Cao Jie truly didn't treat herself as an outsider, showing no awkwardness at all, and started chattering away while pulling on Chen Pingjiang, who was driving.
"What are we going to do later?"
"How about hotpot? I know a hotpot place that's exceptionally delicious, and it's so cold, hotpot is the best."
"After hotpot, we can watch a movie too. Which one do you want to see? It's my treat."
"Hey, Chen Pingjiang, you're not mad at me, are you? For disturbing your date with Yanyan."
"..."
Chen Pingjiang felt like Tang Sanzang was prattling endlessly in his ear, and he really wanted to grab the Golden Cudgel and give her a whack.
Strangely, Yanyan showed no reaction.
After pondering for a long time, Chen Pingjiang realized that only someone with Yanyan's cool and composed personality could tolerate Cao Jie's incessant chatter.
The car arrived at Xinjiekou, and Chen Pingjiang found a place to park:
"I know a pretty good Western restaurant. Let's go eat there."
Before Yanyan could speak, Cao Jie quickly cheered, her eyes starting to gleam; she was a pure foodie.
"Hello, sir, how many in your party?"
"Three."
Led by the front desk attendant, the group found their seats.
As Chen Pingjiang reached for his phone, he felt something bulging in his pocket and remembered he still had a ping'an guo (Christmas apple).
"Here, Merry Christmas."
He said with a smile, handing it to Yanyan.
Yanyan didn't speak, but her eyes brightened a little. She happily played with the ping'an guo, then gave Chen Pingjiang a slight smile.
"I don't get one?"
Cao Jie pouted as she asked Chen Pingjiang.
Chen Pingjiang spread his hands:
"I didn't know you'd be here when I came."
Cao Jie whispered something into Yanyan's ear, and Yanyan's cheeks instantly flushed crimson at an incredible speed.
She gave Cao Jie an angry glare.
"What nonsense are you talking about?"
Soon, several dishes were served, and Cao Jie's chatterbox fully opened.
"This steak looks so appetizing!"
"Oh, is this a baguette? It's as hard as a rock."
"Strange, why pair foie gras with cantaloupe? What an odd way to eat it."
"..."
She really was a big third wheel.
With her around, Yanyan tried her best not to speak.
Chen Pingjiang figured this wouldn't do; he had to find a way to get rid of Cao Jie.
After thinking for a moment, Chen Pingjiang sent a message to Li Xi.
As they finished eating and walked out of the restaurant, Cao Jie pointed at the cash register in surprise, then turned her head and said,
"You just paid two thousand? Doesn't that mean nearly 700 per person? Oh my god, how dare they charge so much for something so unappetizing."
"Boss!"
Just then, Li Xi arrived.
Chen Pingjiang, as if seeing a savior, warmly put his arm around Li Xi's shoulder to introduce him.
Cao Jie seemed to sense something and stared at Li Xi warily.
When Li Xi first saw Yanyan, he was simply stunned by her beauty.
His face then involuntarily flushed, and he dared not meet Yanyan's gaze.
"So beautiful, she must be the boss's wife."
"Hello, Boss's wife."
Yanyan was already immune to being forcibly assigned the title of "boss's wife"; everyone in the world thought they were dating anyway.
"Hello."
Yanyan greeted with a smile.
Before, being called that would make her shy and anxious, but now she felt a little happy instead.
"Ahem, Li Xi, you've arrived at the perfect time. Why don't you take Cao Jie for a walk around, or maybe catch a movie?"
Chen Pingjiang said with a cough.
"No, I won't. Chen Pingjiang, don't think you can get rid of me."
"I don't even know him."
"If you dare treat me like this, I'll tell Yanyan bad things about you every day."
Chen Pingjiang couldn't be bothered with her nonsense and gave Li Xi a wink.
Li Xi understood, walked towards Cao Jie with a smile on his face, and then, without further ado, tugged at Cao Jie's sleeve and suggested,
"We were just talking in the office today, saying that 'Curse of the Golden Flower' is pretty good. I'll treat you to a movie."
"Hey, hey, what are you dragging me for?"
Cao Jie wanted to cry but had no tears.
She tried to break free, but how could a girl's strength compare to a boy's? She was roughly pulled away by Li Xi.
Seeing a hint of worry in Yanyan's eyes, Chen Pingjiang smiled and explained,
"Don't worry, it's fine. Now my ears can have some peace."
Yanyan, with a slightly embarrassed expression, said,
"Cao Jie isn't a bad person, don't mind her."
Chen Pingjiang shook his head:
"Why would I mind a little girl? Where shall we go?"
"Let's go to your company."
"Huh? To my company?"
Chen Pingjiang had considered countless possibilities, but he never expected Yanyan would want to go to Entrepreneurship Park 202.
This girl was interesting.
Seeing Chen Pingjiang's surprised expression, Yanyan added,
"If it's inconvenient, then forget it."
"It's convenient, what's inconvenient about it?"
Saying this, Chen Pingjiang naturally took Yanyan's hand and got on the elevator.
Feeling the faint warmth from his palm, Yanyan's face flushed.
And at an angle Chen Pingjiang couldn't see, her lips curved into a smile, as she let Chen Pingjiang lead her.
On Christmas Eve, apart from the content department staff on duty, not a soul could be seen in the company.
Upon arriving at Entrepreneurship Park 202, Yanyan curiously looked around.
"Is this Renren.com and Renren Takeaway's headquarters?"
"Hmm, originally it wasn't here, it was on the commercial street outside the campus."
As he spoke, Chen Pingjiang turned on the TV and electric heater.
"Renren Takeaway is pretty good. When it snowed at the beginning of the month, I also ordered takeout. Lately, I've become even lazier to go downstairs."
Because of Chen Pingjiang, Yanyan had always paid close attention to Renren.com and Renren Takeaway.
She would order food and buy things through Renren Takeaway whether she needed to or not.
"In the future, the takeaway industry will develop faster and faster. Maybe someday you'll be able to order food with your phone, anytime, anywhere. Even if you're not in the dorm, you can eat and use what you want at home, in a restaurant, at the movies, anywhere."
Yanyan became immersed in the scene Chen Pingjiang described.
She noticed that when Chen Pingjiang talked about his career, his whole body seemed to glow.
This made her look at him with a hint of adoration.
Yanyan's cool and composed personality was different from other girls; she didn't care much for emotional value, but rather admired strength.
This also explained why she joined the student council, refused to be manipulated, even joined the security team which was full of boys, and why no one in the entire sports institute could ever win her over.
The two heaters, operating at full power, quickly warmed up the office.
Chen Pingjiang was truly grateful to He Zhiyu; all the things he had moved from Yuanfang Supermarket today had come in handy.
Today was coincidentally the premiere of "Soldier Sortie," and Chen Pingjiang watched the first episode with great interest.
In fact, "Soldier Sortie" initially only aired on local channels, with a limited audience, and didn't generate much buzz.
It was only after it suddenly became popular online in 2007 that it sparked a viewership wave.
Although "Soldier Sortie" was a good TV series and Chen Pingjiang loved watching it, somehow he just couldn't get into it.
Yanyan wasn't doing much better; her whole being seemed to be in a daze.
The subtle fragrance from Yanyan constantly wafted to his nose.
Chen Pingjiang held Yanyan's small, smooth, jade-like hand.
Yanyan then leaned her head on Chen Pingjiang's shoulder.
Everything happened very naturally.
After all, they had already slept in the same bed!
Chen Pingjiang tilted his head to look at Yanyan, who was resting on his left shoulder.
As his gaze met hers, Yanyan seemed to notice too, shifting her eyes from the TV to meet Chen Pingjiang's gaze directly.
Chen Pingjiang wasted no more words, leaned his head to the left, and directly kissed Yanyan's lips.
"Mmph!"
When Yanyan saw Chen Pingjiang leaning in, she realized what was happening.
Just as she made a sound, Chen Pingjiang's lips covered hers.
Yanyan's eyes widened, instinctively wanting to pull away in a panic, but Chen Pingjiang was faster.
It was clear this was her first kiss; it was very awkward.
However, when it came to kissing, Chen Pingjiang was quite experienced.
This kind of thing was all about gradual progression, especially with a novice like Yanyan; he had to start gently and then go straight for the kill.
Under Chen Pingjiang's guidance, Yanyan gradually began to respond, becoming more and more skilled.
Yanyan's lips were like cherries, small and plump, exuding a unique fragrance, like sweet spring dew, flowing between Chen Pingjiang's lips.
After quite a while, the two finally separated.
In the dimly lit office, Yanyan's bright eyes blinked, as if savoring this wonderful feeling.
Her heart pounded rapidly, her cheeks flushed to her earlobes, and she nervously bit her lip.
Yet, she didn't avert her gaze, still looking at Chen Pingjiang.
The two heaters in the room were at full blast, making it as warm as summer.
Yanyan, dressed in a thick down jacket, felt hot and uncomfortable, and with a soft moan, she started to take off her jacket.
Chen Pingjiang was no inexperienced boy; looking at Yanyan's beautiful face and full lips, he felt a familiar craving.
As if they had reached some unspoken signal, the next moment, they drew close again.
Moving past the initial awkwardness, Yanyan also tried hard to respond to Chen Pingjiang's teasing.
This time, the impact on Yanyan was even greater; Chen Pingjiang went straight for a French kiss.
As tongue met tongue, Yanyan's tongue numbly accepted Chen Pingjiang's tempestuous assault, at times teasing, at times sucking.
This was a wonderful experience Yanyan had never had before.
Her body slowly relaxed, and Yanyan's hands wrapped around Chen Pingjiang's head.
It was unknown how long this kiss lasted, until they felt like they were running out of breath, they reluctantly separated, then gasped for air.
Unlike her earlier boldness, after this separation, Yanyan uncharacteristically turned her head away, her face frighteningly red.
Chen Pingjiang just assumed this was normal girlish shyness and didn't pay much attention.
Yanyan, who had never experienced this before, felt a bit ashamed at this moment.
She couldn't understand why she had wet herself?
That feeling couldn't be wrong.
"Take me back."
Chen Pingjiang was stunned, thinking to himself,
'She was fine just now, why does she want to go back now?'
"Are you angry?"
"No."
Yanyan's voice was as soft as a mosquito's hum.
Chen Pingjiang nodded.
He thought Yanyan was probably experiencing her first kiss, and her mindset had shifted, needing some alone time to process it.
So he stopped talking and took her back to the dorm.
All the way, Yanyan seemed to have a psychological burden and didn't say much, only occasionally flashing Chen Pingjiang a smile.
Soon, they arrived downstairs at the girls' dorm, and Yanyan got out of the car as if fleeing.
Chen Pingjiang wasn't stupid, how could he not know that Yanyan liked him?
The breakthrough in their relationship was probably during the Ferris wheel ride.
After that, Yanyan voluntarily went to the hotel to take care of a drunk Chen Pingjiang overnight, and then there was the trip to Yongquan Mountain Villa; many things had naturally come to fruition.
Seeing no one in the dorm, Yanyan cautiously changed her underwear, then, carrying a basin, ran to the washroom to wash her underwear before finally relaxing.
She sat on the bed in a daze.
That feeling just now was something she had never experienced in her almost twenty years of life.
Her whole body felt like it was zapped by electricity, muscles tensed, a rush of pleasure shooting straight to her head, and then, she didn't know how, she felt a warmth in her lower body.
After all, as a junior in college, even though she hadn't experienced it herself, she had a general idea.
The indescribable feeling of shame compounded with pleasure made her rush back to the dorm to calm down.
"What are you spacing out about?"
Cao Jie returned to find Yanyan sitting alone on a stool, lost in thought.
"Why are you back so early? Did you two argue?"
Yanyan shook her head:
"No."
"Your expression and complexion look a bit strange?"
The alert Cao Jie stared at Yanyan's face, looking back and forth.
Yanyan's heart thumped rapidly, and she nervously averted her gaze.
How could Cao Jie, who had no dating experience, understand Yanyan's feelings at this moment? Seeing that Yanyan didn't want to talk, she started her own chatterbox:
"That Li Xi, you must tell Chen Pingjiang to criticize him properly later. He dragged me around everywhere, was like a block of wood the whole time, didn't say a word, it was so boring."
"Also, we agreed to watch a movie, but when we got to the cinema, there were no tickets, and he wasn't willing to wait for the next showing."
"I'm so mad, so mad."
Yanyan, a bit unable to stand it, shook her head:
"It's not that he didn't speak, it's that you kept talking, and he couldn't get a word in."
"Nonsense, if he doesn't speak and I don't speak either, how awkward would the silence be?"
...
When Li Xi returned to the company, Chen Pingjiang was leaning on the sofa watching TV.
"Why are you still at the company so late?"
Chen Pingjiang asked.
Li Xi smiled:
"I still have some things to finish up. What are you watching?"
"'Soldier Sortie,' it just aired today."
He nodded, and their conversation turned to Cao Jie:
"Boss, that woman is terrifying. Her mouth just keeps going and going without stopping. She asked me what I do, what you usually do, about interesting things in the company; in short, she was like a hundred thousand whys. She completely shattered my illusions about love."
Chen Pingjiang laughed and chided:
"Is she really as exaggerated as you say? Are you going to stay single your whole life?"
Li Xi scratched his head:
"It's not that I won't look, but our area is poor. My mom will probably drag me around for blind dates as soon as I graduate college. One of my cousins went on a blind date on the third day of the lunar new year and got married and registered on the eighth."
"Your income is pretty good now; you can try dating someone yourself."
"All the money I earn needs to be taken back to build a house for my family, and my younger siblings are still studying."
Chen Pingjiang nodded and said nothing more.
In his impression, Li Xi had been a bit opportunistic during his interview, but after officially joining, he was the most capable, daring, and hardest-working.
Of course, Chen Pingjiang also provided opportunities, and now Li Xi had gradually grown.
Like Li Xi, the earliest batch of part-time university students who joined had become active in various positions at Renren.com, gradually shedding their naivety and completely transforming into working professionals.
To some extent, Chen Pingjiang also changed the fates of these people.
(End of chapter)
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