After briefly introducing Jiang Cheng and Jiang Churan, Shen Shuang couldn't wait to ask Jiang Cheng.
"I'm a bit curious, big shot. Did you really drive a bugatti today?"
Jiang Cheng hadn't caught Lin Yanxi's show-off remarks when he first walked in.
So he had no idea he was the man she'd just mocked for driving a "beat-up bugatti."
All he saw was everyone in the room staring at him.
Their faces wore the classic ready-for-drama, pass-the-popcorn look.
The sudden attention left Jiang Cheng utterly bewildered.
A trace of doubt surfaced in his mind.
"Uh… so, does driving a bugatti break the law? Why's everyone looking at me like that?"
Hearing this, Shen Shuang nearly burst out laughing.
Although she and Jiang Cheng weren't close enough to joke around freely,
his words tickled her so much she could barely hold it in.
Seeing the whole room wearing popcorn-eating grins,
Jiang Cheng felt even more lost.
"So… driving a bugatti isn't illegal, right??????"
Shen Shuang's charm wasn't one-in-a-million.
Jiang Cheng's patience with her was clearly limited.
He instinctively glanced toward Jiang Churan's other best friend.
They were both best friends; he couldn't play favorites.
He asked her, "Is she okay?"
Shen Shuang fought back her laughter
and repeated Lin Yanxi's earlier words to Jiang Cheng, word for word.
When he heard them, Jiang Cheng's eyes bulged and a string of complaints burst out.
"Damn, that's toxic. So she thought my bugatti was a junker and decided to cut me off??"
At that, Shen Shuang lost it, snorting with laughter.
"No, it's because you're too handsome and she wanted to hit on you."
"What?? That's the most original pickup stunt I've ever seen."
Jiang Cheng instantly felt grateful to the system for his pro-level driving skills;
otherwise he'd have a lot more headaches right now.
The moment he finished, Xu Yan frowned slightly, as if rifling through distant memories.
She spoke up: "I've seen your bugatti! Isn't it the legendary dark nights sound?"
Her crisp, ringing voice sliced through the dull air like lightning.
Everyone froze for a second,
then collectively gasped.
A chorus of sharp intakes echoed.
Could this be the "beat-up bugatti" Lin Yanxi had just mocked?
Once that thought sprouted, it spread like wildfire and couldn't be stopped.
No further explanation was needed.
Anyone who knew Lin Yanxi immediately connected the dots.
With her sky-high arrogance, of course she'd scoff at an ordinary ride.
So when she saw Jiang Cheng piloting the top-tier dark nights sound, she'd cut in front,
planning to snag his attention with her own charm.
But the guy didn't take the bait.
Then she found out he had a girlfriend, got salty, picked a fight, and ended up slapped by karma.
Hearing this, several of Shen Shuang's friends jumped in.
"Holy crap, dark nights sound—that's the ultimate bugatti."
"dark nights sound is a junker?? Lin Yanxi's lost her mind…"
Murmurs rippled through the crowd.
At that moment the crowd's eyes neatly split into three camps.
One camp: smitten girls glowing with admiration.
Another: people jealous of Jiang Churan.
The last: guys who'd been upstaged and now looked thoroughly sour,
shooting dagger-like stares at Jiang Cheng.
Once seated, Shen Shuang promptly urged Jiang Churan and Jiang Cheng to eat.
Jiang Churan plucked a bright, fat strawberry from the fruit platter and held it out to Jiang Cheng.
Instead of taking it, Jiang Cheng leaned down and bit the strawberry right out of her hand.
The sudden move made Jiang Churan's heart jump.
She'd only meant to hand it to him—no intention of feeding him personally!!
Seeing her flushed cheeks, Jiang Cheng chewed happily.
Through a mouthful he mumbled, "Mmm, tastes great~~"
His antics made Jiang Churan's face burn even hotter.
To hide her embarrassment
she grabbed a banana and started peeling it in a fluster.
Xu Yan, watching from the side, finally couldn't take it.
She pouted and whined, "Spare a single dog like me, okay? PDA the second you arrive—unbearable."
The moment she spoke, Jiang Churan shyly lifted the peeled banana toward Xu Yan's mouth.
Her lovely face tinged pink, she softly said, "Come on, it's Shuang Shuang's birthday. Stop grumbling and eat your banana~~ Don't say another word."
While nimbly dodging the banana and Jiang Churan's hand,
Xu Yan turned to Jiang Cheng and faux-cried, "Boo-hoo… Big shot, come control your naughty Ranran…"
Jiang Cheng watched the two beauties waving bananas and laughing,
and for some reason his throat suddenly felt dry.
Xu Yan's charm wasn't as high as Jiang Churan's,
but her sweet, perky personality made Jiang Cheng feel he might not hold out much longer.
He cracked, "Heh-heh, bananas sure are amazing… If you don't want to eat one, there're plenty of other fun things you can—"
Realizing that sounded wrong, he switched mid-sentence: "They're great for vitamins."
Just then Shen Shuang returned from greeting new guests and caught the tail end.
Her fox-like eyes slid over Jiang Cheng with a half-smile.
Under her gaze Jiang Cheng pretended not to notice and asked,
"Booking this place wasn't cheap, was it?"
Shen Shuang nodded: "Not counting drinks it's still cheaper than the gift you bought me. My little nest egg's hemorrhaging for tonight; I'll be scrimping for months."
Jiang Cheng had already spotted the Vacheron Constantin ladies' watch on her wrist.
Simple style, but it had to cost at least six figures.
Plus she ran with Wang Congcong and Xu Zhi.
He didn't buy her "broke" act for a second.
Once she sat beside Xu Yan, Shen Shuang flicked her a signal.
Xu Yan turned to Jiang Churan and cooed, "Ranran, come sit in the middle; let's snap a pic together."
Shen Shuang chimed in, "Yeah, let's take a few for moments later."
With that she whisked Jiang Churan up and planted her between herself and Xu Yan.
Jiang Churan felt lost,
frowning in confusion: "It's your birthday—you should be in the middle."
Shen Shuang leaned in and whispered, "Silly, we need to grill you about something."
After the shuffle, Xu Yan now sat next to Jiang Cheng.
Even with a small gap between them, the proximity made Xu Yan glance at Jiang Cheng uneasily.
After the glance she echoed, "Right, we'll let you go back soon—no rush."