James casually threw on a floral-print shirt and, with Jay Johnson in tow, headed to the university.
While in the car, he saw a message from Amanda:
"Tailsa came to me last night, saying you upset her. What happened?"
Speaking of Tailsa, James felt aggrieved and complained,
"She gets mad over nothing. I don't even know why. I didn't try to appease her, and now she's giving me the cold shoulder."
Amanda patiently advised,
"Girls need to be wooed. As a man, you shouldn't hold grudges against a young girl."
"I'm not."
"Then how long are you going to give her the cold shoulder?"
"We'll see. I'll deal with it in a couple of days."
"I actually like that girl. She's lively, passionate, innocent, and romantic. Don't let her down, you hear?"
Rather than have him meet some random girls, Amanda preferred that Tailsa, a silly girl with a good heart, be with him.
At least this girl wouldn't do anything stupid for money.
Amanda had serious doubts about James's ability to judge character.
"Yeah, I won't."
James, remembering Tailsa's good qualities and taking Amanda's advice, opened her WhatsApp chat. He typed out a few lines.
But then he saw her last message and angrily deleted everything.
"Have you ever considered my feelings?"
Of the three women, she had the lowest favorability rating and was constantly angry and ignoring him.
The other two were gentle and generous, or cute and naive, and had never given him any attitude.
But this girl? He had appeased her the most, yet she had the worst temper.
James felt both love and hate for Tailsa.
He decided to give her the cold shoulder for a couple more days and surprise her when the villa was ready.
Meanwhile, Tailsa sat listlessly in her wealthy friend's villa.
"Tailsa, let me tell you, whether you're rich or poor, life is still life. Look at me, I'm loaded, but I can only drink sugar-free milk tea, right?"
"What's the point of living in a villa? I'm constantly empty, lonely, and can't sleep. Outsiders think it's a happy life, but only I know that this life is tasteless, like chewing wax."
"Don't be fooled by that scumbag. For women, sincerity is the most precious thing. In today's society, you won't starve to death. As long as a man is willing to work, treats you with sincerity, considers your feelings, and always appeases you, what does it matter if he's a little poor?"
Yang Wan Zhen took a sip of her milk tea and lay back on a lounge chair by the pool, lecturing Tailsa.
As Tailsa's best friend, she felt it was her duty to give Tailsa a clear understanding of happiness.
"Your husband is worth nine figures. You can have anything you want, so of course, money doesn't matter to you. You're tired of the rich wife's life, but I haven't even experienced it yet."
Tailsa rolled her eyes.
She used to think a husband with a seven-figure net worth was acceptable, as long as life was secure.
A man like her father would be fine.
But after meeting James, she had changed her mind.
Why settle for true love when she could have a rich, handsome, and doting man?
Love couldn't put food on the table.
"You don't understand. When your husband starts focusing on his career or other women, you'll know how hard the life of a rich wife can be."
"He won't care whether you live or die. He only needs a marriage on the surface to satisfy his family and society's expectations."
"And wealthy families have so many rules. He expects unconditional obedience with just one word, even trying to control your emotions."
Yang Wan Zhen looked at her child splashing in the pool and murmured,
"From now on, this little one will be your everything. You'll no longer have your own life or freedom."
"Don't make it sound so scary. You're making me not want to get married at all."
Tailsa got goosebumps from her friend's complaints.
But she had to admit that her friend had become much quieter after marrying into a wealthy family.
Her eyes were lifeless, like a stagnant pool of water.
"Anyway, I suggest you choose someone who loves you. Life is short. Don't become a slave to money like me..."
Tailsa had intended to apologize to James and make up with him.
But after hearing her friend's words,
she felt a little panicked.
She was afraid that James would become like her friend's husband, indifferent and uncaring.
Just like now.
He could easily fix things with just a word, so why make the girl bow her head and apologize?
If she bowed her head this time, she would have to do it again next time.
Tailsa hesitated, then closed her phone and stared blankly into space.
James arrived at the school gate and saw a petite girl waiting with her head down,
her small, pale pink fingers intertwined, revealing her nervousness.
She was wearing a tight-fitting tank top under a light-colored jacket, paired with a brown plaid skirt that was even shorter than the one she wore yesterday.
James grinned. He had bought her this outfit yesterday, and he hadn't expected her to wear it out so soon.
He noticed her occasionally tugging at her skirt, indicating she probably wasn't used to wearing such a short skirt and felt a little shy.
Her smooth, fair legs paired with her five-foot-three frame made her look adorably cute.
As the car slowly approached,
a handsome young man appeared beside Shirley Taylor.
He smiled and said something to her, then held out his phone in front of her.
James clearly saw Shirley Taylor shake her head slightly, but the guy persisted, explaining something earnestly.
Indeed, a girl as cute and with a figure as great as Shirley Taylor's would attract a lot of attention from guys, even if her face was hidden.
James got out of the car and walked over quickly, overhearing the guy still talking:
"Please, classmate, I just need one more. Help me out. My psychology professor really did assign us a social experiment to add ten strangers on WhatsApp in a day..."
This pickup line was a bit outdated.
Who needs pickup lines anyway?
Real men don't need these tricks.
James whistled at Shirley Taylor, interrupting the guy,
"Hello, beautiful. Wanna get to know each other?"
The guy looked up, annoyed.
He saw a man in a floral shirt and white trousers, with a righteous face but a cocky grin.
He was angry that his attempt to chat up the girl had been interrupted.
"Hey, man, that's not cool. I was talking to this young lady. What's the meaning of butting in?"
Shirley Taylor's face lit up with a sweet smile when she saw James.
She quickly walked up to him, looked up, and said obediently,
"Brother."
The guy who was trying to get her WhatsApp was stunned. He realized they were a couple.
The thought of hitting on a girl right in front of her boyfriend, and then accusing the boyfriend of being uncool, made him blush with shame. He stammered, unable to speak.
But then,
he got a good look at the girl's face when she looked up, and his shame vanished.
Her face was as delicate and cute as a doll's.
Her big eyes sparkled, and a small beauty mark adorned the corner of her eye. When she smiled, her eyes were full of tenderness and charm.
She was the perfect combination of an angel's face and a devil's body.
The thought that such a cute and charming girl already had a boyfriend made him feel like his heart was shattering into a million pieces.
Ignoring the heartbroken guy, James smiled at Shirley Taylor and said,
"Let's go, babe. I'll take you to eat malatang across from the school." (malatang is a type of Chinese street food)
He suddenly had a craving for the malatang he used to eat near his old school and wondered if the Miami version would taste the same.
"Okay."
Shirley Taylor didn't object.
To her, it didn't matter what they ate as long as she was with him.
The guy behind them was dumbfounded.
Taking such a beautiful girlfriend to eat malatang?
Was her boyfriend a broke loser?
The guy's courage suddenly returned. Not fearing the consequences of trying to steal someone else's girlfriend, he boldly said,
"Beautiful, I'll take you to a Michelin-starred restaurant. I have a car."