Chapter 137: Ferrari, LaFerrari

All told, he had already invested over twenty million yuan into Shengxia, roughly around twenty-five million when calculated. And more funding was still needed. After all, the goal was to become the number one in Jinling, and that simply couldn't be achieved without spending money. Nowadays, everything revolved around money; with enough wealth, even the impossible could be done.

Liu Hanyue didn’t understand these things, and Cheng Yao hadn’t discussed them with her.

“After dinner, if you have time, shall we take a walk?” Cheng Yao asked with a smile.

Liu Hanyue glanced at him, thinking, ‘Is this a date?’

Her heart pounded like a drum—she didn’t dislike it but felt a little confused, nervous, and shy. She gently nodded.

Cheng Yao smiled, rekindling the excitement he felt back in high school.

Liu Hanyue was still a novice; though she was sharp-tongued, she’d never faced real battles, certainly no match for a seasoned player like Cheng Yao.

Cheng Yao’s romantic lines were delivered without a blink now—it just came naturally.

Of course, he only said such cheesy things to Lu Mengyao and the others. He knew if he said that to Liu Hanyue, she would surely despise him.

That would completely shatter his carefully crafted image.

Before long, the two arrived at the Jinling Eagle Tower in Xin Street.

Not long after entering the mall, Cheng Yao laughed and said, “With hundreds of thousands of fans, no one recognized you at all.”

“Obviously, I don’t show my face,” Liu Hanyue replied.

“It’s better that way.”

Cheng Yao thought not showing her face was good, but for this endorsement advertisement, showing her face seemed unavoidable. That was Liu Hanyue’s own decision.

The location was inside the office building next door. Upon arrival, a staff member asked, “Hello, may I help you?”

“Hello, I’m the person in charge of Shengxia Interactive Entertainment. We’re here regarding the endorsement for your colored contact lenses…”

“Hello, hello! May I know your name?”

“My surname’s Cheng.”

“Mr. Cheng, right this way. And this must be Little Strawberry? Wow, you’re so beautiful…”

The staff member was taken aback, somewhat shocked that such a lovely girl—like a doll—had chosen to keep her face hidden before.

Liu Hanyue felt nervous facing social encounters outside school for the first time.

“Thank you,” she said shyly, less lively than she was at school.

Cheng Yao understood this was a form of self-protection, like unfolding a defensive shield.

The female staff member happily said, “I’m your fan! Cat Nanbei and Dog Dongxi, hahaha…”

Inside the office, the staff knocked on the door.

“Come in.”

“Supervisor, the Shengxia Interactive Entertainment representatives are here. This is Mr. Cheng and Miss Liu…”

A middle-aged man smiled and emerged. “Hello, Mr. Cheng, Miss Liu. I knew you’d be beautiful. I’m Supervisor Song…”

“Supervisor Song, may I handle the filming? I’m a professional.”

“Sure, no problem. Let’s first review the script.”

“Alright.”

Liu Hanyue cooperated well, feeling less nervous with Cheng Yao by her side. She tugged his sleeve and whispered, “I’m about ready.”

“Okay, don’t be nervous—it’ll be fine.”

“I’m fine.”

The staff helped set the lighting while Cheng Yao positioned the camera, happily posing for the shoot.

Supervisor Song and the others were pleased with such professionalism.

In fact, the influencer world today was like a mini entertainment industry. Some big influencers saw themselves as celebrities, demanding constant praise and special treatment, as if they were little emperors.

Supervisor Song whispered, “Shengxia Interactive Entertainment is quite famous in Jinling now. The boss is willing to invest heavily, and the influencers are top quality. Look at these two—the looks are almost ridiculous. I’d believe it if someone called them stars. This endorsement is making a fortune!”

“Yeah.”

Liu Hanyue’s eyes were as vivid as ever—truly top-tier contact lens models.

She didn’t need to say much, just cooperated with the shoot while the sound engineer adjusted the audio.

When it was over, Liu Hanyue breathed a sigh of relief.

Supervisor Song handed red envelopes to Cheng Yao and Liu Hanyue. “Mr. Cheng, thank you so much. We should have come to Shengxia instead; sorry for the inconvenience. Looking forward to more cooperation in the future.”

“There will be plenty of chances. It’s nothing.”

“I’ll see you out…”

While chatting, Supervisor Song added, “We’ll transfer the remaining half of the endorsement fee tomorrow. Mr. Cheng, you’re young but accomplished.”

“A lucky cat catching a dead rat,” Cheng Yao joked.

“You’re too modest…”

After arriving at the parking lot, Liu Hanyue said, “I was so nervous. Let’s go eat—I’m starving.”

“Thank you for your hard work, Miss Liu.”

“Hmph, just know that.”

“I’ll treat you.”

“Forget it, if I say I’ll treat you, then I will.”

Cheng Yao laughed and nodded. “Alright, your treat it is. After dinner, how about I take you to a movie?”

“…Ah.”

That was too direct.

Liu Hanyue wondered if it was too soon to jump straight to watching a movie—just the two of them?

Cheng Yao wasn’t embarrassed; he pressed on, “Not okay?”

“Ah…”

Liu Hanyue was a little shy, unsure how to respond.

“If not, then next time.”

“Okay, it’s not late anyway.” She worried Cheng Yao might be tired after the movie and want to rest somewhere.

She glanced at the time—only 6:20. After dinner, it would be around 7:30. A movie from 7:30 to 9:30 would be just right to get back to school.

Finally, Liu Hanyue’s lips curved slightly, a sly glint flashing in her eyes. “I didn’t expect red envelopes. How much did they give you?”

“How about you?”

“Five thousand.”

“Wow, that guy’s stingy. Only a thousand for me?”

“Born beautiful with no effort. If you perform well, that’s probably why.” Liu Hanyue lifted her fair little chin like a little swan.

Cheng Yao laughed and stepped on the gas, heading straight for Guanye Villa Hotpot.

Fifteen minutes later, the car was parked.

They crossed the street to a seafood hotpot restaurant, arguably the most expensive in Jinling, but very popular.

“Welcome, two people?”

“Do you have a private room?”

“Yes, right this way.”

They chose a private room for better environment and privacy.

Inside, Liu Hanyue glanced around.

Cheng Yao held the menu. “How about this king crab?”

“Anything’s fine. You decide.”

“Sir, we can prepare the king crab three ways—frozen crab legs, crab shell omelet, and spicy or typhoon shelter-style crab meat…”

“Then one king crab, and please clean the water thoroughly.”

“Don’t worry, definitely.”

Cheng Yao also ordered quality steaks, French oysters, and some sashimi for Liu Hanyue.

She ordered shrimp paste and some vegetable dishes.

“Will we be able to finish all this?”

“I have a big appetite…”

“Me too.”

Liu Hanyue thought it was doable; whenever she ate with Cheng Yao, or hotpot, he always had a big appetite.

Cheng Yao flexed his arm muscles; Liu Hanyue’s cheeks flushed, thinking of his abs.

“What movie are we watching?”

“Flipped.”

“…Okay.”

Liu Hanyue’s voice was faint as a mosquito’s; she looked down at the menu but secretly glanced at Cheng Yao, her heart beating faster.

Are all boys this direct?

Good heavens!

This caught Liu Hanyue completely off guard, like being dragged into a battle without any gear, utterly unprepared.

She could only respond cautiously, extremely sensitive.

In truth, Cheng Yao wasn’t really interested either.

He had already watched Flipped three times; he even watched it with the Ouyang sisters in Guangzhou once.

Now, with Liu Hanyue, this was the fourth viewing.

If they were in Magic City, Zhang Ya would probably drag him to watch again…

But he wasn’t going to the cinema just for the movie—it was for the atmosphere of a romantic film in the theater.

He had no intention of going too far, but holding hands wasn’t too bad.

Soon, the fresh chilled king crab was served.

Chilled crab was eaten raw; Cheng Yao had tried it before in Sanya.

Dipped in sauce, it was refreshing, tender, slightly sweet…

The fishy smell was barely noticeable, completely masked by the sauce.

“Not bad, try some…”

“Thanks, I’ll do it myself.” Liu Hanyue was almost overwhelmed, wanting to laugh but holding back, so as not to seem too easily won over.

Cheng Yao was somewhat gentle—handsome, considerate, and skilled in many ways. He was truly attractive.

No wonder so many girls from the School of Economics liked him; yet he never seemed to get close to any.

He also had a good reputation at school, aside from skipping classes.

Cheng Yao didn’t think too much, just enjoyed the meal.

They dipped beef slices, ate seafood, savoring every bite.

Life is to be enjoyed with both beauty and good food.

In fact, this outing with Liu Hanyue could only be called a date, given the circumstances…

Both were caught off guard; probably both a little bewildered.

Within twenty minutes, their table was cleared.

Liu Hanyue couldn’t eat anymore and sipped juice. “I’m done. If you want to eat more, order some.”

“I’m about done too. Let’s go.”

They left the hotpot restaurant. The king crab was expensive, but the beef wasn’t much pricier than elsewhere, and the prawns were not cheap either.

At exactly 7:30, Cheng Yao’s driving was brisk.

Liu Hanyue sat in the passenger seat, looking at the movie tickets. “Only couple seats left.”

“Then couple seats it is.”

“Hmm…”

No other choice, and her heart fluttered a little.

They arrived at Xianlin at 7:40, parked in the mall’s underground garage, took their tickets, and headed straight to the theater.

The theater was quite crowded, mostly students.

The film was touching and popular.

The couple seats had no dividing armrest. Cheng Yao sat down, and the petite Liu Hanyue nestled close, holding her soda.

The movie had already started; they missed the opening.

“Want a drink?”

Seeing him motionless, Liu Hanyue offered politely. Unexpectedly, Cheng Yao leaned over and bit the straw.

Liu Hanyue was silent for a moment, looked at the straw, then at Cheng Yao.

What was this? An indirect kiss?

Her cheeks burned, flushing to her ears. The lighting concealed it, but her gaze was distracted, her mind elsewhere.

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