Everyday Romance After Becoming a Billionaire

Chapter 30: Chapter 213: The 4 Neurotic Girls

The Shanghai Agricultural Wholesale Market, or Shangnong Pi for short.

It was a massive wholesale market, selling everything from grains and oils, groceries, and general merchandise to seafood, fruit, meat, frozen goods, organic foods, and vegetables.

The Mercedes-Benz GLA pulled into a parking spot. Su Ran got out first and started walking toward the market.

"Su Ran, don’t walk so fast! My legs are going numb."

"Su Ran, slow down! We came to keep you company, so you have to take care of us."

"You have no idea how to treat a lady."

"Keep walking that fast and, believe it or not, we’ll tie you up and grind our heels on you!"

Su Ran stopped and turned around. He watched the four delicate girls in their miniskirts, stockings, and high heels gingerly picking their way through the stinking, bloody water that flowed from a butcher’s stall up ahead.

They didn’t look like they were visiting a market; they looked like they were here for a fashion show.

"Why don’t you all just wait in the car? I can go in and ask around by myself."

"Nooo~"

That drawn-out "Nooo~" from the four gorgeous girls made every passerby stop and stare in awe.

Su Ran walked back and stood in their midst. With two girls clinging to each of his arms, they carefully navigated the uneven, blood-stained path.

"Ah!" Aina’s heel wobbled, and she lost her footing, tumbling right into Su Ran’s arms.

Liu Jinyu yanked Aina back, warning her with a cute sort of ferocity, "You little vixen, throwing yourself at him on purpose. Stop with the little schemes, you hear me?"

"I did not! I really did twist my ankle. It hurts so much~"

"Ugh, stop with the cutesy act."

"You’re the one who’s always got a problem with everything."

"Hubby~ Jinyu’s picking on me."

"Get lost. You’re so annoying."

Xie Yiren, feeling a headache coming on, pulled on her jacket and strode out of the bloody path first.

Su Ran helped the others across one by one, and then they all walked into the market together.

"Yiren, are you cold?"

"No. Why?"

"If you’re not cold, why’d you put on a jacket?"

"I... I just like it."

Xie Yiren bit her lip and quickened her pace, walking ahead of the group.

Su Ran was baffled. ’What’s going on? Did I somehow offend her with that casual question?’

Liu Jinyu whispered, "Shh! Don’t ask and don’t overthink it. You’ll find out eventually."

Now Su Ran was utterly lost.

’Fine,’ Su Ran decided not to dwell on it. ’Girls are so complicated, always with their little secrets.’

The Shangnong Pi market was huge, so the five of them split up the search for Stephen Chow. Su Ran started in the seafood section, Xiao Wanqing in the grocery section, while Liu Jinyu, Aina, and Xie Yiren each took one of the other sections.

"Excuse me, Auntie. Do you happen to know Stephen Chow?"

"Who are you calling Auntie?! You’re the Auntie! Get lost, you little punk!"

Su Ran was speechless.

"Excuse me, boss. Do you know a Stephen Chow?"

"You want some of this plump, juicy abalone?"

Su Ran: ...

"Excuse me, miss, have you heard of someone named Stephen Chow?"

"I have. Why don’t you come in and have some fun with me? Then I’ll tell you."

"...I’ll be going now."

RING RING RING... It was a call from Liu Jinyu.

"Su Ran, nobody over here has heard of him. Yiren and the others are having no luck either. Do you have any leads?"

"No leads here, either. Try asking at some of the older, more established-looking shops. If we really can’t find anything, let’s just give up. It’s way too hot for this."

"Okay, I’ll keep asking," Liu Jinyu said before hanging up to continue her search.

But after searching for half the day, they had found zero leads on Stephen Chow. They did, however, get plenty of requests for their phone numbers.

Over on his side, Su Ran came upon an old-fashioned general store where an old man sat by the entrance, cooling himself with a palm-leaf fan.

"Excuse me, Grandpa, can I ask you something? Do you know Stephen Chow?"

"Huh?" The old man was a bit hard of hearing.

Su Ran raised his voice. "Do you know Stephen Chow, the heir to the art of Imperial Cuisine?"

"What shit?"

"Stephen Chow!"

"What shit porridge?"

"Ste~phen~Chow~"

"Shit what porridge?"

"...Never mind. You enjoy the rest of your day, sir."

Su Ran answered a call from Liu Jinyu and turned to go meet up with the others.

Just then, a man in a tank top, shorts, and flip-flops, carrying a bag of groceries, brushed past Su Ran on his way to the general store. The moment the old man sitting out front saw him, he shot to his feet.

"Stephen Chow! Out doing your shopping?"

"Yeah, some relatives are visiting tonight, so I’m just grabbing a few things."

...

「At the market entrance」

"I really thought we’d find a lead on Stephen Chow here, but we came up with nothing. Su Ran, what should we do now?" Xiao Wanqing sighed.

The five of them regrouped and shrugged at one another—a total bust. "If we can’t find him, we can’t find him," Su Ran said. "It’s just getting hotter out here. Come on, let’s go back to Maoyue. I’ll treat you all to a meal."

"You’re giving up just like that?"

"What else is there to do? We gave it our best shot. If we can’t find him, we can’t find him. When we get back to the hotel, order anything you want, really. Don’t hold back."

The four girls now looked a little angry.

"What’s wrong?"

"I mean, seriously, Su Ran? Can’t you just stick with it a little longer? Keep looking for a bit?"

"Is that your personality? So nonchalant about everything? You look for someone for a little while and just give up the moment you can’t find them?"

"If you and your girlfriend had a fight and she stormed off and wouldn’t answer your calls, is this what you’d do? Go out and look for a few minutes, then just give up because, hey, what’s the point?"

"Forget girlfriends. You probably don’t even bother pursuing girls. You’re too lazy to try, thinking, ’Why bother? We’ll just end up fighting anyway.’ Is that it?"

"That’s not me at all!" Su Ran said, holding up his hands. "I was talking about Stephen Chow! How did this turn into a lecture about how I pursue women? I’m very dedicated when I’m trying to win a girl over."

The four girls crossed their arms and shook their heads. Aina spoke for the group. "We don’t believe you’d actually put any heart into it. So how about this... pretend we’re the girls you like. Right now. Show us how you’d woo us. What, scared? See? I told you you weren’t serious about girls, and you’re still trying to deny it. Hmph!"

"Phew..." Su Ran’s head was spinning. He didn’t know whether to laugh or cry. "Seriously? Does that kind of thing really need a demonstration? How am I even supposed to demonstrate it? Besides, you want me to show you how I’d pursue all four of you at once? What do you think I am, some kind of player? I’m not that kind of man."

Tsk!

"The four of us are offering to be your sparring partners, and you’re not even going to appreciate the opportunity? Other guys would be dying for a chance like this. You should cherish it, young buck!"

"Er... okay, fine. I’ll give it a try. If you were the girls I had a crush on, I’d probably try to win you over like this..."

THUMP!

He had barely finished speaking when Aina stepped out from among her friends and moved to his side.

Su Ran asked, "What are you doing out here?"

Aina replied, "Because you’ve already won me over."

Su Ran sighed. "Hah. Aren’t you being a little childish?"

Su Ran nearly died from laughter. Aina was such a character.

Ewww~~

The other three shot her disdainful looks.

Liu Jinyu: "Don’t hold me back. I’m gonna fucking kill that little scheming bitch."

Xie Yiren: "Wifey, so your love has moved on to someone else? You don’t want me anymore, is that it?"

Xiao Wanqing: "If I were a man, I swear I’d find a chance to pin that little vixen down and teach her a lesson. See if she’d still dare to pull these stunts all day."

"Nyah nyah nyah~"

"Oh my god, she’s even sticking her tongue out! I can’t take it anymore! Su Ran, start the car! We’re going to punish this little vixen Aina, and we’re going to do it good and proper!"

The three women shoved Aina into the back seat. Su Ran drove the GLA away. The front passenger seat was empty; they were all crammed in the back, ready to deliver Aina’s punishment.

Su Ran’s head was buzzing the entire trip. The four of them together were just so chaotic.

"Xiao Wanqing, stop it! You guys are so mean~"

"As your husband, I’m just going to sit back and watch them punish you today!"

PFFT!

Su Ran, in the driver’s seat, nearly choked. He shot Xie Yiren a thumbs-up in the rearview mirror.

Between yesterday and today, they had all grown much more comfortable with Su Ran, and their true "crazy girl" natures were starting to show.

This was just how the four best friends always acted when they were together. And now that Su Ran was around—he was Jinyu’s "Ranran," after all, which made him one of them—they didn’t feel the need to hold back. They were just as loud and carefree as they always were.

The atmosphere was incredibly harmonious.

The chaotic journey continued all the way back to Maoyue.

’Being with these four... it’s definitely a case of Refining Heart in Mortal World. You really have to be able to withstand temptation.’