I am not just a tycoon

Luo Bingying remained silent, but the disdain at the corner of her eyes persisted.

"You've had a boyfriend back in middle school, so stop pretending to be a pure white lotus in front of me," he said playfully.

The man said playfully, "Someone like you isn't exactly hard to find for me, so don't take yourself too seriously."

Luo Bingying replied coldly, "Fei Bing, if you think someone like me is a dime a dozen, why did you have your family pull strings to make this happen?"
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The man known as Fei Bing smiled openly, "Why do you think? Of course, it's to have you. I just like your aloof demeanor," he said.

Fei Bing was direct, but he didn't say the second half of his thought out loud, which was that her aloofness made him feel more accomplished in bed.

If it had been the Luo Bingying of the past, he wouldn't have stood a chance, but now... it was Luo Bingying's turn to look up to him.

The disdain in Luo Bingying's eyes grew thicker, even reducing her appetite a little.

Fei Bing, however, relished this attitude; the more Luo Bingying disliked him, the greater his sense of conquest when he got her.

This made him somewhat curious about her so-called first love. He asked, "What does the family of your first love do?"

Luo Bingying answered indifferently, "It's none of your business."

"You don't have to tell me; I can find out myself. Graduated from Xiang County Peicui Middle School, right? It's easy to check."

Fei Bing said confidently, "To have been with you and still be able to bring a girlfriend to a place like this for dinner, his family must be well-off."

Luo Bingying didn't want to answer and remained silent.

Fei Bing, still not satisfied, licked the corner of his mouth and whispered, "I'm a bit curious, have you slept with him?"

Luo Bingying bit her lip and gave him a hateful glance.

"Not answering? Then it's a yes?"

Fei Bing mocked, "And here I thought you were so innocent, having sex with someone in middle school?"

Luo Bingying suppressed the urge to throw her drink in his face and after a long while spat out two cold words, "No."

"No?"

Fei Bing's malicious enjoyment intensified, "If it's a no, then if he knew I was with you..."

"Enough!"

Luo Bingying warned, "If you keep talking like this, even if my parents pressure me, I won't date you."

Fei Bing said teasingly, "So you're threatening me now?"

Luo Bingying, trembling with anger yet powerless, could only drink her beverage fiercely.

...

On the other side, the dishes that Shen Yuan and Lih Xiao ordered were also being served one after another. Shen Yuan cut a small piece of steak with his knife and fork and put it in his mouth.

It didn't taste very good; if anything, the addition of Hunan flavors, giving off the taste of chopped chili peppers, was off-putting.

"These goddamn restaurants, if they're going to serve Western food, just serve Western food; if it's Chinese, then stick to Chinese. What's the point of this mishmash!" Shen Yuan cursed, thinking there was no point to this when a roadside barbecue would be tastier.

"I think it's all right," Lih Xiao said, cutting another piece of steak and savoring it with small bites.

Whether it was all in her head or not, Lih Xiao thought that aside from being pricey, the taste was pretty good.

But people come here to dine probably for the novelty, and mostly for the ambiance.

"Then you should eat more," Shen Yuan said, transferring the rest of his steak onto Lih Xiao's plate, and then watched her eat quietly.

Lih Xiao treated the steak as tenderly as she would treat Niuzi, cutting a small piece gently and then delicately placing it into her cherry-like mouth, chewing slowly before swallowing.

If Lih Xiao knew that her attempts to appear graceful were being interpreted by Shen Yuan in that manner, she would probably be furious.

After finishing the meal, Shen Yuan snapped his fingers, summoning the waiter for the bill.

The total was 1680. Lih Xiao was somewhat surprised to see the bill, having expected maybe 700-800, but not this much.

"Shen Yuan, I'll WeChat you the money," Lih Xiao said as she took out her phone.

"No need for that, Teacher Lih. You've helped me so much; consider this meal my treat," Shen Yuan dismissed with a wave of his hand.

"But you've helped me a lot too," Lih Xiao protested, not accepting it and transferred 840 over to him on WeChat. After sending the money, she felt the pinch; her monthly salary was just so much, and she really couldn't afford such an extravagant meal.

Shen Yuan didn't confirm the payment but instead took her hand as they walked out of the restaurant. Lih Xiao, her face blushing, struggled to pull away, but she couldn't break free.

"Teacher Lih, why are you still being formal with me?"

"It's not about being formal; it's about doing things properly," Lih Xiao said softly. "Besides, we're not..."

"Not what?"

Shen Yuan led Lih Xiao to the elevator entrance, smiling, "If I were your boyfriend, would you then feel comfortable spending my money?"

"Uh..."

Lih Xiao thought for a moment; it seemed one couldn't just spend a boyfriend's money indiscriminately.

"Just accept it with peace of mind, a meal isn't really money to me," Shen Yuan glanced at her. "Your students might not be billionaires, but they are at least little tycoons."

"But still..."

"No buts," Shen Yuan firmly interlocked their fingers, then lifted their hands. "Can't we consider ourselves a couple now?"

Lih Xiao was stunned, and then her cheeks turned red, "Is this your way of confessing?"

"A confession..."

"Hello."

Shen Yuan was about to respond when an unfriendly voice rang out.

Shen Yuan turned his head and saw a young stranger at the elevator entrance, sizing him up with ill intent.

The young man was about 175 cm tall, twenty-five or twenty-six years old, decked out in Balenciaga, with a Daytona Platinum on his wrist.

He looked quite arrogant, but his gaze was frivolous.

"Your girlfriend?"

The young man nodded towards Lih Xiao standing next to Shen Yuan.

Shen Yuan didn't know him and frowned, "Who are you?"

The young man was Fei Bing, and he said with a smile, "My name is Fei Bing."

"Oh, right, I forgot to tell you."

Fei Bing stepped aside and pointed to Luo Bingying behind him: "She's also your first love's new boyfriend."

Only then did Shen Yuan notice Luo Bingying standing behind him, dressed in a white dress, her demeanor cool and aloof.

"Ignore him, I have nothing to do with him."

The elevator "dinged" arriving, and Luo Bingying was the first to walk in.

Fei Bing followed casually, "Why have nothing to do with each other? Our parents have discussed it, we're getting married at the end of the year."

Luo Bingying's brows furrowed, "Who said we're getting married."

Fei Bing sneered, "You can't be unaware, your parents have talked it over with mine. Also, why were you so eager to explain just now? Don't tell me you're still hung up on your first love?"

After saying that, Fei Bing also gave Shen Yuan a look, noticing that he too did not seem to lack money, wearing an Audemars Piguet Frosted Gold on his wrist, and clothed in Zegna and Brioni.

Shen Yuan was not one to be trifled with either. Having been provoked before and now facing this kind of scrutiny, especially as he noticed the man eyeing Teacher Lih, he blurted out, "Mind your own damn business, you asshole!"

Fei Bing was taken aback, and it took him a while to realize what had happened, "Wait, why the hell are you cursing..."

Before he could finish, the elevator doors had closed. It was only then that Fei Bing tried to press the door open button, but the elevator was already descending.

Fei Bing had been dumbfounded by the insult; he turned to Luo Bingying, "How did you find someone like him back then? How can he be even ruder than me?"

Luo Bingying struggled to suppress a laugh, this was so typical of Shen Yuan's style. It seemed he hadn't changed at all.

"Come on, say something."

Fei Bing was irritated. He had just been cursed at for no reason and before he could regain his composure, the elevator doors had shut. Who was he supposed to take his frustration out on now?

The more Fei Bing pressed, the quieter Luo Bingying became, thinking that sometimes it takes a bigger villain to deal with a lesser one.

Seeing the pleasure in Luo Bingying's eyes, Fei Bing's face grew darker, thinking to himself what a classless jerk Shen Yuan was. He had expected someone wearing a luxury watch and designer clothes might have some class, but out of his mouth had come nothing but vulgarities; this guy was really tarnishing the reputation of their wealthy circle!

Shen Yuan and Lih Xiao were still waiting for the next elevator on the 3rd floor; Lih Xiao had just come to grips with the situation. Shen Yuan's demeanor was rather intimidating.

Her everyday interactions were with teachers and students, always polite and cultured—nothing like Shen Yuan's unreasonableness.

Lih Xiao was silent for a moment before she said, "Shen Yuan, I think that's the first time I've heard you swear at someone."

Shen Yuan laughed, "No, I used to cuss out Old Huang and Old Cao quite often, just like that."

Lih Xiao said worriedly, "You should try not to curse at people like that in the future. That was a stranger, what if you encounter someone even more unreasonable, and it leads to a fight?"

"Okay, I get it."

It wasn't in Shen Yuan's nature to swear at people without cause, but just now that guy hadn't only provoked him, his gaze was far from friendly, and he had even leered at Teacher Lih.

However, it seemed Luo Bingying's taste had worsened as she got older. Why would she go out on a date with such a guy?

After a few minutes, the elevator finally came, and Shen Yuan, holding Lih Xiao's hand, stepped inside.

Unexpectedly, when the elevator reached the negative second floor, those two had not yet left, and Fei Bing came forward with a hostile look to confront them.

"What the hell was that about just now?"

Shen Yuan just shrugged, his gaze calm. He casually let go of Lih Xiao's hand, looked Fei Bing up and down until Fei Bing felt visibly uncomfortable, then spoke indifferently, "You got a problem?"

There was something inherently unruly about Shen Yuan, and with a height of 182 cm coupled with a muscular body built through frequent workouts, Fei Bing's earlier bravado immediately deflated.

"Get lost."

Shen Yuan used his shoulder to push past Fei Bing, then took Lih Xiao's hand and left the elevator lobby. Before leaving, he gave Luo Bingying a cold glance.

Something in Luo Bingying's heart tightened, a sense of loss arising unbidden.

...

This was the first time Lih Xiao had experienced such a situation. She followed cautiously behind Shen Yuan until they got into the car, then asked, "Shen Yuan, was that girl your first love?"

"Yeah, I guess so."

"How long have you been broken up?"

"We broke up after junior high school."

"Why was that?"

"I think it was because of long-distance."

Shen Yuan started the car, turning the steering wheel: "I've almost forgotten, it's been so many years."

Actually, Shen Yuan remembered it very clearly, but he had to pretend otherwise in front of Lih Xiao.

No matter which girl it was, they would mind an ex, and if he remembered the details about an ex too clearly, they would mind even more.

"Alright then."

Lih Xiao looked at Shen Yuan, "Where are we going now?"

Shen Yuan's lips curved up slightly, "Where do you think we should go?"

Lih Xiao: "?"

Shen Yuan glanced down at Teacher Lih's impressive chest: "Teacher Lih teaches during the day, and naturally, she should be nurturing at night too."