The car did not go directly to the destination of the matchmaking gathering, but stopped in front of a large shopping mall.
“What are we doing here?” Gu Yi asked.
Xia Wan’er blinked mysteriously. “You guess.”
Qing Sang smiled and said, “Wan’er wants to pick out an outfit for you. After all, since you’re attending a matchmaking gathering, it’s better to dress a bit more formally.”
“……”
Gu Yi looked himself over. It was true, he was wearing the coffin shop’s work uniform, with a work badge pinned to his chest. Going to a gathering like this in that outfit really was a bit out of place.
By comparison, Xia Wan’er and Qing Sang were even more eye-catching. Xia Wan’er’s looks and Lolita outfit already drew plenty of attention, and with her petite frame, it was no wonder Gu Yi had mistaken her for a middle school student of fifteen or sixteen. If someone said she was twenty-five, without seeing her ID, it really would be hard to believe.
Qing Sang was not wearing casual clothes today, but he was not especially formal either. After all, to put it bluntly, it was only a classmates’ reunion. He wore a light blue blazer, which made him look even taller and more upright, handsome and striking.
He and Xia Wan’er walked into the mall together, making it hard not to stand out.
Gu Yi could tell that both of them came from good families. Last time Xia Wan’er had also said that the Qing family and the Lin family had business dealings. Gu Yi sighed. Big boss Bo Si was rich, Xia Wan’er and Qing Sang were rich too. Not only were they rich, each of them was also a handsome man or beautiful woman. As for himself, who had lived as a freak for eighteen years, when had he also started squeezing into these people’s world?
Of course he had not thought about accepting Xia Wan’er’s offer to buy him clothes. He did not even have the courage to look at the clothes in this kind of large shopping mall a second time. “Um, Xia Xiao… Wan’er, I really don’t need to go. No need to buy clothes for me. I still have to buy fish for Boss.”
Xia Wan’er refused to budge, linking her arm through Gu Yi’s. “That won’t do, we’re already here. Aiya, Yi Yi, don’t be afraid, what’s the big deal? We’re friends who’ve gone through life and death together. Buying a set of clothes is a small thing. Besides, this is a mall under Qing Sang’s family. You really don’t need to worry, just pick whatever you want.”
“Ah?” Hearing that, Gu Yi felt even more burdened. “This… isn’t that good, is it? These clothes look expensive…”
“Of course they’re expensive. If the clothes weren’t good, I wouldn’t have brought you here to pick them. Hey, Yi Yi, this suit is so suitable for you. Hurry, hurry and go try it on for me to see!”
Xia Wan’er pointed at a set of clothes in the display window and shouted. Then came the approach of various well-mannered sales clerks walking toward Gu Yi. They clearly all knew Qing Sang and Xia Wan’er. That enthusiasm left Gu Yi with no way to refuse. He felt a little embarrassed, and later, under Xia Wan’er’s prodding, he was forcibly led into the fitting room.
After coming out, Xia Wan’er’s eyes went straight. “Wow, my little Yi Yi, clothes really do make the man. Looking at you like this, you’re simply too cute. Just like a boy wearing a suit and pretending to be an adult, with a kind of green and hazy youthful feel. It makes people want to pinch your face and bully you properly!”
Xia Wan’er seemed to have activated some strange attribute, and the moment she jumped in front of Gu Yi, she started tugging at his face.
Gu Yi was in pain. At that moment, Qing Sang came over smiling to rescue him. “All right, Wan’er, don’t act like some weird auntie. Look how red you’ve pinched his face.”
Xia Wan’er laughed, still not letting go. “Is it red from pinching, or red from embarrassment? Come on, Yi Yi, look at yourself in the mirror.”
Xia Wan’er pushed Gu Yi in front of the mirror, and this time Gu Yi had no choice but to look.
From childhood until now, this really was the first time he had worn a suit like this. However, he was rather thin and could not quite carry it. He really did look like Xia Wan’er said, like a child who had secretly put on an adult’s clothes. His face was plain, but not long ago, there had still been an ugly birthmark on his face. Now, even being plain was a great blessing for Gu Yi.
“How is it? Doesn’t he look great? My Yi Yi is the cutest!” Xia Wan’er was still cheering from the side.
The sales clerks also praised him one after another, and Gu Yi accidentally glanced at the price tag. He was immediately stunned, sucking in a cold breath!
Five… fifty thousand!
Qing Sang turned sideways and said to the sales clerks, “Take this one, and wrap up the clothes he was wearing before too.”
“No, um…”
Xia Wan’er nodded. “Cut the tag off for my Yi Yi!”
“Um, you guys don’t be impulsive, listen to me…”
The sales clerks moved very quickly. In no time, everything was taken care of.
When they left the mall, Gu Yi was still completely dazed.
Qing Sang asked Xia Wan’er, “Aren’t you going to buy anything you like?”
Xia Wan’er pouted. “No need, don’t you know me yet? The clothes here are for Earth people, they’re not suitable for me.”
Gu Yi, pale-faced, said, “I’ll slowly pay you back for these clothes. I’ll work part-time…”
“Hahaha!” Xia Wan’er clutched her stomach and laughed. She laughed until she doubled over. “Brother Yi, you’re really too cute, simply a treasure. Boss Bo is so lucky to have hired an employee like you. If I hadn’t fallen in love with Boss Bo at first sight, I definitely would have fallen for you. A sister-brother romance is fine too!”
Gu Yi said seriously, “I’m serious. How can I casually accept clothes worth fifty thousand…”
Xia Wan’er put one hand on Gu Yi’s shoulder. “If you don’t want to be casual, that’s fine too. Trade me Boss Bo’s phone.”
Gu Yi was troubled. “This… isn’t too good. I didn’t get the boss’s permission…”
“You, you’re really being eaten alive by your boss. I’m telling you, people like Boss Bo absolutely must not be taken too seriously. Maybe he simply doesn’t have a heart, which is why he wouldn’t even look at a great beauty like me. Brother Yi, you have to hold yourself steady. The two of you are together all day long. What if something happens…”
“Cough!”
Qing Sang touched his nose and reminded her, “Get in the car. We’re about to be late.”
Xia Wan’er shut up. Just like that, the three of them arrived at a five-star hotel before dark.
After entering the gate, Gu Yi was still in a strong state of unreality. He had clearly just come out to buy fish, so how had he gotten into Xia Wan’er’s car, gone to the mall to buy clothes, and ended up at a hotel?
This was their classmates’ reunion. What did it have to do with him? He did not know any of those people.
Xia Wan’er kept saying she had brought him out to broaden his horizons, but all Gu Yi could think about was Bo Si’s fierce face…
It was over. His salary was definitely gone this time… He had not even bought the fish, and he was going back wearing a suit. How was he supposed to explain this to the boss…
Gu Yi wore a face full of worry as Xia Wan’er and Qing Sang led him through the long corridor, turning left and right, into a high-end private room.
What followed was mostly business flattery. The men and women in the private room were indeed all polished and dazzling, clearly having been carefully packaged. After everyone flattered each other for a while, they set their sights on Gu Yi. Perhaps because Gu Yi had come in with Qing Sang and Xia Wan’er, everyone praised him in every way.
“Ah, who is this boy? Why did he come in without saying a word? Is he shy?”
“My God, there are still such innocent boys these days? How old is he? Is he an adult yet?”
Gu Yi had never heard so many compliments directed at him in his life. But since someone had asked, he still gave a weak, polite answer. “I’m eighteen.”
“Wow, he answered, so cute!”
Excitement lit up all the women’s eyes. “He’s eighteen already, does he have a girlfriend? Wan’er, you really are something, having such a cute younger brother and not introducing him to us sooner.”
“I’m guessing he definitely doesn’t have a girlfriend. Look at how shy he is. Oh right, little brother, do you mind a sister-brother romance? What do you think of me, sister? I’m willing to sacrifice myself to teach you how to grow up.”
At that, Xia Wan’er got unhappy. She sat beside Gu Yi and wrapped her arm tightly around his. Her big eyes swept around the private room, and she said coldly, “No one is allowed to have ideas about Yi Yi. He’s mine. What sacrifice yourself? If you’re willing to sacrifice, we still wouldn’t want it!”
“You…”
The woman who had been shut down looked a little embarrassed, but she could not flare up and could only endure it with a dark face.
At this time, another woman said, “Wan’er, are you dating this kid? Then what about Qing Sang…”
Xia Wan’er said, “Yi Yi is my friend. Just like Qing Sang, we’re all friends. What’s wrong, is there a problem?”
“Oh, no, no.” That woman looked at Qing Sang with special sympathy and said, “After all these years, Qing Sang still hasn’t won you over…”
Qing Sang smiled, then turned his eyes and looked at Xia Wan’er gently, saying nothing more.
That smile of his was devastatingly attractive, and the many women present were stirred up again, showing infatuated expressions.
……
Gu Yi ran out of the private room under the excuse of going to the restroom.
He could not handle this kind of situation. Halfway through, Xia Wan’er had even told him very seriously, see that? This is the world of adults. Isn’t this like getting a free lesson?
Gu Yi thought bitterly that the person giving him a lesson was probably the big boss at home who was still waiting for fish…
Gu Yi washed his face with cold water in the restroom to calm down. After coming out, he unexpectedly saw Xia Wan’er leaning against the wall and waiting for him.
He was about to say something, but just then, his phone rang.
Gu Yi suddenly felt that having a phone could sometimes be a tragedy. Before, when he did not have one, he would not have been this on edge. Now, once the ringtone sounded, it was like a death warrant to him.
He was dominated by the fear of being docked pay, but he had no choice but to face the call. If he did not answer, he might have to sleep on the street tonight…
Gu Yi did not even look at the screen. He clenched his teeth and thought, better die early and get it over with.
He answered with complete resignation, and before he had even put the phone to his ear, Bo Si’s icy voice came through from the other end. “You brat, did you go buy a fish all the way to the Pacific Ocean? Do you know how long you’ve been gone, and what time it is now?”
Gu Yi held his forehead and said, “Boss, listen to my explanation…”
Gu Yi had not finished speaking when the phone was snatched away by Xia Wan’er. He was shocked, and chased after Xia Wan’er. “Wan’er, don’t mess around, give me back my phone!”
“Heh heh, no way!” Xia Wan’er stuck out her tongue at him mischievously, then said brazenly into the phone, “Boss Bo, even if you didn’t leave me your contact information, I still have a way to find you. Your cute little employee is now in my hands. Don’t worry, I’ll take good care of him. I definitely won’t let him lose a single hair. If you really don’t trust me, I’ll give you an address. Do you want to come pick him up yourself?”
Bo Si held down his temper. “Who are you? You even dare to touch my man?”
“Waaah, Boss Bo, have you already forgotten me like this? What a pity, I’ve been thinking about you all this time. I’m Xia Wan’er. Boss Bo, don’t be so fierce to me, you look like you want to eat someone. I won’t do anything to Yi Yi, anyway, that’s that, I’ll give you the address in a bit. Whether you come or not, it’s your choice!”
After saying that, before the other end could answer, Xia Wan’er hung up the call with a sly laugh.
When Gu Yi turned back, he saw that he was already standing where he was, completely petrified.
He looked as if a gust of wind would blow him away.