Farewell to the Past

The next morning, Su Yang was woken up by his mother, Chen Liping, who urged him to get up and have breakfast.

Around ten o'clock, after saying goodbye to his parents, he drove off.

Not long after leaving the neighborhood, Su Yang pulled over at a convenience store to buy a bottle of water for the road.

As soon as he stepped inside, a familiar figure caught his eye.

"Lu Yun?" Su Yang called out, looking at the girl with a white backpack, a ponytail, and tight jeans standing sideways at the checkout counter.

Hearing her name, Lu Yun turned around, her eyes widening in surprise. "Su Yang? What are you doing here?"

Su Yang rubbed his nose and grinned. "I'm from Yangcheng, didn't you know?"

Though both had attended high school in Yangcheng, Lu Yun and Su Yang had barely spoken back then, so she had no idea where he was actually from.

She blinked, then smiled softly. "I always thought you were from Haicheng."

Su Yang chuckled. "Nope, I grew up in Yangcheng. By the way, what brings you back here?"

"Oh, it's the weekend. I came home for a couple of days. I was just about to take a taxi to the train station to head back to Haicheng."

Su Yang's eyes lit up. "You're going back?"

"Yeah. What about you?"

"What a coincidence! I'm heading back to Haicheng too. Why don’t you skip the train and ride with me?"

"But..." Lu Yun hesitated. "I already bought my ticket."

"That’s no problem—just refund it. Besides, driving alone is boring. Having you along will make the trip more fun."

"Um... okay then." Lu Yun lowered her head shyly, her cheeks flushing slightly.

Su Yang noted her reaction inwardly. This girl blushes so easily.

"Great! Go ahead and refund your ticket, and wait for me—I’ll just grab some water."

He walked into the store and picked up two bottles of mineral water.

After paying, Su Yang handed one to Lu Yun. They walked to the curb, where he pressed his car key.

The lights of an Aston Martin flashed.

Lu Yun eyed the sleek black SUV with curiosity. "Did... you get a new car again?"

"Uh, yeah. Just bought it. Let’s go."

Su Yang opened the passenger door politely, letting Lu Yun settle in before circling to the driver’s seat.

"Buckle up. Let’s hit the road!"

As Lu Yun took in the luxurious interior, she asked, "Su Yang, what kind of car is this?"

"Aston Martin DBX. Do you like it?"

Lu Yun nodded. "It’s really nice, but it must be expensive, right?"

Su Yang grinned. "Over three mil."

"Thr..." Lu Yun laughed awkwardly. "Three million?"

"Yep."

"Uh, forget I asked. I’ve been thinking about buying a car myself—something for trips back home."

Su Yang nodded. "Makes sense. Haicheng is about a hundred or two hundred kilometers from Yangcheng. Having a car would be convenient."

"That’s what I thought too."

"What’s your budget? I can help you pick something out."

Lu Yun thought for a moment. "Around 150,000, I guess."

"150,000?"

"Yeah. I’m just a sales clerk—not exactly rolling in cash. Don’t laugh at me."

Su Yang shook his head with a faint smile. "Come on, I’m not like that. I don’t judge friends by money."

I judge by looks, he added silently.

Lu Yun stuck out her tongue playfully. "Just kidding! So, any recommendations for cars around 150,000?"

Su Yang pretended to ponder, though he was actually debating whether to just buy her a car outright.

But he quickly dismissed the idea.

Lu Yun clearly had strong self-respect—she wasn’t the materialistic type.

Gifting her a car outright might come off as condescending.

Besides, they weren’t at that stage yet. At most, they were just casual friends.

Coming on too strong might scare her off.

Better hold off for now, Su Yang thought. Maybe later.

As he drove, he said, "For 150,000, it depends—do you want a sedan or an SUV? If it’s a sedan, you could look at domestic brands or some second-tier joint-venture models."

"I prefer SUVs."

"Honestly, I wouldn’t recommend an SUV in that range. The options are limited, and the value isn’t great."

"Sedans are more practical for girls at that price. There are plenty of decent choices."

Su Yang glanced at Lu Yun and added, "Do you want an electric car or a gas one?"

"Gas," Lu Yun answered without hesitation.

Her reply surprised him. Most girls these days preferred electric cars, but Lu Yun seemed set on gas.

"Any favorite brands?"

Lu Yun shook her head. "I don’t know much about cars, so no particular preference."

"Then I’ll pick out a few models for you later. If you want to test-drive any, just let me know. I’ll go with you so you don’t get scammed."

Hearing that Su Yang would personally accompany her, Lu Yun smiled shyly. "Okay, thank you, Su Yang!"

"Don’t mention it. It’s nothing."

They chatted casually the whole way, with Su Yang deliberately driving slower than usual.

It took them over two hours to reach the Haicheng toll gate.

By then, their rapport had grown noticeably.

Especially for Lu Yun—she found that Su Yang could effortlessly keep up with any topic, and his conversational style was relaxed yet respectful, never overstepping boundaries.

It made her feel completely at ease, and without realizing it, her fondness for him had deepened slightly.

Once in the city, Su Yang asked for Lu Yun’s address and dropped her off at her doorstep.

As she got out, Lu Yun flashed a sweet, grateful smile. "Thanks again, Su Yang. I really appreciate it."

"Anytime. Get some rest—I’ll head off now!"

Just as Su Yang started the engine, Lu Yun suddenly remembered something and waved urgently.

"Su Yang, wait!" She jogged toward the car.

"What’s up?" Su Yang stopped, watching her in the rearview mirror.

Lu Yun reached the window, her cheeks pink. "I just remembered—I promised to treat you to dinner sometime."

Her face reddened further as she spoke.

Su Yang was momentarily stunned by her adorable shyness.

"Su Yang?" Lu Yun called when he didn’t respond.

He snapped out of it. "Oh, sorry. What did you say?"

"I said... about dinner."

Hearing this, Su Yang finally remembered that the two of them had indeed discussed this before, though he had long forgotten about it.

"Oh, you mean that? I probably won’t have time today. I still need to go move later."

"Move?" Lu Yun was taken aback.

"Yeah, I bought a place, and I can move in today. I’ll need to tidy it up later."

Lu Yun looked up at Su Yang in a daze, then suddenly smiled. "Then how about another day when you’re free? I’ll treat you then."

"Tomorrow works. I’ll be free then. Actually, I’ll treat you."

"No, no, I already said it’s my treat. How about after I get off work tomorrow?"

"Okay, no problem. I’ll come find you then."

"Great. Drive safe."

"Got it. You should head back now." With that, Su Yang drove off.

Lu Yun stood by the roadside, watching the car gradually disappear into the distance, her emotions a tangled mess, her cheeks flushed.

The thought of having dinner alone with Su Yang tomorrow made her feel inexplicably shy.

Su Yang had no idea what Lu Yun was thinking.

If this had been the old him, he would’ve canceled everything else without hesitation to have dinner with Lu Yun.

But after the system’s influence these past few days, his mindset had undergone a major shift.

The old him had been somewhat of a simp—never refusing requests from beautiful women, let alone turning down a meal with a stunning beauty like Lu Yun.

But now, with the system casually dropping hundreds of thousands or even millions into his lap, money had quietly eroded his simp tendencies.

His new motto? Don’t initiate, don’t reject.

Truth be told, the old Su Yang had lacked confidence, convinced he wasn’t good enough for the kind of girls who smelled like flowers and looked like dreams. So he’d tried to win them over with grand gestures.

But most women don’t fall for you out of gratitude—they’re drawn to attraction.

More often than not, the harder a guy pursues, the more it backfires.

Chasing is pointless—it just turns you into a pathetic simp. Gratitude is useless—it only fills your playlist with sad love songs while you torture yourself over what could’ve been.

Su Yang understood all this now. Though Lu Yun made his heart race, he knew he had to hold back. Slow and steady wins the race, and he wasn’t in a hurry.

Putting it out of his mind, he drove a short distance before pulling out his phone to call Gu Xiaoman.

"Hey, sis, what’re you up to?"

Gu Xiaoman rolled her eyes on the other end of the line. "Working. What else?"

Su Yang was tempted to say: Quit right now—I’ll take care of you from now on!

But he kept that thought to himself. If he actually said it and she took him seriously, how could he keep living his carefree life?

"Oh, by the way, your place is all cleaned up. You can move in anytime."

"That’s what I wanted to hear. I’ll pack my things now and head over soon."

After hanging up, Su Yang drove toward his rental apartment.

Half an hour later, he returned to the apartment and dug out a dusty suitcase he hadn’t used in ages.

Glancing around the place he’d lived in for over a year, he felt a brief wave of nostalgia.

But the feeling passed quickly—most of his memories here were of hardship and struggle.

What was there to reminisce about? The good old days of being broke?

Su Yang wasn’t the sentimental type. He swiftly packed his newly bought clothes into the suitcase, leaving behind everything except his underwear.

Those old clothes symbolized his farewell to the past.

And if it was a farewell, there was no need to look back.

Suitcase in hand, Su Yang opened the door and walked out without a second glance.