Chapter 348: Chapter 272: The Essence of Coaxing People Chapter 348: Chapter 272: The Essence of Coaxing People In the room, Shen Qingning had just placed her phone on top of a romance novel.

She never imagined Cheng Zhu would reply like that.

The image of this rascal smiling broadly had already formed in her mind.

“So annoying!”

He had just done these things to me.

And now he was all smiles again!

Who replies with “Oh, I thought you were going to ignore me all night” at a time like this!

Why did she feel like punching him?

She even started regretting sending him that photo.

With that thought, she really planned to start ignoring him from now on.

However, truly ignoring him would mean not replying to his WeChat messages and not interacting with him at all.

Yet, Shen Qingning picked up her phone and withdrew the photo and messages she had just sent…

When Cheng Zhu saw her retract the messages, he felt that a slightly moody Ning Bao was indeed cuter than usual.

This typically imposing and cool young girl, showing such little emotional actions between men and women at the moment, also had a sense of contrast.

Even her method was somewhat childish.

I’m not talking to you, but I’m using the retraction to tell you that I’m really ignoring you now.

What was this action really saying?

— She needs to be cajoled.

This emotion wasn’t something one could often see in Shen Qingning.

Again, as said before, many of her moods… are in a “visible only to you” mode.

Cheng Zhu chuckled as he typed: “I reordered three more boxes. Since you like them so much, I’ll leave one for Little Youzi, and I’ll give you mine too.”

This number was actually very delicate.

If he had reordered just one box, it would mean he bought it especially for her.

Was there anything wrong with that?

Indeed, there was nothing wrong, it was just passable.

During the ambiguous phase, since you like it, I might as well buy it for you.

It showed that he was specifically restocking for you.

But still, it lacked a bit of “sacrifice” and “compensation.”

I originally planned to keep a box for myself, now I’m giving it all to you, including my own share.

This would make it feel different.

The indulgence would increase a bit, and it would seem more like cajoling you.

This way, it would respond to the earlier playful smiles and create a well-rounded emotional pull.

Shen Qingning looked at the WeChat message on her phone and couldn’t help but mutter softly, “That’s more like it.”

…

…

Under Cheng Zhu’s guidance, the two quickly returned to a normal conversation rhythm.

Ming Lang was being used as a tool by him and asked her, “Did you give the wine to your brother? What did he say?”

“He said you still have some conscience,” Shen Qingning replied with a smile.

Ming Lang possibly could never dream that Cheng Zhu had given him two bottles of inexpensive fruit wine, and had done so much with them.

It started with the topic of getting drunk, then he kissed this prideful girl, and later even left two strawberry marks on her delicate neck.

Finally, he used it to wrap up the event, giving her a way to naturally reply to him, rather than really ignoring him.

The most interesting thing was that, a few minutes later, Ming Lang sent Cheng Zhu a WeChat message.

He first took a photo of himself drinking alone.

This man was a real drinker and had been living a life of drunken dreams these past years. My cousin rarely cared to give me two bottles of wine, he said they tasted pretty good, so naturally, I wanted to try them out.

Also, one always needs to respond to a gift received!

— “Ming Lang Understands Etiquette”.

“I drank it, the taste is really good. Let me guess what fruit was used to make it!” he also interacted with Cheng Zhu.

“Kiwi! Am I right?”

“Amazing, cousin!” Cheng Zhu flattered lightly.

“Nonsense, I knew it with just one sip!” Ming Lang was quite proud of himself.

He looked at the two bottles of fruit wine, which indeed suited his taste.

“Knowing I like drinking, you brought me two bottles back.”

“You’re thoughtful, cousin!”

…

…

The next day, Shen Qingning got up early.

Last night, she had been chatting with Cheng Zhu until she went to wash up.

While bathing, feeling the warm water, she somehow thought of the scenes that unfolded in the rental room again.

Just recalling that made her feel a bit parched and her cheeks heat up.

After her bath, she put on pajamas and sat in front of the bathroom mirror, doing her skincare.

For a refined girl, the dry season of winter requires skincare not just for the face.

Body lotions are also essential.

However, during this process, her eyes couldn’t help but linger on the strawberry marks on her neck.

That made her feel warm and stifled.

Hmm, it must be because I took too long in the hot shower, and there’s too much steam in the bathroom!

“I hope they fade quickly.”

No lie, when she woke up in the morning and went to wash her face, she couldn’t help but look in the mirror again.

It had only been one night, and the strawberry marks were still incredibly obvious.

Her skin was really too fair, making those marks stand out like two red plums in the winter snow!

It’s hard not to draw attention!

She had also arranged to have lunch with Lin Lu and then go shopping before attending a yoga class together.

For lunch and shopping, she could wear a high-neck sweater or tie a scarf.

But what about during yoga?

There are no high-neck yoga outfits.

What’s more, she didn’t even dare to go downstairs for breakfast in her pajamas!

Shen Qingning directly opened her wardrobe and put on a black slim-fit high-neck sweater.

So when she went downstairs for breakfast, her young stepmother Wang Yushan asked in puzzlement, “Ningning, are you going out?”

“No, I’m going out with Lin Lu for lunch,” she said.

And surprisingly, the prideful girl, with her cool facial expression replying indifferently didn’t seem odd at all.

Wang Yushan didn’t think much of it.

She even complimented, “Our Ningning looks so good in a high-neck sweater. My neck isn’t as long as yours. I can’t pull off that look.”

Shen Qingning, stirring the black rice porridge in front of her, hardly dared to respond.

By around eleven o’clock, she drove to pick up Lin Lu.

On the way, her mind wandered a bit.

Because her current relationship with Cheng Zhu was complicated.

Recalling carefully, the three of them hadn’t gathered together offline for a long time.

Shen Qingning and Lin Lu hadn’t appeared before Cheng Zhu at the same time for a long time.

From her perspective, her mindset leaned towards… it was me first.

She met Cheng Zhu first, she understood her feelings for Cheng Zhu first, all before Lin Lu.

But the problem was, Lin Lu told her everything, and she, this proud-hearted girl, wasn’t like that.

From the timeline, it was indeed her first.

But in reality, she didn’t speak out.

So now, the situation was that Lin Lu had already told her, she had fallen for Cheng Zhu.

Shen Qingning instantly became passive.

So much so that after kissing Cheng Zhu during a drunken encounter, she dared not speak, and she dared not talk about what happened yesterday.

After all, according to the order, she should have openly admitted that she liked Cheng Zhu.

Directly telling her everything that happened, how could she?

That would make her feel very strange.

It’s like telling your brother you like a girl, and your brother says nothing, but one day he suddenly tells you, “Well… I kissed her yesterday.”

Damn, dude! Are you freaking toxic?

The situation would become very unpredictable.

Moreover, this girl had once boasted in front of her best friend that she wasn’t planning on dating in college, and even mentioned her own saying, “Only idiots fall in love!”

Other than when she was with Cheng Zhu, Shen Qingning was quite rational.

The more rational she was, the deeper she thought.

And the more she thought, the more she felt that this wasn’t a good idea, nor was that right.

She became more cautious, wanting to find a solution that would satisfy both sides.

But how could she figure that out while driving to pick someone up?

Speaking of which, from the order of events, it was all her first.

She knew Cheng Zhu first, she understood her own feelings first, she had intimate contact with him first… so why did she still feel guilty seeing Lin Lu today!

— “The Cost of Being Prideful.”

While driving, she couldn’t help but pull up her sweater’s collar.

Before heading out, she had also applied a light layer of concealer on her neck to make the strawberry marks less noticeable.

After the car entered the residential area where Lin Lu lived, she sent Lu Lu a WeChat message.

Lu Lu was dressed in a white puffy down jacket today, giving her upper body a somewhat bulgy appearance, contrasting with her slender legs.

The moment she got into the passenger seat, she chirped, “I’m so hungry! Ningning, drive faster! I’ve already decided what I want to order!”

Today, they planned to eat at Ding Tai Feng in Wanxiang City, and shop there afterwards.

After entering Wanxiang City, they headed straight for the VIP parking area.

During the meal, Lin Lu asked her, “Ningning, you’re so quiet today. Do you have something on your mind?”

Shen Qingning shook her head repeatedly.

Instead, during shopping, while walking through a men’s clothing store, she noticed a new outfit on a model that looked pretty good and spontaneously thought, “It suits Cheng Zhu quite well.”

She even felt a little tempted to buy it…

Throughout the shopping trip, she had this thought three times.

In the end, she only bought a pair of white sneakers.

Lin Lu, on the other hand, was quite enthusiastic about shopping, buying a wool cardigan, a camel cashmere coat, and a pair of white sneakers identical to Shen Qingning’s.

The two had bought exactly the same model that Cheng Zhu had bought for Chen Jieyu!

These white sneakers really were the current trendy style, and the trend had just started.

After the shopping trip, the two women drove to their yoga class.

In her yoga attire, Shen Qingning’s long beautiful legs, wrapped in yoga pants, easily displayed the contours of her legs and her exceptional proportions.

These were flawless legs, legs that a leg enthusiast would adore.

On Lin Lu’s side, what one might first notice was the bulging chest surrounded by the yoga attire.

She looked at the leg goddess beside her and suddenly asked, “Ningning, why is there a red patch on your neck?”

“Oh, I was bitten by a mosquito at home.” Shen Qingning touched her neck, feigning calm but her heart raced.

“Ah? There are mosquitoes in such cold weather at your place? And it’s such a large red area!”

“Yeah, that mosquito was really nasty!” she even complained a bit.

…

(P.S.: Second update, the last few hours of the month, seeking monthly tickets!)