I am not just a tycoon

Chapter 198 The Aftereffects of Taking in Two Best Friends

However, she harbored an inexplicable hostility towards this girl, a sixth sense that is typical of women. She always felt that this woman would become involved with Shen Yuan again, so she subconsciously reached out and clasped Shen Yuan's arm.

This was a woman's way of asserting her dominance, especially since Shen Yuan had just mentioned that he wouldn't get back together with her.

Shen Yuan didn't make a fuss about it. After all, so many years had passed, and he had long since let go.

He merely waved his hand at a few girls as a greeting. At this moment, Luo Bingying took the initiative to speak, "Shen Yuan, it's been a long time."

Many girls during their student days disliked two types of female classmates.

One type was the girl who dressed provocatively, wore fashionable clothes, and had good relationships with boys;

In their view, such girls were somewhat "flirtatious," lacked boundaries in interacting with boys, and were good at attracting them. If any of the boys they had a crush on got hooked, their "dislike" would intensify even more.

The other type came from superior family backgrounds and always exhibited a unique, aloof demeanor, yet many boys liked this type of girl.

They felt these people were not only distant but also very arrogant and imagined them as disregarding others.

The types of girls they disliked had one thing in common; they were beautiful.

Plainly speaking, it was jealousy, jealous of the former for having good relations with boys, jealous of the latter for their feigned innocence and the love they received from so many boys.

And Luo Bingying was among the latter.

In the past, Tang Jiamei saw Luo Bingying as the epitome of false innocence and arrogance.

Moreover, because she liked Shen Yuan at that time, after Shen Yuan and Luo Bingying spent time together, she even bought a voodoo doll and labeled it "Luo Bingying," sticking needles into it daily.

It was quite childish, but she reveled in doing it at that time.

Until she entered university, as her horizons broadened and she matured, Tang Jiamei put those incidents behind her.

But now, seeing Luo Bingying taking the initiative to greet her stirred up a sense of disgust.

Isn't she supposed to be aloof? Why is she initiating conversation now?

Speaking is one thing, but the phrase "it's been a long time" should carry the tone of old classmates reuniting after years apart. However, it seemed to carry a sense of detachment in her expression.

Shen Yuan nodded slightly, "Indeed, it's been quite a while."

Their greetings were brief, and Luo Bingying turned her head away after getting a response, continuing to wait for the go-kart.

Shen Yuan, however, took a moment to appraise Luo Bingying.

After so many years, Luo Bingying's facial features hadn't changed much, still maintaining a high-end, abstinent look.

But she seemed even taller now.

Despite wearing flat shoes under a white dress, she appeared as if she could match his height by merely standing on tiptoes.

Luo Bingying had put on makeup today, looking exquisite all around, with her hair tied up accentuating her cool demeanor even more.

This type of girl, well... if you could win her over, it would bring a tremendous sense of achievement.

But Shen Yuan didn't want to invite trouble.

"Shen Yuan, it's really been a long time."

At this moment, Tang Jiamei also took the initiative to greet him, revealing a sweet smile.

"Indeed, long time no see, Tang Jiamei," Shen Yuan responded with a smile.

Tang Jiamei's smile grew even sweeter, "You still remember my name."

"Three years as classmates, remembered since then."

Shen Yuan thought to himself, the love letters you wrote to me in junior high, I haven't thrown them away, how could I possibly forget.

Back in junior high, Shen Yuan was quite popular, with some openly in love with him and others secretly; Tang Jiamei often slipped love letters into his desk.

"I heard you now have your own big company, way ahead of us by a large step, and it's a step we find difficult to cross."

From the moment Tang Jiamei saw Liew Menglu's face clearly, her last bit of hope shattered.

Not only was this woman beautiful, but she also had a very nice figure, sporting a hiking jacket that still managed to reveal impressive peaks, while the lines of her yoga pants sculpted her legs beautifully.

She definitely had no chance, as aside from a sweet appearance and a slightly better figure than ordinary girls, there were no other advantages.

As for family background? Those things were entirely insignificant to Shen Yuan now.

Shen Yuan had also changed significantly; previously he was rather skinny, appearing somewhat bony, but now his arms were bulging, with his biceps and triceps faintly visible.

Under the black sports shirt, the outline of his pecs could just be made out, indicating that Shen Yuan regularly worked out.

The object of her secret crush during junior high... had become increasingly outstanding, even reaching a level beyond her reach.

"Just small-time."

Shen Yuan thought no wonder that middle school classmate kept looking over; it turned out Cherng Xian and Jin Kangwen had exposed him.

Moreover, a Feel-good Index of 60 appeared above Tang Jiamei's head, obviously harboring some thoughts about him.

But Shen Yuan wasn't the kind of man who welcomed just anyone; surrounded by high-quality NPCs, he needed to be somewhat selective.

Tang Jiamei chuckled, "If you call that small-time, then we're just kids playing a game."

The two exchanged pleasantries for a while, and then a few more girls joined in. Such an outstanding old classmate, although there was no chance for romance, maintaining a good friendship was not bad either.

Luo Bingying stood quietly on the spot, her gaze fixated on the go-kart track, not joining the conversation.

And Liew Menglu scanned the group, realizing these girls posed no threat whatsoever; the only one who was a threat was that tall girl with a forbidding face.

But she seemed uninterested in Shen Yuan.

Tsk tsk, she looks down on our Shen Yuan? Well, our Shen Yuan isn't interested in her either.

Humph!

Finally, the previous batch of go-karts had gradually reached the finish line, and they could start their turn.

Shen Yuan accompanied Meng Lu for two rounds. Shen Yuan felt quite flat and even a bit bored, but Meng Lu was exceptionally excited and engaged, even wanting to go for a third round.

However, seeing that Shen Yuan was not very enthusiastic, she decided to stop, and then the two returned to rest under the tent.

Meng Lu took out a bag of lychees, peeled them, and then actively fed them to Shen Yuan.

One after another, Shen Yuan felt almost full and then said, "That's enough, eating too many of these can cause heatiness."

Meng Lu giggled and said, "No worries, I can help you 'cool down' tonight."

Saucy women... always eying my "small goals."

Shen Yuan glanced at her, "I cool down, and you blow off steam?"

Meng Lu's face turned red, and she continued peeling the lychees in silence. Coach Liew had her weak spots, and bringing up this topic immediately made her stop talking.

Coach Liew was just tough in her words; when it came to real challenges, her pleas for mercy were louder than anyone's.

The time quickly moved to the evening. During this afternoon and half an evening, employees of Jingfu played go-karts, frisbee, live-action CS, and in the evening, there was a BBQ followed by Karaoke in a small private dining room of a merchant.

It continued till 9 PM, and only then did everyone start feeling tired and suggested going back to rest.

Therefore, the tour bus began its journey back with everyone, but not long after leaving the campsite, the bus stopped unexpectedly, and to everyone's surprise, the driver rolled down the window and had a few words with someone outside.

Then, the driver approached Kuang Rong and said a few words before Kuang Rong walked up to Shen Yuan, "Mr. Shen, there's a car broken down ahead, he says it's your classmate. Should we let them come aboard?"

After hearing this, Shen Yuan walked down and saw that it was indeed Cherng Xian, next to him was an old Ford Taurus with its hazard lights flashing.

Ford cars are known for their frequent breakdowns, especially this 13-year-old model, so it breaking down was not a surprise.

Cherng Xian wore a wry smile, "It's my dad's old car, I only drive it during summer and winter holidays. It seems like the radiator is broken, the water temperature keeps rising, I dared not continue driving."

Shen Yuan asked, "So, are you going to leave your car here and take our bus?"

"I won't take the bus, I'll wait here for the repair and tow truck."

Cherng Xian pointed at two girls not far from him, "Let them take your bus and go back first."

Shen Yuan glanced at them; it was Luo Bingying and another girl from the class.

"No problem."

Shen Yuan patted Cherng Xian's shoulder, "Call me if you need anything."

"Yeah."

Cherng Xian waved to the two girls who approached, thanked him, and then boarded the bus.

The bus departed again, and Meng Lu opened her eyes widely and asked, "What happened?"

Shen Yuan explained, "My classmate's car broke down, they are taking our bus back."

"Oh, oh."

An hour later, the bus arrived under the Jingfu building, and Luo Bingying got off and said to Shen Yuan, "Shen Yuan, thank you."

Shen Yuan waved his hand, "No worries, it was on the way."

After saying goodbye, Shen Yuan walked with Meng Lu towards his Benz G-Class. The moment he was about to get into the car, Shen Yuan inadvertently saw Luo Bingying boarding a Toyota Camry.

In Star City, almost no one uses a Camry for ride-sharing services; mainly electric cars are used, and Luo Bingying's family is not short of money. Back in middle school, she used to be picked up and dropped by a Mercedes Benz S-Class, and now it's downgraded to a Camry?

That shouldn't be right.

And today, Luo Bingying was also in a classmate's car. I heard from Li Yuhang before that she used to have a driver accompany her.

While Shen Yuan was harboring doubts, Luo Bingying was sitting in the back seat of the Camry, listening to the chatter of the woman driving.

"You know the current situation at home, it's better to attend fewer of these gatherings."

The driver was a woman in her forties, still charming. She was well-maintained; her skin was fair, and wrinkles on her face were not very pronounced, bearing a resemblance to Luo Bingying.

However, observing the dark circles and the weary strands of hair at her forehead, she seemed quite tired.

Luo Bingying quietly watched out the window, not turning back, "I understand, mom, this will be the last time."

"Your classmates still don't know about our family's situation, do they?"

The woman continued, "If they did, they might distance themselves from you, people nowadays are very pragmatic."

Luo Bingying absentmindedly hummed a response, not saying much, and continued to watch the hustle and bustle of the city outside the window.

.....

Twenty minutes later, Shen Yuan and Meng Lu arrived at the Grand Hyatt's executive suite.

Meng Lu handed Shen Yuan a beautifully packed bag, "This has sunscreen and sunscreen spray, sunglasses, and a few UV protection clothes. The UV rays are strong in Southern Yunnan; these will be useful."

Given Chen Na's meticulous nature, she would undoubtedly have prepared these already, but Meng Lu still bought them, knowing Chen Na's character for so many years as her best friend.

This spoke volumes.

The aftermath of keeping best friends... not only has the relationship soured, but there's even a subtle duel happening.

"Alright."

Shen Yuan still accepted them; whether to use them was one thing, but it was proper to accept them.

Meng Lu was actually thinking simply, although Shen Yuan was traveling with Nana, if they used the items she bought during the trip, it meant Shen Yuan cared about her, valued her.

And Nana would surely notice because the sunscreen and sunglasses were brands they commonly bought and shared before.

She just wanted to convey some messages through these items.

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