Chapter 63: Not Taking the Initiative, Not Refusing, and Absolutely No Responsibility

Jimenli Community

"Bro, you're amazing! You held firm at 65,000—I thought the deal was dead, but that guy actually agreed in the end."

Lin Jiachuan recounted his earlier negotiations with Yan Li over purchasing internet cafe licenses, lavishing praise on Yan Li.

"His psychological resilience was weak—I spotted his weakness."

Yan Li brushed it off casually, as in his mind, there was truly nothing to be proud of.

Before the negotiation, he had already learned the bottom price from the system.

As long as you maintain the rhythm of conversation, apply basic negotiation techniques, avoid provoking the other side or revealing your own bottom line, you can almost always secure it at or slightly above the bottom price.

At first, Yan Li had been excited that he could use the system to cheat in price negotiations, but after many such deals, he grew accustomed to it.

Of course, this also had to do with the fact that these were just small transactions of a few ten thousand yuan.

Yan Li now had a net worth of hundreds of thousands; saving two or three ten thousand yuan in a negotiation truly brought him no sense of accomplishment.

If one day he negotiated a deal and saved tens or even hundreds of thousands, he'd be even more ecstatic than Lin Jiachuan.

As they neared the apartment building, Yan Li suddenly saw someone waving at him from a distance.

He glanced over, hesitated a moment, then stopped: "Jiachuan, I'm out of cigarettes. Go ahead up—I'll buy two packs."

Hearing this, Lin Jiachuan, as Yan Li's assistant, naturally volunteered: "I'll buy them for you."

"No need, it's just a few steps. You've had a long day—go rest up."

"Alright, I'm going up then."

Lin Jiachuan didn't press it, waved goodbye, and left. Only after watching him enter the building did Yan Li turn toward the person who had waved, his tone stiff.

"What are you doing here?"

"Senior brother."

Huang Shengyi's cheeks flushed slightly as she softly called out: "One of my classmates lives here—I came to visit her, and didn't expect to run into you."

Jimenli Community lies directly across from North Electric University, very close by; many current students from North Electric rent apartments here.

But whether Huang Shengyi actually had a classmate living here was questionable—Yan Li had seen from the system that she had inquired about his residence.

"You called me earlier—what did you want?"

Yan Li didn't expose her lie, but directly asked her purpose. Huang Shengyi looked at him with a hint of hurt, her eyes glistening.

"Senior brother, you used to be so gentle with me—why have you changed?"

Huang Shengyi had a beautiful face and pure demeanor; when she gazed at you with tear-filled eyes, she radiated a stubborn innocence and faint sorrow—heartbreaking, delicate, and utterly pitiable.

Wow!

Her acting had improved vastly since six months ago—Yan Li internally applauded her performance, while feeling a stirring urge within.

Soft, delicate little white flowers—nothing was more fun to tease!

Still, Yan Li held back, merely appearing slightly moved, his attitude softening a touch, letting Huang Shengyi explain in her gentle, apologetic tone.

"... You didn't contact me back then, and I was angry with you... I didn't like him—I just went along with the crowd, you know how shy I am... Now I've broken up with him..."

Finally, Huang Shengyi gazed at Yan Li with a pitiful expression, her voice soft and sweet: "Senior brother, can you forgive me?"

Yan Li gave no answer, but stomped his foot: "It's too cold outside—I'll take you to get something to eat."

"Okay."

Huang Shengyi's eyes flickered with delight—she didn't accept, but didn't refuse either. There was potential.

It was cold, so Yan Li found a hot pot restaurant and booked a private room.

The room was heated, and with the hot pot burning, it grew stuffy; Huang Shengyi took off her coat, wearing a white fitted sweater that accentuated her curves, her aura elegant and refined.

She really put in the effort!

Yan Li thought it was a pity she'd directed all this thoughtfulness at him—she'd be better off attaching herself to some rich heir, maybe even become a young madam directly.

"Senior brother, try this beef."

Huang Shengyi rose to serve Yan Li food, further showcasing her alluring figure. Yan Li silently took a sip of Beibingyang soda, suppressing his rising heat.

Since breaking up with Dong Xuan, he'd only dabbled once with Qin Lan—nothing serious.

Lately, though he'd attended many social events, Yan Li never touched any of those party girls.

One reason was his conscience, but more importantly, it was unsafe—it could leave hidden risks to his career or health.

Still, he was a young man with strong vitality, and after so long without release, he naturally felt restless.

He'd planned to either visit Dong Xuan's set soon, or deepen his bond with Zhao Ke, the junior he'd been chatting with lately—but now Huang Shengyi had walked right into his lap.

To Yan Li, being briefly tempted by a backslide didn't matter—he feared she'd settle in and cling to him permanently.

So although his thoughts were stirring, his outward attitude remained lukewarm.

The strategy: no initiative, no refusal, and absolute non-responsibility!

"Senior brother, it's cold—let's have some wine."

Seeing that plain eating and chatting weren't working, Huang Shengyi proactively suggested wine to loosen the mood.

Yan Li hesitated, then agreed: "... Alright."

The effect was immediate—Yan Li became noticeably more cheerful, his speech and mannerisms warmer.

Huang Shengyi seized the moment, sitting close beside him, the atmosphere slowly turning tender and intimate.

After three rounds of drinks and nearly finished eating, slightly drunk, Huang Shengyi was half-collapsed against Yan Li's chest—he pushed hard, but couldn't move her.

Yan Li's voice lowered: "It's late—I'll take you back to campus."

Huang Shengyi hugged his waist, nuzzling her cheek against him: "I... don't want to go back."

"Then let me take you to a hotel to rest?"

Yan Li asked. Huang Shengyi hesitated, silent—clearly, she hadn't fully decided yet.

"Wait here a moment—I'll settle the bill."

Yan Li did not press her; he let her think for herself, then went to settle the bill. Huang Shengyi patted her slightly dazed head, a flicker of struggle crossing her lovely face.

She wasn't foolish; she had sensed something of Yan Li's intentions, afraid he'd take everything and then deny it.

But if she didn't let Yan Li taste some sweetness, she feared their hard-won reconciliation would regress, and even more, she feared Yao Xiqian and the others would get there first.

Thinking of this, Huang Shengyi suddenly noticed Yan Li's phone left on the table, untouched.

She gritted her teeth, picked up the phone, and swiftly scrolled through the call log and SMS inbox.

The call log revealed nothing, but in the SMS inbox, Huang Shengyi spotted a familiar name—and instantly felt dread.

Just as she was about to examine the content closely, she sensed someone approaching; she hurriedly placed the phone back exactly where it had been. Ten seconds later, Yan Li pushed open the door.

"Let's go. I'll take you back to campus."

Huang Shengyi shook her head vigorously: "I don't want to go back. Everyone's so gossipy—they'll start asking all sorts of wild questions if they see me drunk."

"Then where do you want to go?"

Huang Shengyi's eyes darted, and she ventured cautiously: "Could we go to your place?"

She knew Yan Li shared an apartment—with others around, even if he wanted to get dressed and pretend nothing happened, he wouldn't dare. If she played it right, she might even turn the tables.

Yan Li looked at her deeply. "Fine. Let's go to my place."

The two left the hotpot restaurant. Yan Li first stopped at a convenience store to buy something, then flagged down a taxi, exchanged a few words with the driver, and gestured for Huang Shengyi to get in.

At first, Huang Shengyi thought Yan Li was worried she'd catch a chill from the wind after drinking, and silently praised his thoughtfulness—until she realized the car was driving farther and farther away, and she grew confused.

"This isn't the way to Jimenli."

Yan Li looked at her strangely. "Who said we're going to Jimenli? I have more than one place."

Huang Shengyi: "..."

(End of Chapter)