Chapter Ninety-Two: Driving a Maserati to the Market?

On the first page of a three-page chapter, a woman named Su Xue was the very picture of imperiousness. Seated inside the car, she fiddled with the steering wheel, then pressed every button on the dashboard one by one. From the way she behaved, it looked as if she could not wait to drive off for a spin.

"How comfortable. If someone were to drive me to and from work in this car every day, I’d be delighted!" Su Xue said with a smile after trying it out, then turned her gaze to Wang Zheng outside the car. "Did you buy this for yourself, or for someone else?"

"Of course I bought it for myself," Wang Zheng replied, carefully avoiding the mention of Bai Bing’s name in front of Su Xue. If this girl were to connect Bai Bing with the car, tonight would likely become another sleepless one.

Besides, Bai Bing was already on the verge of fury because of Lin Xiaolei’s matter earlier. If that powder keg were touched carelessly, the consequences would be unthinkable. Su Xue might be overbearing, but Bai Bing was no soft touch either.

With spring breezes blowing and war drums pounding, who was afraid of whom? Bai Bing had just been looking for a place to vent her anger.

"Confess and you’ll be treated leniently; resist and you’ll be treated harshly. Did you really buy it for yourself?" Su Xue asked again, glancing toward Bai Bing at the side as though hinting something to Wang Zheng.

"You little brat, are you asking to be dealt with?" Wang Zheng said sourly. Su Xue was becoming more and more unrestrained.

"Looks like you’re not giving me a chance to confess leniently...?" Su Xue said with a cold laugh.

Before Su Xue could finish, Wang Zheng suddenly raised a hand and slapped hard against the roof of the car. The force made the vehicle tremble several times, startling Chu Jun beside them and leaving Su Xue inside the car dumbstruck.

Wang Zheng frowned, his eyes wide and bright. His handsome face seemed to harden into iron, stern and icy, and under the glow of the streetlights he looked intimidatingly fierce. He opened the door, reached in with one hand, and lifted Su Xue straight out of the car. Then, with a loud slam, he shut the door again.

He said nothing. He merely stood there with a cold expression, staring fiercely at Su Xue, who had just moments ago been so domineering. He stared at her until she felt weak all over, as if a chill wind were blowing through her from every direction.

Could it be that winter had come this year too soon?

"Tonight’s moonlight... is pretty nice, ha," Su Xue said with some effort, forcing out a smile as she looked at Wang Zheng. It was the first time she had ever seen him this solemn, this cold, and the sight sent a shiver through her. She could not help wondering if she had gone too far.

It was not only Su Xue who had never seen Wang Zheng wear such a grave expression; Chu Jun had never seen it either. The atmosphere was tense to the point of snapping, and even Chu Jun felt her body trembling.

"We... we bought a lot of little snacks. Let’s go home and eat them together?" Chu Jun said with a smile. Though she was smiling, the expression was stiff and forced. If this awkward, strained atmosphere was not broken, she feared she would not be able to take it.

"Yes... yes, I bought some snacks. Let’s go home together and eat them!" Su Xue quickly echoed after hearing Chu Jun. Since there was a step down from the high ground, she had best take it quickly.

"Do you have any objection to my answer just now?" Wang Zheng asked Su Xue indifferently.

His tone was ordinary, yet it carried a killing intent... This was the kind of killing aura that made people feel nothing, and yet it was everywhere.

On the second page of a three-page chapter, Su Xue’s expression changed at once.

"No... no objection. You’re my brother. If I can’t trust anyone else, I can trust you," she said, clutching Wang Zheng’s arm tightly. The interrogating look from before was gone without a trace, replaced by an affectionate, family-like warmth, the very image of a mischievous little sister acting spoiled before her elder brother.

Seeing Su Xue’s expression, Wang Zheng laughed inwardly. At last, he had settled her down. It seemed that from now on, he would have to play the deep and serious man from time to time; otherwise, it would be bad for his position as head of the household.

"That’s more like it," Wang Zheng said. There was no point in dragging things out. He could not exactly keep being harsh with Su Xue. So he put on the air of a big brother and patted her head symbolically, forgiving his lovely little sister.

In truth, both Wang Zheng and Su Xue were acting, and both knew the other was acting as well, but neither said so aloud. That was what made it fun.

With both sides having found their way down from the ledge, the clash of swords and spears came to an end. Chu Jun let out a breath of relief at the sight and smiled at Su Xue and Wang Zheng. Bai Bing, however, seemed to have anticipated this outcome from the very beginning. From the start, she had never truly believed the argument between Wang Zheng and Su Xue to be genuine. She knew Su Xue would never make things difficult for Wang Zheng. Everything had been done merely for her, Bai Bing, to see. And Wang Zheng had only been trying to avoid a direct collision between her and Su Xue.

In other words, the conflict was not between Wang Zheng and Su Xue at all, but between Bai Bing and Su Xue. Wang Zheng’s role was simply to stand in the middle and ease the tension.

After going upstairs and returning home, Su Xue somehow produced a selection of snacks. They tasted good, though there was still a slight gap compared with the private little treats Bai Bing made.

It was already late. After seeing Su Xue, Chu Jun, and Bai Bing return to their own rooms, Wang Zheng finally let out a heavy sigh. Being caught in the middle every day was truly exhausting. Still, at least he had avoided a war, and could sleep peacefully tonight!

The next morning, when Bai Bing woke, the first thing she did was press herself to the windowsill and look down. When she felt the morning warmth of the sun, the fresh air, and the white Maserati parked below, she finally confirmed that it was not a dream, but real.

He had really bought a car? Wonderful!

Last night, after lying down in bed, Bai Bing still could not believe that Wang Zheng would buy a car so readily, and especially not a car she had long dreamed of. The first time she had mentioned buying one, Wang Zheng had made it very clear that she should not even think about it. Yet she had not expected everything to happen so quickly, so quickly that it seemed almost impossible and left her unable to believe it.

Looking at the Maserati Quattroporte below and the sun rising in the east, all the excitement that had never had a chance to surface after work yesterday came flooding out at once. That was also why she had gotten up so early: she was so excited she could not sleep.

She slipped out of her room and quietly went to Wang Zheng’s door across the hall. With her ear pressed to the door, she listened in silence. After quite a while, she carefully opened the door and, seeing Wang Zheng still asleep through the crack, tiptoed inside.

Where was the key? Bai Bing searched and searched through clothes, drawers, cabinets, and every place she could think of, but still could not find it.

No, there was one more place!

Bai Bing came to the bedside and looked at Wang Zheng’s even breathing. She gently lifted his pillow... and sure enough, the key bearing the trident emblem was hidden underneath. Delighted, Bai Bing reached out to take it.

Huh? The key came out, but why was there still a thin thread tied to the key ring? Following the thread with her eyes, Bai Bing found its origin at last... Wang Zheng’s finger. Just as Bai Bing was about to yank the thread free, a voice suddenly rang out.

"What are you doing?"

On the third page of a three-page chapter, Bai Bing froze, then lifted her head mechanically to look at Wang Zheng lying in bed. His eyes were tightly closed, and so was his mouth.

Was it an illusion? So that was what it meant when they said a guilty thief is the most easily startled. Thinking this, Bai Bing put the thread in her mouth and prepared to bite it off with her teeth. But at that moment, the voice came again.

"This is specially made fine thread. It’s stronger than steel wire. Be careful with your teeth."

Bai Bing quickly turned to look at Wang Zheng. This time she was certain she had not imagined it. She swallowed hard. To be caught red-handed while stealing was mortifying. Humiliating!

"You... you’re awake?" she asked.

"No."

"I... I wanted to borrow your car to go buy breakfast," Bai Bing said, looking at Wang Zheng with his eyes still closed. She really could not think of any other excuse. The only thing she wanted now was to find a hole in the ground and crawl into it.

"Trying to slack off? Can’t you make it yourself?"

"I... I’ll go buy the ingredients!"

"No need to trouble yourself. There’s milk, juice, bread, and the snacks Su Xue bought in the fridge. We’ll just make do this morning."

"Make do? How can that be? For someone as busy as you, breakfast is the most important meal of the day." Bai Bing crouched by the bed and looked at Wang Zheng, who was still lying there with his eyes closed. "So I’ve decided that from now on I’ll go to the market every morning to buy fresh vegetables and make you my private specialties. There are still many dishes I’m good at that I haven’t made yet. Don’t you want to try them?"

"Drive a Maserati to the market? How many cabbages are you planning to cram into the trunk?" Wang Zheng opened his eyes and said with annoyance. "If you just want a joyride, say so straight out. No need to beat around the bush."

As he spoke, Wang Zheng sat up, untied the other end of the thread from his finger, and pulled the line out from the key ring.

Wang Zheng had guessed last night that Bai Bing would not be able to resist doing exactly this, so before going to sleep he had set a little trap, waiting for her to walk right into it.

"Don’t drive too far. I don’t want to wake up in the morning with no breakfast to eat."

With that, Wang Zheng lay back down again.

"I know!"

The excited voice was still there, but the person had already disappeared.