Uh... This Was a Little Awkward

Chu Tianqing blinked in confusion. Suddenly, inspiration struck, and she asked in disbelief, "You weren't at the Deercall Club's banquet hall number seven that day too, were you?"

"Bingo," Ye Mingchen said proudly. "Not only was I there, I even shouted 'badass' for you."

Chu Tianqing remembered that. Pleasantly surprised, she felt even more embarrassed. "So that was you. Sorry you had to see me make a spectacle of myself."

"Not at all. I just thought you were very special, and very brave," Ye Mingchen said, shooting straight. "That's why I asked your brother to introduce us."

So that was how it was. Chu Tianqing felt a little less resistant and began to take a liking to the man before her.

They got into the car, and Ye Mingchen asked Chu Tianqing where she wanted to go.

A mischievous idea came to Chu Tianqing. She deliberately said she wanted to visit a park and took Ye Mingchen out on a pedal-powered duck boat.

Ye Mingchen did not complain in the slightest. Dressed in his expensive suit, he pedaled hard, propelling the duck across the lake.

By the time they reached the middle of the lake, Ye Mingchen was tired, so the two drifted on the water and admired the scenery.

The sky was high and the air crisp. The lake's surface was like a mirror, reflecting the colorful autumn leaves along the shore, with a distinctive beauty of its own in their falling.

"Hong Kong doesn't have autumn. It's warm as spring all year round, the flowers are always in bloom, and the leaves never fall," Ye Mingchen said with feeling. "This is my first time seeing such beautiful scenery. You're a good tour guide."

Chu Tianqing could not help blushing. How could she dare say she had only come here to tire the fool out and make him dislike her?

After leaving the park, they strolled through the botanical garden next door. Before long, evening arrived.

Ye Mingchen invited her to dinner, and after thinking it over, Chu Tianqing nodded her agreement.

"But before that, we should buy you something suitable to wear," Ye Mingchen said naturally. "Otherwise, there's bound to be some trouble. It's such a lovely evening, and I don't want to waste time arguing with those people."

He said it so matter-of-factly that Chu Tianqing felt embarrassed to refuse.

Whether she refused to buy clothes or declined to go to an upscale restaurant, she would seem to be making a fuss over nothing and spoiling the mood.

However, Chu Tianqing decided to pay for the clothes herself.

She really did not have enough money of her own, so she would use the support money Shen Heng had given her for Baogang.

Shen Heng had kept his word and been generous, too. After she brought it up that morning, she received 100,000 yuan that afternoon.

As they talked, they arrived at Breeze Plaza, Jincheng's best-known luxury department store.

For someone like Ye Mingchen, coming here to buy clothes was only natural, but Chu Tianqing felt a chill on her wallet's behalf.

After parking and entering the mall, Ye Mingchen thoughtfully asked, "Xixi, what's your favorite brand?"

If he had asked Shen Xixi, she had a particular fondness for Chanel.

But Chu Tianqing simply could not afford it. Searching through Shen Xixi's memories, she picked a relatively cheaper niche affordable-luxury brand.

"This one?" Ye Mingchen commented sincerely. "Forgive my ignorance, but I've never heard of this brand."

"Haha," Chu Tianqing laughed dryly. "It's a niche brand that's only taken off in the last few years. It's normal that you haven't heard of it."

They entered the store, where a sweetly smiling sales associate came over to greet them. One glance was enough for her to draw a conclusion about the two.

The woman was shabbily dressed, while the man wore designer labels from head to toe. She had to be a gold digger clinging to a rich man.

The sales associate turned and warmly greeted Ye Mingchen.

Chu Tianqing saw what was happening and pressed her lips together to stifle a laugh, happy to be left alone.

She browsed on her own and soon could not resist a complaint. No wonder it was a niche brand. The designs really were not fit to be shown in public; in their attempt to flaunt individuality, they came off a little... risqué.

After looking for quite a while, she picked out a relatively modest one and went into the fitting room to try it on.

The little black dress looked very modest from the front, but all its risqué details were in the back. A large section at the small of the back was cut out, repeatedly testing the boundary of her underwear.

Chu Tianqing looked troubled, but when she saw the 8,000-yuan price tag, she held back.

This one would do.

She still had to buy a pair of high heels, so she did not have that much choice.

She came out wearing the little black dress and went straight to the counter to pay. Before Ye Mingchen could react, she had already taken care of everything.

Ye Mingchen's objections were in vain. Chu Tianqing picked up the bag containing her old clothes and went to another store to buy high heels.

While buying shoes, she kept feeling a chill at the small of her back, so she gritted her teeth and bought a shawl as well.

In the end, she spent a total of 23,000 yuan and had her entire outfit sorted.

She also went to a cosmetics counter and got her makeup done for free. Her transformation complete, Chu Tianqing walked up to Ye Mingchen with a bright, confident smile. "I'm ready. Let's go."

Ye Mingchen made no attempt to hide the admiration in his eyes. "You look beautiful. Thank you for dressing up for me. I'm deeply honored."

"You're welcome." After spending half a day with him, Chu Tianqing had grown used to Ye Mingchen's way of speaking. "It's what I should do."

The two exchanged a smile and left the mall for the upscale restaurant on the top floor of Tianyun Building.

Ye Mingchen had reserved the best table in advance. A turn of the head toward the window gave them a view of half of Jincheng's nightscape.

Shen Xixi used to be a regular here. With her memories to draw on, Chu Tianqing appeared perfectly at ease, and her restaurant etiquette was impeccable.

After sitting down, Ye Mingchen propped his chin on one hand and gazed intently at Chu Tianqing. He had not seen such a genuine, vibrant girl in a long time, and every side she showed was utterly adorable.

Chu Tianqing had finished ordering. She turned her gaze to him with a playful smile. "I'm done ordering. Your turn."

Ye Mingchen continued to look straight at her. Sensing the subtle atmosphere, Chu Tianqing slowly raised the menu to cover her face.

Ye Mingchen could not help laughing aloud. He let her off and began ordering his food and choosing a wine.

After they finished ordering, the waiter came to take the menus away. Chu Tianqing had no choice but to hand hers over and meet Ye Mingchen's gaze with nothing between them.

She lowered her eyes, not daring to look at him, and hurriedly found a topic. "Brother Chen, what brings you to Jincheng? How long will you be staying?"

"Your brother asked us to come. He's only just arrived in Jincheng and needs a few reliable helpers. As for how long we'll stay, that all depends on what he needs," Ye Mingchen answered without holding anything back.

Chu Tianqing looked up and asked curiously, "Us? Who else?"

"Oh, right, you haven't had a chance to meet yet." Ye Mingchen patiently explained, "There's another one named Qiao Ruhai. Together with your brother, we used to be the iron triangle that struck terror into Hong Kong's business circles at the mere mention of our names."

"Why do you say 'used to be'?"

"Because your brother was sent to Jincheng to take over the family business, and the iron triangle was forcibly broken apart. Hong Kong was our territory, so we dared to do as we pleased. Here in Jincheng, we can only tuck our tails between our legs and behave ourselves."

Chu Tianqing found his account amusing and was about to ask a few more questions when someone suddenly came over and slapped Ye Mingchen on the shoulder.

"Mingchen, you really are here."

Chu Tianqing looked up and saw a refined, delicate face, a pair of rimless glasses, and a warm, restrained smile. Behind him stood a cold-faced man in a black suit.

It was none other than her dear big brother, Shen Heng.

His gaze drifted lightly toward her. Chu Tianqing met his eyes for a moment and felt a tingling all over.

Uh... this was a little awkward.