Chapter 169: Only by Uncovering the Scars is There a Chance

"It's way too expensive. I'm afraid any future boyfriend's wallet is going to implode under that kind of price tag."

Rong Xuelin looked at Zhang Ya, her envy practically overflowing.

In truth, skincare was one thing, but what truly filled them with envy and jealousy was the birthday celebration—hundred-thousand-yuan bags and necklaces, gemstone wristwatches, a two-million-yuan birthday cake, and a light show with five hundred and twenty drones...

Who could possibly withstand that?!

If they imagined themselves in Zhang Ya's shoes, they would probably faint from sheer happiness.

The crucial part was that the man was also remarkably handsome and exceptionally capable.

It would be a lie to say they weren't envious or jealous, but that was only human nature. If someone felt no such emotions at all, they must be a blockhead...

Even saints have emotions, let alone ordinary people.

Though Zhang Ya kept her composure on the surface, god knows how hard she had worked last night; women understand women best.

At that moment, Cheng Yao took out a card and casually handed it to Zhang Ya.

"What is this?"

"A custom-made VIP card. The balance on it is enough for you to come here for skincare and spa treatments a few hundred times. I can't stay in Shanghai all the time, so whenever you're tired, just come here to rest and unwind. You won't need to make reservations or wait in line for the hotel's Michelin-starred restaurant and afternoon tea."

"Holy crap!"

"Let me see!"

Rong Xuelin frowned and asked, "Doesn't the Peninsula Hotel always claim they don't have a membership card system? What is going on..."

"It certainly doesn't exist for people like you, but channels always exist. I told you it's custom-made. The only reason it doesn't exist for others is because you haven't topped up enough money."

Cheng Yao teased, much like in certain video games where topping up another eighty thousand yuan gets you the highest VIP tier that instantly bans anyone who reports you—though who knows if that's actually true.

Some things simply don't exist on the surface. Just like when you go to a bathhouse for a foot massage, would they ever put every single special service on the menu?

Like the ice-and-fire dual sensation or the spinning dragon drill?!

Realizing his thoughts were drifting off course, Cheng Yao cleared his throat and said, "This money can only be spent inside the hotel; it won't work outside. So how you spend it is entirely up to you."

What Cheng Yao meant by that was she didn't need to hold back on spending, and bringing along these two third-wheels wouldn't be an issue at all.

He had deposited two million yuan onto the card and promised to book the presidential suite every time he visited the Peninsula, which prompted the general manager to specially customize a card for him.

Hotels would never let go of such a major client; in fact, they would go to great lengths to satisfy his every demand.

Zhang Ya tucked the card carefully into her bag, treating it like absolute treasure.

"Let's go eat hot pot. We'll go Dutch. I've really been craving hot pot."

"Let's go."

Even Cheng Yao himself hadn't expected that he would somehow blend into this little circle of close girlfriends and have such a great time with them.

Of course, the main reason was that Rong Xuelin and Cheng Linlin were both pleasant company, unlike Li Yinghan, who had gradually grown distant.

On the road of growth, some people manage to stay true to themselves, while others unknowingly drift far away.

Cheng Yao figured he was probably one of those who had drifted far away too.

Leaving the hotel, they hailed a ride.

As dusk fell, Shanghai grew vibrant and dazzling once again, even more enchanting than during the day. The daytime city often felt aloof and hard to integrate into, but nighttime Shanghai was like an older sister opening her arms wide, breathtakingly mesmerizing.

That gentle, intoxicating allure genuinely made one reluctant to leave.

Yet beneath that gentleness lurked a merciless chill and a cruel reality—much like the realization that this metaphorical older sister might have just returned from Thailand.

Originally, Cheng Yao thought Zheng Yuechan would give him a call and invite her over for dinner. After all, with her affection rating sitting at eighty-two, even if Zheng Yuechan had secretly gotten him drunk or slipped something into his drink, Cheng Yao wouldn't have thought it too outrageous.

As it turned out, the call never came.

Events proved that he was indeed daydreaming and indulging in wishful thinking.

A woman like Zheng Yuechan probably wouldn't be brave enough to pursue someone, even if she liked them. Judging by the story about her friend, she undoubtedly projected herself deeply into it and had been hurt very badly in the past.

If it had been back in the day, Cheng Yao certainly would have had a chance to worm his way in, but unfortunately, he was still in junior high school back then.

Nowadays, however, Zheng Yuechan's wounds had long since scabbed over.

Unless those wounds were ripped open and sprinkled with a bit of salt and cumin, Cheng Yao wouldn't stand a chance.

Courageous little bull,

fearless in the face of hardship.

He could afford to wait, and he had both the energy and the time. After all, who made him so young?

As his thoughts raced, the taxi pulled up near the Bund.

After stepping out, the pedestrian traffic on the street was truly endless. Cheng Yao wondered if he should buy a duplex villa in Tomson Riviera or Zhongliang No. 1, or perhaps a standalone mansion in Tanjing worth several hundred million yuan.

However, buying property and getting residency status in Shanghai was no easy feat.

Cheng Yao wasn't entirely sure how to go about the paperwork, so he temporarily shelved the plan. After all, where couldn't he spend money?

Besides, even if he bought it, nobody would be living in it anytime soon.

Walking down the street, beautiful women always caught the eye. There were quite a few foreigners near the Bund. Cheng Yao didn't particularly like or dislike foreigners, but he deeply loved his own country.

Looking at those foreign gun violence incidents, the talk of "free air" and "I can't breathe," he felt that the domestic era was simply too wonderful and far too free.

Word had it that Tsinghua's recent spooky-themed fashion show had gone viral?

He hadn't paid too much attention to it, just caught glimpses of others chatting about it in group chats.

Even foreigners knew how great China was and came here to develop their careers; why couldn't certain people figure that out? Just because of a green card and a high salary?

Those top students truly courted by foreign nations were at a level where they could live extremely well domestically, too.

That was another thing Cheng Yao couldn't quite understand—the atmosphere of blindly worshipping things foreign was far too severe, and strangely enough, the more prestigious the university, the worse it was. He really couldn't wrap his head around it.

Perhaps that was why he could only manage to get into the Shanghai University of Finance and Economics.

Cheng Yao reached out and took Zhang Ya's hand, asserting his ownership.

Behind them, Cheng Linlin rolled her eyes, suddenly feeling a slight urge to find a boyfriend of her own.

The hot pot restaurant was packed. After waiting in line for fifteen minutes, they finally secured a table. They each ordered whatever they liked; after all, none of them were short on cash.

Knowing Zhang Ya had studied music since childhood, Cheng Yao had never once worried about her living expenses.

Rong Xuelin suddenly asked, "Cheng Yao, that piano at your place—is that the real deal?"

"Yeah, the real deal."

"I knew it! When we went over last time, the touch when playing it couldn't possibly be a fake. How could a fake be high-def enough to replicate that level of quality? If it were, the authentic manufacturer would have gone out of business."

Cheng Linlin glanced at Zhang Ya's wrist. Although she had changed her watch, the Van Cleef & Arpels piece she wore last time was definitely genuine.

That thing was genuinely worth eight hundred thousand yuan.

None of them had ever imagined that a major tycoon was right by their side, casually giving away an eight hundred thousand yuan watch as if it were just a trivial little gift used for flirting. Talk about infuriating.

"Jealous?"

Zhang Ya couldn't resist showing off a little, then added, "If you've got what it takes, go find yourselves one like this too."

"Hh, keep acting like this and you'll get cheated on sooner or later, let's wait and see!"

"Heh..."

Rong Xuelin and Cheng Linlin let out a couple of sarcastic, cold laughs. Men with money turn bad, and they were going to keep watching.

Zhang Ya smiled without a word, taking a sip of her drink.

Cheng Linlin looked at Cheng Yao and said, "Give your wife a good lesson tonight. Don't worry about saving face for us, or better yet, record a little video for us to enjoy. Aren't you quite the photography expert?"

"..."

The corner of Cheng Yao's eye twitched. *You actually dare say that, how dare you!*

Zhang Ya's face flushed red, and she gritted her teeth in embarrassment.

Fortunately, nobody else was paying attention nearby, or it would have been thoroughly awkward.

Eating hot pot and chatting away, nobody really cared about them; after all, people just eat their meals, they weren't some A-list celebrities.

Dinner lasted an hour and a half, and girls always found endless things to talk about.

Cheng Yao simply accompanied them, playing on his phone.

Rong Xuelin teased, "Once you become a big boss in the future, I'll be able to brag about having shared this meal with you for the rest of my life."

"Haha."

Zhang Ya retorted, "When I become a wealthy woman and you guys are struggling, I'll take care of you. I'll use you two to warm Cheng Yao's bed."

Cheng Yao's eyes lit up. That was a viable idea; ancient marriages even had personal maids who served the master, a tier even lower than concubines.

"Ew, I'm afraid your man can't handle it, though."

"Heh, come try it tonight!"

Zhang Ya said indignantly. She knew best whether Cheng Yao could handle it or not—he was practically like an ox, making her feel a bit terrified!

She felt like... she might actually die!

"Look you two, can you not be so... I'm still right here."

Cheng Yao muttered in exasperation. When girls get bold and racy, guys can't even catch up on horseback.

Cheng Linlin giggled and said, "It's fine. You're treating us to skincare, so we don't treat you as an outsider. Mixue Ice Cream & Tea has a promotion going on, are we heading over later?"

"We can grab some drinks, but singing and dancing count me out. It's too awkward, really not necessary..."

"Seriously not necessary."

The hot pot meal came to an end. It came out to a little over four hundred yuan, and splitting it evenly meant just over a hundred per person. Hot pot seemed to cost roughly the same everywhere; even in Shanghai, it wasn't exorbitantly expensive.

Cheng Yao said, "Don't transfer it to me. If you want to pay, send it to Zhang Ya."

"Got it."

"Yes, Boss!"

Leaving the hot pot restaurant, Zhang Ya and her friends strolled around for a bit. She asked, "Aren't you going to visit your aunt?"

"Not sure if she's off work yet."

"Your aunt is an agent, right? Word is that artist management agents have to work very late, especially if they have popular artists under their wing."

"I'll wait for her call."

Zheng Yuechan had more than just Xia Shiqi under her management, but Xia Shiqi was the most popular and thus received the most favoritism. That's just how the entertainment industry worked.

Or rather, that's how it worked everywhere. After all, if you weren't popular, you didn't hold much value. Talking about human warmth and sentimentality in this circle was somewhat comical.

If you had a good relationship, someone might pull you up; if your relationship was ordinary, even if they didn't help, not kicking you when you were down at a critical moment was already considered good.

Cheng Yao didn't want to stay out too late either. In any case, it was impossible for him to stay overnight at Zheng Yuechan's place because he had to accompany Zhang Ya.

If Zhang Ya hadn't been around, he would have preferred it to be as late as possible, preferably deep into the night. Then they could share a little wine, and wouldn't opportunities just present themselves?

With an affection rating of eighty-two, Cheng Yao still had the confidence to manufacture a few opportunities.

Being rich and handsome really came with its own built-in aura.

Strolling past eight o'clock, Rong Xuelin and Cheng Linlin were getting ready to head back to campus after buying a few small items, while Zhang Ya hugged Cheng Yao's arm tightly.

"It's getting a bit late, and you have to go out. Should I go back and sleep in the dorm tonight?"

"No way."

Of course, Cheng Yao wouldn't allow that, so he said, "How about I tell her tomorrow instead?"

"Forget it, let's head back to the hotel first."

"Let's go then."

With a parting word, the two took a car back to the hotel, and immediately after...

...

...

[Author's Note: There's one more chapter coming, give it about an hour and a half. Typing manually is a bit slow, and my elbow has been aching a bit from all the writing lately.]