Chapter 39: You Should Wear a Dress for a First Date
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“Yunshi, Ruoruo, help me decide which outfit would be suitable for dinner.” He Jing pulled out several sets of clothes, looking rather torn.
On an ordinary day at school, a loose T-shirt with lettering and a pair of short denim shorts were enough to see her through practically any occasion.
But Zhang Yang had invited her to the Peace Hotel, and she did not want to dress so casually.
Learning how to dress well was not only a matter of respecting others; it was also a way of respecting oneself.
Wei Yunshi looked He Jing up and down, then asked with a teasing smile, “Going out this late at night—what man has captured our Sister Jing’s heart?”
“If it’s a date, wear a dress. If it isn’t, go with short denim shorts and a loose T-shirt. That combination works anywhere.”
As soon as Lan Sisi finished speaking, she raised an eyebrow and probed, “Come on, Sister Jing, tell us. Which major’s handsome guy have you fallen for?”
“If you ask me, you shouldn’t wear anything at all.” Xu Zhiruo grinned wickedly.
“Stop fooling around. I’m being serious.” He Jing picked up a long blue tie-dye dress patterned with flowers and turned to her three roommates for their opinion. “What do you think of this one?”
“Pretty!”
“Beautiful!”
“Perfect!”
All three roommates gave it their unanimous approval.
“Then I’ll try it on.”
Since they were all girls, He Jing did not bother going to the bathroom to change. She simply slipped into the floral blue tie-dye dress in front of her roommates.
“How does it look?”
He Jing gave a little twirl.
Lan Sisi stared at He Jing’s bare shoulders and the expanse of pale skin revealed around her collarbones. Unable to resist, she moved closer and touched her. “Sister Jing, you smell wonderful!”
“So fair, so smooth!” Xu Zhiruo reached out as well.
Like a camisole, the floral slip dress was held up by only two narrow straps. Her shoulders, collarbones, and much of her chest were left completely exposed.
“Add a shawl,” Wei Yunshi suggested.
“Good idea.”
He Jing put on a sky-blue openwork shawl. Her skin showed through in glimpses, lending her a gentler, more graceful air than she had possessed without it.
“Put on white socks too.”
“Don’t forget a necklace.”
“You could wear white sneakers.”
With her roommates’ suggestions and their makeup skills, He Jing had transformed from a fiery college girl into a shy young woman from the neighborhood, ready for her very first date.
“All done. Perfect. Sister Jing, you can go out and charm the world now.”
“You look gorgeous. What a shame I’m not a man. If I were, I’d pursue you like crazy!”
Her roommates’ endless praise made He Jing feel a little self-conscious. She glanced at herself in the full-length mirror and found that she was quite pleased with what she saw.
At that moment, Wei Yunshi asked again, “Sister Jing, you still haven’t told us. What family does this rascal belong to—the one taking you out?”
“A friend.”
He Jing did not reveal Zhang Yang’s name, using “friend” in its place.
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Until something was certain, she did not want the whole world to know about it.
“How mysterious,” Lan Sisi muttered.
Xu Zhiruo took out the keys to her Maserati and handed them to He Jing. “Promise me you’ll be back at school before curfew.”
“There are plenty of rooms in a hotel. Never believe a man when he says there’s only a single room available.” Wei Yunshi added her own teasing remark with a mischievous smile.
They were all fourth-year students by now. How could they not understand those tricks?
Although none of them had experienced such things personally, the campus forum of Hudu University of Finance and Economics was full of fresh romantic scandals every day.
Cheating, cuckolding, and juggling three partners at once were merely ordinary fare. Some of the more outrageous stories, the sort that shattered every decent moral boundary, could only be circulated as PDF files.
He Jing took the Maserati keys and waved. “I’m off. Bye-bye.”
“Jealous of anyone who’s found love.”
“The convent has lost another nun.”
“Remember to take precautions.”
Amid her roommates’ farewells, He Jing hurried down from the dormitory. She found Xu Zhiruo’s Maserati in the school’s underground parking garage, then drove straight to the Peace Hotel.
…
Investment Studies, Dormitory 308.
After sweating it out in the school gym until he was nearly exhausted, Xu Jiafeng opened the dormitory door. He was about to call out a few times when he discovered that the room was pitch-black.
Click.
He switched on the lights.
The dormitory was empty.
“These idiots still aren’t back yet?” Xu Jiafeng could not help grumbling.
Ever since Xu Zhiruo had rejected him outright, he had finally accepted that his “modeling” was indeed hopeless and had redoubled his efforts to lose weight.
A disciplined diet combined with regular exercise had already helped him shed six pounds.
Just as he assumed that Wang Liu, Chen Chuan, and Zhang Yang had all gone out, he heard the sound of a toilet flushing from the bathroom on the balcony.
A moment later, a thin figure emerged from the bathroom. It was his roommate, Chen Chuan.
“Chuanzi, why didn’t you turn on the light?” Xu Jiafeng asked in confusion.
“Hey, I’m saving on the electricity bill.” Chen Chuan returned to the lower bunk of his bed and calmly shut off the video player.
“Where are the others?” Chen Chuan asked.
“Liuzi went on a date. The dorm monitor is probably still in the library.” Xu Jiafeng answered indifferently. With graduation approaching, everyone was busy with their own affairs.
“Forget them.” Chen Chuan wiped the grime from his hands and invited him to play. “How about a game of Warcraft? I’m frighteningly calm right now.”
“Sure.”
Xu Jiafeng immediately logged in.
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…
While Chen Chuan and Xu Jiafeng were playing games together, Zhang Yang stood with an iced Americano in hand, admiring the view of the Huangpu River.
The river shimmered beneath the lights, as though countless stars had fallen into the mortal world. Pleasure boats moved slowly across the water, trailing ribbons of neon behind them, their wakes rippling like a magnificent painting in motion.
There was no denying it—some things were expensive for a reason.
As Zhang Yang enjoyed the scenery, there came another knock at the private-room door.
Knock, knock.
The private-room manager pushed open the door and looked toward Zhang Yang on the balcony. “Sir, Miss He has arrived.”
At that, Zhang Yang turned around.
When he saw He Jing dressed like a girl from the neighborhood, with a hint of shyness about her, he could not help smiling. “Why are you dressed like that?”
“Doesn’t it look good?” A flicker of disappointment crossed He Jing’s eyes.
Zhang Yang shook his head and smiled faintly. “It’s not that it doesn’t look good. I’ve simply never seen you dressed this way before, so it caught me by surprise.”
“Now you have.” He Jing looked around the private room, then turned to him. “So? Why did you ask me here?”
“Let’s order first.”
Zhang Yang did not hurry to explain. Instead, he asked the private-room manager to bring them a menu.
The manager was perceptive enough to hand it directly to He Jing.
At a meal between a man and a woman, the woman usually chose the dishes. If she was unsure what to order, she would naturally hand the decision over to the man.
He Jing accepted the menu and glanced at it. Her mind abruptly stalled.
Slow-fried A4 wagyu steak: 740 per serving.
Salt-baked sea snails: 590 per serving.
Black chicken feet in savory sauce: 198 per serving.
The outrageous prices forced He Jing to keep her composure as she continued turning the pages.
When she spotted canned cola priced at thirty yuan a bottle, she nearly lost control. Is this place taking us for Japanese tourists and fleecing us?
For thirty yuan outside, you could drink enough cola to turn into a giant specimen.
He Jing was still unaccustomed to places where people spent money so extravagantly. As she handed the menu to Zhang Yang, she lowered her voice and said, “Let’s run. This place is a scam.”
Zhang Yang smiled calmly. He was not the one paying for the meal anyway. He turned to the private-room manager and said,
“For the hot dishes, bring black truffle and mustard cream silver cod, slow-fried A4 wagyu steak, and seasonal vegetables in superior broth. For the cold dishes, bring Chinese angelica with golden garlic and black chicken feet in savory sauce. For dessert, avocado bird’s-nest pudding. And two portions of stir-fried rice with pork belly and assorted mushrooms. That will do for now.”
“Of course. I’ll arrange it immediately.”
The private-room manager hurried away.
Only after the man had gone did He Jing complain to Zhang Yang, “Did you rob a bank? Why did you order so much? And what’s so special about that A4 steak? One serving costs 740! If you gave me 740, I could chew it into pieces and feed it to you myself!”
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