The Red Long Skirt
On Thursday afternoon, the four roommates in Room 307 had no classes in the last 2 periods, so they made plans to watch the latest release, “Resident Evil 7: Biohazard.” They also decided to grab some barbecue and do a little bit of shopping.
Although all four roommates in Room 307 came from small towns except for Bao Xiaofan and Sun Youmei, their families were not financially struggling.
Bao Xiaofan’s family owned two properties in Beijing, and they were well-off, so she had some disposable income.
Man Qingxuan’s parents were both teachers, and she also had a part-time job, which earned her some pocket money.
Cheng Hui’s parents ran a small factory, and she also occasionally took on some part-time work.
As for Wen Le, she had achieved financial independence since the second half of her freshman year. She often submitted articles online, ranging from magazine pieces to film and music reviews, public posts, advertisements, and various other miscellaneous writing.
Sometimes it was out of interest, and sometimes it was to hone her writing skills. Although Wen Le did not major in literature, she had been writing almost non-stop under her grandfather’s influence.
Now, Wen Le had gained some reputation in her circle, and she had saved up a considerable amount of money, aside from what she had spent.
This sum of money might not be considered much for others, but for Wen Le, even if she stopped doing part-time jobs, it would be enough to get her through university with her spending habits.
None of the four roommates had financial pressures, and their spending habits and values were similar, so they could hang out together.
The movie started at 8 p.m., and they finished dinner by 7 p.m.
Cheng Hui paid the bill and waved her hand, “Let’s go! Time to shop!”
“Let’s go, let’s go!”
“Yo-yo-yo!”
“Time to shop, time to shop!”
Wen Le said, “Wait for me to touch up my lipstick!”
Shopping often led to impulse buying, especially when encountering discounts, and once they found something they liked, nothing could stop them from making a purchase… Except for an empty wallet and maxed-out credit cards.
Even though they knew this about each other, every time they went shopping, the other three roommates still placed high hopes on Cheng Hui.
Man Qingxuan held Cheng Hui’s hand solemnly and said, “Dorm leader, you must stop me. If it’s over 200 yuan, just drag me away.”
Cheng Hui rolled her eyes, “Dream on. I don’t think I can drag you away even if I had a tractor.”
Bao Xiaofan also held Cheng Hui’s hand and earnestly entrusted her, “Dorm leader, I just received my allowance today. Just wake me up from my trance if it exceeds 250RMB!”
Cheng Hui rolled her eyes and looked at Wen Le, “What about you?”
Wen Le replied, “Me? I’m quite rational in my spending.”
Cheng Hui said, “Haven’t you heard about the big discounts tonight? Be a bit more realistic, okay?”
Wen Le chuckled and touched her nose, “Alright, then you can hold me back and just let me buy one item.”
So, half an hour later, the four of them had two bags each and began to playfully blame each other.
Man Qingxuan looked at her two shopping bags with sorrow, “Dorm leader, you let me down with my expectations about you.”
Bao Xiaofan said, “You promised to stop us, but you bought the most!”
Wen Le sighed, “I am the epitome of rationality with just one shopping bag.”
Wen Le had one of Cheng Hui’s shopping bags, and she only had one herself. Cheng Hui bought three… T-shirts.
Cheng Hui said, “Oh, my three items didn’t even reach the price of your one tote bag. You’re just two dollars short of breaking the four-figure barrier. Congratulations, classmate Wen Le.”
Wen Le felt the pain, “It’s all because of you telling me it was on sale.”
As they were playfully blaming each other, they arrived in front of a boutique brand store.
Through the glass display, they could see a beautiful red pencil skirt on the model. Wen Le stopped in her tracks as she looked at the skirt, it reminded her of the red skirt she had cut into a high slit before and which resembled this one.
Clearly, her roommates also noticed this. Bao Xiaofan said, “This skirt looks similar to the one you ruined before.”
Wen Le replied, “What do you mean ‘ruined’? Isn’t a high slit more sexy?”
Cheng Hui glanced at the price, “Damn, 5999, six thousand for just a skirt?”
Cheng Hui pulled Wen Le away, “I still think you looked better in that torn slit.”
Wen Le smiled and followed after Cheng Hui, “I think so too.”
—
One of the seniors that Zhou Kao was close to had his project approved, so he invited a group of friends to gather for a meal. As Zhou Kao had a good relationship with this senior and had previously helped him a little, he was also invited.
It was rather noisy inside the restaurant, so Zhou Kao stepped outside to take a call. As he spoke, he spotted a familiar figure downstairs.
The square was like most shopping malls, with a huge central atrium on the ground floor that allowed a clear view up to the top floor through transparent glass. The square was open from the second floor to the top floor, with glass and railings providing safety barriers between each level.
Zhou Kao was on the fifth floor, and as soon as he stepped out of the restaurant, he could see the scene downstairs through the half-height glass barrier. At that moment, directly opposite on the fourth floor, four girls were standing in front of a shop, pointing and laughing at a red skirt.
Despite being separated by a floor and most of the square, Zhou Kao immediately recognized the familiar figure. The girl wearing a white shirt and a light yellow floral long skirt was Wen Le.
Today, she had her hair tied in a low ponytail, with a strand of hair gently falling down her face, making her look extremely gentle.
The four girls were joking and laughing while looking at the red skirt inside the glass cabinet. Seeing that skirt, Zhou Kao couldn’t help but recall that night.
It was the night when Wen Le hurt her ankle after being pushed by Su Zhenzhen. When she returned from the infirmary, she borrowed scissors from the school doctor to cut open the long skirt on her for convenience.
Zhou Kao hung up the phone, and in his mind, he seemed to see that red skirt that Wen Le had cut open and her beautiful, snow-white legs wrapped around his waist that night.
Zhou Kao’s breath paused, and his eyes gradually deepened.
The girls hadn’t noticed Zhou Kao. They chatted and laughed as they took the escalator between floors and went up to the sixth floor, which was where the cinema was located.
Zhou Kao came out to make a call but stayed outside for a long time. His classmates from inside found him gazing absentmindedly at something across and teased, “What are you daydreaming about? Come back in?”
Zhou Kao snapped back to reality, nodded, and followed them inside. However, as he reached the entrance, his footsteps suddenly stopped as if he had remembered something. “You go in first. I need to go out for a bit, and I’ll be back soon,” he said.
Without waiting for the guy to reply, Zhou Kao patted his arm and left.
The guy didn’t understand what was going on, shrugged, and returned to the private room.
Zhou Kao didn’t know what had gotten into him. He followed the escalator down to the fourth floor and stood in front of that shop without even knowing what he intended to do.
At a glance, Zhou Kao saw that red skirt, and images of Wen Le wearing that red skirt involuntarily flashed in his mind.
It would suit her very well.
Zhou Kao walked into the store.
The sales assistant heard footsteps and turned around, only to be taken aback.
It was a tall handsome young man with long legs – a strikingly attractive super handsome guy.
The sales assistant was momentarily stunned by his looks and was slow to react. The assistant manager, who was observing the situation, immediately approached with a beaming smile.
The sales assistant regretted not taking the chance to strike up a conversation with the handsome guy.
She had seen celebrities promoting for the mall before, and they were well-known for their good looks in the entertainment industry. But compared to the person in front of them, even those celebrities would pale in comparison.
The assistant manager approached with a big smile, “Hello, how may I assist you?”
Zhou Kao didn’t say anything, his eyes were fixed on the model in the display window.
As the manager spoke, she secretly observed Zhou Kao.
This place was close to several universities, and students often came here. Zhou Kao looked so young that the assistant manager could almost instantly tell he was a student.
They were a luxury brand, and the prices were not affordable for the average student. Of course, there were many students with wealthy backgrounds, dressed in designer clothing, so buying from this luxury brand was nothing to them.
But…
The assistant manager sized up this young man.
His appearance and physique were excellent, and although his clothes appeared simple and didn’t reveal any brands, the fabric seemed to be of top quality, making it difficult to judge.
Seeing Zhou Kao look at that skirt, the assistant manager struck up a conversation, “Are you buying it for your girlfriend? This is a limited edition from our new collection this season. Your taste is really good.”
Zhou Kao didn’t say anything; he absentmindedly fiddled with his phone, seemingly lost in thought.
The assistant manager subconsciously looked at Zhou Kao’s hand and noticed the watch on his wrist, which seemed to cost at least six figures.
The assistant manager raised an eyebrow, impressed.
Continuing the friendly conversation, the assistant manager asked, “What size does your girlfriend wear?”
Upon hearing the word “girlfriend,” Zhou Kao’s eyelashes flickered, but he didn’t say anything. How could he know her size? He could only estimate that Wen Le’s figure was similar to that of the model.
“Let’s go with this one,” Zhou Kao said.
The assistant manager replied, “If your girlfriend’s figure is similar to the model, then it should be the small size.”
Zhou Kao nodded and said, “Wrap it up please.”
The assistant manager asked, “The total is 5999. How would you like to pay?”
Zhou Kao swiped his card, and as he carried the women’s clothing back to the restaurant’s private room, he couldn’t help but think that he might be acting irrationally or under some kind of enchantment.
TN: Oooo our male lead is finally flaunting his rich background!
