Heartthrob, Your Image is Crumbling!

Chapter 318: New Year's Eve in Progress

At this moment, Jiang Xinyi was pouting so hard her lips could practically hold up a coat hanger, looking for all the world like an abandoned little wife.Yet when Zhou Yuwen saw this, he actually played dumb. Feigning surprise, he asked, "Who upset our Princess? Was the piano performance not to your liking?"

"You have the nerve to say that!"

Jiang Xinyi's voice held a trace of resentment. It was rare enough to come out and watch a piano performance with Zhou Yuwen, and she had spent so much time carefully dressing up, filled with expectation just moments ago.

Yet Zhou Yuwen had been completely absent-minded the entire time.

Jiang Xinyi felt as though Zhou Yuwen did not care about her at all.

She was six years older than Zhou Yuwen, but at this moment, as they spent time together, Jiang Xinyi had gradually begun to overlook the age gap. She was faintly starting to rely on him, wanting Zhou Yuwen to provide her with emotional value.

In response, Zhou Yuwen merely smiled and coaxed her. "Alright, my hands are tied here. You saw Zhao Jun call me several times, insisting I head over. What am I supposed to do?"

Jiang Xinyi did not want to pay him any attention and walked off ahead on her own.

Zhou Yuwen trailed behind her. Because the indoor temperature had been too high, he had long since taken off his suit jacket and was carrying it over his arm.

He just followed along behind her like that.

When they stepped outside.

There were those young girls who, upon seeing a couple paired up, would run over and say, "Big brother, buy a bouquet of flowers for the big sister!"

Jiang Xinyi was walking in front, only to be stopped by a little girl. The girl held up a bouquet of fresh flowers toward Jiang Xinyi, her large, watery eyes blinking as she said, "Big sister, buy a bouquet of flowers!"

Jiang Xinyi was a girl who pursued romance. She wanted Zhou Yuwen to buy her flowers but was unwilling to state it explicitly, so she just stood there waiting for him to catch up.

The moment Zhou Yuwen walked over, the little girl cleverly offered the flowers to him. "Big brother, buy a bouquet for the big sister?"

Zhou Yuwen glanced at Jiang Xinyi's proud yet delicate reaction, then asked, "How much?"

"Ten yuan a bouquet."

Zhou Yuwen said, "That's quite expensive. You don't look very old, shouldn't you be in school? Why are you out here selling flowers so late?"

Jiang Xinyi winced inwardly upon hearing this. Logically speaking, Zhou Yuwen had dated several girlfriends already; he shouldn't be this dense when it came to romance. So why was he playing the fool the moment it involved her?

She spoke up, "If you're going to buy it, just buy it. Why ask so many questions and hold up her business?"

Zhou Yuwen chuckled. "It's no use if I buy it. Sister Xinyi, do you want it? If you want it, I'll buy it for you."

"..."

"If I wanted it, I would buy it myself. Why would I need you to buy it?" Jiang Xinyi replied, looking as if she were just stating a fact.

Zhou Yuwen turned back to the child. "Oh, did you hear that, little girl? This big sister wants to buy it herself. She doesn't want me to buy it for her."

The little girl blinked her large, watery eyes, completely at a loss for words for a moment.

Jiang Xinyi had completely given up on Zhou Yuwen.

At this moment, she did not want to stick around for another second.

You Changjin had been far too submissive toward her, making it feel like they were not even in a relationship.

But when she was with Zhou Yuwen...

It felt like it was all emotion and zero value.

Jiang Xinyi felt that Zhou Yuwen was quite generous with other girls.

So why was he being so stingy with her?

Zhou Yuwen had actually answered this question before.

He had explained that he was generous to other girls because he intended to date them.

"But you're different. You're my older sister. Why would I need to be generous with you? It's not like I ever planned on having anything happen between us."

Jiang Xinyi understood perfectly.

'Oh, so that means you don't even see me as a woman,' she thought.

"So, do you want me to treat you like a woman?"

"Heh, thanks, but I don't cherish the thought," she scoffed.

Bickering back and forth like this, the two of them made their way down to the underground parking garage.

The final day of 2013 was proving to be a terrible experience for Jiang Xinyi.

She felt she needed to have another chat with her mother to discuss whether this childish brat was truly suited to be her son-in-law.

Without a word, Jiang Xinyi reached to open the car door.

However, the moment she tried to pull the handle, Zhou Yuwen placed his hand over hers to stop it.

Zhou Yuwen said, "Hey, it's almost the new year. Don't you want a present?"

"You actually got me a gift?" Jiang Xinyi let out a sneer, finding the idea completely unbelievable.

Zhou Yuwen nodded, indicating that he had indeed prepared something.

Her interest was somewhat piqued. "What is it?"

Like a magician performing a trick, Zhou Yuwen pulled a bouquet of roses from behind his back.

Good heavens, it was the exact same one he had just bought.

"This is it?" Jiang Xinyi looked a bit disgusted, but she still accepted the roses.

Zhou Yuwen chuckled. "It's the thought that counts, Sister Xinyi. I know your family isn't lacking money, so a small token of appreciation is enough." Jiang Xinyi curled her lip into a pout and called him stingy.

Still, it was better than nothing.

It technically counted as a gift, however small.

"I suppose I'll reluctantly accept it," she said. "You're always going on about how my family doesn't lack money, but not lacking money doesn't mean I don't appreciate effort, okay? Let me tell you, if you give these flowers to me, I can accept them. But if you were trying to court other girls, is this all you would give them?" Jiang Xinyi criticized.

Zhou Yuwen smiled and replied that he never chased after girls.

"The girls always take the initiative to pursue me," he bragged.

"Hmph, listen to you. Aren't you full of yourself?" Jiang Xinyi scoffed with disdain.

Zhou Yuwen pondered for a moment before asking, "Then, Sister Xinyi, what kind of gifts do you think one should give when courting a girl?"

Twirling a rose stem between her fingers, Jiang Xinyi said it needed to be romantic.

There should be roses.

There should be fresh flowers.

And there should be lights and a proper stage.

Just as she was speaking, Zhou Yuwen suddenly grabbed her hand, leading her around to the back of the BMW X7.

Jiang Xinyi was still wearing her black slip dress paired with sparkling crystal high heels. Being pulled by the hand through the underground garage by Zhou Yuwen created a rather moody, romantic atmosphere.

She was still clueless about what was happening when the trunk of the BMW X7 suddenly rose open. Inside, scattered pinpricks of light twinkled like stars, illuminating a beautifully wrapped bouquet of ninety-nine large roses. Nestled among the blooms sat a sleek black gift box.

All the beams of light were arranged to spotlight the ninety-nine roses like stars surrounding the moon, and the sides of the trunk had been meticulously decorated with even more roses.

Seeing this, Jiang Xinyi was genuinely taken aback, covering her small mouth in shock.

Her face was full of disbelief.

Zhou Yuwen asked her if this counted as romantic.

This time, Jiang Xinyi was truly moved. She nodded continuously. She had been lightly holding onto Zhou Yuwen's sleeve, but now, likely never having expected him to prepare something so elaborate for her, her fingers unconsciously tightened their grip in nervous excitement.

Seeing her expression, Zhou Yuwen could not help but laugh. "Alright, seeing how touched you are is enough. Next time I want to chase a girl, I'll just do exactly this."

"Huh?" Jiang Xinyi froze.

Zhou Yuwen teased, "What's wrong, Sister? You didn't actually think I prepared all this for you, did you?"

"???" This time, Jiang Xinyi's emotional defenses completely shattered.

Fortunately, Zhou Yuwen did not push the joke too far. He picked up the massive bouquet of roses and smiled warmly. "Well, you guessed right. It really is prepared just for you."

"Happy New Year."

With that, he handed the bouquet to Jiang Xinyi. He then picked up the black gift box from inside the trunk and opened it to reveal a shimmering necklace studded with crushed diamonds.

The diamond necklace was breathtakingly beautiful. The garage lights cast a stark, cold white glow, initially providing little brilliance, but as the light caught the crushed diamonds, the entire piece sparkled dazzlingly.

Moreover, Jiang Xinyi had a cool, pale complexion; wearing a necklace like this would look absolutely stunning on her.

By this point, Jiang Xinyi's eyes had grown moist with tears.

It was true that a wealthy young miss would never fall for a man simply because of money. However, providing the perfect emotional value, supplemented by the tasteful use of money, could absolutely make a wealthy heiress's heart stir.

This was exactly the case for Jiang Xinyi at this moment. Zhou Yuwen asked her, "Shall I put it on for you?" She nodded.

And just like that, Zhou Yuwen fastened the diamond necklace around Jiang Xinyi's neck.

Looking down at the sparkling jewelry resting against her collarbone.

Jiang Xinyi asked, "This necklace must have cost a lot of money, right?"

"It's alright, not too expensive,"

Zhou Yuwen replied casually.

Truthfully, it had been quite expensive. However, Zhou Yuwen had bought in bulk, which earned him a discount. After all, it was the new year, and he obviously had to prepare gifts for his several girlfriends. So, he had picked out some jewelry and bought six identical necklaces in total: for Zheng Yanyan, Lu Lin, Su Qing, and Qu Jing.

While buying gifts for them, he thought of Jiang Xinyi and conveniently bought two extra. He gave one to Jiang Xinyi and kept the last one as a spare in his car.

Who knew if another girl might unexpectedly need a gift in the future?

Regardless of his motives, the emotional value provided in this moment had been pushed to the absolute maximum.

All her previous dissatisfaction from the concert hall vanished into thin air.

Zhou Yuwen drove the car, taking Jiang Xinyi along the elevated road.

In the distance, people were setting off fireworks.

Streak after streak of fireworks whistled as they shot up into the sky.

Then, with loud bangs, they burst into brilliant, colorful displays across the night canvas.

Sitting in the passenger seat, Jiang Xinyi hugged the bouquet of roses to her chest, the crushed diamonds sparkling around her neck. She was overjoyed, holding her phone and happily snapping photos from every angle.

She had never understood before why some people loved to show off so much, posting to their Moments three or four times a day.

At this moment, Jiang Xinyi finally got it. She simply could not control herself; she wanted to post everything to her Moments. She had to show off the necklace, she had to show off the roses, and naturally, she had to show off the man sitting beside her, Zhou Yuwen.

The only fly in the ointment was that it was not even ten o'clock yet, and Zhou Yuwen was actually taking her home already.

This made Jiang Xinyi a little unhappy.

Honestly, those people were really something else. It was New Year's Eve, yet they actually insisted on dragging Zhou Yuwen out for a meal.

What could possibly be so urgent that it had to be done on New Year's Eve?

Jiang Xinyi grumbled about that group of people for ages, but Zhou Yuwen remained completely nonchalant. He said gently, "Alright now, Sister Xinyi."

"I have proper business to attend to. Besides, Liu Shuo and the others are all there. No matter what, I have to go check on them. You just head home safely and have a nice reunion dinner with Auntie and Uncle, alright, Sister Xinyi?" Zhou Yuwen coaxed her as he drove.

Of course, Zhou Yuwen wasn't heading over just for a single business deal.

Rather, it was because Liu Shuo had just messaged him, saying that he had brought Lu Hui over to attend the annual company party.

Zhou Yuwen had asked Liu Shuo why he was always blindly joining in on the excitement every day.

Grinning, Liu Shuo replied that staying at home was too boring anyway.

"Lu Hui wanted to come over and take a look. But honestly, bro, don't tell anyone, it's actually pretty fun here. I never expected Zhao Jun's company to have so many beautiful women."

Liu Shuo recorded a video and sent it to Zhou Yuwen.

Besides Liu Shuo, Gao Yang and Tao Tian were also there.

Zhou Yuwen was very curious as to why Tao Tian was present.

Liu Shuo explained that Zhao Jun's group had hired them as welcoming receptionists.

Because it was the new year, they were giving out red envelopes containing one thousand yuan this time.

Most of the girls in the company who hadn't gone home for the holidays had shown up.

Zhou Yuwen remarked that showing undue courtesy for no reason bodes ill; Zhao Jun definitely had an ulterior motive.

"You keep a close eye on things over there. Don't let anything bad happen."

"Don't worry about that. We brought quite a few of our own guys for security," Liu Shuo assured him.

"Bro, Zhao Jun said you were coming over in a bit. Are you actually coming?"

Zhou Yuwen told him he would see how things went.

Truth be told, under normal circumstances, Zhou Yuwen wouldn't have needed to go over, not to mention that Su Qing had sent him some photos.

There was no helping it; there was no way Zhou Yuwen could spend time with Su Qing today.

Consequently, Su Qing had taken Shen Yu and Chen Wan to Xinjiekou to stay at the Jinling Hotel. It was a luxurious five-star establishment right next to Deji Plaza, where the buffet dinner cost three hundred yuan per person.

She deliberately sent photos to Zhou Yuwen, declaring that she was swiping his card for everything.

Zhou Yuwen simply told her to swipe it as much as she wanted.

"If it's not enough, just ask me for more."

"Zhou Yuwen, you bastard!"

Zhou Yuwen twitched his mouth, thinking to himself, 'What kind of attitude is that? I give her money to spend and she still curses at me?'

Then there were Zheng Yanyan and Lu Lin, who were also waiting for him.

Zhou Yuwen wasn't even sure if he could make it back tonight, but he had told them he would try his best.

Having too many women was truly troublesome.

The most pressing issue was that he had now entangled himself with a wealthy young heiress.

Until he could confirm that she was willing to accept him having other women, it was best not to mess around recklessly.

Otherwise, despite how warmly Liu Jing smiled at him now...

If she found out he was toying with her daughter's feelings...

She might start giving him a very different, much more dangerous kind of smile.

As it stood, Jiang Xinyi had already developed feelings for Zhou Yuwen, and they were certainly not shallow.

The car had arrived right at her doorstep, yet Jiang Xinyi did not want to get out.

She couldn't help but grumble, "You're only a freshman, how are you so busy every single day?"

"Can't you just give yourself a day off?"

Zhou Yuwen replied, "Aren't I basically on holiday every day?"

"New Year's Eve is bound to be a bit busier. Alright, be a good girl and go on inside," Zhou Yuwen urged.

"What did you just call me?" Jiang Xinyi raised an eyebrow, looking as though she had just heard some earth-shattering news.

Zhou Yuwen blinked. "I told you to go inside?"

"No, the part before that."

"..."

"Uh... be a good girl?"

Hearing this, Jiang Xinyi looked highly satisfied, though she playfully curled her lip. "You little brat, what right do you have to tell me to be a good girl? You're so much younger than me, and you're telling me to be good?"

"..."

"Fine, I take it back."

"No." Jiang Xinyi suddenly turned unreasonable, demanding, "You already said it, now say it again."

"Uh, alright, Sister Xinyi, be a good girl, okay?" Zhou Yuwen sighed helplessly, placing his hands on Jiang Xinyi's shoulders and gently ushering her out of the car.

Jiang Xinyi let out a coquettish whine, putting on a bit of a show as she stepped out of the vehicle.

After that, Zhou Yuwen drove away.

In truth, all things considered, Jiang Xinyi was extremely happy.

She carried ninety-nine roses in her arms.

A sparkling diamond necklace adorned her snow-white, swan-like neck.

She held her head up high.

Looking quite like a female general returning victorious from battle, she strutted proudly back into her home.

"You're back, Miss?"

The family's housemaid helped open the door and greeted her.

In the living room, Liu Jing was watching TV with her mother. Seeing Jiang Xinyi strutting in with such an arrogant expression, she couldn't help but ridicule her. "What's this? Where did you pick up those roses from?"

"Oh my god, Mom, what are you talking about!" Jiang Xinyi was instantly left speechless.