"Weiwei, what's wrong?" The girl beside her leaned over, following her gaze. "You know that guy?"
Lin Weiwei ground her teeth, resentment dripping from every word: "It's him! The jerk I told you about yesterday—he humiliated me in public and protected those Twin Sisters!"
"Huh?" The girl blinked. "Didn't you say he was chasing Si Nian and Si Qing? Why's he with this girl now?"
"Who knew he'd be this disgusting—two-timing scum!" Lin Weiwei's stare at Jiang Cheng could have frozen fire.
Lin Weiwei had gotten her license ages ago, but after Jiang Cheng slapped her face yesterday she'd been miserable at school today.
So she'd come to keep her friend company while she practiced driving.
She never expected to stumble across Jiang Cheng two-timing the twins.
"Those Twin Sisters actually think they've hooked some Second-generation rich. If they saw how cozy he is with someone else right now…"
The girl's eyes lit up. "Then what are we waiting for? Post the photos on the school forum! Let those twins see they're just toys to him—they'll be mortified!"
Lin Weiwei almost nodded.
But on second thought she stilled her hand.
"No, not yet." A sinister smile curved her lips as she slipped the phone back into her pocket. "I heard the sisters haven't actually done anything with him. If we leak it now, they'll only feel too ashamed to keep chasing him."
Her gaze swept across the practice lane to Lin Qingxue's radiant smile, and the calculation in Lin Weiwei's eyes deepened.
"I say we wait. Wait till he actually beds the Twin Sisters and they think they've secured the jackpot—then I'll throw these photos in their faces. Imagine: from cloud nine with a Second-generation rich to being cheated on in the blink of an eye. That kind of fall—now that's a killing blow."
The girl nodded eagerly, voice hushed. "Haha, Weiwei, you're a genius! They'll cry their eyes out!"
Lin Weiwei said nothing, only glanced at Jiang Cheng again, eyes brimming with resentment.
Jiang Cheng, meanwhile, felt nothing amiss as he leaned on a railing, texting Wang Yuyan.
Wang Yuyan had been due in Modu days ago, but last-minute coursework had forced her to change her ticket.
Right now she was in Sweden, wide awake in the small hours; she'd be back tomorrow.
The concrete of the driving range still held the afternoon's warmth.
After a dozen laps Lin Qingxue pulled over to rest.
She parked perfectly inside the lines.
Wang Xi watched in admiration. "Qingxue, you drove so smoothly—amazing!"
"Really? I felt so nervous."
Wang Xi nodded vigorously. "Honest! Ask the boss—especially that reverse park, super slick, not a single line touched."
Jiang Cheng stroked Lin Qingxue's hair, eyes smiling. "She's right—steady, even if slow. Super-accurate on the bay-in, no rollback at all. Excellent."
His tone was perfectly serious, but Lin Qingxue caught the double meaning.
When no one was looking she brushed the back of her hand against the hard proof of his approval.
"All thanks to your coaching—without you I'd never park so precisely."
Teased like that, Jiang Cheng cocked a brow.
He praised without restraint: "Great student—perfect 'control' of measure."
Veteran instructor Wang Qin caught every nuance.
A driving school is, after all, a place for hands-on instruction.
Behind-the-wheel training is a complex skill.
In real life plenty of male coaches will physically guide a student.
Female instructors, spotting a pupil they like, naturally dote on them, leaning in to show how to grip the wheel.
If Lin Qingxue and Wang Xi hadn't been present, Wang Qin would have offered Jiang Cheng a free, vacuum-sealed demonstration.
She knew she wasn't as young or pretty as Lin Qingxue.
But who wants home flowers when wild ones bloom outside?
In her career she'd met more than one curious young thrill-seeker.
With luck she might even get Jiang Cheng to purchase another VIP package.
Pretty dreams, yet no matter how covertly she stared at his crotch,
Jiang Cheng never spared her a glance.
Which was just as well—had he known her thoughts he'd probably have called the police.
Wang Xi, meanwhile, was dizzy with envy.
Beyond envy, her mind was full of driving.
She piped up: "I get it now—you only started yesterday and you're already this good because the boss taught you."
Then she turned to Jiang Cheng. "Boss, please coach me too—I want to drive well."
The moment the words left her mouth Lin Qingxue nearly sprayed her mineral water.
"Ahem, Wang Xi, you…"
"Oh come on, Qingxue, don't be stingy—let your boss share a few tips. Boss, you're my savior! Yesterday when I reversed, I kneaded that wheel like dough and parked the car like a crab sleeping sideways. My coach looked at me like I was a roadblock killer!"
Lin Qingxue laughed so hard her shoulders shook. "I remember the coach ran over hoarse, yelling that in ten years of teaching he'd never seen someone interpret 'avoid the obstacle' as 'charge it head-on'."
Wang Xi's face flamed tomato-red. "Accident! The wheel was slippery! And I hit the brake in time—only nicked the cone's corner!"
Cornered, Jiang Cheng surrendered. "Fine—when you reverse, what do you watch in the mirror?"
Wang Xi snapped upright. "Hot guys and pretty girls!"
Jiang Cheng was about to roast her,
then decided that wasn't technically wrong.
"So you're the legendary female wet-driver?"
"No-no! I meant the lines! The bay lines! Slip of the tongue!"
Jiang Cheng cleared his throat.
"Rule one: don't mash the gas instead of the brake. Plant your foot on the brake first. Brake is your real dad; gas is your step-dad—touch the step-dad only when you must."
Lin Qingxue and Wang Xi howled with laughter.
Wang Xi slapped her thigh. "Boss, that sticks better than the coach's curses! I'm off to practice!"
She sprinted toward the queue,
almost tripped on a step,
and called back mid-stumble: "Once I nail it, milk tea on me!"
Lin Weiwei watched the trio laugh,
Jiang Cheng's smile at Lin Qingxue driving her nails into her palms.
She inhaled, tugged her friend, and deliberately strode toward Jiang Cheng.
Her stilettos clicked a slow, steady drumbeat—an announcement of her arrival.