After leaving the airport terminal, Ye Chen and Xiao Wan arrived at the parking lot and got into his Bugatti, ready to leave. As soon as Xiao Wan sat down, she looked at the car interior curiously and said, "Hey, why haven't you cleaned the nail polish I spilled in your car last time?"
Ye Chen was taken aback by her remark and quickly made up an excuse, "Ahem, I've been really busy lately, I totally forgot about it."
Xiao Wan chuckled and said, "Busy? That's a lie! I think you just don't have the money to replace the interior. Poor guy. Do you need me to help with the parking fee later?"
Ye Chen glared at her and said, "My wallet's in your hands, young lady. Open it up and you'll see if I have money or not."
Curious, Xiao Wan opened his crocodile-skin wallet and took a look. She pulled out a thick stack of US dollars and several cards. She tossed the wallet in her hand and said, "Since you have money, why haven't you replaced the interior? Ah! I know why!"
Ye Chen tensed up at her words and quickly asked, "What do you mean you know?"
"You must think the nail polish art I did is so beautiful that you can't bear to change it, right?" Xiao Wan said proudly, "Hehe, well, I'll add some more for you this time."
"Damn, don't do anything crazy! Do you think my car isn't ugly enough?" Ye Chen tried to stop her, but Xiao Wan had already pulled out her lipstick. She said regretfully, "I didn't bring my nail polish today, so I'll have to use my lipstick to draw for you."
With that, she took out her bright red lipstick and drew a large pair of lips on the side window of the car, then proceeded to paint all the car logos on the steering wheel red.
That wasn't all. Xiao Wan suddenly glanced at Ye Chen and mischievously smiled. She took the lipstick and painted his nose red. Ye Chen angrily said, "What are you doing?! When will you stop?! I'm driving here!"
"Hahaha, you look like a clown from a circus now, with your red nose," Xiao Wan laughed, leaning back in her seat, her body shaking as she laughed.
Ye Chen helplessly glanced at her, but inside, he felt a heavy sinking in his heart at the word she had used. "Clown?" Yes, that's right. Now, secretly mixing in the emotions of being a good buddy and his girlfriend, barely holding on and not willing to let go, wasn't that like a ridiculous clown?
If he could, he really wouldn't want to like this annoying woman beside him, but he couldn't control himself. Though Ye Chen seemed frustrated on the surface, he knew deep down that being able to spend time alone with Xiao Wan made him happy.
He took Xiao Wan to the bustling Fifth Avenue in N City. In fact, he had been a frequent visitor here before, as he often brought different women to shop. But today, with Xiao Wan sitting beside him, his mood was completely different. In the past, he would sit like a king on the sofa and wait for the checkout when he came here with women. But now, Ye Chen couldn't help but want to focus all his attention on Xiao Wan, but he had to be careful not to let her notice.
Xiao Wan led him into the Valentino store, and the saleswoman, Beatrice, immediately greeted them cheerfully, "Xiao Wan! Oh… who's this?"
Beatrice looked at Ye Chen, who was standing next to Xiao Wan, in surprise. Xiao Wan quickly waved her hand and smiled, "I didn't change boyfriends. He's back home for business, and this little sidekick is taking care of me in his place."
Ye Chen couldn't help but roll his eyes. "Come on, what do you mean by sidekick? Can't you say something nice about me, Lin Xiao Wan?"
Xiao Wan completely ignored him and excitedly asked Beatrice, "Do you have new styles?"
"Of course, come with me."
Xiao Wan happily followed Beatrice to pick out clothes. Soon, she came back with five or six outfits and went into the fitting room. Ye Chen sat on the chair outside the fitting room, waiting for her. Beatrice politely brought him a cup of coffee and a piece of cake, saying, "Please take your time, sir."
"Thank you," Ye Chen replied, taking a bite of the cake. He never used to like such sweet things, but every time he saw Xiao Wan enjoying them so much, he gradually started liking them too.
When he finished the cake, Xiao Wan came out wearing a milk-white dress. She handed her phone to Ye Chen and said, "Hey, can you take a picture for me?"
Ye Chen looked at her in the flowing dress. It covered Xiao Wan's long, white legs, revealing only her slender ankle. The dress showed just her collarbones, but this outfit, more than the tight short skirts she usually wore, made it easier for a man to imagine more.
The pure style matched Xiao Wan's stunning beauty, and rather than being out of place, it only intensified a man's desire to conquer her.
Ye Chen's throat involuntarily moved, and he raised his phone to take the picture.
Xiao Wan took the phone back and checked the photo. She raised an eyebrow and said, "Oh, I didn't expect you to be good at taking pictures."
After that, she returned to the fitting room, and after a while, came out in another outfit and asked Ye Chen to take another photo. This went on four or five times, and Ye Chen finally became a bit annoyed. He sarcastically said, "Hey, you've taken enough pictures. Are you trying to post them all on your Instagram to seduce people?"
Xiao Wan froze for a moment and said angrily, "Who said I was going to post these pictures on Instagram? I'm taking them for Xiao Guai! He can't see me, so I'll take some beautiful pictures so he can think of me. What's wrong with that?"
Ye Chen hadn't expected to misunderstand her, and he was momentarily speechless. Before he could figure out how to apologize, Xiao Wan lowered her head and said with some sadness, "Ye Chen, we've known each other for so long, and yet, until now, you still think I'm taking pictures for Instagram to seduce men?"
With that, she put the clothes she was holding aside and pouted, "I'm not buying anything, I'm leaving."
Ye Chen's heart immediately felt like it was being squeezed. He hurriedly stopped her and said anxiously, "No, no, no, it's my fault. I said the wrong thing. Please don't be angry, okay?"
He apologized as he picked up the clothes and handed them to her, saying, "I didn't mean it that way, really. Here, you haven't tried everything, right? Try them on one by one. I'll take all the pictures for you, okay?"
Xiao Wan pouted, "What if I say I want you to buy every piece of clothing in the store for me?"
Ye Chen said, "The wallet's yours, right? Buy as much as you want."
Xiao Wan stared at him for a moment, then huffed and said, "Forget it. I'll let you off this time. I'm too lazy to be mad at you."
With that, she grabbed a dress and stuffed the rest of the dresses back into Ye Chen's arms. She turned and went into the fitting room. Ye Chen finally breathed a sigh of relief. He touched the milk-white dress she had just worn and felt an uncontrollable heat rising in him.
In the end, Xiao Wan chose four dresses and two pairs of shoes. However, when it was time to pay, she didn't use Ye Chen's card but handed over Chen Xin's card to Beatrice. She winked at Ye Chen and said, "Just kidding! I saw your car interior, and I thought you couldn't afford to replace it, so I didn't use your money. But you still have to treat me to lunch later."
Ye Chen looked at the card in her hand and couldn't help but smile faintly, feeling a bit down. "Okay."
The two of them continued shopping for several more stores, and finally, Xiao Wan had bought enough. As Ye Chen was thinking about where to eat, Xiao Wan stared at her nails and said, "The manicure I got last time has already chipped. Come with me to get a new design."
"Sure, alright."
So, she took Ye Chen to a nail salon she frequently visited. The interior was very girly, with pink-colored furniture and wallpaper everywhere, which made Ye Chen shiver when he walked in.
Xiao Wan quickly chose a new design with the staff and then pulled Ye Chen over, saying, "Hey, watch this, this girl is amazing at painting nails."
"Uh…" Ye Chen sat down next to her while Xiao Wan focused intently on the nail artist. Ye Chen, meanwhile, secretly admired her profile.
Her eyelashes were long, not overly thick, but each lash was about the same length, making them look like two little fans. As she blinked, they fluttered, looking especially cute. Her small nose was slightly turned up, and her lips were full and plump. Even without any lipstick, they were a light pink, making them very inviting.
Ye Chen couldn't help but think of how Chen Xin must have felt when he kissed her, wondering how amazing it must have been for that guy to kiss such a beautiful woman and savor her lips.
Just as he was lost in thought, Xiao Wan suddenly turned her head and frowned at him, saying, "Ye Chen."
"Ah, w-what's wrong?" Ye Chen jumped and quickly avoided eye contact.
Xiao Wan scrunched her nose and said, "A hair just fell on my face, it's so itchy. Can you help me move it?"
Her nails were in the UV lamp drying, so she couldn't use her hands, and since the hair was bothering her so much, she had to ask for his help. Ye Chen immediately responded, "Oh, sure."
He leaned in close to her face, carefully picking up the hair and moving it aside. Xiao Wan said, "It still itches a little. Can you scratch it for me?"
Ye Chen, now even more carefully, gently rubbed her cheek, afraid that any pressure might hurt her.
Finally, she sighed in relief, saying, "Ah, that's much better."
The nail artist sitting across from her couldn't help but envy, "Your boyfriend really cares about you."
Xiao Wan laughed and said, "He's not my boyfriend, he's—"
"Your little sidekick, right?" Ye Chen said in defeat.
"Hahaha, you really know yourself," Xiao Wan chuckled. After a moment, her nails were finished. Just as Ye Chen was about to get up to leave, Xiao Wan grabbed his arm and said, "Wait, don't leave yet. Let me paint your nails."
Ye Chen froze, immediately feeling a chill down his spine, and said, "What? I'm a grown man, I don't need nail polish! I'm not doing it. Lin Xiao Wan, you can't bully me like this!"
Xiao Wan looked at him with a pout, "Xiao Guai asked you to take good care of me before he left. Now, he wants you to paint my nails, and you won't do it! I'm going to tell on you! I won't talk to you again!"
Ye Chen sighed, rolling his eyes and slapping his hand on the table. He said helplessly, "Fine, just do it already. Stop acting so pitiful!"
Xiao Wan smiled mischievously, took a bottle of black nail polish, and started applying it to his pinky. Ye Chen tried to ignore the heat that was building in his body as she touched him, and she whispered in his ear, "Ye Chen, you know, I don't hate you as much as I did before. If I think about it, you're not that bad, it's just that your words are a bit harsh."
Ye Chen lazily responded, distracted by the close proximity of her body and the pleasant scent of her perfume, which made it hard for him to focus.
"So I was thinking, maybe we can be friends," Xiao Wan looked up at him, her big eyes shining brightly, "How about you be my male best friend? Haha, I've never had one before! You can secretly watch over Xiao Guai for me, and if he dares to cheat on me, you can tell me, okay?"
Ye Chen almost choked on his own saliva. This damn woman! It would have been fine if she just wanted to be friends, but she went ahead and made him her "male best friend"! Damn, is there any man more miserable than him?
He glared at her with mixed feelings of love and hate, gritting his teeth, "You wish! I'm not doing it!"
Xiao Wan pouted and said regretfully, "Well, forget it. Anyway, the nails are done, do they look pretty?"
Ye Chen looked at his five nails painted black on his left hand, expressionless, "I feel like I've been poisoned."
"Hahahahaha…" Xiao Wan laughed uncontrollably, happily leading him out of the nail salon.
After shopping for the whole morning, Xiao Wan finally felt hungry, so she found a western restaurant to eat with Ye Chen. She sent all the photos she took in the store to Chen Xin, but he was still on a plane and couldn't check them. Feeling a bit lonely, she knocked on the table and said to Ye Chen, "Hey, hey, let me invite someone else to join us, it's more fun when there are more people."
"Who are you calling?" Ye Chen wasn't very keen on this idea, since he finally had a chance to be alone with Xiao Wan.
"Leng Qing," Xiao Wan replied, "You've met him at my house before."
The moment Ye Chen heard the name, he immediately became more unwilling. He darkened his face and said, "No way! I'm not inviting that guy to dinner! You want me to let him in behind Chen Xin's back? No way!"
Xiao Wan said, "What do you mean 'behind his back'? Leng Qing is just a friend now, and everyone knows that."
Ye Chen couldn't help but scoff, "Lin Xiao Wan, do you think with your looks, any man staying around you wouldn't want more than just friendship?"
Xiao Wan, unusually speechless at his comment, bit her lip, paused for a while before coming up with a retort, "But I really just consider him family! Xiao Guai isn't opposed to us meeting, so why do you disagree? I don't care, I'm inviting him!"
Ye Chen couldn't argue with her, so he reluctantly compromised, "Invite him then, do whatever you want. But I'm telling you, Leng Qing won't give up on you. Don't be fooled by his surface act, the guy's scheming."
Xiao Wan didn't take him seriously, pulling out her phone and sending Leng Qing the restaurant's location, asking, "I'm eating here, do you want to join?"
Leng Qing quickly replied, "No."
Xiao Wan was a bit surprised, feeling something was off, since Leng Qing rarely responded so coldly. She couldn't help but ask, "Why not?"
Leng Qing replied, "I'm no longer the main consort, I've been cast aside. I have no right to eat with you anymore."
Xiao Wan immediately burst out laughing, replying, "It's just a profile picture, don't take it so seriously."
Leng Qing responded, "The concubine is unhappy."
Xiaowan was amused by his cute reply and said, "Alright, don't be upset. I'll order lots of your favorite food, okay?"
Leng Qing: "Really can't come, I have something to do. I'll have dinner with you tonight."
Xiaowan: "What's going on?"
Leng Qing: "I can't tell you for now, I'll tell you when it's done."
Xiaowan: "Hey, when did you become so mysterious with me?"
Leng Qing: "No choice. I have to be careful in the cold palace."
Xiaowan: "…Cold palace? Keep talking like that, I'll beat you up!"
Leng Qing: "Alright, don't be angry."
Leng Qing: "I want to give you a surprise, so I can't tell you for now."
Xiaowan was satisfied and said, "Okay, call me tonight."
Leng Qing: "Hmm."
She reluctantly put down her phone, glared at Ye Chen, and said, "Are you happy now? Leng Qing can't come!"
Ye Chen: "Who said I'm happy? I'm just watching my good buddy's girlfriend, that's all." As he spoke, he struggled to hide the smile curling at the corner of his lips.
Xiaowan hummed, then picked up the menu to order. Suddenly, a girl at the table next to them stood up excitedly when she saw Ye Chen. She quickly walked toward him in high heels, calling out in a sweet voice, "President Gu! What a coincidence to run into you here!"
Xiaowan curiously looked up at the girl. She looked fine, dressed decently, and Xiaowan could tell at a glance she was probably a gold digger. Could she be Ye Chen's old flame?
However, Ye Chen looked indifferent and said to the girl, "Who are you?"
The girl didn't get upset but instead stepped closer, placing her hand on Ye Chen's shoulder and said, "Don't you remember? Last August, I spent a few days with you on your yacht! When we parted, you promised you would contact me again. I've been waiting for your message, but it's been so long without any news. President Gu, you're too heartless!"
Ye Chen vaguely remembered being with a girl on the yacht last August, but he had no recollection of who exactly it was. Besides, Xiaowan was sitting right next to him. How could he be kind to her? So, he coldly replied, "I could be even more heartless. Do you want to try? Go find another man and stop disturbing me."
The girl, seeing Ye Chen's attitude, immediately wanted to back off. However, Xiaowan suddenly called out to her, "Hey, wait a second, don't leave! Ye Chen, she's a girl, what's with that attitude? Can't you be a little gentler with her?"
Ye Chen was speechless. He had already settled everything with this girl, and there was no reason to be gentle with her.
The girl, who had been focusing on flirting with Ye Chen, finally noticed who was sitting beside him. Her eyes widened in surprise as she covered her mouth and said, "Oh my god! Kitty goddess, is that you?"
Xiaowan nodded, "Yeah, wow, I think I'm becoming more famous."
"Of course!" The girl didn't even care about Ye Chen anymore. She walked over and grabbed Xiaowan's arm excitedly, saying, "Goddess, you're amazing, we all admire you! Can I take a photo with you?"
"Sure, no problem."
The two girls posed for a selfie, and the girl immediately uploaded it to Instagram, saying, "So, President Gu is with you, Goddess? I was wondering why everyone in the circle has been saying he's turned over a new leaf. Goddess, please teach me how to make rich second-generation guys completely fall for me!"
Xiaowan patted the girl on the head, saying seriously, "Well, how should I put it, these guys who grew up in luxury are really quite spoiled. If you put them on a pedestal, they won't take you seriously. Just keep it normal and don't cling to them too much. As for the rest… well, that really depends on talent."
The girl nodded repeatedly. Xiaowan added, "Also, I'm not with Ye Chen, so you might still have a chance."
The girl, hearing this, immediately looked at Ye Chen with hopeful eyes, but was met with his cold glare. "You've taken the photo and said your pleasantries. Now, can you leave?"
The girl, shivering under Ye Chen's gaze, didn't dare to say anything else and hurried back to her seat.
Xiaowan pouted and sat beside Ye Chen, nudging him with her shoulder, "Hey, what's going on? That girl seems fine. You used to love flirting with girls. What happened to you?"
Ye Chen, expressionless, just wanted to vent his frustration online. He even came up with a title for the post: "The girl I like treats me like a good buddy and then wonders why I stopped flirting. What the hell is going on!"
The more he thought about it, the more irritated he became. He took out a cigarette and lit it. Just as he took a puff, Xiaowan started coughing and nudged him, saying, "Don't smoke in the restaurant."
Ye Chen reluctantly put out the cigarette. Xiaowan persisted, asking, "You still haven't answered my question, Ye Chen. Why did you suddenly stop flirting? Every time I saw you before, you were with a different girl."
Ye Chen sighed, turned to her, and said, "Do you really want to know?"
Xiaowan looked at his serious expression and excitedly nodded, "Yes! Tell me the truth, my male bestie!"
Ye Chen motioned for her to come closer, saying, "Come a bit closer, and I'll tell you quietly."
"Mm, mm." Xiaowan quickly leaned her face toward him, "What is it, what is it? Tell me, I promise I won't tell anyone!"
Ye Chen reached out and pinched her soft cheek, saying, "Mind your own business."
Xiaowan was stunned for two seconds, then immediately got angry. She picked up her bag and hit him with it, yelling, "Ye Chen! You've got a lot of guts to pinch my face!"
Ye Chen didn't dodge, letting her hit him while smiling, "Come on, stop hitting, you think your Himalayan bag is easy to buy?"
It sounded somewhat reasonable. Xiaowan put down the bag and went straight for his stomach with a punch. Ye Chen smirked, grabbing her hand and saying, "Flower punches, are you scratching an itch? Alright, are you still eating or not?"
"Hmph, I won't ask anymore. I'm not going to ask you," Xiaowan glared at him and sat back down, ordering a huge amount of food to cheer herself up.
While waiting for the food to arrive, she took a selfie and posted it on Instagram, saying, "Xiao Guai is back, and without him, my life is so boring. So I had to find some fun and bully the cuckold king, Mr. Gu."
After posting the picture, she suddenly had an idea and grabbed Ye Chen's phone, asking, "Hey, let me play with your phone. What's the password for the screensaver?"
Ye Chen gave her his birthday. Xiaowan hummed and said, "You're a Cancer? You don't look like one. I always thought you were a Sagittarius."
Ye Chen rolled his eyes, "Astrology is all fake, young lady."
Xiaowan ignored him, opened his Instagram, then went to her profile and found the photo of Ye Chen with the "cuckold king" caption. She saved it and changed Ye Chen's original sports car avatar to this picture.
She then waved the phone in front of him, grinning mischievously, "Have you noticed anything different on your Instagram?"
Ye Chen stared at the screen for two seconds, swore, and immediately tried to grab his phone back. Xiaowan, however, quickly pressed it against her thigh and looked at him provocatively, "Come and get it, come on!"
"You—" Ye Chen glared at her for a moment, then helplessly said, "Isn't this childish? I can't be bothered with you."
Xiaowan proudly tilted her head. At that moment, the waiter brought their food to the table. Xiaowan eagerly threw the phone into Ye Chen's lap and said, "I'm eating now. I'll bully you more after dinner."
Ye Chen rolled his eyes, thought for a moment, but ultimately did nothing and shoved the phone into his pocket.
After finishing their big meal, they left the restaurant. Ye Chen asked, "Should I give you a ride home?"
Xiaowan looked at the time and was about to respond when she suddenly noticed a tall figure standing outside the door.
Nathan Brown was leaning against his sports car, smiling gently at her.