Law-abiding Good Student and Five-Star Citizen Tang Yuyao, Can Never Go Back...

On the main road, a white Mercedes wandered alone through the neighborhood, stopping and starting, as if searching for something.

"Ugh, why are all these people out so late at night? Can't even find a damn parking spot! So annoying!!"

Tang Yuyao's chest heaved as she slammed her hands against the steering wheel, making Ye Cheng beside her break out in a cold sweat.

This wasn't Ye Cheng's first time riding with Tang Yuyao. He had once hitched a ride with her when they ran into each other at a convenience store while running errands for the young miss. Back then, he hadn't noticed anything unusual, but now it hit him—he’d been too naive. He’d been fooled!

Tang Yuyao’s usual mental state was already… something, and now, combined with her road rage, it was like she was stacking buffs.

Ye Cheng wasn’t sure about much, but one thing was clear: Tang Yuyao’s buffs were maxed out. In the short drive over, she had already cursed at least a hundred cars.

At first, she held back a little, mindful of Ye Cheng’s presence and trying to maintain some semblance of dignity. But soon, she stopped pretending altogether, leaving Ye Cheng too scared to even make a sound.

If he dared to speak up, Tang Yuyao would turn her fury on him too. "Are you freaking siding with them? If you’re not gonna back me up, then shut the hell up! Or do you wanna see how fast I can send us all to the afterlife?!" And other such threats that left Ye Cheng’s eyes wide with clarity.

He even learned to play along, becoming her hype man and lackey.

Basically, whenever Tang Yuyao started ranting, Ye Cheng would chime in like a comedic sidekick, echoing her complaints. Surprisingly, it worked wonders.

Tang Yuyao’s mood improved significantly—at least she stopped dragging Ye Cheng into her tirades. In a way, that was a win.

Ye Cheng was terrified she’d get so worked up she’d actually start throwing hands. If that happened, he’d be the only one suffering. Others only got yelled at since they weren’t trapped in the car with her, but Ye Cheng had nowhere to run, stuck in the passenger seat like a hostage.

What really broke him, though, was how Tang Yuyao would jerk the steering wheel toward him during sudden brakes.

The result? Every near-collision threatened the passenger side—never her driver’s seat.

Ye Cheng: "…"

Screw this. If I ever agree to go out with you again, I’m a damn dog.

With survival instincts kicking in, Ye Cheng fully embraced his role as the hype man, joining Tang Yuyao in cursing out every car in their way. Classic "better you than me" mentality.

Soon, the car stopped again.

"Why aren’t we moving?" Ye Cheng asked, confused.

"There’s space right there—just go!" He pointed at the crosswalk ahead.

Tang Yuyao: "???"

She stared at him in disbelief, as if questioning her entire existence. "That’s a freaking pedestrian crossing!"

"Oh… I thought since there’s no one and no cameras, it’d be fine…" Ye Cheng blinked, feigning innocence.

Tang Yuyao’s chest rose and fell as she prepared to snap—but then paused. She glanced up. The intersection was deserted, no cameras in sight.

Silently, she lifted her foot off the brake and pressed the gas, rolling onto the crosswalk Ye Cheng had suggested.

"Uh… Doc Tang, isn’t this, like, illegal?" Ye Cheng ventured hesitantly.

"Shut it, brat. No witnesses, no evidence. Who’s gonna know?" She shot him a glare.

Ye Cheng: "…"

So much for thinking she was law-abiding. Turns out she’s a freaking "five-star citizen." Well, the crosswalk is wide enough—just drive on it!

In a way, they made quite the pair—Ye Cheng talking nonsense, Tang Yuyao acting on it.

A few minutes later, they finally found a parking spot.

Tang Yuyao, as if afraid someone would steal it, floored the gas and zoomed in, triumphantly claiming the spot she’d been searching for forever.

Click!

After parking and unbuckling, Tang Yuyao felt like the world had brightened.

"Alright, brat, let’s eat!" she cheered, then frowned when she got no response. Turning, she saw Ye Cheng staring at something.

"Doc Tang… is there a chance this spot’s empty because it’s, y’know, reserved for disabled parking?"

Ye Cheng rubbed his smooth chin, pointing at the sign beside them: "Disabled Parking Only." No wonder the surrounding spots were packed—this one stayed free.

Tang Yuyao: "…"

"Kid, aren’t you disabled? Or did you forget?" She smiled "sweetly," slinging an arm over his shoulder in a "considerate" tone.

Ye Cheng: "…"

Moments later, the two walked away from the disabled parking spot. Tang Yuyao stretched lazily.

"Ugh, finally! I’m starving!" Her language was anything but ladylike—hard to believe she was a proper young miss, now tossing around "I’m gonna" like it was nothing.

Clearly, life’s beatings change people. Take Ye Cheng—after society’s relentless thrashing, he’d turned into a springy, resilient meatball…

To be fair, Tang Yuyao still acted refined around others. But with Ye Cheng, she let loose.

Why pretend? It’s not like this brat would dare say anything. Try me.

Swaggering, Tang Yuyao even hooked an arm around Ye Cheng’s neck as they walked. Despite her height and heels, she was still a head shorter, leaving her slightly lifted off the ground.

"No wonder you eat so much—built like a damn ox. C’mon, sis’ll treat you to something good!" She gave him an approving once-over, patting his firm physique.

Hmm… not bad. For some reason, her heartbeat quickened, her ears tinged pink.

Without a care, Tang Yuyao dragged Ye Cheng toward their destination.

Before long, she was seated at an outdoor table in a bustling food stall, surrounded by grilled lamb ribs and cold dishes. She popped peanuts into her mouth, alone—Ye Cheng was nowhere in sight.

Ye Cheng... stood among the onlookers not far away, holding a skewer of uncooked barbecue in his hand, watching the scene with great interest. He had the full awareness of an NPC in one of those domineering CEO novels—of course, only the kind of NPC who could reap benefits. Otherwise, he’d outright refuse to play along.

Tang Yuyao narrowed her eyes and spotted Ye Cheng still loitering in the crowd, munching on his snack like a bystander.

"What the hell are you staring at? Get over here and grill these skewers for me, now!"

Hearing Tang Yuyao’s irritable voice, Ye Cheng scrambled over obediently, carrying his skewers, and sat down. Then came the earlier scene—Ye Cheng suggesting she eat more because there might be a free meal today.

"Done talking? Then hurry up and grill these, or I’ll throw you on the grill next!" Tang Yuyao glared at him. Ye Cheng blinked and wisely chose to shut his mouth, focusing on grilling the skewers. He could tell—the salty doctor was building up her temper again. If he didn’t stop now, she’d slam him into the ground.

As Ye Cheng grilled the skewers, Tang Yuyao gnawed on a lamb rib beside him, though she didn’t seem entirely happy. Every bite was aggressive, as if she were chewing on Ye Cheng himself.

"Kid, what do you think is the point of living?" Tang Yuyao’s gaze grew distant.

"Why are you getting emo in the middle of the night? This is what happens when you’re too well-fed. My prescription? Starve for two days, and you’ll snap out of it... Ow!!!"

Ye Cheng, still grilling, paused at Tang Yuyao’s sudden existential crisis before launching a "true damage" verbal attack.

These days, everyone’s living too comfortably, wondering about the meaning of life... Like, just go to the pier and grab some fries, who cares? All he cared about was eating more once the skewers were done.

Ye Cheng’s brutally practical response successfully pissed off Tang Yuyao. So... she put down the lamb rib and started gnawing on Ye Cheng’s head instead.

Half a minute later.

Ye Cheng sat "sincerely" across from Tang Yuyao, patiently listening to her woes, a clear set of teeth marks on the back of his head. His hair was streaked with drool and traces of lamb rib seasoning.

The skewers in his hands were now fully grilled—and all in Tang Yuyao’s possession. She grabbed a handful, stuffed them into her mouth, then chugged beer, getting into the mood.

"Ugh... Why is life so exhausting... gulp, gulp..." Tang Yuyao descended into full emo mode.

"Uh, hey... Dr. Tang, can I say something?" Ye Cheng hesitated.

"Huh? gulp, gulp... Go ahead. I’m in a good mood right now." Tang Yuyao took another swig of beer and slapped Ye Cheng’s shoulder grandly, radiating magnanimity.

"Okay, well... We drove here, right? And you’re drinking... so how are we getting back?"

Ye Cheng’s question instantly silenced Tang Yuyao. The beer in her mouth suddenly lost its flavor.

The restaurant was far from campus—Tang Yuyao had driven nearly 200 km/h for several minutes to get here. So... yeah. They weren’t going back tonight.

gulp.

Tang Yuyao paused for a second, then swallowed her beer.

"Pfft. No big deal. We’ll just stay at a hotel."

"Oh, okay. I’ll grab a taxi later then—ACK! cough HELP!" Ye Cheng lowered his head to check for ride discounts, only for Tang Yuyao to leap up and lock him in a chokehold.

"Brat, are you seriously gonna abandon your kind, generous, gorgeous, and oh-so-considerate big sister here all alone?"

Tang Yuyao smiled "sweetly" while tightening her grip, her words dripping with "gentle" menace.

Ye Cheng: "..."