Chapter 172: Zhang Ya's Sense of Crisis, and Wang Yuting's Humblebrag

Other awards and honors paired with tens of thousands of yuan were small change, but a custom-made piano carried a rather staggering price tag—at least several hundred thousand yuan.

Unfortunately, first place had been taken by a foreign competitor.

Cheng Yao had no interest in competitions or prizes; he was only interested in going on a trip to Beijing. Naturally, when one had money, they wanted to step out and see the vastness of the world.

The world held too much temptation for people; otherwise, the entire concept of tourism wouldn't exist.

Zhang Ya occasionally peeled a shrimp and placed it on Cheng Yao's plate, prompting Cheng Linlin to chime in with a tease: "Peel a bit more for your boyfriend to nourish his body, or else where will he get the stamina?"

"Exactly."

"He's *my* boyfriend. You two are poking your noses into things that are none of your business, a pair of single dogs!" Zhang Ya retorted with an angry huff.

Chatting and laughing, the time slipped away until it was already seven o'clock in the evening.

They had been told it was all-you-can-eat with no time limit, but human stomachs were finite. Before leaving, Zhang Ya and her friends felt a lingering reluctance, but they genuinely couldn't eat another bite, ultimately finishing off with a round of Häagen-Dazs ice cream.

"Next time, let's come here on empty stomachs. I refuse to believe we won't be able to eat more."

"We should just skip breakfast and lunch, then come over for a massive feast in the evening."

"That actually makes some sense."

After strolling near the Oriental Pearl Tower for a while, Zhang Ya finally spoke up: "He's heading back tomorrow, so I'm going to accompany him for a walk. He gets so bored when he's just with you guys."

"Oho, feeling sorry for your boyfriend already?"

"We're heading back to the campus anyway. Time to go back and watch TV dramas; there's nothing much to see outside."

After discussing it and deciding to part ways, each of them grabbed a cup of fruit tea and bought some late-night snacks while shopping. By the time the two of them returned to the hotel, it was already eight-thirty.

Cheng Yao asked with a beaming smile, "Babe, want to take a shower first?"

Zhang Ya glanced at him, her face flushing as she went off to shower.

At first, Cheng Yao didn't follow her in, but hearing the sound of running water prompted him to walk over, only to find the door locked from the inside. His expression soured instantly.

It was a presidential suite; why on earth did it have a lock? Did they not know what romantic mood meant?

Half an hour later, Zhang Ya emerged from the bathroom with her hair still damp. She said, "Help me blow-dry my hair. I take forever doing it myself."

"Come sit over here."

Cheng Yao pulled out the hair dryer, plugged it into the socket, and sat on the sofa. Inhaling her fragrance, his mind began to wander.

He wasn't some starving ghost reincarnated, so naturally, he wouldn't try anything strange at a time like this; he simply dried her hair gently.

Zhang Ya's hair was gorgeous and thick. Once dried, it fell over her shoulders, pitch-black and gleaming.

"I reckon shampoo brands would definitely make a fortune if they hired you as their spokesperson."

"Really?"

Zhang Ya caught a strand of her hair to look at it, then leaned against Cheng Yao's chest: "Cheng Yao, this all feels a bit surreal."

"What's so surreal about it?"

"Things have changed too much. I'm still getting used to it."

Cheng Yao parted her pajamas and smiled wickedly, "You'll get used to it the more we practice."

Zhang Ya's face turned red as she let out a soft murmur.

Late into the night, Zhang Ya gritted her teeth as she was thrust into repeatedly for a long stretch, her skin flushed crimson from the friction.

...

Early the next morning, after breakfast.

Zhang Ya stared resentfully at Cheng Yao and said tartly, "Today you really should head back, right? I have to study, and you must have your own matters to attend to."

"I'll head back right after I drop you off at school."

"Mm."

Zhang Ya let out a sigh of relief and finished her breakfast with great satisfaction.

Once breakfast was over, Cheng Yao checked out of the room. Actually, he quite liked the swimming pool at The Peninsula; the outdoor pool at his villa was a pain to maintain, nowhere near as comfortable as an indoor one.

When he bought a villa in the future, he definitely had to get one with an indoor constant-temperature pool. That was the only way to truly relax.

Leaving the hotel, they hailed a cab back to the Shanghai Conservatory of Music. After getting out of the car, Zhang Ya hugged Cheng Yao tightly. Even though her words had urged him to leave, she was still deeply reluctant to part with him.

Cheng Yao chuckled merrily and said, "I knew you couldn't bear to let me go. I'll come see you next week."

Zhang Ya's expression instantly fell. She gave him a light, exasperated slap, leaned in close to his ear, and whispered, "Exercise some restraint. It's bad for you in the long run and will wreck your body."

"I know what I'm doing."

"Don't even think about it. My aunt is visiting next week; come over and try your luck then."

"Have you ever heard of the Blood-Clot Demon God?"

"Are you disgusting or what? Get lost!"

"You got it."

*Pfft~*

Zhang Ya covered her mouth with a soft giggle, straightened his clothes, and said, "Alright, alright, be a good boy and head back. I'll notify you when your older sister misses you. Oh, by the way, do you want to come to my place for Chinese New Year this year?"

"So sudden?"

Cheng Yao was genuinely stunned. He hadn't expected Zhang Ya to bring this up out of nowhere.

Going to her family home was something he genuinely hadn't considered yet.

Meeting her parents was a necessary milestone in life. As for feeling nervous, that was out of the question—his current mindset was worlds apart from what it used to be.

Zhang Ya thought for a moment, shook her head, and said, "Never mind, I was just tossing it out there. Waiting a few more years to go is fine too."

"Let's discuss it later."

"Mm, bye-bye."

"Bye-bye."

Watching Cheng Yao get into the car, Zhang Ya stood by the roadside, watching the taillights fade into the distance.

In truth, she really did feel a sliver of pressure and a sense of crisis. She wanted Cheng Yao to grow, but when his growth surpassed her expectations, the mix of pleasant surprise and shock was unimaginable.

Just as Rong Xuelin had said, the number of outstanding girls around Cheng Yao was only going to increase.

Take that Xia Shiqi, for example.

Even though it was supposedly just hype, gaining clout, and a big misunderstanding, as Cheng Yao's girlfriend, she still felt a prickle of annoyance—she just hadn't voiced it.

When it came to love, everyone was selfish without exception.

Zhang Ya didn't want too many girls hovering around Cheng Yao, but she also didn't want to control him mentally and cause him undue stress.

Therefore, she felt that meeting the parents in advance and getting married once they reached the right age would bring her a lot more peace of mind.

Yet, upon second thought, sometimes even after meeting the parents and setting a wedding date, couples who were meant to break up still did. It ultimately meant very little, so it was better to just let nature take its course.

Once she figured that out, Zhang Ya felt a great deal more at ease inside.

As the taillights vanished completely, she turned and walked back toward the dormitory building.

"How many times last night?!"

As soon as she stepped inside, Cheng Linlin emerged from the kitchen holding a bowl of instant noodles and asked with a curious expression.

Zhang Ya's face burned as she snapped, "Are you ever not bored?"

"Look at our department belle, blushing already?"

"Did you take precautions? Don't end up getting pregnant..."

"Mm."

Zhang Ya told a little white lie, mainly because that particular topic was too difficult to explain.

...

An hour later, Cheng Yao boarded the bullet train back to Nanjing.

Sitting in business class, he adjusted his seat.

For once, he checked his messages. There were quite a few people messaging him, and his phone was lagging slightly—he wondered if it was a memory issue.

Fang Liang and Feng Zhiwen had reported on their work progress. As the first batch of senior executives at Midsummer Technology, their future looked promising, and their current work attitude was exceptionally enthusiastic.

Cheng Yao could genuinely feel that enthusiasm. Word had it that all one hundred mu of land acquired by Midsummer Technology had been fenced off, and preparations for constructing the factory buildings were already underway.

At this point, that money no longer needed to come out of his own pocket, because the business was already turning a profit and was no longer operating at a loss.

It wasn't just Midsummer Technology; Midsummer Entertainment was the same, pulling in a massive sum every single day, all sitting safely in the company's accounts.

Liu Hanyue and Wang Churuo were both calling him to join them for ghost-house adventures and escape rooms.

Cheng Yao lacked the energy to even吐槽. These two were total cowards who simultaneously loved thrills; he honestly didn't know what to say to them.

Chen Xingyan said she had something to discuss with him and asked him to drop by her shop once he returned to Nanjing.

Hao Haoran and his crew were inviting him out for drinks, supposedly to introduce him to some other wealthy heirs. It was likely related to that night at the club when they blew 1.5 million yuan under the noble guise of "traveling," while the actual objective was entirely different.

Lu Mengyao, Lin Ketong, Ouyang Zhenli, and Ouyang Aili were all messaging him on his secondary accounts. Normally, they would call him directly rather than text, which was a safer practice that kept the risk of getting caught plummeting straight down.

Cheng Yao knew that once he got back, a storm of romantic skirmishes awaited him.

Still, he intended to sort out the company matters first and then organize a trip somewhere for fun. He also had no idea what Chen Xingyan wanted with him—she was acting all mysterious.

Little Dot was asking for allowance money again. He had given her three thousand yuan last time, but upon reflection, Cheng Yao realized that was indeed a bit stingy.

Raise sons in poverty, raise daughters in wealth. Cheng Yao basically treated her like his own daughter, especially since she was his only living blood relative.

If Little Dot ever got swindled away by someone just because that person had a bit of filthy lucre, he'd probably regret not giving her more right now.

Then again, with so many sports cars at home and such fine houses, she would probably slowly develop an immunity to money anyway.

Without overthinking it, he directly transferred ten thousand yuan over.

Cheng Cheng: *Brother, you gave way too much.*

Cheng Yao: *You can spend it freely, but don't go picking up bad habits, you hear me?*

Cheng Cheng: *Of course not! I hang out with Jiang Yuexi every day, how could I possibly learn bad habits? Don't worry, love you!*

Putting away his phone, Cheng Yao put on his Dell headphones to listen to music for a while, arriving punctually at the South Railway Station at half-past eleven.

Back in Nanjing, Cheng Yao felt a lot more grounded; his home was right here. Heading down to the parking garage, the parking fee was a few hundred yuan—not too steep since the peak daily cap wasn't that high.

Driving his Mercedes-Benz E-Class away from the South Railway Station, Cheng Yao headed straight for Jiangning, as it was much closer and wouldn't take long to drive there.

There was a slight stretch of traffic on the way, but he arrived at Midsummer Technology at twenty past twelve.

By this time, Midsummer Technology had undergone a complete transformation; it was utterly unrecognizable from its previous incarnation as a cotton mill.

The concrete ground at the entrance had been freshly repaved, the four characters "Midsummer Technology" looked bold and powerful, the perimeter wall wasn't tall but appeared very refined, and the factory itself had been given a thorough renovation.

Additionally, excavators and workers were busy pouring concrete in other areas for new construction. The new factory was expected to be operational in about half a month.

Cheng Yao drove the car into the factory grounds just in time for the lunch hour. A large number of unfamiliar faces were heading toward the cafeteria, looking at him with mild curiosity.

Was this young man, who looked so completely out of place among them, also an employee here?

"President Cheng!"

At that moment, a familiar voice rang out. Cheng Yao looked over to see Wang Yuting clutching a stack of documents.

"Are you getting used to things here?"

"Everyone takes good care of me, so I'm gradually getting used to it. It's just that the work is quite relaxed—so much lazier than my days in the student union."

"You're really flexing right now."

Cheng Yao didn't know whether to laugh or cry: "Is being relaxed a bad thing? Enjoy the ease while it lasts. Once the entire factory is up and running and business picks up, you'll be dealing with all sorts of financial headaches. You'll need to put a lot of effort into that aspect."

"Mm, I'll work hard. Thank you, President Cheng."

"Go on then."

After exchanging a greeting with Wang Yuting, Cheng Yao wondered to himself if he should find a secretary.

Buoyed by this thought, he entered the office, where both Fang Liang and Feng Zhiwen were already waiting inside.

"President Cheng."

"President Cheng, you're here."

Fang Liang immediately rushed over and asked with a curious expression, "President Cheng, about that project we mentioned last time..."

...

...

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