Chapter 244: Chapter 244: You Deserve to Be Spoiled Rotten
Sang Ning placed her right hand on the door handle. Just as the green light was about to turn on, she tugged on the door handle.
Click.
The sound of the car door locking echoed. Sang Ning pulled on the door handle forcefully again, but the door didn’t budge.
In the brief moment it took, the green light had already lit up. Li Juezhou stepped on the gas and sped through the intersection.
Sang Ning: ???
"Are you trying to force me now? I’d advise you to think carefully about the consequences!" Sang Ning threatened him viciously.
Her thoughts had been completely skewed by Li Juezhou’s series of actions—was he planning something audacious?
Before Sang Ning could explode, Li Juezhou gave her a light flick on the forehead and said with a pointed seriousness, "Sangsang, what on earth is going through your head? Isn’t there nearby construction by your house? They start work at eight or nine in the morning, which I thought might disturb your rest. That’s why I’m taking you to stay at my place for a while so you can get some proper sleep."
Sang Ning’s expression immediately turned colorful—utter social death!
What on earth had she just said to Li Juezhou?
"But you’re not entirely wrong. I do indeed plan to lure you into my bed," Li Juezhou teased Sang Ning with his eyes fixed on the road, making a sharp turn as he threw out the comment.
Sang Ning’s emotions surged up and down; her temper had just subsided but flared up again in an instant.
"However, don’t misunderstand. No one’s ever slept in that bed before—you’re the first," he added sincerely.
Li Juezhou glanced sideways at Sang Ning, noticing that she was already on the verge of losing it, yet she forcibly swallowed her anger after hearing what he said.
He initially wanted to tease her further but decided against it; otherwise, he might end up getting fired as her "intern boyfriend" tonight.
"Sangsang, don’t worry. I have a place to stay. That apartment has been vacant ever since I bought it—you’ll sleep there tonight, and I won’t stay over," Li Juezhou explained clearly, aiming to ease Sang Ning’s concerns completely.
Sang Ning suddenly latched onto a key point: "You own more than one property?"
Li Juezhou hesitated briefly, his mind processing the situation.
He didn’t recall ever pretending to be financially strapped in front of her. If he revealed bits and pieces of his true situation gradually, would she be more accepting when she eventually learned everything?
During his pause, Sang Ning interpreted his silence to mean Li Juezhou had so many properties that it’d be impossible to list them all in one go.
"A conservative estimate—the number should be over a dozen," Li Juezhou replied casually.
Over a dozen. Shouldn’t that still be within Sang Ning’s range of acceptance?
Sang Ning felt a wave of shock—so strong that her body and soul both reeled. She slumped into the seat, clutching her chest tightly.
Here we go again—yet another shockwave for tonight.
This time, the shock came courtesy of her intern boyfriend.
She used to feel sorry for Li Juezhou, thinking he earned meager wages as an auxiliary personnel at the police station. Now it seemed like she should feel sorry for herself instead.
"You sure have a solid foundation, huh~" Sang Ning could only manage a bitter smile, unsure what else to say.
Seeing Sang Ning’s lack of major reaction, Li Juezhou finally relaxed a little and answered ambiguously, "Not bad, thanks to the legacy my father left behind."
Li Juezhou wasn’t lying. Even though he was managing Hai Chuan well now, the company had been passed down to him by his father.
**
After about ten minutes, the car pulled up to a high-end apartment building in the city center.
Sang Ning felt like she might’ve been too accustomed to being a humble "barnyard chicken" to suddenly adapt to this "fine grain." Before they even entered the parking garage, she began to waver.
"Xiao Li, I think I’d better go home. Your apartment is too upscale—it’ll make me seem like I’m freeloading," Sang Ning said nervously.
She had assumed the place Li Juezhou was taking her to was just a regular apartment. Not wanting to seem ungrateful for his kindness, she had agreed to come along.
Otherwise, with her sleeping habits, once she fell into a deep sleep, not even thunder could wake her—let alone the minor construction noise near her house.
The moment she saw the apartment Li Juezhou brought her to, Sang Ning knew it was far from ordinary. She had heard about this place—the price was ten million per square meter. Calling it upscale was an understatement; it was downright luxurious!
"Sangsang, are you complaining that I haven’t done enough and intentionally being passive-aggressive?" Li Juezhou’s tone suddenly turned wounded, though he didn’t stop driving as he headed straight into the parking garage.
Sang Ning was dumbfounded—wait, where did he hear passive aggression in what she just said?
Her tone had been completely normal—right?
"Sangsang, so being wealthy is my fault now? Are you a wealth hater?" Li Juezhou’s voice carried a hint of a tremor, as though he was about to burst into tears.
To be fair, Sang Ning really fell for this act. She actually started feeling guilty.
"Alright, alright. Can you as a grown man stop whining? Fine, I’ll stay, okay?" Sang Ning relented, sensing herself being subtly manipulated. Men who talked sweetly were truly scary.
"Sangsang, I don’t want you to feel pressured. A boyfriend should treat his girlfriend well. If I have the ability to let you enjoy better things, why would I hide that? You’re my girlfriend—I should spoil you rotten," Li Juezhou said earnestly after parking the car, one hand resting on the steering wheel as he gazed deeply at Sang Ning.
The garage was pitch dark except for the car’s headlights illuminating the interior.
Li Juezhou’s face was partially obscured by shadow and partly illuminated by light, making his sharp features appear even more striking.
Sang Ning suddenly felt flustered and instinctively swallowed a lump in her throat without realizing it.
After a brief moment of daze, alarm bells rang in her head.
Love poison! Love poison!
Sang Ning silently repeated these words to herself. She almost fell for Li Juezhou’s sweet talking.
Never underestimate a man’s initiative during the honeymoon phase. If his girlfriend wanted stars plucked from the sky, he’d probably find a way to do it.
The real question was whether a man could maintain that passion after the honeymoon phase was over.
Sang Ning felt like her overly rational nature wasn’t always a good thing. It could take the romance out of anything and turn it into something overly analytic.
Still, she didn’t share her true thoughts with Li Juezhou. Regardless of whether his passion cooled later down the road, at least for now, he was genuinely and wholeheartedly hers—and that was enough.
Whether she could continue living in this world was still uncertain. Instead of worrying about an unknown future, why not savor the happiness of the present?
As long as she could stay clear-headed and withdraw without hesitation when Li Juezhou did change his heart, that would suffice.
"Okay then, starting today, as an equal exchange, I’ll spoil you to the heavens too," Sang Ning responded with sincerity. Whether it was a friendship or a romantic relationship, true heart should be met with true heart.
Despite her words, Li Juezhou couldn’t bring himself to feel completely happy. He forced a flawless smile.
She was being kind to the "boyfriend" label, rather than being kind to him as a person.