Chapter 246 - 194: The Ride-sharing Supercar (Part 3)

He had arranged with Xiaolang to pick up the car tomorrow, so he had nothing else to do today. He walked out of the 4S store for some fresh air and, turning his head, saw the Lantu 4S Store. He was instantly curious, wondering if Huang Lingyu was in this branch.

’Huh, isn’t that Zheng Lei?’

He could see him from a distance, peering furtively inside. ’He must be looking for Huang Lingyu, too,’ he guessed. Yang Hui had interacted with Huang Lingyu a few times, so he knew her situation with Zheng Lei wasn’t what the rumors suggested. The whole "boyfriend-girlfriend" story was a narrative Zheng Lei was pushing all by himself; Huang Lingyu had never once acknowledged it.

’Looks like he couldn’t get her to meet him, so he came to her workplace instead. Sigh, that’s no way to pursue a girl. It’s just annoying. The more you act like this, the more she’ll want to avoid you.’

Xiaoli was at the entrance greeting customers. She saw a rather homely-looking man who had been loitering hesitantly outside for a while, but she didn’t pay him much mind; she knew he definitely wasn’t here to buy a car.

Zheng Lei had spent the last few days searching nearly every Lantu 4S Store in the city. He only knew from Huang Lingyu that she worked at one, but not which specific location. After failing to get her to meet him multiple times, he was determined to find her and tell her in person that it was *her* he cared about, not the money.

He never thought Huang Lingyu would make such a clean break. She had asked for his father’s bank account, transferred 60,000, and promised to pay another 140,000 within three years. It was material repayment for the Zheng Family’s financial support during her studies. She also added that she would always respect Uncle Zheng as she would her own father. The reason she was repaying the money was to free herself of any sense of obligation.

To an old hand like Father Zheng, her words made it clear that she had no interest in his son. You can’t force matters of the heart. Rather than creating bad blood by forcing them together, it was better to part on good terms. So he agreed right away. He even told Huang Lingyu that all she needed to repay was the 140,000 they had given her over the years, and there was no need for a time limit.

Huang Lingyu was very grateful to Father Zheng for this, which made her even more insistent on paying him the full 200,000. She had his account number, so she could just transfer the money directly without having to argue with him over the phone.

After his call with Huang Lingyu, Father Zheng called Zheng Lei to tell him what happened. Zheng Lei completely lost it, blaming his father for agreeing to Huang Lingyu’s terms. Father Zheng explained, "Lei, you can’t try to force a relationship by holding a past favor over someone’s head. You won’t be happy even if you’re together. So, it’s time to just let her go."

Zheng Lei was so angry he hung up on his dad. He started frantically bombarding Huang Lingyu with messages, professing his deep affection and how much he liked her. But what he didn’t know was that of all the messages he sent, Huang Lingyu had only read the first one. The rest went unread; they were too sickeningly sweet.

Sweet nothings only feel sweet when spoken between lovers. When spoken by someone you dislike, such mushy words will only make you nauseous.

Zheng Lei had even stopped going to work for this, searching every Lantu 4S Store in Jiangzhou until he had finally found this one today. He watched from the outside for a long time without seeing Huang Lingyu. Finally, he mustered his courage and walked in.

Xiaoli put on a professional smile. "Looking for a car, sir?"

Zheng Lei shook his head and asked, "Is there someone named Huang Lingyu working here?"

’Looking for Lingyu?’ Xiaoli had gotten very close with Huang Lingyu recently; she was probably the best friend she had at the company. She asked cautiously, "And you are...?"

From her question, Zheng Lei knew instantly that Huang Lingyu was indeed at this store. He was overjoyed. "I’m her boyfriend," he said. "Where is she?"

Xiaoli scoffed, looking at him with contempt. "Sir, someone like you? I can’t possibly tell you where she is."

’Someone like me? What’s wrong with me?’ Zheng Lei was baffled.

"First of all, you’re not her boyfriend. The two of you are not a match at all. Second, if you were actually close with Lingyu, you’d have her contact information. Why didn’t you just contact her directly? Plus, you didn’t even know she worked here. All the evidence suggests you’re strangers."

’Holy shit,’ Zheng Lei thought. ’Is she a car salesperson or a goddamn detective? Why do you have to make things so difficult?’ He didn’t bother explaining that he *had* called and texted, but Huang Lingyu was giving him the cold shoulder.

"Miss, I’m not lying. I really do know her well."

Xiaoli scoffed, crossing her arms as she stared at him. "Oh, please. The most familiar of strangers, are we?"

Zheng Lei was stunned. ’Damn, that’s a gut punch. You’re joking, but you actually hit on the very essence of the situation. Aren’t I just a familiar stranger to her now? No, I can’t accept this. I’m here to win her back today.’

Just then, Yang Hui walked in. At first, Xiaoli thought he was a potential customer, but when he stepped inside and she saw his face clearly, she hurried to greet him, "Ah, President Yang! What an honor."

She knew Yang Hui, so her greeting was partly in jest. At the same time, she glanced at Zheng Lei and thought, ’Heh, the knock-off just ran into the real deal.’

Zheng Lei turned at the sound of her voice. Seeing it was Yang Hui, he blurted out, "Yang Hui, what are you doing here?"

Xiaoli shot him a displeased look. "President Yang is here to see his girlfriend, of course." After she said it, she was suddenly confused. ’This liar actually knows Lingyu’s boyfriend? Then why is he still trying to pass himself off as her boyfriend?’

Yang Hui and Zheng Lei had always rubbed each other the wrong way. Hearing him, he said coldly, "This is a 4S store, not your house. Why shouldn’t I be here?"