Chen Cheng also nodded, "Right, we'll teach her a lesson next time."

After speaking, the atmosphere fell into a brief silence.

Feeling the mood was set just right, Chen Cheng spoke up, "Little Qiu, isn't this Fan Shengmei's room? What are you doing here?"

Qiu Yingying's face instantly flushed red, "That... that, I couldn't sleep after suddenly changing beds, so I came over to chat with Sister Fan. Who knew..."

Chen Cheng smiled, not expecting this to work out in his favor.

"Ahem~ Well, Little Qiu, since this has happened, I won't avoid it."

"But you know, with Guan Guan and me..."

Qiu Yingying was too embarrassed to listen further, "Alright, don't say anymore. I'll pretend it never happened."

Chen Cheng frowned. If he hadn't had a taste, it would be one thing, but having tasted it and then letting someone else have it? That's not Chen Jianan's style.

Raising an eyebrow, he asked, "How about I give you a sum of money instead? That would ease my guilt a little."

Qiu Yingying shook her head vigorously like a rattle-drum, waving her hands, "No, I don't want it."

Chen Cheng grabbed her slightly plump hand, "Don't refuse so quickly. Hear me out first."

Qiu Yingying thought for a moment. Listening wouldn't hurt. She nodded.

A slight smile curled at the corner of Chen Cheng's mouth, "Look, you just graduated, so you probably don't have much savings."

"And you're unemployed recently. Food, living expenses, everything costs money. You're a university graduate now; you can't keep asking your family for money, right?"

Qiu Yingying thought about it, and her pride instantly flared up.

Exactly, I'm a university graduate. How can I still ask my family for money?

She nodded in strong agreement.

Chen Cheng continued, "First of all, what happened today definitely wasn't your fault, and of course, it wasn't mine either."

"It's all Fan Shengmei's fault," Qiu Yingying said through gritted teeth.

Chen Cheng's eyes lit up. Qiu Yingying was really getting it.

"Yes, it's all her fault."

"But I also bear some responsibility, after all, I couldn't control myself."

"When I suggested giving you some money earlier, firstly, I wanted to make it up to you. Secondly, it's an apology. But you know, with my situation with Guan Guan, I can't openly give you gifts."

"This..." For a moment, Qiu Yingying couldn't find a reason to refuse.

Chen Cheng struck while the iron was hot, "Then it's settled."

"I'll transfer you 150,000 right now. We absolutely can't go lower than Fan Shengmei."

Mentioning Fan Shengmei, Qiu Yingying's temper flared. It was all her fault for creating this mess.

Besides, where was Qiu Yingying inferior to her? Right, I *should* be higher than her.

Qiu Yingying huffily took the phone.

A triumphant, sly smile spread across Chen Cheng's face as he took the phone.

He operated with practiced ease, giving Qiu Yingying no time to hesitate.

[Ding~ Alipay transfer received: 150,000 yuan~]

The notification tone sounded, and only then did Qiu Yingying feel a sense of unreality, standing there in a daze.

Chen Cheng put down the phone, pulled Qiu Yingying into his arms, and leaned close to her face.

Qiu Yingying's fair face instantly turned as red as a monkey's bottom. Nervously, she shielded her chest with her hands, "What are you doing?"

...

[Ding~ Qiu Yingying favorability +8]

At 5:30 AM, Scum Cheng left the room.

Walking to 'Qiu Yingying's' door, he tried the handle.

The corner of his mouth hooked up. You all really don't like locking your doors, do you?

This works too.

...

Scum Cheng walked out of the room at exactly 7 AM.

Looking at the tightly closed doors upstairs and downstairs, he breathed a sigh of relief and swaggered upstairs.

Entering the room, seeing Guan Juer sleeping soundly, he smiled slightly, turned, and went into the bathroom.

He needed a good wash.

After showering and changing into workout clothes, he felt a clarity he'd never experienced before. He wanted to go downstairs for a run, to vent.

No sleep all night. Tired?

Chen Cheng didn't feel it. He was even a bit excited.

This must be Endless Vitality. Eight times a night? No problem at all.

Chen Cheng walked to the bedside and reached out to ruffle Guan Juer's hair.

"Mmm~" Guan Juer let out a cute, sleepy grunt and casually swatted Chen Cheng's hand away.

Chen Cheng thought for a moment. Forget it, she stayed up late playing last night. Let her sleep a bit more.

He picked up Guan Juer's phone, unlocked it using facial recognition.

He turned off her alarm and switched to green bubble to send a message to Yin Yue.

[Miss Yin, this is Chen Cheng. Guan Guan isn't feeling well and might be late. I don't know anyone else, so I have to trouble you to help her ask for leave from her supervisor.]

After sending the message, Chen Cheng went downstairs.

Regarding Guan Juer's job, he had no intention of interfering.

But he definitely didn't take it as seriously as Guan Juer did.

Chen Cheng left the residential complex and ran five kilometers along the riverside greenway before turning back.

He didn't deliberately control his pace the whole way, just ran however felt comfortable.

Arriving back at the building, Chen Cheng pressed pause on his watch.

He glanced at it, "Oh, not bad."

Nearly ran 10 kilometers in under 30 minutes. 30 minutes, 54 seconds.

This pace was basically equivalent to a first-class athlete, and this was just him running casually.

This feeling of mastering something with just a little practice and learning was truly wonderful.

Grateful to the system, Dad.

Taking the water Eleven handed him, Scum Cheng smiled slightly, "You really didn't have to follow me on the run."

After handing over the water, Eleven bent over, hands on her knees, gasping for breath, unable to speak a word.

How could this man, who spent all his time lingering among women, be this strong?

It made no sense at all.

After drinking the water, Chen Cheng watched her reaction and couldn't help but smile. He handed the bottle back to her, "Have a drink too."

Eleven took the bottle, tilted her head back, and gulped it down. She felt like her lungs were about to explode.

She didn't even care if Chen Cheng had drunk from it.

"Cough, cough~"

Chen Cheng's mouth twitched. He shook his head with a laugh and reached out to pat her back, helping her catch her breath.

Look at you, not knowing your opponent's strength, why push yourself so hard? Didn't you see those two by the roadside following by car?

Eleven gasped for a long time before finally catching her breath.

"Weren't you there when we played tennis last time? Didn't I say I'm okay at running too?" Chen Cheng teased Eleven as they walked back.

Eleven's already flushed face turned even redder, "How was I supposed to know you were this good?"

"This is nothing. Next time, I'll let you experience something even more impressive."

Eleven didn't catch the innuendo, "Mm, I'm already starting to mentally prepare myself."

Chen Cheng chuckled happily. What a pure girl. Luckily, I came early, before she was married off.

Chen Cheng thought for a moment and asked, "Is your father still the same, drinking every day?"

Eleven turned her head to look at Chen Cheng in shock, then immediately remembered... oh, he seems to know about her family situation.

Eleven let out a bitter laugh, "Yeah, same as always."

Chen Cheng thought for a moment, "You should still send him to a rehab center."

"We did. He started again not long after coming back."

Chen Cheng sighed. Forget it. Probably getting the old man to quit drinking is harder than getting him to quit women.

Better to respect others' fates.

Chen Cheng smiled, "I was presumptuous. I shouldn't have asked about your family matters."

Eleven smiled, "It's fine. Thank you for your concern, boss."

[Ding~ Eleven favorability +1]

Chen Cheng was momentarily stunned. Eleven's favorability came quite easily.

A little sunshine and she blooms?

But it made sense. Her mother ran off with someone, her father's an alcoholic.

She's a girl with no real parents, having to take care of a father who drinks and gambles all day. Life is too hard. The slightest kindness from others, she remembers it fondly for a long time.

This was the younger version of Eleven.

If it were the one from the original series, life's hardships would have long since made her cold and distant.

Before entering the elevator, Chen Cheng said to Eleven,

"It's pretty hot out. Go take a shower and change first. I'll call you if I need to go out."

Eleven nodded with a smile, "Okay, boss."