Farewell to the Past

The next morning, Su Yang got up and ate breakfast at his mother Chen Liping's urging.

Around ten o'clock, after saying goodbye to his parents, he drove away.

Not long after leaving the residential complex, Su Yang stopped his car at a convenience store, intending to buy a bottle of water for the road.

As soon as he walked into the store, a familiar figure appeared in his sight.

"Lu Yun?" Su Yang called out, looking at Lu Yun, who was standing sideways at the cashier, paying for her items. She had a white backpack on, her hair in a ponytail, and was wearing tight jeans.

Hearing her name, Lu Yun immediately turned her head. Her eyes widened, "Su Yang? What are you doing here?"

Su Yang touched his nose and chuckled, "I'm from Yang City, didn't you know?"

Although Lu Yun and Su Yang both attended high school in Yang City, they barely spoke to each other back then, so she never knew exactly where Su Yang was from.

She paused, then looked at Su Yang and smiled faintly, "I thought you were from Hai City."

Su Yang grinned, "No, I grew up in Yang City. By the way, why are you back too?"

"Oh, it's the weekend, so I came home for a couple of days. I'm about to take a taxi to the high-speed train station to go back to Hai City."

Su Yang's eyes lit up, "You're going back?"

"Yeah, what about you?"

"What a coincidence! I'm going back to Hai City too. Why don't you take the high-speed train then? I can give you a ride."

"But…" Lu Yun hesitated, "I've already bought my ticket."

"What's the big deal? You can just refund it. Besides, it's boring driving alone, and it'll be nice to chat on the way if you come with me."

"Uh, okay then." Hearing this, Lu Yun lowered her head shyly, her cheeks flushing involuntarily.

Seeing Lu Yun blush, Su Yang thought to himself, This girl blushes so easily.

"Alright, then quickly refund your ticket and wait for me here. I'm going to buy a bottle of water."

As he spoke, he walked into the store and grabbed two bottles of mineral water.

After paying, Su Yang handed one bottle to Lu Yun. They walked to the roadside, and he took out his car keys and pressed the button.

The Aston Martin's headlights flashed.

Looking at the sleek black SUV in front of him, Lu Yun asked with some confusion, "You… got a new car again?"

"Uh, yeah, just bought it. Let's go, get in."

Su Yang walked to the passenger side and opened the door, politely letting Lu Yun get in first.

Then, he walked around to the driver's side and settled in.

"Buckle up, let's go!"

Looking at the luxurious interior of the Aston Martin, Lu Yun asked, "Su Yang, what car is this?"

"An Aston Martin DBX. Do you like it?"

Lu Yun nodded, "Your car looks pretty good, but it must be very expensive, right?"

Su Yang chuckled, "Over 300."

"Three…" Lu Yun laughed awkwardly, "Over three million?"

"Yes."

"Uh, then forget I asked. I'm thinking of buying a car myself in a while, it'll be more convenient when I go home."

Su Yang nodded, "That's true. Hai City is one or two hundred kilometers away from Yang City. Having a car does make it convenient to go home."

"Yeah, that's exactly what I was thinking."

"So, what's your budget for buying a car? I can help you with some references."

Lu Yun thought for a moment and said, "Around 150,000."

"150,000?"

"Yeah. I'm just a sales assistant, I don't have much money. Don't laugh at me."

Su Yang shook his head and smiled faintly, "What are you saying? Am I that kind of person? I don't make friends based on money."

I make friends based on looks. Su Yang added silently in his mind.

Lu Yun stuck out her tongue and smiled, "I'm just kidding. Can you recommend some cars around 150,000 for me?"

Su Yang pretended to think for a moment, but he was actually considering whether to just gift Lu Yun a car.

However, he quickly dismissed the idea.

A girl like Lu Yun seemed to have a lot of self-respect, not the materialistic type. If he directly gifted her a car, she might perceive it as charity. Moreover, they weren't at that stage yet; at most, they were just ordinary friends right now. Giving her a car right off the bat would be counterproductive and might even scare her away.

Su Yang thought to himself, Forget it, I can't do that now. Maybe later.

He said as he drove, "If it's 150,000, it depends on whether you want a sedan or an SUV. For sedans, you can look at domestic brands, or some second-tier joint-venture brands are also good."

"I prefer SUVs."

"Actually, at this price point, I don't recommend buying an SUV. Firstly, there aren't many choices, and secondly, the cost-effectiveness of buying an SUV at this price isn't high."

"Sedans are generally more user-friendly for girls. Around 150,000, there are quite a few sedans you can choose from."

As Su Yang spoke, he turned to glance at Lu Yun and continued, "Do you want an electric car or a gasoline car?"

"Gasoline car," Lu Yun replied without hesitation.

Su Yang was a bit surprised by this answer. It was rare for girls nowadays to prefer gasoline cars. He hadn't expected Lu Yun to want one.

"Do you have any preferred brands?"

Lu Yun thought for a moment and said, "I don't really know much about cars, and I don't have any particular brands I like."

"Then after I get back, I'll help you pick out a few models and send them to you. If you see any you like and want to test drive them at the dealership, just let me know, and I'll take you. That way, you won't get ripped off."

Hearing Su Yang offer to take her personally, Lu Yun immediately smiled shyly and said, "Okay, thank you, Su Yang."

"You're welcome, it's a small thing."

The two chatted casually for the entire journey, with Su Yang deliberately slowing down the car.

It took them over two hours to pass the Hai City toll station.

After this conversation, their relationship had grown a little closer.

Especially for Lu Yun, she found that no matter what she said, Su Yang could engage with her, and the conversations felt very relaxed. Su Yang didn't ask intrusive questions without boundaries; he handled the conversation with great skill.

This made her feel very at ease talking to Su Yang, and unconsciously, her good impression of him increased slightly.

Once they entered the city, Su Yang asked for Lu Yun's address and then drove her to her doorstep.

After Lu Yun got out of the car, the corners of her mouth curved up into a cute and grateful smile. "Thank you, Su Yang. I troubled you today."

"Don't mention it. Hurry back inside, I'm leaving!"

As Su Yang spoke and was about to leave, the car had just started when Lu Yun suddenly remembered something and waved at the car from behind, calling out.

"Su Yang, wait!" she shouted, jogging towards the car.

"What is it?" Su Yang saw Lu Yun waving in the rearview mirror and stopped the car.

Lu Yun came up to the car window, her face flushed, and said, "I just remembered I said I wanted to treat you to a meal."

Her face turned even redder after saying that.

Su Yang looked at the shy and alluring Lu Yun, momentarily stunned.

"Su Yang?" Lu Yun called out when she saw him frozen.

Su Yang shook his head, coming back to his senses. "Uh, what did you just say?"

"I said about treating you to a meal."

Hearing this, Su Yang finally remembered that they had indeed discussed it before, though he had completely forgotten about it himself.

"You mean that? I don't think I have time today. I have to move later."

"Move?" Lu Yun was taken aback.

"Yeah, I bought a place, and I can move in today. I have to go pack up later."

Lu Yun looked up at Su Yang a little blankly, then broke into a smile. "Then how about another day when you're free? I'll treat you then?"

"Tomorrow, maybe? I'm free tomorrow. I'll treat you then."

"No, no, no! We agreed I'd treat you. How about tomorrow after I get off work?"

"Okay, no problem. I'll come find you then."

"Alright, then drive carefully."

"Okay~ I'm leaving now, you go back inside quickly." Su Yang said and drove away.

Lu Yun stood by the roadside, watching the car gradually disappear at the end of the road, her mood a little complicated, her cheeks flushed.

Thinking that she would be having dinner alone with Su Yang tomorrow, she felt a wave of shyness.

Su Yang had no idea what Lu Yun was thinking.

If it were the old him, in that situation just now, he would have unhesitatingly pushed aside other plans to go eat with Lu Yun.

However, after the system's "baptism" these past few days, his mindset had undergone a significant change.

He used to be a bit of a simp, rarely refusing requests from beautiful women, let alone going out to eat with a super beauty like Lu Yun.

But these past few days, with the system giving him hundreds of thousands or millions, the money had unconsciously chipped away at his simping tendencies.

Now, his motto was basically "don't initiate, don't refuse."

To put it bluntly, the old Su Yang lacked confidence. He felt he wasn't good enough for girls who looked good and smelled nice, so he wanted to impress them in other ways.

But most girls don't get together with you just because they're moved. Girls are attracted to you because of attraction itself.

In most cases, the more proactive a guy is, the more likely he is to make a girl feel disgusted.

So pursuing her is useless; pursuing her will only turn you into a pathetic simp. And trying to impress her is also useless; it will only fill your phone with sad love songs, and then you'll end up torturing yourself to death.

Su Yang understood these principles very clearly now. Although Lu Yun made his heart flutter, he had to hold back no matter how much he was moved. He'd take it step by step, slowly. He wasn't in a hurry anyway.

He didn't think about it any further. After driving for a while, he took out his phone and called Gu Xiaoman.

"Hey, big sis, what are you up to?"

Gu Xiaoman rolled her eyes on the other end of the phone, "Working, what else!"

Su Yang really wanted to say, "Quit your job right away, and I'll support you from now on!"

But he only thought such things in his mind. If he actually said it out loud and she took him seriously, how would he be able to live freely later on?

"Oh right, your apartment has been cleaned and is ready for you to move in anytime."

"That's what I've been waiting for. I'll go home and pack my things now, and I'll be over later."

The call ended, and Su Yang drove towards his rental apartment.

Half an hour later, Su Yang returned to his rental apartment. He took out a dusty suitcase that he hadn't used in a long time.

Looking at the apartment he had lived in for over a year, he felt a bit emotional.

However, this feeling of emotion was very brief, as his memories of living here were mostly filled with being down and out.

There was nothing to be emotional about these memories. Was he supposed to reminisce about his poor days?

Su Yang wasn't a sentimental person. He quickly packed his newly bought clothes into the suitcase. He didn't pack any other clothes except for his underwear.

Those clothes were also a way for Su Yang to say goodbye to his past.

Since he was saying goodbye, there was no need to see them again.

Su Yang picked up the suitcase, opened the door, and walked out, leaving without looking back.