Chapter 396: Chapter 316: To Three Women

Amidst the astonished gazes of the three aunties, Cheng Zhu bought three apple gift boxes.

After he paid and drove away in his car, the three aunties were still a bit dazed.

Finally, it was Sister Yang who cleared her throat and said, “Maybe one box is for his girlfriend, and the other two are for friends.”

“That’s not necessarily the case! Let me tell you, Sister Yang, university students nowadays are something else!”

“Right, right! Some of them even juggle multiple girlfriends!”

Sister Yang looked in the direction the car had taken off without giving it much thought.

How many girlfriends this young man actually had was of no real concern to her; she just knew she’d made a fortune today.

For people like them who sell gift boxes, perhaps they would even wish customers had more girlfriends?

And so, it was that three Land Rover vehicles, each carrying the same model apple gift box, entered the Technology University campus.

However, Lin Lu and Shen Qingning were there to attend classes, while Cheng Zhu was heading to room 212 of the East Building.

After he entered with an apple gift box, the people inside room 212 were a bit stunned.

“Brother Zhu, with so many of us here, did you just buy one apple?” Dong Dong was astonished.

That’s not right; Brother Zhu isn’t that stingy. He’s known for his generosity.

Could it be he bought one to see if we liked it, and if we did, he would call the owner to deliver more!

“Thinking too much. This is for the counselor; she’ll be coming over soon,” Cheng Zhu found Donger’s speculations amusing.

Are you kidding me? A man giving another man such a fancy apple gift box?

“I’d really buy for you guys, and you’d turn around and give it to girls. Don’t I know you all too well?” Cheng Zhu cursed under his breath.

I’m not giving you the chance to offer flowers in someone else’s name.

Spend my money, then go be a lickspittle, damn it!

“There’s a box of apples in the car’s trunk; go down and move it yourselves,” Cheng Zhu said.

The crowd: “…”

What’s with the differential treatment, boss!

But in the end, everyone went down to carry the apples, bustling and lively.

It’s Christmas Eve; enjoying an apple creates a cheery atmosphere.

As for Brother Zhu preparing a special gift box for the counselor, no one gave it much thought.

After all, Chen Jieyu was the mentor for their entrepreneurial project.

Although it seemed like she was just a nominal figure, making only a few presences felt, her breathtaking beauty turned even the most perfunctory appearance into a visual feast.

After a while, Liu Feng even suggested everyone take an apple each and take a group photo together.

Cheng Zhu, resigned, took his place in the center of the group, naturally filling the C position.

In truth, he didn’t care where he stood because when the photo came out, everyone would think that he and the others weren’t quite of the same style.

Hu Ge’s graduation photo would be a good reference.

He was just overseeing that no one cheated: “Hey you, no tiptoeing! And you too, Dong Dong!”

Silent exasperation. This is how boys are in group photos, each surreptitiously trying to appear taller.

It didn’t matter whether you had your eyes open or closed in the photo, but you had to be a head above the rest!

Cheng Zhu wouldn’t tiptoe, but he wouldn’t allow cheating either!

Around two-thirty in the afternoon, Chen Jieyu arrived at room 212.

Upon entering, she immediately spotted Cheng Zhu, clad in a deep gray coat with a black turtleneck underneath.

His coat matched the camel-colored one he had given Chen Jieyu.

Though MaxMara, one of the most renowned coat brands globally, makes women’s wear, its larger sizes can fit men. Actually, in a few years, this brand would insanely employ a host of male celebrities to don their garments, thereby boosting sales even more.

She took a deep look at Cheng Zhu’s attire for the day and felt her mood lighten considerably.

Then the two stepped out into the corridor.

“For you, a peace apple,” Cheng Zhu said, lifting the exquisite gift box to hand to Chen Jieyu.

Although there were only the two of them in the corridor, the counselor’s voice was still lighter than usual.

“The apples are expensive today,” she remarked.

“It’s alright, just bought them for some festive joy,” Cheng Zhu responded nonchalantly with a wave of his hand.

Clearly, Mr. Chen was a woman easily pleased.

To receive an apple from Cheng Zhu on Christmas Eve was enough to make her happy.

As for the expectation to stick together or go on a date during the holidays, she wouldn’t express such demands.

On one hand, their statuses indeed carried some taboos, and on the other, it simply wasn’t in her nature. She lacked such experiences.

She wasn’t a child who grew up surrounded by love; she learned early on to be cautious about her needs and grew accustomed to them being unmet.

Over time, this shaped her personality differently.

Like Ye Zi, another woman in Cheng Zhu’s life, she wouldn’t make demands to spend holidays with him, either.

But the two women were different.

Ye Zi was sensible and understood her lack of entitlement to being overly demanding, with a clear sense of self.

Chen Jieyu, however, was devoid of love.

Simply receiving a small apple gift box made her feel the festive atmosphere and the spirit of Christmas.

Today, many women would see countless posts about the holidays in their friends’ circles.

For example, someone posing with a Christmas tree in a fancy restaurant, someone wearing a Christmas hat, someone receiving a Christmas gift, and so on.

Even if Chen Jieyu saw such posts this year, she wouldn’t feel too emotional. Instead, she’d feel a bit more joy.

Yeah, this year I also have someone I like to spend the holidays with!

Even if his company was just gifting her a box of apples.

…

…

By four-forty in the afternoon, Cheng Zhu got in his car, ready to head to the dining place.

Both Christmas Eve and Christmas Day were bound to have traffic jams.

He planned to leave early to avoid being late.

After all, Lin Lu was the heroine of the day, and naturally, he would be the hero.

The host of the dinner party couldn’t be late!

As soon as he got in the car, he started urging Shen Minglang and Jiang Wanzhou in the group chat, “I’m two traffic lights away, traffic today is really bad, hurry up or you’re buying drinks for being late.”

Shen Minglang: “Got it, heading out now.”

Jiang Wanzhou: “Don’t fucking lie, you’re definitely still at home, show me a video and tap the steering wheel three times.”

Cheng Zhu used to say he was nearly there to hurry Jiang Wanzhou in the past, but it turned out he would always be the first to arrive.

For example, when going to watch a movie, he could order Jiang Wanzhou to queue for tickets and buy soda.

“Where’s the trust between people!” Cheng Zhu filmed a video and sent it directly to the group.

“It’s rare for you to leave so early today,” Jiang Wanzhou was surprised.

“You know shit!” Cheng Zhu texted while waiting at the red light.

Lin Lu happened to see the chat at the moment and gigglingly echoed to herself, “Right, you know shit!”

When Cheng Zhu drove up to the restaurant, he saw the cars of Lin Lu and Shen Qingning.

“Hm? They didn’t come in one car,” Cheng Zhu noted silently.

The guest composition for today’s birthday gathering was a bit complex, so he was extra attentive.

And then, he parked his Land Rover right next to theirs.

Three cars aligned perfectly.

“Would be nice if in the future, our mansion’s garage could also park three cars side by side,” he joked to himself.

Cheng Zhu checked the time; it was only 5:15 PM. The agreed time was 5:30 PM, so he wasn’t in a rush to go in but decided to wait here for Shen Minglang and Jiang Wanzhou.

The reason was simple–he had just glanced at the group chat and saw Lin Lu mentioning she and Ningning had already arrived, with only the two of them in the private room.

So now, the besties were probably seated together.

“If I enter the private room now, I’ll face a choice.”

“Should I sit next to Baby Lu or Ning Bao?”

“Damn, I should just sit in the middle!”

To him heading into the room now meant making a decision.

However, since it was Lin Lu’s birthday dinner, her priority would be the highest.

But once Shen Minglang arrived, it would be different.

As Shen Qingning’s real brother, he would naturally sit beside her.

Once he was seated, Cheng Zhu would go over to give the apple gift box, and after that, find a spot naturally next to Lin Lu.

Of course, not sitting next to either one of them was also feasible.

Just avoid making a choice.

At the moment, Shen Minglang was unaware that he had been turned into a pawn. After parking his car and seeing Cheng Zhu waiting in his, he was quite pleased.

What is called respecting the elder cousin? This is it!

The two hadn’t seen each other for quite a while, and their reunion kicked off with a lively chat.

“Damn, you’re dressed so sharply today, even got your hair done?” Shen Minglang sized up Cheng Zhu, “Like you’re off to star in a Korean drama.”

“Likewise,” Cheng Zhu shot back.

He preferred a minimalist style in clothing, as opposed to Shen Minglang, who fancied flashy outfits, with shoes often adorned with black crystals or studs–a fashion staple among many international students these years.

“It’s too cold; let’s not wait for Little President Jiang anymore. Let’s go in,” Cheng Zhu stated.

“Just a sec, I have something to pick up from the trunk,” Shen Minglang opened his Panamera’s trunk, pulling out a Dior Christmas perfume gift set.

Right then, Jiang Wanzhou arrived.

He hopped out and rushed to grab his gift from the trunk.

Jiang Wanzhou bought a lipstick gift set.

Many men, when thinking of gifts for women, would first consider perfume or lipstick. However, these wealthy young heirs would opt for lavish gift boxes filled with several perfumes or lipsticks, exuding grandeur.

Then, the two took a look at the two apple gift boxes in Cheng Zhu’s hand, wondering, “Wait, you only bought two apples for peace fruit?”

“Giving apples between men? How gross is that. I’ve got something else prepared for you guys,” he said.

“Who the hell wants your apples. What about Sister Lu’s birthday present?” Jiang Wanzhou inquired.

“Nobody told me today was her birthday party!” Cheng Zhu responded honestly.

Indeed, no one had told him.

“You didn’t know?” Shen Minglang was taken aback.

Jiang Wanzhou couldn’t help giving him a disdainful look, internally ranting, “Sister Lu really is blind, falling for this kind of guy, ptooey!”

That level of contempt–truly the mark of a good brother.

Yes, Cheng Zhu had no intention of bringing the birthday gift from his car inside.

He had his plans.

And so, the three chatted and walked toward the restaurant.

….

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