Chen Yusheng Claims Territory

Su Bai had finally figured it out.

Jiang Qiuran had probably noticed he had money now and, in a sudden stroke of inspiration, decided to play the childhood-friends card to get closer to him again.

According to the system's assessment, Jiang Qiuran's affection for Su Bai had always been above 80—enough to consider dating him.

So why had she never shown any romantic interest in him all these years?

Simple. Because Jiang Qiuran was a materialistic girl.

Su Bai had known this for a long time.

Jiang Qiuran’s family background was somewhat unusual.

Her mother had once been set up with a wealthy suitor by her family.

But Jiang's mother already had someone else in her heart, so she eloped with her lover, cutting ties with her family.

Tch. The whole thing sounded like a cheesy soap opera from the early 2000s.

In any case, Jiang's mother and her beloved settled down in Ancheng, got married, and had Jiang Qiuran.

But their married life wasn’t ideal.

The man she had once devoted herself to without hesitation gradually became unrecognizable over time.

A few years later, he actually ran off, leaving the mother and daughter in poverty.

Thankfully, Jiang's mother was resilient. She raised her daughter while building a career, never making much money but at least keeping them fed and clothed. She even had enough to spare to take care of Su Bai after his parents passed away.

Honestly, that was pretty impressive.

Su Bai had always admired her for that.

Growing up in such a household, it was no surprise Jiang Qiuran didn’t believe in love.

At the end of the day, everyone in society chased after material comforts now.

But friendships discarded for the sake of money weren’t something you could just reclaim whenever you wanted. Su Bai wasn’t some doormat.

Little Jiang still needed to show a lot more sincerity.

Let her stew in regret for a while—maybe then she’d learn her lesson.

Su Bai sent Chen Yusheng a message, asking her to come downstairs for coffee.

The standard room at the Sheraton was admittedly a bit cramped—though still miles better than a budget hotel. Su Bai was just used to suites.

But the lobby was spacious and grand, perfect for sitting down with a cup of coffee.

Chen Yusheng came down without hesitation, took the coffee, and immediately asked:

"Big Goose, did you just ask Jiang Qiuran out… or something?"

"…Can you be normal? If I was asking anyone out, it’d be you!"

"But I saw her leaving and coming back all worked up… What happened? Did you two fight?"

Chen Yusheng was curious!

Su Bai realized she could be pretty nosy—it was just that most people’s business didn’t interest her.

But she was interested in Su Bai, which meant she was also invested in his childhood-friend drama.

As for being replaced by said childhood friend? Not a chance. Her place in Su Bai’s heart was unquestionably the highest.

"It wasn’t a fight. I just teased her a little. Think of it like dangling a cat toy in front of her."

Most of the time, Su Bai treated Jiang Qiuran like a big, dumb cat.

Not much going on in that head, yet always trying to be clever—and just as proud as a pretty little kitten!

As long as he didn’t think of her as a girlfriend or someone to pursue, teasing her in his free time was actually pretty fun.

But today, seeing Jiang Qiuran’s flawless makeup, Su Bai’s impression of her shifted from "cat" to "catgirl."

Overall, his attitude toward this childhood friend was different from other girls.

She needed to be kept firmly in check.

That was just how she operated, based on Su Bai’s understanding of her personality.

Dealing with women was like laning in a game—different heroes required different strategies.

"Cat toy…?"

…

Su Bai grabbed Chen Yusheng’s hand and dashed to the parking lot, driving the GLE to a more secluded area.

…

Especially when she saw Jiang Qiuran get in the car, sniff the air, scrunch up her delicate brows, and then visibly deflate—Chen Yusheng felt a secret thrill.

Hmph. Serves you right for fighting with Big Goose, for not cherishing your childhood friend.

Too bad. Now Su Bai is mine to enjoy—you can only catch a whiff and stare in frustration.

…

"In ancient times, the Jiangcheng region must have been a place of great strength but rough customs. You can see it in the layout of this old town…"

While touring the ancient town, Chu Mingzhe suddenly got excited, taking off his Sennheiser noise-canceling headphones to play tour guide.

Everyone listened, dumbfounded.

Wan Xinyan checked her phone and raised an objection: "But this ‘ancient town’ is a completely modern replica, right? It shouldn’t have anything to do with actual history."

"Huh?"

Chu Mingzhe froze mid-step. "It is?"

"Yeah. The Jiangcheng forums all say this used to be a cornfield. It was only built as part of the Tianrong Resort’s development plan."

"…"

Well, this was awkward.

So all that historical, cultural, and geographical analysis… was completely pointless?

Chu Mingzhe wanted to ram his head into the nearest wall.

Luckily, the town wasn’t big. The whole group finished exploring in under two hours—including watching a performance.

A few hanfu-clad girls were dancing, livestreaming the whole thing.

Su Bai stopped to watch for a bit but quickly lost interest.

Not a single S-tier beauty here—at best, they were average.

The high standards of the girls around him lately had completely skewed his taste.

"Seems like every ‘ancient town’ in the world looks the same. Pretty boring," Chen Yusheng concluded.

"True. Even the street food is identical—fried noodles, stinky tofu, sausage sticks, jianbing…"

"I want fried noodles."

"Let’s get some!"

Su Bai and Chen Yusheng held hands as they went to buy fried noodles.

After their anime-watching session in the car, Chen Yusheng seemed to have awakened—she was bolder now, openly affectionate with Su Bai in front of other girls. While waiting for the food, she even couldn’t resist pecking his lips a few times.

Su Bai had such nicely shaped lips—kissing them felt amazing.

Nothing beat kissing as the most direct way to express affection.

Jiang Qiuran tried to look away but couldn’t help stealing glances at Su Bai and Chen Yusheng being all lovey-dovey.

Her mood was in shambles.

This couldn’t go on. Was she really going to let Su Bai drift further and further away?

She had to do something to win back his favor.

Unconsciously, under Su Bai’s calculated maneuvering, Jiang Qiuran was slowly adopting the mindset of a simp.

If the guys who adored her found out, they’d probably lose their minds.