Panda Cub – Chapter 15

Tricking the bear

She was almost driven to laughter by Jing Dan’s antics, shaking her head and sighing as she watched her serious demeanor.

She wondered if the kid was this straightforward with others, and if so, had she exasperated anyone to death?

“Alright, you can continue asking,” He Ying said in resignation, her mind firmly made up to speak with Hu Tu about giving Jing Dan some proper guidance. How did that fox-like, cunning individual ever become friends with such a straightforward and blunt Jing Dan?

“Oh,” Jing Dan responded, completely unaware of the impression her earlier behavior had instilled in He Ying.

As they continued to eat and chat, Jing Dan, without realizing it, learned quite a lot from He Ying. She also gleaned many new ideas from her.

“If you want to approach this from a variety show angle, you could research what kind of program audiences really want to see. Remember, the show must be interesting.”

“Interesting, huh.” Jing Dan nodded. “Is it interesting to watch other people dating?”

He Ying: “…”

She couldn’t understand for the life of her—what’s so interesting about watching other people’s love lives?

“…Why do you ask that?”

Jing Dan proactively placed a string of grilled meatballs in front of He Ying, and said earnestly, “Nowadays, people love ‘shipping’, right? Isn’t that essentially the same as watching other people date?”

Although she personally wasn’t too keen on turning on-screen couples into real-life ones, she couldn’t deny that the enthusiasm the netizens had for shipping was as varied as it was vigorous.

He Ying fell silent for a moment, finding Jing Dan’s logic surprisingly sound. Even she herself had ‘shipped’ a couple of couples before, mainly because their on-screen chemistry was just too explosive!

“You could give it a try,” He Ying nodded earnestly. After all, this person was wealthy and could afford what it took to indulge her for a few rounds.

“Really?” Jing Dan was somewhat incredulous for a moment. Was this person really agreeing so easily?

He Ying continued to nod seriously and said, “Of course, it’s true. You have the money, and I think the idea is pretty good. No one has done it yet, so it might be good for you to take the lead.”

There always has to be someone who tries eating a crab first, and what if she happened to come across a big, fat, delicious crab and it becomes a huge hit?

Hearing He Ying speak like this, Jing Dan thought more and more that this idea was worth a try. Once she had thought it through, a slight and gentle smile began to emerge on her usually cold face, greatly easing her demeanor.

He Ying simply watched her smile quietly from the side, thinking to herself: This kid does look rather nice when she smiles, why must she always keep such a straight face?

After lightening up, Jing Dan put a few grilled corn kernels in her mouth and looked down at her phone.

Jing Dan: “…”

Surprisingly, more than two hours had already passed…

She hurriedly stopped the timer and stared at the number it displayed, struck dumb.

Had she really been chatting with He Ying for so long? Why did it feel like it was just a brief moment, and time had just flown by?

Seeing her action, He Ying’s lips curled into a slight smile, teasingly asked, “How much time has passed? Let me see.”

Jing Dan’s spirits drooped. If she were in her original form, that little tuft of silly hair on her head would probably be flopping down too.

200,000 yuan—that’s over 400 midnight snacks!

She didn’t move, so He Ying reached out to grab the phone herself, and immediately her eyes also flashed with surprise. Had so much time really passed?

The timer brazenly displayed the numbers 02:34:28.

Yet, amid her astonishment, she couldn’t help but laugh, returning the phone to Jing Dan with a theatrical air as if watching a play, she raised an eyebrow teasingly and said, “Time to do the math, let’s see how much money you owe me.”

Jing Dan: “……”

In the end, she really did pick up a calculator and began to crunch the numbers seriously.

He Ying watched her do this, unable to contain her laughter any longer. How could there be such a cute kid? So silly and straightforward, yet so genuinely pure.

In the ultimate act of sincerity, Jing Dan actually transferred 257,444.44 yuan to He Ying’s account, adhering smoothly to the principle of rounding off.

As He Ying looked at the incoming amount, she gleamed like a treasure hunter who had just struck gold, at that moment, Jing Dan appeared to her not as a person but as a shimmering golden statue, valuable from head to toe!

She didn’t feel like taking this money was like tricking a child; instead, she felt entirely justified in accepting it.

Isn’t it better to be swindled by her than by others? If she can teach her a lesson, that’s good enough—no need to pay tuition to someone else.

“Our Boss Jing is really generous.” He Ying gave her a thumbs up, the smile on her face appearing genuinely sincere.

However, Jing Dan felt something off about that smile; it didn’t quite seem like it was truly praising her.

With a soft snort, she decided not to make a big deal of it.

He Ying chuckled lightly as she watched Jing Dan accidentally eat a Sichuan peppercorn, quickly getting up to pour her a glass of milk, somewhat helplessly saying, “Eat slower, no one’s going to snatch your food.”

Jing Dan gratefully gulped down the milk, gradually easing the numbing sensation in her mouth. She pouted slightly, feeling a bit wronged.

Why on earth should I suffer eating troubles when I’ve already splurged over 200,000 yuan!

“There, there, there, I’ll pick them out for you,” He Ying couldn’t stand seeing her little aggrieved expression, shaking her head in resignation as she began to pick out the peppercorns from Jing Dan’s food, so she wouldn’t accidentally eat another. Seeing her reddening eyes, He Ying worried that if Jing Dan bit into another one, she might burst into tears right there and then.

“Do you like eating this much?” He Ying asked as she picked, observing that every time there’s food involved, Jing Dan couldn’t even move her eyes, let alone her legs.

Jing Dan hmphed lightly, keeping a straight face, unwilling to admit it.

She had often been teased by her aunt over her fondness for eating, so she subconsciously assumed He Ying was also about to chide her.

“If you like eating so much, how about next time I cook for you?” He Ying offered.

Huh?

Jing Dan was momentarily taken aback, lifting her head to look at He Ying, sizing her up. Perhaps it was due to her dancing, but she had a poised and impressive demeanor, especially those hands—delicate and slender, the very image of someone born into luxury. Could she really cook?

“Huh? Don’t you believe me?” He Ying chuckled lightly, her smile growing deeper as she observed Jing Dan’s skeptical gaze.

Jing Dan nodded honestly. How could He Ying, of all people, look like someone who could cook? Besides, with all the time she spent making money to support her dance troupe, when would she have had the opportunity to learn cooking?

Seeing her candid expression, He Ying shook her head with a slight sigh and glanced at her without insisting that she believe her immediately.

“Then you just wait. When I go back, I’ll cook for you.”

With that, she pushed the selection of Sichuan peppercorns she had picked out back towards Jing Dan, who lowered her head and ate earnestly. Watching her, a subtle feeling suddenly emerged in He Ying’s heart.

Feeling like she was being fed just like one feeds an animal.

She suddenly remembered the panda cub she had encountered a while ago. She had spent half the night feeding it, only for the ungrateful creature to completely forget her the moment she turned her back.

She had returned to that bamboo forest twice more but never again ran into that nocturnal panda cub digging for bamboo shoots.

Jing Dan felt wholly justified in enjoying the service provided by He Ying, only realizing halfway through the meal, “Didn’t you call Hu Tu?”

She looked up in surprise at He Ying. Weren’t she and Hu Tu friends?

He Ying’s hand paused in the act of deboning the fish as she lifted her gaze to look at her with a deep, searching expression. She hadn’t expected this person to have such a long response time, to be so easily distracted by a bit of food that she completely forgot her own friend for so long.

Will this person, if she ever has a partner, also care less about them than a late-night snack?

The author has something to say:

He He: I’m the only one who gets to trick people!