I Have 10 Trillion Dollars only Usable For Simping Chapter 2363 - 1498: Sob——

Li Shuru offered a reply that sparked imagination and then moved towards the dining area.

Jiang Chen found himself chuckling.

By the time Xu Siyi had changed and descended, the meal was already prepared.

"Hold on, don't start eating yet; I have one more dish to prepare," she rushed to say.

"It's sufficient. With just the three of us, we can eat whatever is available," Jiang Chen stated without pretense.

However, she seemed to disagree.

"It's fine for Shu Rui and me to eat anything, but now that you're back, President Jiang, it would appear rude if I just threw something together," she explained.

Jiang Chen dismissed her concern with a wave. "I'm telling you to eat, so eat. Why are you hesitating?"

So domineering.

Even Li Shuru couldn't help but cast a few additional glances his way.

After all, women tend to respond more favorably to assertiveness than to gentleness. Xu Siyi immediately complied, walking over obediently to sit at the table. Regarding her change of clothes, she had simply put on a T-shirt paired with light, breezy shorts that showcased her shapely legs freely.

Well, naturally.

There were no outsiders present, after all.

And she wasn't about to let anyone else take advantage.

"What were you doing all this time when you were home alone?"

Jiang Chen picked up his chopsticks, initiating the conversation.

"Eating and sleeping, sleeping and eating."

Xu Siyi replied nonchalantly, even letting out a languid yawn as she spoke. Seeing this, Jiang Chen found it amusing. "You're already sleepy this early?"

"No, I only woke up at five."

Jiang Chen looked startled. "You slept until five in the afternoon?"

"I was just taking a nap."

Could the phrases 'five o'clock' and 'nap' even coexist in the same sentence?

"Shu Rui isn't home, and I have no one to talk to. What else could I do but sleep?"

She even managed to come up with a rather perfect justification.

"If you're truly that bored, then come over to Tianci. I can guarantee you'll have more work than you can possibly handle." Boss Jiang was indeed a good senior and a loyal friend.

What's that saying again?

When you are poor, maintain your virtue; when you are prosperous, aid the world.

Since he possessed the capability, offering a helping hand to his friends and family was a simple matter.

Tianci Capital was a company he wholly owned. Even if he were to bring Martian Saint’s Tibetan Mastiffs to Tianci to serve as guard dogs, no one would have the right to voice any objections.

"I'm not going."

Xu Siyi declined without a moment's hesitation.

"Why not?"

"Everyone there is someone I know. I'd feel too embarrassed."

Ah, indeed.

An improvement in her personality, perhaps?

"If you genuinely pity me, then just let me be a live-in maid here," Xu Siyi added.

"I don't need payment, just a place to stay."

Jiang Chen couldn't suppress a smile. "And what about your large house?"

Xu Siyi glanced at Li Shuru. "Shu Rui, look at him; he's being so mean, deliberately hitting my sensitive spot."

"You can barely cook a few dishes, and yet you're talking about being a maid,"

Jiang Chen teased. "Leaving your own mansion empty just to be someone's maid—wouldn't anyone find that suspicious?"

"President Jiang, please don't mock me like that. Compared to your place here, how can mine be called a mansion?"

Xu Siyi said, "I'm actually planning to sell it anyway."

"Sell it? Why would you sell?"

Xu Siyi playfully rolled her eyes in a charming, flirtatious manner. "I don't want the surroundings to stir up old feelings, alright."

While chewing her rice, she continued, "Besides, that place is too enormous; I get frightened living there alone. Unless you let Shu Rui come stay with me for company."

"If you're really going to sell, you should do it sooner rather than later. The real estate market is deteriorating," Li Shuru interjected.

Jiang Chen couldn't help but laugh.

He could finally put his mind at ease.

What a shrewd business acumen.

"Yes. To be honest, keeping that place is just a burden. Even the property management fees are a significant strain. I might as well sell it and liquidate the asset."

Xu Siyi remained just as sharp-minded.

The divide between social classes is like an unbridgeable gulf. Never mind a house worth tens of millions; even if an ordinary person were given a supercar, they couldn't truly enjoy it, as the annual costs for maintenance, insurance, and fuel alone would be an insurmountable expense.

"Why did you go silent? Relax, I'm just joking. I'm not planning to come here and be a third wheel. Once I sell the place, I'll simply purchase a smaller one. Start anew."

Jiang Chen nodded. "You've matured."

"So I wasn't mature before?"

Xu Siyi grumbled, clearly displeased.

"I mean you are more mature than you were previously."

Girls like them—whether her or Li Shuru—possessed a level of foresight far beyond most individuals their age.

"Of course. You learn from every setback. You can't let those missteps be in vain, right?"

Whether it truly qualified as a 'fall' was debatable; many women would likely envy her situation.

If Xu Siyi ever experienced regret, it was a feeling known only to herself.

"Once a chapter closes, it ends. Who goes through life without encountering a few scoundrels? I must focus on the present and look ahead."

This was the soothing self-talk she finally offered herself.

Now that felt appropriate for someone of her seniority.

"Then why is it that Shu Rui never seemed to run into any scumbags?"

Xu Siyi immediately posed the question.

"Who says I haven’t encountered scumbags?"

Li Shuru’s reply stopped Xu Siyi in her tracks. A moment later, she quickly glanced at Jiang Chen. "Wasn’t Senior Jiang your very first love?"

The instant the words left her mouth, Xu Siyi realized her slip-up and a playful smirk curved her lips. "Oh, I see now."

Clearly unbothered by his girlfriend potentially implying fault, he swiftly brought another person into the conversation as a shield. "She wasn’t my first love. Back in middle school, she had a crush on a boy."

Not only Xu Siyi, but even Li Shuru couldn’t help covering her lips to suppress a giggle, giving this quick-witted man a playful, chiding look.

Oblivious to the silent exchange between the couple, Xu Siyi was completely engrossed in this juicy piece of gossip. "Really? Shu Rui, how could you never tell me?"

"Just ignore his ridiculous talk," she dismissed.

That wasn't really 'admiration'; it was merely the confused stirrings of adolescence, a perfectly natural infatuation with an exceptional boy.

The very first time the two of them had ever shared a bed, she had only mentioned it in passing once. She never expected him to hold onto that memory for so long.

Truly… so petty.

"Senior Jiang, that matter rests on your shoulders. We both know Shu Rui’s character. If she indicates refusal, it truly means no. You owe her an apology."

"Sisters truly stand united, don't they?"

Jiang Chen chuckled. "Very well, it was my mistake, I misspoke. I offer my apologies; I repent."

"That’s more like it," Xu Siyi huffed. "Do you have any clue how much self-control Shu Rui exhibits now? If I invite her out for drinks at a bar, she refuses. You’ve just returned, and you’re already bothering her…"

She refrained from voicing the rest of her thoughts aloud, but her gaze towards him was accusatory, as if he were Chen Shimei himself.

He couldn't allow her to continue down this path, lest he be consumed by guilt.

"Bars are filled with smoke and undesirables. What’s so appealing about going? If you’re thirsty for a drink, I’ll join you."

Jiang Chen interjected.

"Deal."

Xu Siyi instantly rose and headed to the refrigerator, retrieving several cans of beer.

"Senior Jiang, you’re the best."

Ha.

In an instant, her allegiance had shifted.

Women.

"Let’s set a boundary from the start: we stop before things get out of hand."

Xu Siyi made an OK sign with her fingers. "I wouldn’t dare get you intoxicated. Shu Rui would hold me accountable. I know you two have significant plans for tonight."

"..."

"..."

The couple, by silent agreement, acted as if they hadn't heard her remark.

Xu Siyi then passed a can of beer to Li Shuru, murmuring something rather ambiguous: "It might help set the mood."

Whether it indeed set any mood, who could say.

And what specific mood it might have been, remained equally unknown.

However, both Li Shuru and Jiang Chen could discern the forced nature of Xu Siyi’s smile.

The bond between a university senior and junior, former roommates – the ability to sit, share drinks, and converse freely after graduation was a remarkably rare occurrence. For countless individuals, the very day they departed with their luggage, closing the dormitory door behind them, marked their final encounter in this lifetime.

"Senior, if back then I hadn't swindled those few thousand yuan from you, do you think we might have had a chance to be together?"

Once spirits are loosened by alcohol, reminiscing often follows.

This tendency is amplified when reflecting on one's current standing; it becomes even simpler for emotions to intertwine.

Jiang Chen remained silent for a moment, his fingers cradling the beer can. Then, with utmost seriousness, he inquired, "Do you comprehend why, despite your evident beauty, you never quite measure up to Shu Rui?"

Xu Siyi seemed entirely unfazed, much like Li Shuru hadn't been bothered by the scenario she had presented earlier.

"Why?"

"Because your discernment for men is tragically lacking."

"..."

"..."

Jiang Chen, disregarding the ensuing awkward quiet, articulated his point methodically. "At that time, everyone perceived me as a mere toad dwelling at the bottom of a deep well, yourselves included. Only Shu Rui, with her discerning 'Fiery Eyes,' saw past my disguise and recognized the prince hidden beneath the guise of a frog."

"Pfft—pfft—"

Xu Siyi attempted valiantly to suppress her laughter, but her resolve crumbled. She turned her head, asking, "Is that truly the case?"

In the eyes of the current juniors at East University, what truly makes Li Shuru stand out is no longer the accolade of 'campus belle' from a specific year.

Instead, it is her remarkable achievement as an arts student who ascended to become the most successful Angel Investor in East University's entire history—arguably, with no close contenders.

"Your cultivation is still far too superficial. She wouldn't impart such knowledge to you."

Xu Siyi drew her gaze back and looked squarely at Jiang Chen again. "And now? Do I still stand a chance?"

"I'm not greedy. I'd be content as a second wife. If that's too much to ask, even a concubine role would be acceptable."

"What are you even saying?"

Li Shuru interjected.

Jiang Chen remained composed, staying out of the conversation. He took a swig of beer, a slight smirk playing on his lips. "See? Shu Rui doesn't agree either."

"Shu Rui, are you even my friend? Can't you show a little empathy?"

Xu Siyi's emotions started to unravel. "Just because I'm a bit thin and weathered, I don't even meet the requirements to be a concubine?"

Jiang Chen paused for a moment before offering a gentle correction. "I believe the idiom you're searching for is 'a wilted flower and a fallen willow', isn't it?"

Xu Siyi froze, her gaze fixed on him. Then, she abruptly raised her hands to cover her face.

"Waaah—"