"Just for that, forget the C-Class. Get me an E-Class instead."
Shen Qingqiu didn’t know much about cars, but she could guess from the context that the E-Class was more expensive than the C-Class.
"No, no, no! This one is fine. I’ll just sign for it..."
With a flushed face and a racing heart, Shen Qingqiu signed her name on the contract. That ’sister-in-law’ comment had sent her heart into a flurry, muddling her thoughts completely.
Afterward, Shen Qingqiu was led away by the female salesperson to handle the rest of the paperwork. The whole process was finished in about ten minutes.
"Sir, all the paperwork is complete. You can take the car now."
Lin Jiang nodded. The three of them went to pick up the car together, and soon, they were on the road with a temporary license plate.
After leaving, they found a gas station, filled up the tank, and then headed toward Shen Qingqiu’s hometown, Dongfeng Town.
"You have a driver’s license, right?" Lin Jiang asked while they were on the road.
Shen Qingqiu nodded and said guiltily, "I got it back in grad school, but I haven’t touched a car in so many years. It’s almost like I never learned how to drive."
"Automatics are easy to drive, almost like a go-kart. You should give it a try on our way back."
"No way. I’d be too nervous. If I ended up crashing your car, I’d feel terrible."
"It hasn’t been sold to us yet. Legally speaking, this is your car."
Shen Qingqiu looked at Lin Jiang and boldly asked a question.
"You... you didn’t buy this car for me, did you?"
"If you accept the car, then it’s for you. If you don’t, then it’s for my company. But as for when that transaction might happen... that’s up in the air."
With Lin Jiang putting it that way, Shen Qingqiu would have to be dense not to understand his meaning.
"I think the car’s style really suits you. It would be perfect for commuting."
"This car is too expensive. I can’t accept it. Please, don’t make this difficult for me."
"How is this making things difficult? Once they pass the entrance exam, they’ll be your students. You’ll need to look after them in many ways, so it’s perfectly normal for me to give you a car."
"If they get into my graduate program, looking after them is my responsibility. You don’t need to give me a car for that. This gift is just too much."
"What ’too much’? Just take it."
Shen Qingqiu looked at Lin Jiang and said softly, "Do you think I’m pitiful? Is that why you’re using this as an excuse to buy me a car...?"
"An esteemed associate professor and graduate advisor at Jiaoda—how are you pitiful in any way?" Lin Jiang laughed.
"Besides, you need to remember your other role. You’re not just a professor at Jiaoda; you’re also one of my employees. I provide company cars for all my executives, many of them worth over a million. Buying you a car that’s only worth a little over three hundred thousand is practically shortchanging you."
"Well, the car is already bought, and I can’t win an argument against you," Shen Qingqiu said, puffing out her cheeks in a pout.
"Exactly. Besides, before your mom passed, she entrusted you to me. She told me to take good care of you, so buying you a car is perfectly reasonable, right?"
Hearing him say "your mom" so casually made Shen Qingqiu’s face burn.
"You’re taking advantage of me."
"You were there. Auntie said it herself. How is that taking advantage of you?"
Lin Jiang continued to tease Shen Qingqiu as he drove.
"Besides, when you had dinner with my mom a while ago, you kept calling her ’Auntie’ so naturally. That alone is worth a car."
Shen Qingqiu remembered that dinner and wanted to fire back at Lin Jiang, but she wasn’t a quick-witted debater and couldn’t think of a good comeback.
"When I talk with my mom, she’s always bringing you up. She’s extremely fond of you."
After that dinner, Li Xiaoping got Shen Qingqiu’s WeChat contact from Li Yueting.
Wanting to repay Lin Jiang for his help, Shen Qingqiu naturally accepted the friend request.
And so, the two of them would chat from time to time, each showing concern for the other.
As a result, Li Xiaoping had a wonderful impression of Shen Qingqiu.
Combined with the ’university professor’ buff, she had firmly secured the number one spot on the potential daughter-in-law leaderboard, pushing even Chen Jingxian down to second place.
"I’m no good with words, and I can’t win against you, so I’ll drop it. But I have one condition."
Shen Qingqiu turned her head to look out the window, but her crimson cheeks gave her away.
"What is it? Tell me."
"You have to give me work to do in the future."
"Don’t worry, I’m no benevolent capitalist. I’ll squeeze every last drop of value out of you."
"I hope so."
They didn’t talk about the car for much longer. Shen Qingqiu didn’t dare make too much of a fuss.
She was afraid that if she protested any further, Lin Jiang would get angry.
She had heard from Li Yueting, after all, that Lin Jiang didn’t have the best temper.
The journey of over 300 kilometers took them a little more than four hours.
There’s a huge difference between towns in the north and towns in the south.
Take Dongfeng Town and Mu Xing’s Red Star Town, for example.
Although both were administratively classified as towns, the gap between them was immense.
Red Star Town had many residential complexes and even some entertainment venues. Even young people could adapt to living there quickly.
But Dongfeng Town was different.
As far as the eye could see, you could count the number of multi-story buildings on two hands; the rest were all single-story houses. The entire town had an air of desolation.
Coupled with the season and the temperature, it was no exaggeration to call the place lifeless.
The more he saw, the more Lin Jiang realized how difficult it must have been for Shen Qingqiu to study her way out of a place like this.
Only she knew the hardships, the effort, and the sweat she had poured into that journey.
Upon arriving in town, they didn’t go anywhere else, heading straight for the police station.
"Wait for me here. I’ll be right out once I’m done."
"Go on, no rush."
Shen Qingqiu got out of the car. With time to kill, Lin Jiang drove around the town for a bit. He saw all there was to see in less than half an hour, finding nothing particularly noteworthy.

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