Chapter 57: It's Not That the Mercedes-Benz G-Class Is Unaffordable

Waking up from a sound sleep, Li Ya hazily raised her hand and sleepily wiped the glistening thread of saliva from the corner of her mouth.

She felt as though her entire body was bound by an invisible force, limp and powerless, as if she had been possessed by some strange entity. Lazily, she let out a long yawn and tilted her head to the side.

This casual glance instantly widened her eyes, making her heart skip a beat and almost startling her right out of her chair.

She had no idea when her older brother had arrived.

There he was, standing with his arms leisurely crossed over his chest, the corners of his mouth slightly upturned in an ambiguous, faint smile.

He looked for all the world like one of those scheming, plotting major villains from television dramas, just waiting for the right moment to strike.

Fortunately, Li Ya stopped herself from blurting out her true thoughts. Otherwise, what awaited her would likely be a harsh dose of reality!

"Bro, you're going to scare someone doing that!"

"Oh."

Li Pingan merely gave a flat response, the expression on his face completely devoid of any ripples.

"I'm serious!"

Seeing her brother's reaction, Li Ya raised her voice, trying to command his attention. She slowly straightened her posture, took a deep breath, and forced herself to calm down.

"Oh."

Li Pingan responded just as unhurriedly as before. His utterly nonchalant demeanor left Li Ya completely exasperated.

Subconsciously, Li Ya touched the corner of her mouth to make sure no saliva remained, feeling a slight sense of relief only after confirming her face was clean.

She picked up the cup of soda from the desk, the ice cubes long melted, and gulped down several large mouthfuls. Instantly, a wave of chill traveled straight down her throat to the bottom of her heart, instantly revitalizing her and lifting her spirits.

"Bro, when did you get here?" Li Ya asked with curiosity.

"Around three o'clock, I suppose," Li Pingan replied casually, letting out a light chuckle with a hint of banter in his eyes. "You've really got it made here, living a much more carefree and leisurely life than your dear brother."

Li Pingan's gaze swept over his younger sister. Whether it was his imagination or not, he felt like she had filled out quite a bit; especially her cheeks, which used to be slightly delicate and green, now carried a rather adorable touch of baby fat.

"Did you get fat?" Li Pingan couldn't help asking.

"What?"

Li Ya didn't catch on for a moment.

"I said, did you put on weight?" Li Pingan repeated.

Li Ya flashed a cheeky grin, stretching out her hand to gesture with a playful look on her face.

"I only gained a tiny, tiny bit! I didn't want to put on meat either, but Auntie cooks such delicious food every day, and I'm just a foodie—I couldn't not eat it even if I wanted to."

"At least you have the self-awareness to admit you're a foodie."

With that, Li Pingan pointed at the cluttered desk and spoke in an unquestionable tone:

"Clean this up. You're coming out with me in a bit to rent a place nearby. Your brother here doesn't have time to take you out to play this summer, so you'll just honestly stay put at the company. Tomorrow, I'll have Old Wu arrange a clerical job for you, and you can work properly right here."

Hearing this, Li Ya acted as if she had just heard some catastrophic news, nearly leaping straight out of her seat.

"Wahhhh!!!"

She stared at her older brother in disbelieving shock, glaring at him as she protested loudly, "I object! You are illegally employing child labor!"

Unmoved, Li Pingan calmly replied, "Three thousand yuan a month. Be a good girl and stay put, and don't run around."

Li Ya knew very well that since her older brother had already spoken, the prospect of running back home to enjoy a carefree lifestyle as a homebody was now an absolute impossibility.

Her eyes rolled as she hatched a plan, probing tentatively, "Thirty-five hundred."

"Heh heh~~"

Li Pingan let out a cold laugh and retorted without a moment's hesitation, "Twenty-five hundred."

That look in his eyes seemed to say: *Say one more word, and I'll drop it even lower.*

Meeting her brother's half-smiling gaze, Li Ya shuddered inwardly. After a moment of contemplation, she wisely chose to surrender.

Well... she temporarily surrendered to her brother's "tyrannical might."

As facts proved, her brother's arrangements were swift and decisive.

The day after their living arrangements were settled, Li Ya officially began her career as a working professional.

Over the next month and a half, right up until the eve of the new school term, every single day Li Ya saw her brother's busy figure.

Either he was staring intently at the computer screen writing code, or he was buried among various mechanical parts, tirelessly dismantling robotic dogs before patiently and meticulously reassembling them.

By late August, only three days remained before the date indicated on her school's notification letter.

Walking home from work with her brother, Li Ya felt like a rabbit was bouncing around inside her chest, her heart fluttering nervously. She was terrified that her brother might be so swamped that he would forget all about the start of her semester.

After hesitating for a long time, she finally couldn't help but remind him, "Bro, school starts the day after tomorrow."

Walking ahead of her, Li Pingan simply gave a soft acknowledgement, his tone calm as he said, "I know. I'll drive you back tomorrow."

"Oh~"

Li Ya replied softly, a wave of relief washing over her. She really had been worried that he would forget.

As they walked, Li Ya suddenly noticed something was amiss. Her brother wasn't heading in the direction of their rented apartment, but instead had turned them down a completely different path.

"Bro, where are we going?" she asked in confusion.

Li Pingan answered without looking back, "We're going to the 4S dealership to check out some cars, and by the way, I'll buy you a few outfits."

"Buy a car?!!!" Li Ya's voice shot up several decibels in surprise, her mouth wide enough to swallow an egg whole.

"Mhm."

...

The next day, Li Ya carried bags of all sizes as she followed her brother downstairs from their apartment.

As soon as they reached the ground floor, she spotted Sister Wu, the company's accountant.

Right beside Sister Wu, a brand-new off-road vehicle sat quietly. Its body gleamed dazzlingly under the sunlight, sporting rugged lines and an overbearing exterior—wasn't that precisely the Tank 500 her brother had been looking at at the dealership yesterday?

Wu Qian smiled and handed the car keys to Li Pingan, her voice crisp and pleasant:

"Boss, all the paperwork is done. The car is registered under the company name, and the temporary plates are valid for one month."

Excitedly, Li Pingan took the keys, an irrepressible joy blooming across his face. He reached out and gently stroked the body of the Tank 500, his eyes filled with fondness and satisfaction.

What man doesn't love cars, especially an off-road vehicle brimming with strength and dominance?

How did that saying go again?
It's not that you can't afford a Mercedes-Benz G-Class, it's just that the Tank 500 offers much better value for money!

"Great! Thanks for your hard work making the trip."

At that moment, under Li Ya's curious gaze, Wu Qian took a paper bag out of her purse and handed it over to her brother.

Li Pingan glanced at it and immediately knew what was inside. He nodded slightly toward Wu Qian and instructed, "Just give it directly to her; it was hers to begin with."

With a smiling nod, Wu Qian used both hands to hand the paper bag containing six thousand yuan in cash over to Li Ya.

Pointing a finger at herself in utter confusion, Li Ya asked uncertainly, "For me?"

"Stop staring, it's your salary. I saw that you performed pretty well over the past month and a half, so I'm giving you six thousand for your hard work. You can spend this money however you like," Li Pingan explained.

Accepting the bag, Li Ya stood there in a daze, momentarily at a loss for words.

Could this be considered the first paycheck she had ever earned in her life?

"Stop daydreaming, get in the car!"

Li Pingan's voice snapped Li Ya back from her thoughts.