30: Chapter 30: A Strange Attribute Awakened

Seeing his childhood friend's affection level, although it was within his expectations, Zhao Xiaoshuai was still quite gratified.

However, he had been driving for quite a while without receiving any orders. He frowned slightly, "That shouldn't be happening."

But after checking once, there were no alerts on the app.

He could only drive around aimlessly. After another long while, he finally heard a "ding" and received an order.

Most passengers usually chose to sit in the back, so Zhao Xiaoshuai only unlocked the rear doors.

However, this female passenger didn't seem to want to sit in the back at all. She tried to open the front passenger door, but when it wouldn't budge, she knocked on the window, "thump, thump, thump."

He didn't pay much attention and unlocked the door for her.

As he lowered his head to operate his phone and start the trip, he caught a whiff of a familiar fragrance the moment the female passenger got in.

It was the scent belonging exclusively to the returnee Miss Ling, Ling Rui. It was said to be a custom version brought back from abroad, designed exclusively for her.

The scent was indeed very pleasant and unique; almost everyone in the office remembered it.

He furrowed his brows and looked at the woman sitting in the front passenger seat.

The woman was beautiful, with a smug expression on her face. She sat with her arms crossed, looking around the car's interior with disdain. Who else could it be but Ling Rui!

Zhao Xiaoshuai was speechless. 'How could it be such a coincidence? What kind of bad karma have I accumulated?'

However, he suddenly realized that Ling Rui had her own car. It was work hours, and she wasn't attending any social functions, so why would she be taking a ride-hailing service?

He looked out from inside the car towards the roadside. After a brief search, he spotted a red Porsche Macan, identical to the one Ling Rui used to park in the company garage.

"Seriously, do you have some kind of mental illness?"

Seeing Zhao Xiaoshuai angry, Ling Rui was very happy. She said smugly, "Is that how you talk to a passenger! Is this your service attitude? Bad review! Complaint! Hmph!"

"I don't care how you found me, consider yourself resourceful. What exactly do you want? Tell me clearly once and for all."

"Who came specifically to find you? Don't flatter yourself. Can't I take a ride-hailing car?"

The trip had already started, and Zhao Xiaoshuai didn't want to give her any excuse to file a complaint, so he silently started the car.

"Why is it so cold in your car? Are you too stingy to turn on the AC?"

Zhao Xiaoshuai didn't say anything and silently turned on the air conditioning for the front passenger seat.

"Are you trying to roast me to death? Turning the AC up so high."

Helpless, he turned the AC down again, "Miss Ling, how is this? Is it cold or hot?"

"It'll do."

Ling Rui had a happy expression on her face; no one knew what she was so happy about.

"Hey, why are you taking this route?"

"It's crowded at noon; the commercial street over there will be jammed."

"I don't care. Just take the route from before, or I'll report you for taking a detour."

"..." Zhao Xiaoshuai had no choice but to steer the car back to the commercial street they had just passed.

"Don't keep stopping and starting, you're making me dizzy."

Zhao Xiaoshuai took a deep breath, "Miss Ling, I told you this road would be jammed. It was you who insisted on taking this route."

"I don't care. Making the passenger comfortable is your duty. If your skills aren't up to par, don't pretend to be a ride-hailing driver."

Zhao Xiaoshuai pretended not to hear her, just wanting to get through this order quickly, but he still underestimated Ling Rui.

"It's so noisy. Your car's soundproofing is terrible. Tell them to stop honking."

"Your car is so small; I can't even stretch my legs."

"The seats in this piece-of-junk car are not comfortable at all. Can't you replace them with better ones?"

This stretch of road was jammed for a full twenty minutes, and Zhao Xiaoshuai endured twenty minutes of mental attacks.

He finally managed to get her to the location pinpointed by the system.

"I booked the spot over there on the opposite side. Your system's location is wrong; you need to drive me over there."

This time, Zhao Xiaoshuai took three deep breaths in a row before he could suppress his anger.

Anyway, he would be free soon. He had already noted Ling Rui's account and would never accept her orders again.

"We've arrived. Please get out."

"I won't. This trip took so much longer than the estimated time; I'm going to report you! I'll give you a bad review!"

"Report me or give me a bad review, whatever. Just get out of the car."

"What kind of attitude is that! Is this how you serve passengers? You..."

"Are you getting out or not?"

"I'm not."

With a click, Zhao Xiaoshuai locked the doors and stepped on the gas, starting the car.

"You, where are you taking me?"

Her tone seemed somewhat fearful, but Ling Rui made absolutely no extra movements; she neither tried to open the door nor took out her phone to call the police.

The car stopped again very quickly.

Dragging each other out on the road was too conspicuous, so Zhao Xiaoshuai drove the car into a small alley nearby.

He pulled out the key, got out of the car, walked to the other side, and opened the front passenger door.

"Get out."

"I won't! Where is this? Why did you bring me here?"

Zhao Xiaoshuai grabbed her arm, intending to pull her out.

Although she didn't cooperate at all with her mouth, she didn't struggle.

He used a little force and pulled her out.

He closed the car door and cornered Ling Rui against the wall.

"What exactly do you want!?"

"I want you to apologize!"

"No way."

"Then I'll keep pestering you until you can't do anything!"

In Zhao Xiaoshuai's eyes, Ling Rui's actions were like those of an immature, spoiled child.

Full of unreasonableness and tantrums.

Coupled with the anger accumulated from the continuous mental attacks, he lost his cool. He grabbed Ling Rui's wrists, raised them high, and with a bit of force, twisted her around and pressed her against the wall.

"Zhao Xiaoshuai, what are you doing? I'm going to call for help."

Although she said she would call for help, Ling Rui's voice wasn't loud, and there was no sign of her actually screaming.

Zhao Xiaoshuai raised his right hand high and swung it down forcefully.

"Smack!"

Ling Rui's bottom was neither particularly perky nor very large; it was standard for a normal East Asian woman.

But the sound was very crisp.

"Ah, Zhao Xiaoshuai! Even my dad doesn't dare to hit me! Ah!"

"Smack!"

"I think you're just spoiled. Today, I'll teach you a lesson on your father's behalf!"

"Smack!"

[You interacted with Ling Rui and luckily obtained a multiplier silver card.]

At first, Ling Rui would let out some startled cries, but as he kept hitting her, she fell silent, leaving only her body trembling with each strike of his palm.

Zhao Xiaoshuai vented his anger and only then noticed this. He shook his numb right hand, released Ling Rui, and turned her around.

At this moment, there was no expression of terror, shame, or fear on Ling Rui's face; instead, her face was flushed, and she seemed unsatisfied.

He didn't understand it, but he was deeply shocked.

"Don't bother me again in the future, or I'll spank you every time I see you."

"Wait! You're not allowed to leave!"

Zhao Xiaoshuai turned back impatiently, "Are you annoying or what? What is it now?"

"Didn't you say that if I bothered you again, you would spank me again... Why are you going back on your word?"

Ling Rui's tone became very strange. It was nothing like her usual smug, high-and-mighty self; instead, she had become docile, quiet, and soft-spoken.

"Huh?"

"Are you sick!?"