Financial Independence through Cracked Apps-Chapter 37: Pretending to be Asleep

A dream vehicle?

Lin Shen was so excited he shot up in bed, his heart pounding with exhilaration.

You have to understand, most men’s first dream isn’t usually buying a house, but owning a car.

A car that’s yours and yours alone—one that’ll wait for you right where you left it, rain or shine.

It doesn’t have to be luxurious. As long as you love it, even if it’s just a Wuling minivan, it’s still your pride and joy.

To be honest, before he started working, Lin Shen’s dream car was a performance sports car like a Ferrari or a Lamborghini.

But after getting a job, he discovered that even a B-segment car worth around 100,000 yuan was something many people could only dream of.

Still, Lin Shen couldn’t help but fall in love with a luxury sedan worth around 300,000 yuan.

The Jaguar XFL!

It came standard with a 2.0T Ingenium engine, putting out up to 300 horsepower and paired with an 8-speed automatic transmission.

A fully digital instrument cluster, a Meridian sound system, a panoramic sunroof, LED matrix headlights...

Lin Shen already knew all these specs by heart because he had opened the Dongchedi app more than once to look at them.

The official sticker price for the Jaguar XFL was around 450,000 yuan.

However, due to fierce competition from the German trio of BBA, its price had once dropped to under 300,000 yuan.

Including insurance, registration, purchase tax, and so on, it would still cost 350,000 to drive it off the lot.

This was obviously a far cry from the 200,000 yuan limit stipulated by the [Dream Vehicle Card].

But... should he give up?

Lin Shen was caught in an endless loop of indecision.

On one hand was a price tag that exceeded his bank balance; on the other, a long-held dream.

For Lin Shen, the best choice right now would be to buy a car under 200,000 yuan outright and get the rebate from the [Dream Vehicle Card].

But if he compromised like that, could it still be called a "dream"?

Lin Shen felt like he had given in to life too many times.

Now that he had the system, he should be treating himself, indulging himself!

’Screw it, I’m going for it!’

Lin Shen considered that maybe a down payment of 200,000 yuan would also meet the requirements of the [Dream Vehicle Card].

After all, it didn’t specify whether he had to buy it outright or with a loan.

Besides, he now had a daily income of 5,000 yuan, so a loan was no pressure at all.

’The worst that can happen is I’ll have no savings. I’ll just start saving from scratch again!’

After making up his mind, Lin Shen felt his whole body relax, the sleek, handsome exterior of the Jaguar XFL flashing through his mind.

Just then, his phone buzzed with a WeChat message.

[Qin Yuenan: You free?]

[Lin Shen: Yeah]

Lin Shen got out of bed, sat down at his desk, and opened his laptop.

Qin Yuenan seemed to have discovered the joy of chatting, as she now initiated a WeChat call every night.

Their conversations usually started with work before gradually transitioning to their personal lives.

Moreover, Qin Yuenan’s attitude had undergone a monumental change.

Due to her personality and her professional role as a director, she had always been taciturn, habitually playing the part of the listener.

But now, she was more willing to share the troubles she encountered at work with Lin Shen and confide in him about her emotional worries and sorrows.

Each time, Lin Shen would use his wit and humor to comfort her, deftly changing the subject to keep the atmosphere from becoming awkward or stiff.

This caused the feelings brewing in Qin Yuenan’s heart to grow stronger and stronger, making her more reluctant to end their chats.

"Good night."

At 10:30 PM, Qin Yuenan ended her video chat with Lin Shen.

She closed her laptop, then lay back on her bed with an arm over her eyes, her racing heart gradually calming down.

Her cool gaze stared at the ceiling, her pupils dilated as she was lost in thought for a moment. 𝙛𝒓𝓮𝒆𝔀𝒆𝙗𝓷𝒐𝙫𝒆𝙡.𝒄𝓸𝓶

A moment later, she pulled out her phone and messaged her best friend, Zhao Jianing.

[Qin Yuenan: Didn’t you say my fashion sense was bad? Help me pick out a few outfits. I’ll buy them.]

*

"Mmm~!"

Lin Shen let out a comfortable stretch. After leaving the guest room, he found Gu Wanqing packing her luggage.

A sudden sense of loneliness sprouted in his heart.

After getting used to living with her, being alone again did feel a bit lonely.

’But it’s not like I’ll never see her again.’

Thinking this, Lin Shen felt a little better and immediately headed into the bathroom for a shower.

When he came out, he found that Gu Wanqing had already finished packing. She was now sitting obediently on the living room rug, watching a drama she was screen-casting to the TV.

"Brother-in-law!"

Seeing Lin Shen come out of the bathroom, Gu Wanqing waved at him excitedly.

"Come watch TV with me!"

"Okay."

Lin Shen dried his hair and sat down right next to Gu Wanqing.

Outside, the sky was dim, and the PATTER of rain against the window had a distinct rhythm.

Inside, the atmosphere was warm. Gu Wanqing leaned on Lin Shen’s shoulder, quietly watching the incredibly sweet interactions between the male and female leads on the TV.

For a young girl like her, just experiencing the first stirrings of love, Korean dramas were absolutely lethal.

Lin Shen, on the other hand, had little interest.

Still, he was willing to pass the time with Gu Wanqing, until he heard soft, faint breathing from beside him.

?

Lin Shen turned his head and found that Gu Wanqing had, at some point, fallen asleep on his shoulder.

Her beautiful eyes were shut tight, her long lashes trembling slightly. Under the light, her fair, delicate cheeks glowed with a dewy curve.

They were so close he could even see the tiny pores on her skin.

Lin Shen felt his heart leap into his throat, his whole body stirring restlessly.

Because Gu Wanqing’s cherry-red lips, moist and full, were slightly parting and closing.

All Lin Shen had to do now was lower his head slightly to taste that sweet, tempting fruit.

’But taking advantage of someone like this would be too beastly!’

Lin Shen didn’t consider himself a good person, but his moral bottom line would never allow him to do anything inappropriate to a girl who had just turned eighteen.

Especially since Gu Wanqing was completely defenseless right now!

"Huuu—!"

Lin Shen let out a long breath, slid his left arm under the crook of Gu Wanqing’s knees, and lifted her light, delicate body into his arms in a princess carry.

He stood up, walked into the master bedroom, placed her on the bed, and considerately tucked her in.

"Good night!"

Lin Shen turned off the light and left. A moment later, Gu Wanqing, who had supposedly been fast asleep, suddenly opened her beautiful eyes wide, a blush visibly spreading across her pretty face.

’Why didn’t Brother-in-law kiss me?’

Gu Wanqing gripped the edge of the blanket tightly, pulling it up to hide her blushing face.

Feigning sleep was a little trick she had learned from Korean dramas, and it had only one purpose.

To kiss Lin Shen!

Influenced by the ambiguous atmosphere just now, Gu Wanqing had wanted to create a beautiful memory from this trip to Modu.

But being naturally shy, she couldn’t possibly tell Lin Shen directly.

That’s why Gu Wanqing had thought of pretending to be asleep.

But who would have thought that Lin Shen wouldn’t do anything at all and would just carry her straight to bed!

Gu Wanqing was incredibly frustrated.

’I should have leaned in closer.’

’Is it because I’m not cute enough?’

’Or is Brother-in-law just being too respectful?’

Gu Wanqing’s feelings were complicated at this moment, her thoughts a tangled mess.

But no matter what, her plan had failed.

For now, she could only hide her affection for Lin Shen deep in her heart and quietly wait for the next time they would meet.