Chapter 22: The Aggrieved, Of Course, Chooses to Forgive Him

After boarding the subway, the two arrived at Xinjiekou. Every time she came here, Cheng Orange always felt out of place. Cheng Yao led her into a KFC and ordered some food.

Sitting on the bench, Cheng Orange gnawed at a chicken nugget. “Brother, I’m not used to this.”

“You’ll get used to it.”

“Wow, this is nice—when you want KFC, you have KFC...”

Cheng Yao sat across from her, silently watching. Cheng Orange glanced away nervously. “Brother, you’re so gross when you look at me like that, ugh…”

“…Stop eating then.”

“Sorry!”

Cheng Yao smiled. “Since you apologized so sincerely, how about I get you a new phone?”

“A phone? Mine still works.”

“The screen’s shattered—did you drop it?”

“Yeah, I dropped it by accident. If you get one and I don’t, I won’t take it.” Cheng Orange was painfully reluctant.

Truth be told, Cheng Orange was still a bit out of her element, but she was happy.

“Just take it. Otherwise, you’ll lose face in front of your sister-in-law.”

“Tch, she wouldn’t care about that.”

After Cheng Orange finished her KFC, stuffed to the brim, Cheng Yao took her shopping. They bought several new outfits for over a thousand yuan, which left Cheng Orange in shock.

She’d never worn clothes over two hundred yuan before.

A pair of shoes cost more than a thousand—walking in them made her gait feel strange.

“Brother, this is too much, too much! There’s no space in my rental.”

“Let’s get a new phone. I’ve got to catch my train to Shanghai soon. Can you carry all this?”

“I can!” Cheng Orange declared confidently.

This was definitely her happiest day in years—amusement park visits aside.

When it all ended, Cheng Orange held a candied hawthorn in her hand, surrounded by bags of snacks, clothes, and shoes. Her phone had been replaced with the latest model, wrapped in an adorable phone case—cute as could be.

But the price was so high, she pressed the buttons with utmost caution.

“Brother, I’ll head home now.”

“Don’t wander around.”

“Okay.”

After Cheng Orange got in the taxi, Cheng Yao shouldered his bag and walked toward the subway, heading straight for the South Station.

His ticket was for ten thirty. By the time he reached the station, it was already ten twenty. He hurried to collect his ticket and rushed to the check-in, arriving just in time for boarding.

After getting through the gate, Cheng Yao found his seat—business class.

Business class on the high-speed rail was much like first class on an airplane, with excellent service and very comfortable seats.

He took a moment to enjoy it, then pulled a book from his bag.

“Farewell” by Lung Yingtai was his reading material. His favorite line was, “I’ve always been waiting, waiting for a backward glance before he disappears, but he never did, not once.” The phrase, “Sweet, sour, bitter, and salty are the five tastes of life, just as they are of existence; only after experiencing the world’s myriad forms can one comprehend the truth of it,” was also quite good.

In fact, Cheng Yao found it hard to get into this book—it wasn’t his preferred genre, being written by a woman, more suited for female readers.

Speaking of which, he was half a simp for Zhang Ya.

The high-speed train moved quickly, soon heading for the next stop.

From Jinling South to Hongqiao Station took an hour and a half. Cheng Yao fiddled with his new phone—if not for Cheng Orange, he wouldn’t have bothered to replace it.

But since it was already done, there was no point regretting it.

Despite saying he didn’t want it, Cheng Yao realized his body was honest; after a few tries, it felt much better than the old one, and many features he’d never used before intrigued him.

Honestly, selling a kidney for a phone isn’t worth it, right?

What are those people thinking? Clearly, they’ve been tricked. It’s said a kidney is worth several hundred thousand.

Cheng Yao didn’t really understand. He downloaded some apps, but didn’t book any fancy restaurant for dinner—Zhang Ya didn’t care for such places, and he didn’t want to measure their relationship by money.

At the very least, even if he fell from grace in the future, Cheng Yao didn’t want to ruin this haven.

Just then, his phone rang.

He saw that it was Lu Mengyao calling, frowned, and answered, “What is it?”

“I…”

Lu Mengyao nearly choked—she hadn’t even spoken, and he was already so curt.

She gathered her words. “You’re off today, right? Want to go out with me?”

“Go out? I’m seeing my girlfriend tonight. Entertain yourself, and don’t call me again.”

With that, Cheng Yao hung up.

Beeep…beeep…

In the Jin Yi girls’ dormitory, Lu Mengyao stared blankly, her phone still pressed to her ear, not yet recovered.

She put the phone down, covering her mouth…

Sob…sob…

He actually snapped at me.

I knew it.

I knew it.

He only wants my body, sob…sob…

At that moment, Lu Mengyao felt not only that her head was covered in green, but her whole body radiated green light. Even so, she had to bite her lip and persist, wandering through the green glow.

“Yaoyao, why are you crying? What happened?”

Several roommates groggily woke up, seeing Lu Mengyao lying on her bed and crying, all at a loss.

Lu Mengyao pouted. “I had a nightmare. Dreamed my man was stolen, and I could only give my blessing…”

“You don’t even have a man.”

“Oh, I thought it was something serious—no need to fuss. People try to steal my idol-husband every day. Coming, darling!”

Lu Mengyao whimpered, feeling like the hapless heroine in an adult manga—unable to resist, forced to know she’d been cheated. Even knowing Cheng Yao and the bull-headed guy were getting cozy, all she could do was grit her teeth and hang on.

At this moment, she felt her glow outshone even the Marvel Hulk.

But what could she do?

Of course, she would still forgive him!

Lu Mengyao sniffled, thinking maybe this was true love.

…

Nearly two hours later, Cheng Yao left Hongqiao Station, arriving in Shanghai for the first time. In this unfamiliar city, he felt like a lone boat adrift in the ocean.

In short, he felt unsettled.

After finding the subway and buying a ticket, Cheng Yao smoothly boarded the train bound for Lujiazui.

Before seeing Zhang Ya, he needed to bring a gift.

Zhang Ya was his genuine girlfriend, after all, and the romance system was already bound—any money spent on her would return tenfold.

The subway twisted beneath the city; when it emerged from the tunnel, the urban scenery unfolded before his eyes. Skyscrapers lined the streets, traffic streamed ceaselessly—a metropolis countless people dream of.

Cheng Yao could clearly sense the fast pace of life here.

Gazing at the city center’s towering buildings, it struck him as the goal everyone strives for.

But Cheng Yao felt no envy, because he no longer needed to struggle; these things would come to him in time, whether status or position.

At last, the subway arrived at People’s Square Station.

Stepping onto the street, the blazing sun beat down. Cheng Yao frowned, opened the navigation app, and headed straight for the mall.

When he bought a watch for Lu Mengyao, Cheng Yao thought of Zhang Ya—such slender wrists, and she played piano. Not wearing a watch was a waste.

So, Cheng Yao made his way to IFC at Lujiazui.

…