Anyway, it was just a casual task, and with this connection in between, Shen Yan didn't refuse.

After a brief calculation, he set his stance, took his position, and threw... the movements were done in one go, as smooth as flowing water.

His luck was good.

The ring landed precisely on the Mickey Mouse's nose.

"Yay!" He Wenhui jumped on the spot in excitement.

She immediately grabbed Shen Yan's sleeve and shook it incessantly, saying charmingly: "Little Brother Shen is so amazing! And you're so handsome; Sister thanks you so much."

Beside them, Wu Yue'er curled her lip in disdain, and sparks flashed in Yu Youwei's eyes, but neither of them said anything more.

Shen Yan could easily handle this small scene.

"You're welcome, you're welcome!"

Facing the enthusiastic He Wenhui, Shen Yan unobtrusively pulled his arm back, a faint, ambiguous smile on his lips; when interacting with He Wenhui, he was neither particularly enthusiastic nor obviously cold.

The superficial pleasantries were perfectly executed!

At the same time, he continued to toss rings; the items at the stall were either dolls, toys, or small animals.

They held no attraction for Shen Yan at all.

He couldn't take them back even if he won too many.

It just so happened that two hundred-yuan bills were placed in the center of the stall, and he flicked his wrist to toss two rings.

He directly won back his capital.

The onlookers, the three women, and He Wenhui all had stars in their eyes, filled with admiration, while Shen Jiaqing was dumbfounded.

Good heavens!

This little brother's ring-tossing technique is truly superb; "666" is all that needs to be said.

The stall owner felt his scalp tingle at this moment, and cold sweat broke out on his forehead.

The only thing to be thankful for was that Shen Yan had fewer than thirty rings left in his hand.

Moreover, he had no intention of wiping the stall out; after tossing a few more items, he handed all the remaining rings directly to Wu Yue'er and the other two women.

This made the stall owner breathe a deep sigh of relief.

He then continued to greet other customers with a smile; after this display by Shen Yan, the customers' enthusiasm for ring-tossing was running high.

This round wasn't too much of a loss!

With nothing better to do, Shen Yan pulled Shen Jiaqing aside to chat.

Just as Shen Yan had expected, He Wenhui and Shen Jiaqing had only known each other for a week, and the two had not come out to play alone; there were three other colleagues accompanying them, but those three were currently resting in the hotel.

They called it: "Recharging our batteries to prepare for the upcoming sightseeing."