Fu Yanli followed Jiang Xun's gaze.
Not far away stood a tall young man in a black shirt and trousers. He was handsome, but right now, he looked as though he had a bitter grudge against the world.
Fu Yanli: "..."
He glanced at Jiang Xun, who was happily sipping his milk tea. His skin was a little dark, but his features were striking, with the fresh innocence unique to youth. There was something distinctly appealing about him.
It was perfectly normal for someone to approach him and strike up a conversation. Only Fu Yanli's nephew seemed to have eyes for decoration.
Jiang Xun was still muttering, "That guy looked pretty respectable. Why was he so stingy?"
Fu Yanli fell silent.
He was just a little slow on the uptake when it came to social cues.
"Uncle, try your milk tea too. It's really good."
"All right."
Fu Yanli opened the bag and unwrapped the straw.
Just then, a ding sounded in Jiang Xun's mind.
Six-Six-Six: [Ding-Congratulations, host, you have triggered a random mission: successfully make Fu Yanli laugh within five minutes.] Six-Six-Six: [Mission success reward: five hundred points. Mission failure reward: one lightning five-strike whip package.] Six-Six-Six: [Mission begins. Countdown: five minutes...]
Jiang Xun: "..."
Fuck.
Why was it another random mission? It sounded simple enough, but Fu Yanli had never seemed to smile in front of him.
Jiang Xun rubbed his face and went on full alert, keeping a close watch on the man beside him out of the corner of his eye.
Fu Yanli pushed the straw into the cup and took a sip of milk tea.
Jiang Xun said, "Wow, you got little pearls on your very first sip!"
"..." Fu Yanli stiffened, then his Adam's apple bobbed as he swallowed the milk tea without a change in expression.
Jiang Xun turned away and hid to one side, his ears burning with embarrassment, his toes curling hard enough to dig out a magical castle.
Fu Yanli set his milk tea aside and glanced at the passenger seat, only to see the back of Jiang Xun's head.
The boy's skin seemed to have grown a little fairer again. This time, he could even see the slight redness of his ears.
Fu Yanli said, "Put on your seat belt."
Jiang Xun froze for a second. Still holding his milk tea, he fumbled for a moment.
Fu Yanli seemed to give a quiet sigh before leaning over. His clean, slender hand caught the seat belt, and he fastened it for Jiang Xun himself.
As the distance between them narrowed, a faint chamomile fragrance drifted into his nose. It came from Jiang Xun.
Jiang Xun's eyes widened a little. He sat there in a daze, though he still remembered to take a sip of milk tea.
Oh, more little pearls.
With the seat belt fastened, Fu Yanli straightened up and was about to start the car.
"Uncle, look at me."
Fu Yanli stopped what he was doing and turned to look.
Jiang Xun tugged at his cheeks with both hands, rolled his eyes upward, and made several funny faces in a row.
Fu Yanli said, "...Sit properly."
Jiang Xun deflated instantly. The big shot must think there's something wrong with my head.
The black Bentley continued through traffic. Jiang Xun settled down for a while, his mind turning as the countdown ticked away in his head.
He sat up straight again and rallied his spirits. "Uncle, I have a question to test you."
Fu Yanli was silent for a moment. "All right."
Jiang Xun asked eagerly, "Can you make a sentence using number one, number two, number three, number four, and number five?"
"I'll give you one first." He cleared his throat. "Number five told number four that number three's number two was number one in size. Hahahahaha! Isn't that funny?"
Fu Yanli kept his eyes on the road, one hand on the steering wheel. "It is."
Looking at Fu Yanli's expressionless face, Jiang Xun completely lost it.
Were big shots just naturally incapable of smiling?
Jiang Xun turned away and huddled to one side, lightly picking at the leather seat with his fingers as he withdrew into himself.
But unexpectedly, Six-Six-Six's mechanical voice suddenly sounded in his mind: [Ding-Congratulations, host, you have completed the random mission. Five hundred points have been credited. Your current points balance is eight hundred and one.]
Jiang Xun's eyes flew wide open, and he instinctively turned to look at the man in the driver's seat.
Fu Yanli's expression remained unchanged, as calm and undisturbed as a lake, without the slightest trace of a smile.
Jiang Xun bit the knuckle of his index finger and stared at that face in bewilderment for a long while.
Fu Yanli noticed his gaze. Keeping his eyes on the road ahead, he asked, "Something wrong?"
"No, nothing." Jiang Xun sheepishly looked away and sipped his milk tea distractedly.
[Six-Six-Six, are you sure Fu Yanli smiled just now?]
Six-Six-Six: [Yes.]
Jiang Xun: [Can you replay it?]
He had never seen what Fu Yanli looked like when he smiled.
Six-Six-Six: [Yes. Two hundred points.]
Jiang Xun: *[...]*
Forget it. That smile could stay unseen.
At least he had completed the mission.
The drive back to the apartment took only about ten minutes. Fu Yanli drove into the underground parking garage, and as Jiang Xun finished the last sip of his milk tea, a thought suddenly struck him.
"Was that guy trying to hit on me earlier?"
Fu Yanli: "..."
His reaction might have taken a lap around the earth, but at least it had finally come back.
Jiang Xun awkwardly rubbed the back of his head. Heaven knew he really wasn't that socially clueless.
In his previous life, he would have known what that guy wanted the moment he approached. After all, back then, Young Master Jiang had been the center of attention, with countless men and women hoping to chat him up.
Who could have expected him to transmigrate into this cannon-fodder body, constantly scorned and dismissed as a dark, tacky country bumpkin unfit for polite company?
His brain simply hadn't caught up for a moment.
Jiang Xun checked his reflection in the rearview mirror, smoothed the loose hair over his forehead, and raised his eyebrows with a confident smile. It looked like his luck in romance was picking up again.
Then he turned his head and met Fu Yanli's mildly probing gaze.
Jiang Xun slowly reined in his smile and lightly scratched his cheek, making an attempt at modesty. "I was just thinking, someone would actually hit on a person like me."
Fu Yanli thought of the rumors circulating about the Jiang Family's true young master, along with all the disparagement and contempt.
It was no wonder he lacked confidence.
Looking into those clear, round eyes, Fu Yanli said slowly, "You're perfectly fine. Don't worry about what other people say."
As he looked at the somewhat stunned boy, the corners of his mouth seemed to lift faintly. Before Jiang Xun could get a proper look, those slightly thin lips had settled back into place.
"Let's get out."
Jiang Xun gave a quiet "Oh," unfastened his seat belt, and followed him out of the car.
This time, he had really seen Fu Yanli smile. Smile...
He replayed that fleeting moment in his mind and couldn't help clicking his tongue softly. What a lovely life Chu Xingye's aunt must lead.
Come to think of it, Ye Jing hadn't come back lately.
Did this married couple never see each other?
Jiang Xun mulled it over, feeling that something was strange.
He quickened his pace to catch up with Fu Yanli and tilted his head to look at the man, who was nearly a full head taller than him.
"Uncle, when is Aunt coming back? I haven't seen her in ages."
Fu Yanli lowered his eyes to him. Instead of answering, he gave him a questioning look.
Jiang Xun reached up to scratch the back of his neck and smiled sheepishly. "It's nothing. I was just asking."
Even Chu Xingye, the chief shipper of this couple, wasn't worried yet.
He was just a bystander watching the drama.