Chapter 20: Gift

In the city of steel jungles, neon lights flashed brilliantly.

Rain slid down the car windows, tracing streaks like tears. The fine patter of rain blended with the engine’s low hum, creating an inexplicable sense of calm and comfort.

Li Cheng sat in the back seat, his fingers lightly tapping his knees. The seat’s ventilation and heating functions were both active, circulating warm air that quickly dried the dampness on his skin.

After a moment’s thought, he smiled at Shao Wangshu: “Thanks earlier.”

Though he didn’t think Luo Zhengxin and the others’ childish behavior held much real meaning, their goodwill was still goodwill.

“It’s nothing, hehehe (〃〃).”

Shao Wangshu smiled shyly, straightening her seat until it aligned with his, then happily swaying the shiny Prada leather shoe tips from side to side.

“But it’s really a coincidence, meeting again like this.”

Li Cheng pushed back his bangs. Yinx City had over a dozen districts and twenty million people—running into each other two days in a row was an extraordinary stroke of luck.

“It’s not that incredibly coincidental,”

said the female housekeeper Wei Cai from the driver’s seat: “We just had dinner at Guangming Cun, the place you recommended yesterday. It’s right down the next street.”

“Oh, I see.”

Li Cheng nodded, dispelling his suspicions—recent accidents had made him cautious about everything. “By the way, what did you think of the place? What did you order? Did you like it?”

“We ordered Four Happiness Fried Wheat Gluten, Smoked Fish, Yellow Cabbage and Pork Stir-Fried Rice Cake, Stir-Fried Shrimp, Braised Fish in Fermented Sauce, and Sizzling Eel.”

Shao Wangshu counted them off on her fingers, then smiled apologetically: “It was pretty tasty, but a bit too sweet.”

“Alright.”

Li Cheng’s expression was resigned. The signature style of Yinx City cuisine is rich oil and dark sauce, with a sweet undertone—the more authentic the dish, the less likely outsiders would enjoy it.

“Next time, shall I take you to a restaurant serving a different cuisine?”

“Yes, yes!”

The conversation flowed easily and cheerfully; before they knew it, the car reached an intersection and stopped at a red light.

“Phew—”

A white BMW 7 Series slowed to a stop. Xue Jingming, gripping the steering wheel, yawned and blinked hard to shake off his drowsiness.

The whole family was dressed formally: his wife, Li Zhao, in a black long dress, sat in the front passenger seat; their children, Xue Lingyu and Xue Luomeng, sat in the back, scrolling on their phones.

With time still before the light changed, Li Zhao pulled out a thermos of warm tea and handed it to her husband for a sip. Softly, she said: “Go to bed early tonight.”

“Mm.”

Xue Jingming nodded. He was a sales manager at a shipping machinery equipment company, having just finished a family banquet with the company’s boss.

The banquet had gone pleasantly, and the boss had hinted at promoting him to Director of Sales.

“Things might get even busier from now on.”

Thinking of this, Xue Jingming gently clasped his wife’s hand and said tenderly: “You’ve worked hard at home.”

“You’ve worked hard too, dear,” Li Zhao replied, stroking his handback, her gaze soft as water.

The Xue family, from which Xue Jingming came, was no minor clan—it was an ancient, multi-century lineage.

As a direct family member, had he followed the path his elders had planned, his achievements would far exceed what they are now—he likely would have been appointed president or manager of some family-owned enterprise.

But twenty years ago, he firmly resolved to marry Li Zhao, a girl from a remote mountain village who hadn’t even finished high school, and he severed ties with his parents, moved out, found his own job, rented an apartment, and married her—step by step building his current life without a single favor from his family.

Now, with a harmonious family and a successful career, he had silenced the rumors that mocked him for being duped by a country girl and going mad.

After twenty years of marriage, the two remained as loving as ever, never hiding their affection—they kissed each other every morning before leaving the house.

It was a torment for Xue Lingyu and Xue Luomeng in the back seat, forced to endure this saccharine dog food.

Xue Luomeng silently rolled her eyes, rolled down her window, and breathed in the fresh air outside.

“Huh?!”

Suddenly, she saw something utterly unbelievable—her eyes widened in shock.

Not far ahead, in a Bentley worth roughly four times the price of a BMW 7 Series, a gentle, white-dressed girl was laughing and chatting with a familiar figure.

“What’s wrong?”

Li Zhao followed her daughter’s gaze and saw Li Cheng and Shao Wangshu—her eyebrows rose slightly.

“Wait—is that Li Cheng? Could I be mistaken? That Bentley looks like a limited edition…”

“About four or five million.”

Xue Jingming, who knew cars well, clicked his tongue.

These days, only a handful of companies still developed new models in the ultra-luxury sedan segment.

Compared to Rolls-Royce and Maybach, Bentley’s price wasn’t the highest, but its elegance and restraint, its vintage yet not outdated design, perfectly matched old-money aesthetics—when the British Queen was still alive, she switched the royal car from Rolls-Royce to Bentley.

It wouldn’t be inappropriate for a young girl to ride in one.

“Um, this.”

After a moment’s hesitation, Shao Wangshu picked up a white gift box wrapped in kraft paper from beside her and placed it gently between them. “I saw on QQ that today’s your birthday, so I took the liberty of picking out a gift.”

“Huh?”

Li Cheng raised an eyebrow and peered inside the packaging—he saw a DJI drone, the model number on the box unfamiliar to him.

He didn’t reach for it, hesitating: “Isn’t this a bit too expensive?”

If it were a cheap entry-level drone costing just over a thousand yuan, he could’ve accepted it without worry—just treat her to dinner next time. But clearly, this gift had nothing to do with “cheap.”

Debts of gratitude were the hardest to repay, especially since he’d only known her for a few days—why was she so eager?

“Not expensive at all! My family has frequent business dealings with drone companies—we’re long-term customers. This model is the next-generation product, not yet on the market. It was given to us as a free gift, no cost involved. See? No price tag on it.”

Shao Wangshu shook her head vigorously like a rattle drum, emphasizing “free” to make sure he wouldn’t refuse.

‘This girl is hopeless.’

Wei Cai, the driver, had to exert great effort to suppress the urge to roll her eyes.

She’d heard Shao Wangshu’s endless chatter lately—yesterday’s “coincidental” meeting at the flower and bird market had been suspiciously deliberate, like someone offering unsolicited favors with hidden intent.

The original plan was to wait a few days, let their relationship grow a bit more natural, then have Shao Wangshu “accidentally” discover Li Cheng’s birthday had passed, and present the drone as a belated gift.

That way, it wouldn’t seem abrupt.

But this girl, the moment she saw her crush walking in the rain, lost all sense—she’d completely forgotten the plan.

Her intentions were too obvious! Yes, women chasing men are like a thin veil—but being this forward will scare him off!

Anyone would suspect such enthusiasm meant he was being lured to Myanmar.

“Alright…”

Seeing Shao Wangshu’s desperate pleading, Li Cheng suspected she might cry if he refused, so he accepted the gift—and then pulled out his phone to check Shao Wangshu’s QQ profile.

“Your birthday is January 1st—New Year’s Day? Then next time, when I give you a birthday gift, you can’t refuse.”

“Okay!”

Shao Wangshu’s eyes sparkled. She extended her pinky finger and said earnestly: “Pinkie swear?”

“Hah.” Li Cheng chuckled, then extended his own pinky, hooking it with hers. “Pinkie swear, never break it, for a hundred years.”

(End of Chapter)