Looking at Jiang Cheng's scorching-hot gaze.
Bai Xiaoxiao shyly turned her head away.
Having barely survived Jiang Cheng's first round, she had no desire to continue.
Her mind raced, searching for something—anything—that could divert his attention.
Then it hit her.
Compared with his slightly unsteady steps moments ago, Jiang Cheng was now walking with perfect balance, even taking the stairs two at a time; he looked nothing like a man who'd been drunk.
"Onii-chan, weren't you just drunk?"
Since Bai Xiaoxiao had only now brought it up, Jiang Cheng dropped the act entirely.
He planted his hands on either side of her head, trapping her within the circle of his arms.
The bedroom's warm light cast shifting shadows across his chiseled face.
His eyes gleamed with a danger that was also irresistible.
"Didn't you know milk sobers you up?"
Bai Xiaoxiao's heart pounded like a drum, but she feigned calm: "Huh? Really? But you didn't drink any."
Seeing that, in her fluster, Bai Xiaoxiao had missed his meaning,
Jiang Cheng simply leaned down and demonstrated.
Between kisses he murmured, "I drank for over ten minutes—you forgot."
A soft whimper escaped Bai Xiaoxiao; her lips parted involuntarily.
A few minutes later, face scarlet, she pushed him away.
"I… I want to take a shower…"
As the saying goes, a good wash keeps the doctor away—hard to argue with that.
Releasing her, Jiang Cheng pointed to the en-suite bathroom. "Use this one; I'll find somewhere else."
Bai Xiaoxiao didn't dare answer; she darted into the bathroom like a startled rabbit.
If she hadn't been such a novice, he wouldn't have bothered finding another place to shower.
But for a newcomer to the "rift," Jiang Cheng had plenty of patience—he'd give her all the buffer she needed.
Ten minutes later Jiang Cheng was back in the bedroom.
Clearly, Bai Xiaoxiao was still in the shower.
He lay on the bed and opened wechat.
The Shanghai buddies group had exploded with new messages.
Someone had even @-ed him.
Jiang Cheng tapped in.
Wang Zheng: "Bros, I've got an investment idea—let me know what you think."
Qi Yuan: "Oh? Another chance to fleece some sheep?"
Qin Fen: "??"
Wang Zheng: "Ever since we rode Cheng's coattails and made money, I've been feeling ambitious. Figured I'd throw cash at something."
Wang Zheng: "Info attached."
Qi Yuan: "Shares and I don't mix—bye."
Wang Congcong: "@Qi Yuan, go wash and sleep."
Wang Congcong: "Car-sharing??"
Chen Hao: "I've tried bike-sharing—seat crushed my balls. Driving my own ride is way better."
Wang Zheng: "Guys, I've biked every day this New Year—so convenient! Two bucks from home to the club, faster than calling a driver! Yesterday an investor cornered me, said car-sharing's the next big thing… thought all night, sounds legit."
Wang Zheng: "He crunched numbers: one car pulls 300 yuan a day. We field 500 cars, that's 4.5 million a month! After costs we clear two mil easy!"
Qin Fen: "This popped up two years ago, but people keep mentioning it—maybe it's hot."
Chen Hao: "Yeah, I've heard pitchmen pushing it all break."
Watching them chat, everyone seemed fired up.
Jiang Cheng shook his head.
A Second-generation rich blowing cash is fine—until he suddenly wants to "build a business."
Especially when the "business" is someone else's sweet talk.
Wang Zheng: "So, brothers, if you're in, let's do it together?"
Qin Fen: "I'm kind of feeling it."
Chen Hao: "Same here. We pool cash and launch a brand?"
Reading this, Jiang Cheng broke into a cold sweat.
Turns out the three had a black-hole touch for investments.
Wang Zheng: "The promoter said even Jack Ma's bullish! @Jiang Cheng Cheng, thoughts?"
Wang Congcong: "@Jiang Cheng, what do you think?"
He Youjun: "Haven't looked into it; Casino City doesn't even have shared bikes."
Jiang Cheng was surprised Casino City lacked bikes.
Since 2015, China had rolled out its first shared bikes.
Pilot cities were, of course, Shanghai and Beijing.
As locals who'd seen the first wave, these rich kids were blinded by big-city order and profit.
After the bike boom came the car-sharing pitch.
Plenty of companies dove in.
Jack Ma's firm led the most famous round.
Yet no car-sharing project ever reported real profits.
Most quietly hemorrhaged cash.
They entered with fireworks and exited with whimpers.
The killer: high costs, low utilization.
And, like bike-sharing, a fatal flaw.
Once investors smelled opportunity, everyone piled in.
Brands multiplied; competition turned brutal.
Users were another headache.
Illegal parking, plus brand-new cars totaled on day one.
Some drivers parked in private garages, turning the "share" into a personal ride.
After a month the car had barely been used—costs unrecouped.
So car-sharing flared for a few years, then died outright.
Zheng Zhigang: "Hong Kong Island got tons of shared bikes last year, but controversy's huge; my research says it's going poorly."
Zheng Zhigang: "Mainly illegal parking and market regulation—same issues here?"
Wang Zheng: "@Jiang Cheng."
Qin Fen: "Cheng, when you coming to Shanghai?"
Chen Hao
Jiang Cheng: "Forget it. Car-sharing?? Even dogs wouldn't invest."