On the riverside avenue, the ride-share driver pulled over and smoothly brought the car to a stop. free𝑤ebnovel.com

After confirming via phone that the caller was the handsome man and pretty woman by the roadside, he approached to inquire about the car’s location and saw Li Jing pointing at a roadside Maserati. He was momentarily stunned and couldn’t help but walk over.

Upon seeing the Maserati in the night, the ride-share driver’s expression became somewhat unnatural. He looked at Li Jing and said, "Um, boss... maybe you should find someone else. I’ve never driven this car."

Li Jing chuckled, "No worries, I’ll show you where the controls are, and you can just drive normally."

Because he and An Tong had champagne at the restaurant earlier, they had to hire a ride-share driver.

"Well..."

Seeing that Li Jing was easy to talk to, the ride-share driver hesitated for a moment, then took off his helmet, revealing the face of a middle-aged man. He said, "Alright, I’ll try, but for safety’s sake, I might drive a bit slower."

Immediately, he sat in the driver’s seat under Li Jing’s guidance.

After Li Jing finished introducing the basic control buttons, the driver couldn’t help but wipe the sweat on his forehead, looking troubled as he smiled wryly, "Boss, driving your car is really stressful."

"It’s okay, you can drive slowly. If there’s really an accident, it’s on me."

Li Jing could sense the tension radiating from the middle-aged man who appeared to be in his thirties or forties and patted him on the shoulder with a smile before getting into the back seat.

Originally, Li Jing wanted to sit in the front passenger seat, but thinking he could sit with An Tong, he decisively chose the cramped back seat.

Sitting in the same row with An Tong, Li Jing felt the back seat could be a little more cramped, and it wouldn’t matter.

Once seated, Li Jing looked at An Tong outside the car and saw her retracting her gaze from a group of men. He couldn’t help but ask, "Do you know those people?"

An Tong nodded calmly, "Yes, they’re some of my colleagues."

"So why didn’t you greet them?"

Li Jing glanced again at the departing group of people and asked in confusion, "Since you saw them, why didn’t they come over? Is it because of me?"

"Maybe."

Saying this, An Tong remained calm. Seeing Li Jing sitting in the back seat, her expression slightly changed, and she also sat in the back seat tacitly.

The ride-share driver in the front glanced at the rearview mirror to see the two people who chose to sit in the back despite the empty front passenger seat. With a strange expression, he refrained from saying more and asked, "Boss, shall we go then?"

"Let’s go."

Li Jing nodded at the driver, then turned to look at An Tong, jokingly saying, "You must be the goddess at your company. Judging by those male colleagues’ looks, do they like you?"

Li Jing originally thought she would deny it, but An Tong directly nodded and admitted, "Yes, one of them, named Wang Jun, seems to have a crush on me."

Li Jing was surprised, "If he has a crush on you, how do you know?"

An Tong smiled gently and looked at Li Jing, "A girl can sense if a guy is interested in her. If a girl acts oblivious, it’s mostly just pretending."

Hearing this, Li Jing clicked his tongue, "No wonder they say those who admire in vain end up with nothing. Turns out the girl knows everything, and only the admirer is the fool."

"I’m not like Zhang Xinxin, and Wang Jun doesn’t count as an admirer."

An Tong shook her head, disagreeing with Li Jing’s view, "To be precise, he’s just a regular guy with a crush on a girl."

Seeing me with you today probably hit him hard, and he might have given up completely."

Hearing An Tong’s calm explanation, Li Jing slightly raised an eyebrow, "What, you seem to empathize with him? Or do you have feelings for him?"

"How could that be? You know my standards for a partner; he doesn’t meet any of them."

An Tong’s gaze fell on Li Jing’s somewhat roguish face, and after a pause, she said, "But you mentioned empathy, I might indeed have some."

Wang Jun liking me is like me liking Li Jing.

As an ordinary person, liking someone far above my own conditions, that sense of powerlessness might be why I empathize with Wang Jun.

At this moment, the Maserati caught up with Wang Jun and his group walking on the sidewalk.

Li Jing watched the group of men singing loudly outside the car, and couldn’t help but remember his younger self, nodding, "You’re right. His mood is probably very low now. Why don’t you send him a message to comfort him?"

"I don’t even have his WeChat. But even if I did, I wouldn’t comfort him."

Hearing An Tong’s words, Li Jing was a bit surprised and laughed, "Those words sound a bit cold."

"It’s not coldness; I don’t like him. If I comfort him now just to string him along, then I would truly be treating him like an admirer."

An Tong shook her head, speaking earnestly, "Instead of me comforting him, it’s better for him to recognize his shortcomings, work hard, and maybe find a better girl in the future."

Seeing An Tong’s serious expression, Li Jing watched her for a while without speaking.

It wasn’t until she seemed a little embarrassed by his gaze that he finally spoke with a smile, "I was just thinking you’re such a good girl, maybe I shouldn’t mess around with you."

Hearing this, An Tong’s expression changed slightly, and she turned to meet Li Jing’s gaze.

Looking into his eyes, An Tong was the first to speak, a hint of a smile at the corner of her mouth, "In that case, why don’t you focus on me and date me?"

"That might be difficult. Once someone enjoys a carefree life, how would they be willing to be tied to one tree?"

Li Jing shrugged and pouted, "How about you focus on me, and I love others. How does that sound?"

"Haha, what do you think?"

An Tong rolled her eyes at him and turned her head away, refusing to continue the conversation with Li Jing, adopting a nonchalant attitude.

But only she knew that in her heart, her bottom line had been slowly lowering.

She gazed at the dazzling and bustling night scene by the river outside the window, quietly thinking: perhaps that’s the real reason she empathizes with Wang Jun.

...

After dropping An Tong off, Li Jing was about to instruct the driver to continue to the hotel when he heard An Tong’s voice from outside the car.

"Wait a minute."

An Tong stood at the entrance of the community, looking at Li Jing in the car. She hesitated for a moment before speaking, "Tomorrow is the Mid-Autumn Festival; we’re on holiday. Are you going back to your hometown?"

"No." Li Jing explained, "My parents will come over during the National Day, so I’m not going back this time, just a phone call will do."

"You’re not going home?"

Hearing this answer, An Tong’s eyes flashed with a hint of joy, and she added, "A phone call isn’t enough; how about buying your parents some gifts to send back? How about I accompany you shopping tomorrow?"

Seeing that her suggestion turned into an invitation, Li Jing couldn’t help but smile, looking at her with an amused expression.

Seeing his strange look, An Tong blushed slightly, avoiding eye contact, and quickly said, "If you disagree, I’ll just meet up with friends tomorrow."

"Since Miss An took the initiative to ask, of course I’ll agree. But I’ve kept you company for two days since I came back to Celestial Sea City; I’m being quite considerate, aren’t I?"

Seeing her rare shy look, Li Jing couldn’t resist teasing her, so he leaned his head against the open car window and said, "I’ve been so cooperative, don’t I deserve some benefits?"

Hearing this, An Tong’s expression changed slightly, her ears turning redder, "What... what benefit do you want?"

Li Jing’s lips curled up slightly, "The kind you’re thinking of..."

"The kind I’m thinking of..."

An Tong’s face was as red as an apple at this moment. Seeing Li Jing’s teasing look, she found him particularly annoying, and involuntarily turned her head to look at the ride-share driver in the driver’s seat.

The driver, who was secretly watching the show, was startled, quickly turned his head back, and stared straight ahead, pretending to know nothing.

Once the driver turned away, An Tong swiftly leaned over to Li Jing, her red face quickly landing a kiss on his lips.

Just as Li Jing showed a look of surprise, he saw her already pull back, and he couldn’t help but complain, "That was too quick, wasn’t it?"

"What else do you want? If you want more, then make me your girlfriend." Seeing Li Jing taking advantage of her, An Tong felt both shy and annoyed, and couldn’t help but glare at him.

Hearing this, Li Jing awkwardly smiled and stopped teasing her, retracting his head into the car, waving, "Alright, see you tomorrow then."

The driver, seeing Li Jing’s gesture to drive, immediately started the car and drove away.

But his eyes curiously glanced in the rearview mirror, noticing An Tong still standing at the entrance of the community, watching the car until it turned the corner and disappeared before she turned to go back, filled with emotion:

Rich people really know how to play, huh?

I thought the wealthy attracted women with money, but it turns out it’s all about skills, huh?

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