In the blink of an eye, the afternoon passed and it was time for school to end.
Ian Song packed his bag and walked toward the school gate with Zach Zhang, Leo Li, and the others.
"Boss, I want to take you somewhere fun. Wanna come?" Zach Zhang said mysteriously.
"Where to?" Ian asked.
"You'll know when we get there," Zach teased, looking a bit smug.
Ian stared at Zach for a moment, then said, "Judging by your face, wherever you're taking me can't be anything good. So, I'm out."
Hearing Ian refuse, Jack Zhang got anxious. "Boss, come on! This is a once-in-a-lifetime chance!"
"Go for it, Boss. I want to check it out too," Leo Li chimed in.
"Boss, I promise you won't regret it if you come!" Xie Hui joined in, trying to persuade him.
Ian glanced at the four of them and noticed a hint of lewd excitement in their expressions. Suddenly, he remembered how Zach had been talking about 'Paris Peninsula' lately, so he asked, testing the waters, "Is it Paris Peninsula?"
Seeing Ian had guessed it, Zach Zhang stopped hiding and, lowering his voice, said excitedly, "Boss, you really are sharp. I heard a batch of Japanese girls just arrived at Paris Peninsula. Japanese girls are famous for being obedient, and these ones are all cute and charming. A buddy of mine from Second High already went once, and he played with two at a time. Boss, you coming? I'll call two for you!"
Ian was a little tempted, but he had his principles. So he shook his head and said, "Nah, I'm gonna pass. You guys go ahead."
"Boss, you sure you won't regret it?" Zach didn't seem to believe Ian was really turning him down.
Ian laughed it off. "What's there to regret? But let me remind you, we're all still young and students. Don't get too caught up in this stuff."
"Relax, it's just a little fun now and then." Zach replied sheepishly. "You really not coming, Boss?"
"Really not going!" Ian waved it off.
"Alright then, we'll head out first!" Zach waved to Ian, then left with Leo and the others for the school parking lot. He'd driven to school today.
Ian shook his head and kept heading toward the school gate.
Just as he got close to the gate, he noticed two tall, graceful girls standing side by side by the flower bed outside. Every boy who passed couldn't help sneaking a glance at them.
"Big brother."
As soon as Ian appeared, one of the girls hurried over and affectionately grabbed his arm. The other girl stayed put, smiling softly, her whole aura gentle and refined.
"Shelly, were you two waiting for me?" Ian asked with a smile, secretly thinking, "Damn, Su Xiaoyou really knows how to put on a show. She’s nothing like the little troublemaker from yesterday!"
"Yep, big brother. Su-Su wanted to invite you to dinner, but she was afraid you'd say no, so she asked me to come along," Shelly said playfully.
The boys nearby all wanted to strangle Ian. He’d just been rumored with Fiona Xiang, and now he was about to have dinner with the campus goddess Su Xiaoyou—plus Shelly, who was only a tiny bit less pretty than Su.
"Ian, would you like to have dinner with me?" Su Xiaoyou asked, head lowered, looking incredibly shy.
The boys who saw this scene all started to worry—was Su Xiaoyou falling for Ian?
Thinking that, the way everyone looked at Ian turned sour.
"Of course! How could I say no when the goddess invites me?" Ian grinned, though he had a feeling Su Xiaoyou’s invitation wasn’t just about dinner.
"Thank you, Ian, you're so nice," Su Xiaoyou said gratefully. Then she hugged Ian's other arm and said sweetly, "Let’s go."
"Damn, I can’t take this!"
"Damn, this is too much!"
Seeing this, a bunch of boys couldn't help but wail inside. If they didn't know Ian was crazy strong, they would've rushed up and beat him up.
Just then, Zach Zhang drove out of the school. Glancing over, he saw Ian sandwiched between two girls. No wonder Boss didn't want to go to Paris Peninsula—turns out this was the real reason.
Suddenly, Zach recognized one of the girls. His face instantly fell—it was Su Xiaoyou, the dream girl he'd chased for three years.
"Hey, isn't that Su Xiaoyou?" Jack Zhang saw it too, but instantly regretted saying anything. He looked at Zach and saw Zach's face was ashen, so he quickly added, "Don't get the wrong idea, maybe it's not what it looks like."
"Don't worry, I'm not overthinking it! Boss isn't that kind of guy." Zach forced a smile, then floored it and shot off like an arrow.
Watching the car speed away, Ian frowned a little. He'd seen Zach's expression and felt worried about a misunderstanding—he knew Zach had been chasing Su Xiaoyou for ages.
Thinking that, Ian tried to pull his arm out of Su Xiaoyou's grip, but she was holding on tight.
"Su Xiaoyou, let go of me. People will get the wrong idea!"
"Tch, like you care that much." Su Xiaoyou scoffed. "But if you want me to let go, I absolutely won't—what are you gonna do about it?"
"Whatever, if you want to hold on, go ahead." Ian couldn't be bothered to argue with Su Xiaoyou.
Twenty minutes later, the three of them arrived by car at a fancy Western restaurant downtown.
As soon as they entered, Su Xiaoyou grabbed Ian's arm again, pressing most of her body against him.
"Hey, Su Xiaoyou, you're going too far!" Ian said, looking at her.
"Ian, can you help me with something?" Suddenly, Su Xiaoyou looked pitiful.
"Hmph, I knew you weren't just being nice inviting me to dinner," Ian said with a sigh.
"Shelly," Su Xiaoyou turned to Song Xue.
"Big brother, help Su-Su out. She really needs it," Shelly pleaded.
"So what’s this about?" Ian asked helplessly. He could refuse Su Xiaoyou, but not Shelly.
"Hehe, I knew you'd agree." Su Xiaoyou smiled. "Here’s the deal: some clingy guy won’t leave me alone. My parents like him and want me to get engaged after graduation. So I need you to pretend to be my boyfriend and make him give up."
"Who is he?" Ian asked.
Su Xiaoyou said angrily, "His name’s Jin Enjun. He’s the son of the CEO of Baidai Group from East Korea."
"Baidai Group, the car company?" Ian was surprised. As far as he knew, Baidai Group was the biggest car manufacturer in East Korea, with assets worth nearly 300 billion Yanhuang dollars—a true mega-corporation.