Chapter 360 - 192: I Haven’t Even Tried Yet

But behind the scenes, everyone was secretly scheming, vying for his affection.

The exception was Tan Hua, whose status as his official girlfriend placed her above it all.

The other girls formed cliques based on how close they were to one another.

There were the "three little ones," Zong Rui and Qu Man; Liu Shiwen and Tang Qian; Xu Ying and Pei Yinyin.

Miduo and Xue Zhongyun; Chen Jing; and Liu Rong and Chu Qing.

Lai Manling had also been trying to recruit an ally lately, and her target was none other than her roommate, Zhuang Xiaomeng.

As it happened, tonight was Zhuang Xiaomeng’s birthday party.

As her roommate and best friend, Lai Manling had naturally been invited.

When Zhuang Xiaomeng heard that Lai Manling wanted to bring Qi Sheng along, she hesitated for a moment before agreeing.

Who could blame her? Qi Sheng was an amazing cook.

She hadn’t been able to stop thinking about that bowl of chicken soup from last time for days.

Even though it meant being kept up late by the couple next door, as long as she could eat Qi Sheng’s cooking, it was a price she was willing to pay.

Since getting together with Qi Sheng, Lai Manling had also stepped down from her busy secretarial position.

Yuan Li had arranged for her a transfer to the administration department, where she was now a deputy manager.

It was an infinitely more relaxed job than being his secretary.

Lai Manling clocked out and headed to the parking garage under her office building.

There, standing next to her beloved car, was a tall, handsome figure.

"Hubby!"

Lai Manling hurried over in pleasant surprise and threw herself into Qi Sheng’s arms, asking with a hint of jealousy, "You only came all this way to pick me up because of Mengmeng, didn’t you?"

"Of course not."

Qi Sheng gently pinched her cheek. It was delightfully soft.

"How are you liking the car?"

Qi Sheng glanced at the blue 840 beside them.

It was the reward he had given Lai Manling a while back.

What pleased him even more was that she hadn’t picked a luxury car worth two or three million.

Instead, she had chosen a very understated BMW 8 Series.

A four-seater coupe, it cost only 1.4 million out the door.

The matte Barcelona Blue paint gave it a sophisticated, textured look.

"I love it! You have no idea how jealous Mengmeng is. If you put on a good show tonight, I’ll be sure to play my part."

Lai Manling hadn’t been idle lately.

She was constantly telling Zhuang Xiaomeng about all the perks of being Qi Sheng’s girlfriend.

If you wanted to go shopping, it was easy to get a group together in the girls’ group chat.

If you were hungry, he had his own restaurants, serving everything from Sichuan cuisine to hot pot.

The beauty salon Tan Hua and the others were opening would be ready soon, too.

That would be yet another place to kill time.

Once the Banyan Tree in Chengdu opened, they could even go for a spa treatment when they were tired from shopping.

At their own hotel, the service would be absolutely impeccable.

And the treatment his women enjoyed was, naturally, top-tier.

It was a good thing Zhuang Xiaomeng’s will was still relatively strong.

Otherwise, she would have been swayed by Lai Manling’s sweet-talking long ago.

With Qi Sheng at the wheel, Lai Manling got to experience the joy of riding shotgun.

Generally speaking, the passenger seat was the girlfriend’s exclusive spot.

Watching the handsome Qi Sheng focus on his driving, Lai Manling couldn’t help but swoon.

’I mean, come on. Who wouldn’t be over the moon to have a husband as divine as him?’

Oh, right. Zhuang Xiaomeng was a sucker for a pretty face.

Under Lai Manling’s relentless grilling, Zhuang Xiaomong had to admit it:

Qi Sheng was exactly her type of handsome.

Zhuang Xiaomeng’s usual circle consisted of other doctors and patients’ families.

They were either sleazy or just average-looking.

Zhuang Xiaomeng had never come across a top-tier man like Qi Sheng before.

What’s more, Qi Sheng was ridiculously rich.

In modern society, money puts you a cut above the rest.

Food, clothing, shelter, transportation—every aspect of life revolves around money.

Although Zhuang Xiaomeng’s job was respectable and she had no trouble supporting herself, if she wanted to settle down in Chengdu in a spacious, single-floor luxury home, her only hope was to find a boyfriend with excellent prospects.

Excellent prospects and outstanding looks were often mutually exclusive.

If she chose looks, it was hard to ask for great financial prospects as well.

It was precisely because Zhuang Xiaomeng wanted it all that she had yet to find a satisfying partner.

Zhuang Xiaomeng was both envious and full of admiration for Lai Manling’s initiative.

Sure, Qi Sheng was a player, but he had given Lai Manling millions in spending money and a luxury car worth over a million.

Countless girls would kill for the chance to be messed around with by a guy like Qi Sheng.

The restaurant Zhuang Xiaomeng had booked for her party happened to be Zifei.

As the number one Sichuan restaurant in Chengdu, Zifei’s service, cuisine, and ambiance were all considered the pinnacle of excellence.

What’s more, her roommate’s boyfriend was the owner of the restaurant.

She could probably get a discount.

By the time Qi Sheng and Lai Manling arrived, the others had already been there for a while.

"Manling, you really brought your President Qi along?"

Zhuang Xiaomeng enthusiastically grabbed Lai Manling’s hand, a pleasant surprise showing in her eyes.

[Zhuang Xiaomeng’s Goodwill +3. Current Goodwill: 63 (Moved)]

Qi Sheng raised an eyebrow, surprised that Miss Zhuang the Elder’s Goodwill toward him was so high.

After all, they had only met once before.

"Miss Zhuang the Elder, this is your birthday present."

Qi Sheng took out the Bvlgari jewelry box he’d had someone purchase, instantly drawing gasps of amazement from many of the women present.

"Wow, Bvlgari! Mengmeng, hurry and open it, let us feast our eyes!"

Zhuang Xiaomeng was also pleasantly surprised. She hadn’t expected Qi Sheng to give her such an expensive birthday present.

[Zhuang Xiaomeng’s Goodwill +7. Current Goodwill: 70 (Moved)]

"May I open it?"

Zhuang Xiaomeng was dying of curiosity, but she still looked to Qi Sheng for permission.

"Of course. It’s your gift; you can do what you want with it."

Qi Sheng smiled and shrugged, watching as a delighted Zhuang Xiaomeng opened the jewelry box.

"Holy crap, that little fan pendant is super expensive! I saw it when I was shopping for wedding rings a while ago. I think it was over four hundred thousand."

"Over four hundred thousand? You could buy a Mercedes E300 with that!"

"I’m a little curious now. Who is this handsome guy? He seems a bit flirty with Mengmeng."

"No way. The beauty next to him isn’t bad either. She’s a total knockout, just maybe a tiny bit less than Mengmeng."

"He’s a man, isn’t he? What man wouldn’t like a classy, peerless beauty like Mengmeng? And she’s a doctor, too. Just the thought is a turn-on."

Hearing her colleagues’ chatter, Zhuang Xiaomeng couldn’t help but look at Qi Sheng shyly.

"Thank you for the gift. I love it!"

[Zhuang Xiaomeng’s Goodwill +10. Current Goodwill: 80 (Intimate)]

Qi Sheng froze for a second, then glanced at Lai Manling.

’I can’t believe it. In less than half a month, Lai Manling has already sweet-talked Zhuang Xiaomeng most of the way. Add in the expensive birthday gift, and without me even really trying, the moved Zhuang Xiaomeng’s Goodwill shot straight up to 80. At this stage, all it would take is a slightly romantic confession, and things would naturally fall into place. Say no more. I’ve got to give Manling a bonus for this tonight.’