Seeing Du Xiaoya exuding a seductive aura, Ye Chen raised his eyebrows.
"A campus beauty is still a campus beauty. Even after graduation, she's still very attractive..."
After a moment's thought, Ye Chen wiped the water droplets from his hair with a towel and asked as he walked,
"Why didn't you have a drink? Don't you like it?"
"I have work in a bit, and drinking can easily lead to mistakes,"
Du Xiaoya replied. It's unclear if it was intentional, but she slightly emphasized the word "mistakes," making it sound rather intriguing.
Ye Chen simply smiled and said,
"Alright."
He didn't particularly care whether Du Xiaoya intended any hidden meaning or not. If something was meant to happen, it would; if not, there was no point in forcing it. These days, there were plenty of women considered goddesses by others. If it was just for a "super friendship," Ye Chen wasn't that interested. He knew too well the saying: "Lick the dog, lick the dog, lick until the end, and you get nothing."
Aware of the casualness in Ye Chen's words, Du Xiaoya's heart skipped a beat for no reason. This was the tone she disliked hearing the most. "Free and easy" implied it didn't matter to him, and "indifferent" meant she was optional, suggesting that she, Du Xiaoya, held no particular importance. For Du Xiaoya, who wanted to gain the "initiative" in their dynamic, this was a significant blow. Biting her lower lip lightly, a trace of unwillingness flashed in Du Xiaoya's eyes.
Ye Chen poured himself a glass of red wine and took a sip.
"This taste..."
He frowned slightly, then put the red wine glass on the table. Ye Chen wasn't accustomed to the taste of red wine and felt no need to pretend he understood it. What was the point of being pretentious about tasting wine?
He picked up the phone on the table, pressed a button, and within three seconds, the call connected.
"Mr. Ye, what are your orders?"
Andy's voice came through. Ye Chen said,
"Bring me a complete set of clothes, both inner and outerwear. As for the style and brand, you can decide on the matching."
Ye Chen's current clothes were all in his rental room. He wasn't interested in going back to get them; they weren't worth much anyway, so it was unnecessary.
"Okay, Mr. Ye. Do you have any other orders?"
Andy responded hurriedly.
"Bring something to eat as well."
Ye Chen then looked at Du Xiaoya and asked,
"Have you had dinner? Would you like some?"
"Not yet,"
Du Xiaoya replied.
After she spoke, Ye Chen said directly into the microphone:
"Two servings of Australian lobster with garlic, two servings of French-style pan-fried foie gras, two servings of fruit salad, two bottles of Ace of Spades champagne, and two servings of Kobe steak. One fully cooked, and one..."
Ye Chen looked at Du Xiaoya and asked,
"How cooked for yours?"
"Well done for both..."
Du Xiaoya, hearing what Ye Chen ordered, said a little uncomfortably. How could she not know how expensive Ye Chen's order was? Otherwise, she wouldn't have reacted this way. This meal alone would cost more than half a year of her salary.
"Two well-done then."
When eating steak, some online advice suggests specific levels of doneness. Ye Chen, however, just wanted to eat what he liked and wasn't interested in eating anything bloodshot or half-cooked. As for the Ace of Spades, it was a type of champagne. Its production method differed from wine, and it was said to have a fruity aroma. Ye Chen didn't know if that was true but was willing to try it. Du Xiaoya ordering well-done was purely to cater to Ye Chen; if she were eating out with others, she would probably opt for medium-well.
"Okay, Mr. Ye, I'll bring it to you shortly,"
Butler Andy said respectfully before hanging up the phone.
Ye Chen put down the phone and sat opposite Du Xiaoya. At that moment, Ye Chen noticed a beautiful sight: a section of her long legs was exposed. Although wrapped in stockings, they couldn't hide their attractiveness. Du Xiaoya's legs were perfectly shaped—not too thin, not too thick, and just the right length. Even though half-hidden in her boots, they added a special charm, especially contrasted with her black short skirt, making her look even more chic.
Du Xiaoya, seeming to notice Ye Chen's gaze, felt a lot more comfortable.
"Ye Chen, what on earth are you doing? This meal will cost me half a year's salary; it's too extravagant."
"I'm currently an unemployed wanderer. If you're interested, you could say I'm someone who collects rent from various properties,"
Ye Chen said with a smile.
Ye Chen's wealth system could be upgraded, but system upgrades required him to spend money to obtain wealth value. Buying a car, a house, or luxury goods—as long as he spent money, he could get wealth value. Although these were all within Ye Chen's plans, his current focus was slightly different. To be precise, ever since making 21.5 billion, Ye Chen had entertained the idea of buying an entire residential community. This way, he could not only spend a lot of money at once to quickly improve the level of his wealth system but also collect rent to make more money. In case the system suddenly disappeared one day, owning a community's buildings would allow him to continue living unrestrained, with no worries about food and drink. Of course, this was just a preventative measure.
"A second-generation heir benefiting from demolition and redevelopment!"
An idea suddenly appeared in Du Xiaoya's mind.
"After four years of college, I didn't even notice this..."
Du Xiaoya regretted it a little. She knew that Ye Chen had secretly watched her many times in class. If she had given even a little response back then, perhaps she wouldn't have to be so passive now.
"Where's your girlfriend? Are you so relieved to come out to play alone?"
Du Xiaoya didn't continue to ask about Ye Chen collecting rent. Smart women knew when to stop; prying too much would only make people dislike her.
"Which girlfriend are you talking about?"
Ye Chen asked, feigning a moment of surprise. He didn't actually have any girlfriends at the moment, but that didn't stop him from implying otherwise. Ye Chen could naturally see what Du Xiaoya was thinking. Although Ye Chen had some thoughts about Du Xiaoya, he had never considered pursuing her exclusively from the beginning. It was better to be direct and let Du Xiaoya make her own choice. No matter what her choice was, Ye Chen had nothing to lose. Of course, Ye Chen preferred Du Xiaoya to accept rather than reject.
"No way, he actually said 'which girlfriend'! How many women does he have!"
Du Xiaoya was a little depressed; this wasn't the answer she wanted to hear. A wave of remorse washed over Du Xiaoya's heart again.
With a single misjudgment, she felt she had missed out on a genuine second-generation heir, especially when he might have been at his most unassuming. Most women in this situation would likely feel regret, and that was precisely how Du Xiaoya felt now. If only I hadn't overthought things back then, she mused, if I hadn't cared about Ye Chen's clothes and just gone with my first instinct about him. Then perhaps, I, Du Xiaoya, would be the hostess in this presidential suite today, not just another female classmate trying to get closer to him.
"How great would it be if I hadn't been so 'smart' back then..."
Du Xiaoya was very intelligent; she understood what kind of woman a man truly cherished. That was why she had never been in a relationship during college. While there were many children from wealthy families at university, she felt none were true second-generation heirs of significant standing. She didn't want to carelessly give away what she considered a woman's most precious asset for a fleeting romance, as that would cheapen her. If that happened, it would be virtually impossible for her to attract the "love" of a genuine second-generation heir. Despite what some online discussions might suggest about men not valuing virginity, Du Xiaoya believed that truly powerful and discerning men did, in fact, value it.
Pulling herself from her thoughts, Du Xiaoya suddenly looked up and asked,
"Aren't you afraid that if your girlfriends find out about each other, they'll cause a scene?"
"Let them make a scene. It's easy enough to get together, and just as easy to part ways,"
Ye Chen shrugged indifferently. Du Xiaoya bit her lip; she didn't like this answer very much. But reason told her that if she truly chose Ye Chen, this was his attitude, and this would be his final stance.
After a brief silence, Du Xiaoya suddenly smiled and asked,
"Are all men like you?"
Ye Chen looked at Du Xiaoya with some surprise, then said,
"That's something I really can't say. How should I put it? Everyone has their own attitude towards life; I can't claim everyone is the same."
"What about you then? Do you plan to stay away from women for the rest of your life and not get married?" Du Xiaoya asked.
"Marriage? That's too far off..."
Ye Chen said, leaning back against the sofa, his gaze suddenly brightening. Du Xiaoya, sitting opposite him, shifted a little uncomfortably. Seeing this, Ye Chen smiled slightly and said,
"It's my choice to live happily for the rest of my life. Of course, it would be even better if there were a group of women who remained devoted to me."
When Du Xiaoya heard this, she let out a "pfft" of laughter, then got up and poured herself a glass of red wine. After taking a sip, she looked at Ye Chen and asked,
"Women age quickly after they turn thirty. Will you still like them then?"
"Why not? If they are willing to follow me, to be my woman, why should I dislike them?" Ye Chen asked in surprise.
Du Xiaoya swirled the red wine in her glass and smiled.
"I really didn't realize that you, a second-generation heir, are so sentimental."
"There's nothing wrong with being sentimental. Of course, you could also interpret it as possessiveness,"
Ye Chen said with a smile. After hearing Ye Chen's slightly provocative words, Du Xiaoya's movement of swirling the wine glass stopped abruptly.
After a moment, Du Xiaoya said seriously,
"Ye Chen, can I ask you a question?"
"Go ahead," Ye Chen nodded in response.
Du Xiaoya hesitated for a moment and then asked,
"Why didn't you pursue me when we were in college?"
Ye Chen, who hadn't expected Du Xiaoya to ask such a question, was slightly stunned. He then said helplessly,
"There were too many other wealthy guys pursuing you back then; I simply didn't have the courage."
Ye Chen could naturally see why Du Xiaoya had asked such an abrupt question. It wasn't that she wanted to confirm whether he had feelings for her or not.