GDRG CH15

Chapter 15: The Ruthless Rich Guy Rents a Luxury Car

On the way to the airport to meet up, Shi Xueqing sneezed the entire way. After seeing the large white building of the airport, Shi Xueqing desperately prayed to all the gods in his heart, begging them not to let him still be sneezing when he was in front of the fair-skinned, rich, and beautiful girl.

Sneezing was the second most disillusioning act after farting and bad breath. On the first day of the trip, he did not want his image to suffer a devastating blow.

Fortunately, as soon as he got out of the Uber, Shi Xueqing’s sneezing stopped. It seemed that the curse that transcended time and space, like a cell phone, lost its signal once inside the airport.

Although he saw the group in the hall from a distance, Shi Xueqing first entered the airport from a farther entrance and tidied up his appearance in the restroom. When he came out, he was once again a cool and detached artistic grifter.

A blue and white irregular patterned short-sleeved shirt, with a low-cut white t-shirt underneath, light gray-blue jeans paired with white sneakers. A small portion of his soft, clavicle-length hair was tied up, and a permanent silver clavicle chain and permanent silver stud earrings were added, with two more turns of a silver chain around his wrist.

He pushed a silver suitcase and walked out of the restroom with literary grace. He was handsome, tall and thin, and his color scheme was very summery and cool. As he walked, he looked like a walking clothes hanger. Many passers-by turned their heads to look at him.

Shi Xueqing felt a secret thrill. When he heard Lü Yimeng call out from a distance and saw the faces of the two boys who turned around, this secret thrill reached its peak.

Two average guys. Although one of them was wearing Gucci.

“I’m Zheng Songtao.” A chubby, average guy greeted him enthusiastically.

The other average guy, dressed stylishly and somewhat handsome, looked him up and down, his expression turning a little complicated.

“Jason,” he said with a hint of arrogance.

“Cyan,” Shi Xueqing said coolly, returning the favor by not telling him his Chinese name.

“Cyan? What a weird name,” Jason muttered.

Lü Yimeng said, “Xiao Shi is a literary youth. He likes things that are more special…”

Shi Xueqing just smiled faintly. “A name is just a name.”

Shi Xueqing only needed to put on a slight act, and Jason had a lot to think about.

Although he could be tactically condescending, he still had to be strategically serious. The group went to check in their luggage. Shi Xueqing watched as Jason bustled about, helping Xing Wei move her suitcase onto the conveyor belt, his posture very attentive.

While going through security, Shi Xueqing pretended to be casual and asked Lü Yimeng about the two guys’ backgrounds. Lü Yimeng said, “Zheng Songtao is a CS major at our school. Last semester, me, him, and Weiwei were in a project group together.”

“Oh… what about Jason?”

“Jason is Weiwei’s middle school classmate.”

Middle school classmates who were still in contact after going to university. Shi Xueqing became slightly vigilant. After security check, the group met up again.

And just at this moment, Jason bought two cups of coffee from the nearby Starbucks and handed one to Xing Wei. “Here, yours.”

After handing it over, he even glanced at Shi Xueqing, his eyes holding something not so friendly.

Shi Xueqing was no stranger to this kind of look. He was good-looking and popular with girls, and he had been envied by his own gender since he was a child. When he was young, they called him a sissy. When he grew up, they were both wary and jealous. Shi Xueqing was long used to it and didn’t care at all.

He felt that the most unfortunate thing for a man was to be ugly. It was not strange for such an unfortunate person to have a more venomous heart.

“I want to go buy a cup of coffee too. Do you want one?” he turned and asked Lü Yimeng.

Shi Xueqing not only asked Lü Yimeng, but also the bespectacled best friend Tao Shu who was playing on her phone on the side, and even the chubby, average guy Zheng Songtao who was being a background ornament. The latter was flattered and had a look on his face that suggested he thought Shi Xueqing looked cool and detached but was actually very emotionally intelligent.

Not only that, Shi Xueqing even asked Xing Wei, “Have you had breakfast? I’ll buy some pastries and bring them back.”

Although Xing Wei said no, she showed her approval. Jason’s face fell, and he stared at Shi Xueqing.

Shi Xueqing’s expression was serene. He thought to himself, you’re too weak to compare your tea ceremony skills with me.

He and Lü Yimeng came back with coffee and heard Zheng Songtao asking, “Have the hotels been booked…”

“I had someone help me book them. One room per person, all single rooms,” Xing Wei said.

The young miss was still generous, not even booking double rooms. Shi Xueqing was only thinking about the single rooms and didn’t pay attention to the phrase “had someone.”

The group walked to the boarding gate. Jason had been competing with Shi Xueqing with his eyes the whole time. Shi Xueqing, wearing his 900-dollar headphones, just pretended not to see, not wanting to lower his image and taste.

But then something unfortunate happened—the flight was delayed, and they had to wait an extra three hours.

“Three hours? By the time we fly there, it will be evening,” Xing Wei said anxiously. “I’m going to make a call.”

“Who are you calling?” Lü Yimeng asked.

“The person who’s picking us up there.”

They even hired a local guide or tour guide? Shi Xueqing had no time to think about these things. He saw Jason glance at him as he took out an iPad Pro wrapped in an LV protective case, and he calmly took out the book “Difference and Repetition” from his bag.

Jason: …

Shi Xueqing’s posture was elegant, not looking at Jason. He felt that the sky was blue, the floor-to-ceiling windows were huge, the light was good, suitable for reading, and it also illuminated his face brightly.

On the other side, Xing Jun was on a WeChat call with Xing Wei. Xing Jun comforted his sister, “It’s okay, I’m about to get off the plane. Give me another call when you’re about to arrive.”

“Okay,” Xing Wei said. “Brother, what are you going to do for the rest of the day?”

Xing Jun took his Rimowa carry-on. “I’ll rent a car first.”

The person sitting in front of him seemed to be a minor internet celebrity and was currently berating her assistant for accidentally dropping her LV carry-on. The long flight was making people irritable. Xing Jun glanced at her and passed by from the side without any politeness, thinking that he still couldn’t appreciate this aesthetic full of logos.

It felt a bit tacky.

Speaking of logos and tackiness, he thought of someone. Xing Jun’s eyes narrowed slightly as he asked Xing Wei, “What are you guys planning to do while waiting for these three hours?”

“Play cards, I guess… Xiao Tao brought a deck of Exploding Kittens. Jason! Stop looking at your iPad and come play cards! Xiao Shi, what are you reading?”

The rustling sound was Xing Wei’s footsteps. Xing Jun’s hand holding the phone tightened, and then he heard Shi Xueqing’s elegant voice, “Gilles Deleuze, Différence et Répétition.”

Still in French pronunciation.

Xing Jun: …

The veins on the back of his hand bulged.

On the other end of the phone, Xing Wei: “Ah… am I disturbing you then?”

Shi Xueqing: “No, let’s go play cards together…”

Xing Wei to the phone: “Then let’s stop here for now.”

“Alright, go have fun,” Xing Jun said coldly.

He hung up the phone.

Gilles Deleuze.

And Différence et Répétition.

Could Shi Xueqing read the French version of “Difference and Repetition”? Reading the title in French while looking at the English version, isn’t that a bit too pretentious?

Of course, Xing Jun knew that Shi Xueqing couldn’t possibly be reading the Chinese version. After all, showing off was Shi Xueqing’s core need.

He sneered at Shi Xueqing’s vanity in his heart, thinking that Shi Xueqing definitely didn’t know that he, for work purposes, had actually learned French.

Xing Jun had originally planned to greet Shi Xueqing with a few French phrases when they met, to expose the fact that Shi Xueqing didn’t know French but loved to pretend.

But then he heard a commotion in the hall.

It turned out to be the same logo-covered internet celebrity from before. She was still scolding her assistant for damaging her suitcase. But soon, what looked like her boyfriend came to pick her up, holding a bouquet of flowers and a bag. The internet celebrity, holding the new bag, soon broke into a smile.

“What kind of car are you driving to pick me up?” As she passed by, Xing Jun heard her say, “I’m going to shoot a video and post a vlog later…”

Xing Jun had already booked a car at the rental shop before landing. After leaving those people, he had already walked to the rental shop.

He paused at the counter before picking up the car, then changed his mind.

Shi Xueqing was vain and tacky, so he would use a tacky method to force him to reveal his money-worshipping true colors in front of Xing Wei.

He called his playboy friend: “Where can I rent a luxury car in Honolulu?”

Playboy friend: “Huh? You’re going to Hawaii and you want to rent a luxury car? That doesn’t sound like your style, CEO Xing. Didn’t you say you should keep a low profile when traveling far, in case you get targeted?”

The suspicious Xing Jun was yesterday’s Xing Jun. Today’s Xing Jun had a purpose. Xing Jun said, “Something’s up, I have to use it.”

“Yo.” The playboy friend burst out laughing on the other end of the phone. “No way, CEO Xing. What does she look like?”

“What what does she look like?”

“Stop pretending. Renting a luxury car to pick up a beautiful girl, right? What kind of beauty has captured your heart?”

What pick up a beautiful girl? It’s to mess with a green tea. Xing Jun was simply too lazy to explain to his simple-minded friend. He just said one word: “No.”

“Alright, alright, stop pretending with me. Otherwise, why would you rent a luxury car? Want to rent a two-seater sports car to take a beauty for a ride? As it happens, I know a place. Go check it out.” Before hanging up, the playboy friend added ambiguously, “I wish you success in battle and the loss of your virginity.”

Xing Jun: …

“There’s no room for a beauty. I’m driving, and my sister is in the passenger seat,” he said, extremely annoyed, and hung up the phone.

This is too ridiculous.

It’s all Shi Xueqing’s fault.

Before long, the car rental owner’s call came through. He respectfully asked him what kind of car he needed and also offered various additional welcome and pick-up services.

Of course, Xing Jun didn’t need those latter things and directly asked him what cars he had.

The owner listed off Bentleys, McLarens, and the like as if he were reciting a menu. Xing Jun suddenly remembered the expression on Shi Xueqing’s face when his car key had hit his face in the BMW, and on a whim, he said, “Do you have a Ferrari?”

“Yes, what model do you need?”

“…” A two-seater sports car model was on the tip of his tongue, but then Xing Jun, on another whim, said, “Do you have a four-seater sports car?”

“We have the Roma,” the owner named a model.

“That one,” Xing Jun made a final decision. Only after making the decision did he wonder why he had chosen a four-seater.

He hadn’t intended for Shi Xueqing to sit in it. Xing Jun thought it over and felt that he probably wanted Xing Wei and her best friends to sit together, so that Shi Xueqing could only watch with longing eyes.

Xing Jun waited at the airport for the pick-up car. He had never found it interesting to rent a luxury car for a trip. It wasn’t like he was lacking a luxury car to drive for a few days.

But Shi Xueqing could show off three Instagram posts for even a nine-hundred-dollar pair of headphones. Thinking of the image of Shi Xueqing scratching his heart and liver, wanting to take a selfie next to the luxury car while he wasn’t there, only to be caught in the act by him with Xing Wei, Xing Jun felt his mood instantly brighten.

The fatigue from the long flight also subsided.

That green tea Shi Xueqing has no idea what kind of scheme he is about to face.

At the same time, at C City Airport.

A familiar itch surged up his nose. Shi Xueqing was trying his best to hold it in for the sake of his image when he heard Jason’s provocative voice: “Cyan, are you going to draw? Are you afraid you’ll draw the bomb next, so you don’t dare to draw?”

Shi Xueqing was fighting a fierce battle with a sneeze and had no time to argue with him. He reached out and drew a card.

It was indeed a bomb.

The bomb exploded, and at the same time, Shi Xueqing let out a loud sneeze.

He only had time to turn his head and let the sneeze spray towards Zheng Songtao. Everyone was laughing, including Xing Wei. Only Shi Xueqing was frantically searching for a tissue, wanting to cry but having no tears.

Why am I so unlucky today?

Who on earth is thinking about me behind my back?

It must be the Balenciaga guy. He must have already seen the story I just posted, playing Exploding Kittens with Xing Wei. Thinking of this, Shi Xueqing felt smug, feeling that everything was under control.