Chapter 41: First Encounter with Mei Liangxin

It was a little after 8 PM.

Xu Shaochen drove Xie Wei back to school.

“Honey, give me a kiss before you leave.”

At the dorm entrance, Xie Wei stood on her tiptoes, wrapping her arms around Xu Shaochen’s neck as she spoke.

“Then close your eyes.”

Xu Shaochen smiled slightly as he replied.

Hearing this, Xie Wei lowered her hands, her face glowing with a smile as she slowly closed her eyes and lifted her head, waiting for Xu Shaochen to kiss her.

She waited for a while but didn’t feel anything. She couldn’t help but curiously open her eyes.

Upon looking, Xu Shaochen was nowhere in sight. The place was completely empty.

“That jerk!”

Xie Wei furiously gritted her teeth, stomped her foot hard, and then turned around to head upstairs.

Meanwhile, Xu Shaochen drove off toward Song Xinran’s house, preparing to pick her up for the class reunion.

Over twenty minutes later, he arrived at his destination.

He sent a text to Song Xinran, telling her he was waiting downstairs.

Suddenly, Xu Shaochen’s expression changed. His body instinctively tensed up, ready to act at any moment.

A man in a black trench coat was slowly approaching him.

Not far away, Long Yi and Long Er also got out of the car, their eyes warily watching the man in the trench coat.

“Buddy, did you know there was a robbery and murder in this very area just a couple of days ago?”

The man in the trench coat ignored Long Yi and Long Er, cracking his neck and smirking coldly at Xu Shaochen before speaking indifferently.

Xu Shaochen’s eyes flashed with even more cold light as he watched the trench coat man cautiously. “I heard about it. So what?”

This case had a terrible impact; barely anyone in Jiangzhou didn’t know about it.

“Heh, do you know who committed that crime?” As the trench coat man spoke, one of his hands reached into his pocket, pulling something out.

Xu Shaochen took a small step back, getting into a stance, and shook his head. “No idea.”

“Don’t know? Well then, you should buy a newspaper. Today’s Jiangzhou Daily covers the entire story behind the case. Just one yuan, honest pricing for all.”

The trench coat man pulled a newspaper from his pocket, enthusiastically smiling at Xu Shaochen while saying this.

Xu Shaochen: “………………”

Damn it, selling newspapers while making me so tense? Anyone would think you were the culprit!

“Scram!” Xu Shaochen darkened his expression, spitting out the word.

“Heh heh,” the trench coat man grinned shamelessly, persistently trying to convince Xu Shaochen. “Come on, man, help me out. I’ve only sold ten all day. It’s nighttime, and I’m still out here struggling. Can’t you see I have it tough?”

“With how you’re selling them, you should be glad no one’s called the cops on you yet. Don’t mess with me. Get lost,” Xu Shaochen responded with annoyance. The guy looked proper but was doing something so ridiculous.

Hearing this, the trench coat man chuckled awkwardly. “Uh, I just got out of the station. Going back there is like going home for me. The folks inside have great conversations; everyone there is talented. I love it in there.”

“What got you in this time?” Bored while waiting for Song Xinran to come down, Xu Shaochen didn’t mind indulging in some conversation with this joker.

The trench coat man cleared his throat before saying, “This time, it was for charity… promoting a planned economy, facilitating cash flow…”

“Speak plainly,” Xu Shaochen cut him off.

“Ahem, hem… soliciting prostitutes,” the young man replied crisply but quickly got emotional, defending himself, “But don’t get the wrong idea. The cops said I was soliciting, but I don’t see it that way. It was a soul-to-soul connection, a spark of love!”

“Imagine it, late at night in front of a massage parlor. The moment our eyes met, it was love at first sight. Overcome with passion, we went to a hotel to consummate our union… After the excitement wore off, we calmly realized we weren’t right for each other and mutually agreed to part ways. Being a gentleman, I paid her 600 yuan as a gesture of goodwill. But then the police barged in and arrested me. Tell me, isn’t that unfair?”

Xu Shaochen stared at the young man in silence for a moment before raising a thumb. “You’re truly something. You’re the first person I’ve seen who can make soliciting prostitutes sound so refined.”

“You flatter me, you flatter me. So what’s your name, buddy? The moment I saw your Mercedes, I knew I had to be friends with you,” the trench coat man shamelessly replied, clearly reaching expert levels of thick-skinnedness.

“Xu Shaochen.”

“Mei Liangxin.”

“No Conscience?” Xu Shaochen paused, then glanced at the trench coat man, nodding, “You definitely don’t seem like someone with a conscience.”

Mei Liangxin: “………………”

Today, I really feel the need to curse; not doing so will leave my heart uneasy.

“Shaochen.”

A clear voice reached his ears as Song Xinran gracefully approached, wearing a black evening dress.

“Wow—a total knockout!”

Mei Liangxin gasped, throwing the newspaper aside. He quickly tidied his collar and fixed his hair, spraying a bit of cologne before flashing a gentlemanly smile to approach her.

But in the next second, his smile froze.

Xu Shaochen had already taken Song Xinran’s hand and opened the car door for her.

“Damn it, so what if you drive a Mercedes?” Mei Liangxin muttered with envy, jealousy, and resentment as he sulked.

Xu Shaochen smiled at him, “It’s pretty great, actually. Goodbye.”

With that, he stepped on the gas, and the black Mercedes roared off like a whirlwind.

In the car.

“Sister Xinran, dressed so beautifully tonight, you’re going to outshine everyone at the party.”

Xu Shaochen commented on Song Xinran’s outfit while driving.

With her long hair flowing over her shoulders and a black strapless evening dress, she looked tall and elegant. Though it only cost a few hundred yuan, she wore it with the grace of a high-end brand.

Song Xinran smiled charmingly and rolled her eyes flirtatiously, “How come I never noticed you were such a smooth talker before? You must have deceived many girls.”

“You wrong me, Sister Xinran. The girl I most want to deceive is actually you,” Xu Shaochen said, staring at her with utmost sincerity.

Song Xinran quickly looked away, her cheeks tinged with pink as she stammered, “Drive… Watch the road… Why are you looking at me?”

Her heart was racing. This little brat who used to cling to her had really grown up to be quite handsome.

Xu Shaochen smiled calmly, not saying another word. This kind of thing required time; you couldn’t rush it. In any case, Song Xinran was destined to be his woman.

“It looks like there’s a car following us.”

Song Xinran glanced at the rearview mirror, then said to Xu Shaochen.

“Don’t worry about them. They’re my bodyguards,” Xu Shaochen replied nonchalantly.

Song Xinran nodded, curious about just how much money Xu Shaochen had to afford bodyguards.

………

Half an hour later, they arrived at their destination.

Jiangzhou Grand Hotel.

This was the place for tonight’s class reunion organized by Song Xinran and her classmates.

It showed that some of her classmates were doing well. Otherwise, they wouldn’t have arranged the gathering at such a prestigious place as Jiangzhou Grand Hotel.

Class reunions were meant to be initiated by those who had made it big, to show off their success—just like showcasing one’s achievements upon returning home in glory.