Translator: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio
Wow!
“The handsome fellow in the mirror—is that really me?” he thought.
Wang Yan stared at the mirror in astonishment.
The classic mohawk was coupled with an undercut that suited his face shape, and the top had been tousled to give it some volume.
The hair on both sides of his head had been layered, then shaved near his temples, the edges of which emphasized the shape of his forehead.
His sideburns and the backs of his ears had been cleanly shaved, so the dark tips of his brows were especially eye-catching.
After getting his eyebrows shaped, his brows were now straight as arrows, making him look sharp and manly.
They were almost done.
Hanisen clapped his hands, saying somewhat regretfully, “If you get an ear piercing and two scars, you’ll stand out even more. You may even set a new trend!”
Forget about the piercing.
Wang Yan shook his head with a smile. His hair had been washed and blown dry, ready for the final setting.
Looking in the mirror after they were done, it felt as if his looks had improved by at least 20 percent.
But seriously, a suitable hairstyle was sometimes even more important than clothes. One could always change out of clothes that didn’t look good, but one wouldn’t be able to dictate hair growth.
“Are you satisfied with the end product, sir?” Hanisen asked confidently.
“I am. Thank you very much!”
Wang Yan was extremely satisfied. He took the initiative to shake Hanisen’s hand and said laughingly, “I’ll be back again before I go off to college.”
“Twenty days later, that’s when my current growth spurt will come to an end. By then, I hope you’ll be able to bring me more pleasant surprises,” he said to himself.
Wang Yan walked out with a spring in his step. It was time to head to the restaurant, many of his classmates already messaging him in WeChat.
He quickly went back to his apartment and changed into his trendy Converse Chucks.
People who weren’t familiar with those shoes could be forgiven for thinking that this pair of shoes cost 20 dollars, when in fact, they cost 200. The shoes were simple and clean, not at all flashy.
Although he was still far from being tall and handsome, compared to the Wang Yan from a month before, he was virtually a different person.
A scholar who had been away three days had to be looked at with new eyes. During his period of absence, he had undergone a dramatic transformation.
Millennium was a restaurant that catered to the men on the street. Their dishes focused on taste and were economically priced. They had six banquet halls of various sizes, which would satisfy all sorts of needs, from wedding banquets to funerals, so it was very popular with the residents of the Xiawa area.
The banquet hall that the Wang family had booked was the Koi Hall, which was the smallest banquet hall they had. They had it booked for two and a half hours, from 11 to 1:30 p.m.
When Wang Yan arrived after 11, his parents made him stand at the entrance to welcome guests.
They introduced him to anyone they were remotely acquainted with. “This is Uncle Zhang, Auntie Li…”
In fact, there weren’t many strangers in his parents’ social circles.
Apart from relatives, most of them were neighbors whom they were already familiar with, and the rest were colleagues from their workplaces. All of them combined only amounted to ten tables, and there were less than a hundred people.
Everyone who entered was obliged to dish out a compliment. “Yo! Has our Xiaoyan become better-looking?”
Especially his aunt Wang Xiumei, who smiled and grumbled at the same time while holding Wang Yan’s hand.
“This little rascal cleans up well, huh? The older you get, the more disobedient you become. After turning up at my place for two days, you don’t even reply in the group chat when I ask you what you’ve been busy with. Are you sure you still remember this aunt of yours?”
Wang Yan made a face at her as he held her in his arms.
“I don’t even dare to unmute that family group chat of ours. Dozens of forwarded messages and spam messages every day. I can’t even find anything decent to read…”
Wang Yan’s cousin, Zhang Yao, agreed with what he had just said.
“Exactly! Did you know? My mom and auntie bombard the chat every day with messages about receiving dollar red packets for registration and referrals. They forced me to register and made me forward the messages to more people. All that effort for practically nothing.”
Why didn’t Wang Yan know?
He couldn’t afford to get on their bad side, so he had to keep one eye open!
Patting Zhang Yao on the head, he gently cajoled her, “Yaoyao’s a big girl now. You must listen to your mommy, okay? Just do whatever she wants. It doesn’t take much time or effort anyway!”
“What if they target me next if you refuse to do it?” he fretted internally.
“Be good, and hang in there!”
Zhang Yao was discerning enough to see through her cousin’s ploy, so she ran away in a huff.
“Humph! I don’t want to talk to you anymore…”
As time progressed, more of Wang Yan’s classmates were beginning to filter in.
It was mainly his clique of buddies. People like Liu Weilong and He Meng had made it clear a long time ago that they wouldn’t be able to make it and had gotten others to bring the red packets for them.
The sixteen classmates who did attend made up two tables, so it was just right, and there was plenty of space.
It had been ages since Wang Yonglei saw Wang Yan, so he was particularly surprised. “Ah, Wang-er! Did you get plastic surgery in the Southern Peninsula? Why have your looks changed so drastically?”
That was the question on the tip of everyone’s tongue.
In the span of two weeks, Wang Yan seemed to have morphed into another person. Although they could still recognize him by his face, his body looked nothing like before.
Even though there was no way he could tell them the truth, Wang Yan had come prepared.
“I’ve been reading at home, exercising, writing, and working hard on improving both my body and mind so that I would be ready to look for a partner! I’d have no game in college if I wasted time playing like you guys!”
What Wang Yan said in jest had offended quite a few people who were still single, but the rest were doubled over in laughter.
“Hahaha! What Wang-er said isn’t wrong!”
“I just realized you’re not as simple as I thought…”
“Wang Yonglei will probably stay single until age 40, but there’s still hope for Zhang Yin, so learn from Wang Yan!”
“Wang Yan isn’t the same person as before. He didn’t used to be so cheeky. Now he has a silver tongue.”
“The way you put it, Monitor, is as if you’ve tasted it for yourself…”
“Do you have a death wish?”
“Yes!”
1
“Come, come, come. See you at the drinks table! You better not shy away later!”
Monitor Yu Qiuli rose to her feet, making the boys cower in fear.
He Meng wasn’t here today, so Yu Qiuli was the prettiest girl present.
She had on a sleeveless blouse and a sarong-style skirt. Although her outfit was somewhat conservative, she was straightforward and had no airs about her.
Her popularity in school was comparable to He Meng’s, but Wang Yan still didn’t quite like the way she looked.
Her mouth was a little too big and flat, so when she smiled, the entire row of her front teeth was visible, much like Angelina Jolie.
The divide between little boys and mature men, as far as beauty standards were concerned, was plain to see.
Wang Yan liked innocent-looking, girl-next-door types like Liu Li, followed by princess types like He Meng, and then bright and beautiful girls like Lin Weiwei.
He was resistant towards hot and sexy girls like Reyi Nawu. Although he acknowledged their beauty, he wouldn’t take the initiative to pursue them.
As for Yu Qiuli’s sassiness and feminine charm, that wasn’t his cup of tea. Before that day, Wang Yan had never found her to be attractive.
Wang Yan hadn’t been able to understand why so many guys were infatuated with Yu Qiuli.
What was so attractive about that big mouth of hers?
But today, he was finally able to appreciate Yu Qiuli’s beauty.
Maybe it was because he had finally matured after all that he had been through, but he was now able to recognize more forms of beauty.
However, Wang Yan still firmly believed that most men wouldn’t be able to tame wild stallions like her.
So, at any rate, Wang Yan still didn’t have any interest in her.