40. Can a man's character change?

Is Chen Che Qin Yanan’s first love?
There is good reason to suspect so.
After all, according to what she said, the boy she liked was between the ages of 12 and 17.
Although they were separated between the ages of 18 and 22, she was clearly not the type of person to date just for the sake of dating.
Whether she had any relationships between the ages of 22 and 26 is unknown, but it is more likely she did not.
So, that stain of red on the sheets…
…
“Not exactly.”
Qin Yanan caught the glimmer of wishful thinking in Chen Che’s eyes and poured a bucket of cold water on it without sparing his feelings.
She added with a hint of resentment:
“It doesn’t count for now, but whether it will in the future is uncertain. Some things cannot be erased.”
Bringing this up, even as shameless as Chen Che was, he felt a bit awkward. She was pointing at him, after all.
He had taken advantage of her vulnerability.
Even if she wasn’t fully conscious, it still counted as non-consensual.
Chen Che didn’t usually black out, so, looking back, he could vaguely remember the scenery of that night.
Sister Nan was both clumsy and miserable.
In truth, they were both pretty screwed up at the time.
He treated her like a technician; she treated him like a childhood sweetheart.
Before falling asleep that night, she must have been thinking: Be gentle, why are you being so rough…
“Ahem.”
Seeing Chen Che staring at her with a dazed look and a slight, suggestive upturn at the corners of his mouth, Qin Yanan gave a dry cough to remind him:
“The conditions have been stated. Are you willing to accept them?”
Chen Che snapped back to reality, his thoughts shifting:
“Can you let me see a photo of him?”
Qin Yanan frowned slightly, but her expression soon relaxed. With a calm, composed face, she said:
“I don’t have one.”
“You don’t?”
He asked subconsciously, but as he looked at her expressionless, beautiful face, he knew he wouldn’t get an answer.
However…
[System: Strong romantic desire detected. Please choose one of two ways to indulge.]
[Option 1: Make Qin Yanan truly fall in love with you—to the point of never leaving, deep devotion, and eternal commitment. Completion reward: 10 Attribute Cards.]
[Option 2: Play along with Qin Yanan and swindle her out of a cumulative total of over 1 billion RMB. Completion reward: 10 Attribute Cards.]
“Uh.”
Chen Che knew the System would show up.
It was never proactive about anything else, but whenever a woman was involved, it appeared in a flash!
Was this system developed by Guo Youcai?
Useless at everything else, but number one at sniffing out romance.
When it came to dealing with Gong Yaowu, he had hoped the System would help him, but it stayed silent.
Yet when it came to women, it was faster than anyone.
More importantly, could it be a bit simpler?
Wait… Option 2 actually seemed like it had potential.
“Let’s get one thing straight: I definitely won’t be anyone’s substitute. Don’t bully an honest man too much.”
Chen Che said earnestly after some thought.
Qin Yanan nodded as if it were a matter of course, but raised an eyebrow with a playful, enigmatic expression:
“I’m not bullying you, and you’re no honest man.”
Perhaps Chen Che was an honest man that night at the bar, but the moment he woke up, he had completely changed.
He changed so much that Qin Yanan had even secretly searched online: “Does a man’s personality change after that?”
The girls online all said it would…
Although she had never had a boyfriend, some trivial knowledge doesn’t require personal experience to understand.
Chen Che was clearly not an honest kid.
Was he hiding it well before?
Or was it because of her special constitution?
Sister Nan had even fretted over this.
…
Inside the car, the two of them were lost in their own thoughts, and for a while, surprisingly, neither took the initiative to break the silence.
Qin Yanan thought Chen Che would argue back, but seeing the inadvertent cloud of worry between his brows as he looked down, she pouted and decided not to explain further.
Meanwhile, after selecting Option 1, Chen Che stared down at the implications of Option 2.
The System wanted him to swindle 1 billion from her.
That meant her assets exceeded 1 billion.
A super rich woman!
Although the System wouldn’t help him directly, it seemed to be acting as his "golden finger" in another way.
Gong Bingyan was the same; if not for the System, he wouldn't have been sure she was Gong Yaowu’s niece.
As for asking?
If someone doesn’t want to talk, you’ll never get the truth out of them, but the System gave him the most direct intelligence.
Chen Che was a good person, so of course he wouldn’t choose Option 2 to defraud her—at most, he would coax her.
If Qin Yanan’s assets exceeded 1 billion…
That was very enticing to him.
In China, 1 billion in assets didn’t just represent money; it meant connections, social circles, and status.
For him, in the long run, Qin Yanan’s connections and social circle were more important than the money.
As for the tasks in Option 1, they seemed no different from the ones for Xu Jiarou—all split into phases.
[Deep Affection: 3 Attribute Cards.]
[Marriage Hall: 3 Attribute Cards.]
[Crystallization of Love: 3 Attribute Cards.]
[A Lifelong Farewell Kiss: 1 Attribute Card.]
[Please enter Phase 1 within 2 years. If you fail to enter on time, the rewards for this task will be automatically cleared.]
The System seemed convinced he would outlive these women, hence the “Lifelong Farewell Kiss” again.
For both Xu Jiarou and Qin Yanan, the System had assigned the “Marriage Hall” task, but Chen Che wouldn’t take it too seriously.
The System was merely identifying his desires; there was no penalty for failing the tasks—it was optional.
Does choosing to take the civil service exam mean you’ll pass?
Does choosing to go into business mean you’ll succeed?
The System offered high freedom, and there is no such thing as an absolute in life. Future matters can be dealt with in the future.
“Alright, let’s go eat.”
“Mm.”
Their eyes met, and without needing to dwell on the previous topic, Chen Che gripped the steering wheel.
Actually, the restaurant he booked wasn’t far.
He even had a bit of a twisted sense of humor and parked the car on the same roadside as in the first chapter, at that same Thai restaurant.
It seemed they had just opened for business this year.
After a round of “Sawasdee ka,” Chen Che and Qin Yanan sat at the spot he had specifically chosen.
Yes, it was the exact table where they had their blind date before his rebirth.
The location was likely correct, though whether it was the exact same table was unclear, but the point was the atmosphere.
After ordering, Chen Che took a sip of water and looked at Sister Nan, who was ten thousand times better than his blind date.
“If I may be so bold, what does your family do?”
It was indeed bold.
Qin Yanan was stunned, her big eyes darting toward the man asking the curious question. She looked down at her phone and hesitated:
“Finance. We run a bank.”
“Oh.”
A very familiar taste.
Stealing my lines??
“You don’t have to answer if you don’t want to.”
Chen Che actually believed her, but a man has to play dumb when necessary.
Especially when approaching a wealthy beauty, you can’t show only your strengths—they’ve already seen plenty of excellent people.
Online, someone asked why CEOs always like “silly, sweet, and innocent” heroines.
Nonsense, it’s because she’s beautiful!
Only the beautiful ones are called “silly and sweet.”
By the same token, only the handsome ones are called “silly boys,” and it is human nature to sympathize with the weak and seek a sense of pride.
Chen Che didn’t like girls who were his equal; he preferred to look upward or compromise downward.
People are interest-driven animals; they either seek room for growth by looking up or seek emotional pleasure by looking down.
Relationships between people aren’t that complex; they are very simple.
“I…”
Seeing that he clearly didn’t believe her, Qin Yanan stopped mid-sentence, then shifted the focus back to him:
“What about you? What industry is your family in?”
“Construction. In Jinmen.”
Chen Che told the truth; he didn’t want to lie to her, and since he couldn’t fool her, he might as well be frank.
“Oh, that industry has been doing quite well lately.”
“Sigh, let’s not talk about that.”
Chen Che waved his hand, and as the dishes began to arrive, he found an opportunity to bring up the old subject again to express his attitude:
“By the way, I don’t want that car.”
“Why?”
Qin Yanan asked, confused. The enthusiasm Chen Che had shown earlier didn’t look like acting at all.
“Because I want to earn it myself.”
Chen Che said firmly.
Qin Yanan didn’t look down on him; instead, as her beautiful eyes swept over him, she spoke with a tone of comfort:
“You can use it for now, and at most…”
“Don’t worry, I won’t leave you.”
He interrupted her before she could finish.
Qin Yanan looked at Chen Che’s shining eyes, and a flush of red bloomed across her calm face.
“But I won’t be anyone’s substitute. I hope that one day, when you truly like me, you’ll give me these things as a surprise gift.”
Qin Yanan actually liked Chen Che a little—perhaps because he had taken her first time??
Women are emotional creatures.
Men are rational creatures.
Scumbags use details to trick girls.
Scumbag women use the push-pull technique on men.
Because details can better penetrate a girl’s emotions, and once emotions fluctuate, the feelings naturally follow.
As for the push-pull technique, it goes without saying—that’s the same logic behind game microtransactions, and how many men lose their minds and pay for it?
Qin Yanan didn’t know why she liked Chen Che, but she knew this thin layer of affection could have standards.
Without appreciation, there is no love.
Chen Che hadn’t given her the time of day these past few days, showing no initiative at all, as if he were really just playing at a one-night stand.
It was one thing that his personality changed after waking up, but now he had completely transformed—to say she wasn’t angry would be a lie.
But this so-called “liking” was Qin Yanan discovering that she wasn’t actually that angry, nor had she ever thought of leaving.
She had bought the Porsche willingly; from the moment she bought it, she intended to give it to Chen Che.
But she had calmed down over the past few days.
Chen Che was someone who would take advantage and then play the victim; it was better for her to be a bit more reserved.
Being too eager doesn’t make for a good deal.
“Alright.”
Qin Yanan didn’t explain her current feelings to him, but looked at him with great interest:
“But why not wait until you have the ability to give me a surprise?”
“It’s a two-way street, isn’t it?”
Chen Che took a bite of food, looked up, and smiled:
“I give you a surprise, you give me a surprise—that’s how a couple lives their life.”
“Little brother, you sure know a lot!”