After a Failed Blind Date, a Rich Woman Tries to Get Into My Heart - Chapter 191

After thinking it over for a moment, Shen Lang decided to give up on the rather inhumane idea he had earlier.

He really couldn’t bring himself to just leave the embarrassed and disheveled Chen Xiuning by the roadside to wait for her Didi ride all by herself.

“Aren’t you a student from Zhuhai University?”

Chen Xiuning looked at Shen Lang curiously.

“I remember back when you got accepted into Zhuhai University, you even bragged about it in the class group chat. Why are you reacting so strongly now?”

“Hehe, mostly because I haven’t been back since I graduated. And now that I’m finally returning to my alma mater, I’m bringing such a pretty teacher with me.”

Shen Lang thickened his skin and awkwardly complimented her to change the subject.

“I’m worried that if your students see us together, they’ll think we’re dating. I don’t want to become the target of gossip.”

[Ding! Chen Xiuning’s affection toward the host has increased by 1 point. Current affection: 8. Keep up the good work!]

“Haha, you might be disappointed then. My students wouldn’t envy you for bringing a thirty-year-old woman back to school.”

Despite the flirtatious tone, Chen Xiuning didn’t seem shy or annoyed. Instead, she replied in a resigned voice.

“Only someone like you would compliment a thirty-year-old woman who’s never even had a boyfriend and has to rely on blind dates to find a partner.”

As soon as she said that, Shen Lang’s brain kicked into overdrive.

He immediately pieced together the likely reasons why Chen Xiuning was still single at thirty and had no romantic experience.

She was too straightforward. During her prime dating years, she focused completely on her career in education.

She never really interacted with men her age, had little to no dating experience, and didn’t know how to get along with them.

These were the main reasons why she was still single.

Sure, she was beautiful—her looks and figure were only slightly below that of the landlady’s.

She was the perfect “mature woman” type, and on top of that, she had the bonus appeal of being a teacher.

But no matter how pretty someone is, looks are only skin-deep.

A woman her age looking for a partner would be aiming straight for marriage.

It’s not very realistic to start a new romantic relationship from scratch at thirty, right?

If her personality doesn’t match with someone’s, even if she finds a guy she likes, the relationship won’t last long.

Shen Lang guessed she probably tried dating a few men.

But because she’s so blunt and unsure how to interact with them, things fizzled out before they could even get started.

Of course, Shen Lang wasn’t going to give her love advice. Their relationship wasn’t at that level.

And besides, she was his teacher—how could he, as the student, turn around and teach her how to date?

So then… what should he say to raise her affection toward him?

Be a simp? Absolutely not!

One rule: simps never end well!

Use flirty lines? Also no!

Chen Xiuning may be straightforward, but she wasn’t dumb.

With her life experience and maturity, plus her role as a teacher, she’d see right through those lines.

If he used those childish pickup lines on a thirty-year-old like her, she’d just think he wasn’t serious or respectable.

The friendly, eager image he’d just started to build in her mind would instantly collapse.

To handle someone this honest and blunt, there’s only one tactic:

Be even more blunt than her.

Compliment her directly, with sincerity—but you have to hit the right angle.

And that angle was Shen Lang being her former student!

From a student’s perspective, complimenting your teacher is totally reasonable. She wouldn’t be able to argue with that.

Important: the compliments couldn’t be over-the-top or flirty. They had to sound simple and sincere.

This would keep the atmosphere light, with just a hint of flirtation, and make it sound casual.

This was a trick the system had taught Shen Lang:

Casual compliments always feel the most genuine.

When you speak like you’re not even trying to flatter someone, they have no way to reject or deny it. They just have to accept it.

“How could that be?”

After a brief moment of preparation, Shen Lang kept his eyes on the road and casually said,

“Back in high school, I always thought you were really pretty, Miss Chen.”

[Ding! Chen Xiuning’s affection toward the host has increased by 5 points. Current affection: 13. Keep going!]

“I mean it, Miss Chen.”

At the red light, Shen Lang turned to look directly into her eyes and boldly added,

“Even now, I still think you’re really pretty. I’ve always felt that way.”

That was Shen Lang laying all his cards on the table. He was openly flirting.

And of course, Chen Xiuning wasn’t clueless. She knew it too.

But Shen Lang’s approach was just too slick.

The words he chose and how far he pushed it were all perfectly balanced.

Chen Xiuning didn’t think he was being inappropriate, and she had no way to reject the compliment either.

Because if she denied it, she’d basically be admitting that she really had become an “old lady” in her thirties.

No woman would ever admit that.

The best part was, she couldn’t even ask, “Really? Do you really think so?”

Because if she did, she’d be the one sounding like she was into him—and that would just push the vibe deeper into romantic territory.

Remember what she said earlier?

“Only someone like you would compliment me.”

That line wasn’t as simple as it seemed.

She was definitely not being literal.

There’s no way Shen Lang was the only person to ever compliment her.

Men who tried to date her must have complimented her too.

After all, with her face and figure, how could anyone not notice?

But those guys were trying to date her, so their compliments probably came off a little too polite or calculated.

Shen Lang, on the other hand, was her former student.

He’d spent three whole years in school with her.

A student saying a teacher is pretty? Totally normal.

And he had the perfect angle—talking about it from the past, like it was just a passing memory.

Women are especially sensitive about age.

Shen Lang’s compliment immediately brought Chen Xiuning back to the days when she wasn’t yet thirty—when she was young and in her prime.

She must have been gorgeous back then, right?

Those black stockings and shiny leather shoes probably tempted a bunch of male students during class. They probably “dropped their erasers” on purpose just to sneak a peek.

But what really sealed the deal was the phrase:

“I always thought so.”

That meant he found her beautiful back in high school and still thought so now.

It was the most direct, genuine compliment you could give—and for someone like Chen Xiuning, it hit the mark perfectly.

“Just drive already.”

Chen Xiuning looked away from Shen Lang’s passionate gaze in a fluster, acting indifferent as she stared out the windshield.

A faint blush crept up her pale cheeks.

She had definitely been affected by his words.

Those 5 points of affection? Absolutely real.

Seeing the teacher who used to scold him every day looking all shy now…

Shen Lang felt amazing. He even hummed a little tune with a smug smile.

As if to say, “Yeah, I’m totally flirting with you. What are you gonna do about it? Call my parents?”

But then suddenly, Chen Xiuning spoke again, trying to act calm.

“You’ve got a silver tongue, don’t you? Bet you’ve sweet-talked a bunch of girls before, huh?”

Then the system offered three responses: