Chapter 2021: Showing Off

Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation

Seeing the exaggerated appearance of the Alphard, Zhou Xinyu’s expression showed surprise and disbelief.

Yan Ci nodded. “What’s wrong?”

“Nothing, it’s just…” Zhou Xinyu said.

“This car’s design is too flashy. It’s not subtle or understated at all. Domestic cars are really lacking; it doesn’t even look as good as your old Audi A4.”

Lin Yi, “…”

Yan Ci, “…”

“Xinyu, don’t talk nonsense.”

Chen Teng quickly stepped in, trying to stop her.

But his eyes betrayed a hint of envy as he looked at the white Toyota Alphard, almost drooling over it.

“I’m not talking nonsense. Just look at how exaggerated it looks. Nowadays, domestic cars all follow this trend—flashy designs to fool consumers into buying them,” Zhou Xinyu continued.

“This isn’t a domestic car; it’s a Toyota Alphard, with a market price of over 900,000 yuan, and you usually have to pay a premium of several hundred thousand to get one,” Chen Teng explained awkwardly.

It wasn’t that he envied them for having a nice car—his family wasn’t short of money, and his sister drove a Mercedes G-Class worth over 2 million yuan.

It was Zhou Xinyu’s behavior that made him feel embarrassed.

“This… this car is that expensive…”

Zhou Xinyu was at a loss for words.

She never imagined that such an extravagant-looking car would be so expensive.

It even required an additional payment to purchase it.

Now that she looked at it again, it didn’t seem as ugly.

But the man standing next to Yan Ci couldn’t be wealthier than her cousin, so how could he afford such an expensive car?

Could it be that Yan Ci bought it?

Or maybe it was rented?

After all, a car costing nearly a million yuan wasn’t cheap.

“Auntie, you all go ahead; we’ll follow behind.”

“Alright.”

As they got into their cars, Zhou Xinyu’s expression wasn’t as triumphant as before.

“Your cousin is quite something,” Chen Teng remarked as he started driving.

“What do you mean?”

Zhou Xinyu asked impatiently, not wanting Chen Teng to bring up Yan Ci at this moment.

“Judging by the current market, that car must have cost over 1.3 million yuan. The monthly loan payments alone would be more than ten thousand yuan, so the financial pressure must be significant.”

Hearing this, Zhou Xinyu seemed to feel better.

If the car was bought with a loan, there was nothing to envy.

Although Teng’s car wasn’t as expensive, at least it was fully paid for.

And with his status, he could afford such an expensive car but chose not to due to his position.

“It could be a loan, or maybe it’s rented,” Zhou Xinyu speculated.

“She has her own place in Zhonghai, so her monthly mortgage payments must be substantial. How could she afford to take out a loan for a car?”

Neither Zhou Xinyu nor Tang Li knew much about Yan Ci’s financial situation.

So they didn’t know that she had no loans at all.

Besides, Yan Ci wasn’t one to boast.

She also often used her house as collateral for loans to invest, which made her financial status seem less luxurious than it actually was.

This led her family to believe that although Yan Ci was doing well in Zhonghai, she might not have much money.

“You might be right. After all, property prices in Zhonghai aren’t cheap,” Chen Teng said with a smile, not feeling embarrassed about the car issue.

He figured the car was probably borrowed, or at best, bought on a loan.

It was nothing compared to his fully-paid car.

On the other side, Lin Yi, driving behind the GL8, laughed and spoke.

“It seems like your relationship with your cousin isn’t great. You barely talked.”

“It’s mainly because our personalities are different,” Yan Ci said calmly.

“I don’t have much to say to her. Every time we meet, I just respond to whatever she says. We can’t really have a conversation. But there’s nothing I can do; she’s my aunt’s daughter, so I have to keep things amicable on the surface.”

“Your aunt’s intentions are pretty clear. Once she’s married, she’ll be living in Zhonghai and will probably rely on you for help.”

“I figured that out a long time ago. It’s just something I have to deal with.”

Yan Ci said while resting her head on her hand.

“My aunt treated me like her own daughter growing up, so as long as she doesn’t do anything too outrageous, I’ll help out when I can.”

Lin Yi didn’t say anything, feeling that Yan Ci’s approach was perfectly reasonable.

Good deeds should be rewarded.

She was just repaying her aunt’s kindness.

Soon, the group arrived at a restaurant called Furong Xiang.

The place wasn’t large, but it was uniquely decorated, clearly specializing in Hunan cuisine.

“Mom, this restaurant is very famous in Zhonghai. Knowing you were coming, Chen Teng made a reservation three days in advance. If you come on the day, you won’t get a table,” Zhou Xinyu chirped excitedly.

“Do you need a reservation just to eat here?”

Tang Li, from an older generation, couldn’t understand the concept of booking a table for a meal.

To her, as a paying customer, why should she have to wait?

“Mom, you don’t understand,” Zhou Xinyu explained.

“Normally, you’d need to book a week in advance to eat here. But since Chen Teng is a civil servant, especially in the industrial and commercial office, which oversees these businesses, they give him some face and squeezed us in.”

“Oh, I see,” Tang Li said.

“It’s really kind of you, but next time, let’s just eat something simple. No need to go to so much trouble.”

“That won’t do. You’re our guest, so we must have the best.”

Chen Teng said politely, demonstrating his “high-quality male” status to Yan Ci.

“You guys have worked so hard.”

“We’re happy to do it.”

With that, Chen Teng made a welcoming gesture, leading Tang Li inside.

Lin Yi and Yan Ci followed behind, serving as a backdrop, and felt pretty good about Chen Teng.

Except for being a bit boastful and greasy, he was otherwise quite acceptable.

When the group arrived at the restaurant, they found that the interior was decorated in an antique style, with great attention to detail.

Without saying anything else, just looking at the decor, it was clear the prices wouldn’t be cheap, as these were part of the costs.

“Sir, the store is fully booked. We only accept reservations, our apologies.”

The waitress, dressed in a high-slit cheongsam, said apologetically.

“We made a reservation in advance.”

Zhou Xinyu held her head high. “It was booked by Mr. Chen.”

“Alright, please wait a moment.”

The waitress checked briefly on the device in her hand and politely said:

“Mr. Chen, please follow me; the table you reserved is inside.”

Chen Teng adjusted his clothes, straightened his back, and spoke casually.

“Let’s go.”

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