Read with BonusRead with Bonus

Chapter 6: Road Trip

The weather over the weekend was exceptionally good. It was already bright at six o'clock in the morning, with the hazy morning sun peeking out, casting a faint red glow on the waking horizon.

Monica yawned and got into Eric's car and was driven to the designated meeting point, where several luxury cars had already parked, gleaming in the morning breeze.

Today, was like an informal reunion with oldthere were friends who were familiar with each other. There were both male and female friends, and the atmosphere was harmonious. Monica was always dignified and polite in front of outsiders, greeting people one by one with Eric.

When it came to Steven, Eric became even more relaxed and teased, "Mr. Wright, you've been playing big recently. I've vaguely heard about your scandal."

Gossip? Monica listened attentively. Steven subtly glanced at Monica and said, "It's just a split lip. They love to create stories. Do you believe that too?"

He was wearing a camel-colored windbreaker today, which made him appear taller and somehow lengthened hiswith longer legs. Instead of buttoning the shirt all the way up, he left two buttons loose and casually flipped the collar, unexpectedly giving off a more casual vibe.

Ryan approached, hooking his arms around both of them, and smiled at Monica, "Long time no see, little sister. You're getting more beautiful."

Monica felt flattered and responded, "And Ryan is getting more handsome." Ryan laughed heartily,

"Sister, have fun today. If you need anything, just come to me. If Steven bullies you, come to me too. This good-for-nothing brother will only watch, I'll back you up."

Monica couldn't help but sneak a glance at Steven upon hearing this, only to find that he was also looking at her. Their eyes met, and she quickly averted her gaze, pretending nothing had happened.

"Now that everyone is here, listen to me." Ryan walked to the center of the crowd, sat on the hood of the SUV, and dangled his long legs, looking like a dandy.

"Thank you all for coming to support me today. We're old friends, so I won't be too polite. In short, the goal for today is to eat well and have a good time..."

"Cheers, have fun," Ryan said. Some people applauded, but he signaled for them to wait and continued, "We'll leave from here and drive to the XishanBurgos Mountains. The whole journey will take about an hour and a half. To keep everyone entertained during the drive, I've prepared a little game."

Someone objected, "Ryan, have you lost your mind? How can we play a game while driving?"

"Can't you let me finish?" Ryan clicked his tongue. "With so many of us, it works out perfectly. We'll pair up in twos, with one person driving and the other playing the game. If someone wants to switch, they can do so during the rest stops.

The game consists of three rounds, and it's not just for fun. The loser of the first round will cover everyone's fuel expenses for the day. The loser of the second round will cover everyone's drinking expenses for the night. And as for the loser of the third round..."

He deliberately left a cliffhanger, saying, "The punishment will be announced tonight."

"Oh my, Ryan, has the bankrupt hotel left you broke? Brother, if you need money, just ask instead of resorting to these methods," someone teased.

Ryan was stung by the comment, becoming angry and rolling up his sleeves. He jumped out of the car and said, "We'll deal with that issue when the time comes. I'll show you what I'm made of."

Laughter erupted from the crowd, and Monica sighed, "He looks like such an idiot."

Hearing this, Eric turned to her and chuckled, "Don't be so quick to judge. You two are cut from the same cloth."

Monica: ?:?

Does a brother insult his sister like that?

After a brief play-fight, Ryan tidied his messy hair and took a breath, saying, "Alright, it's almost time. Let's get going and form teams."

He looked at Eric and Monica, saying, "How about you two go together?"

"No!" Monica immediately refused, unwilling to accept it. "I want to be in a team with you."

"What a fool," Eric leisurely replied. "Both you and Ryan are on the brink of bankruptcy. You shouldn't bring him any trouble."

"What trouble? You're the one—" Monica suddenly stopped, feeling a sense of familiarity with the word.

"Is that so? Then be prepared to be troubled by me. I won't go easy on you." Eric said.

"Looking forward to it."

She immediately had an idea in mind. "Then I'll team up with my brother, Steven."

Saying that, she turned to the man beside her and gave him a smile. "Steven, my brother, you won't disagree, right?"

Although the two of them couldn't stand each other in private, Monica still had to maintain basic politeness and called Steven "brother" with insincere affection.

She wasn't good at deceiving people, and her ill intentions were obvious in her smile. However, Steven didn't say anything and simply gestured for her to get in the car, "Get in."

Ryan watched their retreating figures, puzzled. "Has the sun risen from the west?"

"You're really clueless," Eric put his phone back in his pocket. "Tonight, we should thank Mr. Wright. Someone else is footing the bill."

The game Ryan had prepared was a card game.

In the first round, Monica kept making mistakes, either playing the wrong card or passing incorrectly. In any case, she couldn't win.

After losing three rounds in a row, Monica was feeling frustrated and on the verge of tears. She sighed and exclaimed, "They're really good at playing cards! How did I lose again?"

Her black hair slipped down her shoulders, covering her fair side face, giving her a pitiful appearance, if not for the slight curve at the corner of her lips. Steven looked at her.

In the third round, Monica had accomplished her goal of deceiving Steven and decided to showcase her true skills. However, she ended up being mercilessly defeated by Eric's team.

"I..." Monica started to say, but Steven interrupted her, saying, "You lost again, I know." And so, this little game in the car ended with Monica and Steven consistently losing.

As the car arrived at the lake, it was the perfect time for Ryan to set up the barbecue. Monica, who had woken up early to do her makeup and had exhausted herself playing games in the car, was overcome by sleepiness.

She leaned against the car window, looking as though she was about to fall asleep.

Ryan, thinking that she was upset about losing, went to comfort her as an older brother figure, saying, "It's just a loss. It's fine, you still have Steven to cover the expenses, right?" Monica mumbled a response.

Ryan carefully observed her expression and asked, "Are you feeling motion sick? Why don't you lie down in the backseat for a while? I have some medicine in the car, would you like me to get some for you?" "No need, I'm just a little tired," she rubbed her eyes. "I'll be fine soon."

Monica climbed to the back seat to rest and, in a drowsy state, heard the car door being opened and someone getting in. She lifted her eyelids to find Steven lazily yawning, saying in a spoiled tone,

"If you want to rest, go somewhere else. This spot is mine." Steven responded without answering her question, slowly saying, "Do you know how much money I spent today?" Monica, feeling guilty, evaded his question and mumbled, "I'm really tired. I want to sleep."

Steven glanced at the window and then pressed a button, slowly raising and closing the car window. She was confused by this sudden action and was about to open her eyes, but suddenly felt a warm palm gripping the back of her neck and forcefully pulling her towards him.

Caught off guard, her shoulder bumped into his chest, followed by her chin being held up by Steven as he leaned down, his lips making contact. She was momentarily stunned and then blushed furiously, pushing him away with all her strength and saying, "Steven, you..."

Steven held her in place with one hand, rendering her unable to move, but his voice remained calm, saying, "There are people outside." It was a blatant threat.

Monica dared not struggle anymore and glared at him, a mixture of embarrassment and anger filling her eyes. Steven lowered his gaze, his fingertips stroking her cheek and said, "I...

"In your words, I am always one to nitpick, so..." Steven continued.

"Do you think the compensation is excessive?"

Chapter 7: Compensation

Previous Chapter
Next Chapter