Chapter 15: The Pretty Girl’s Holey Socks
Thanks to An Baili, Silly Goose had developed a newfound fear and respect for Lu Li. Once, Lu Li had just woken up from a nap when he saw her sneakily hand him a book. “Lu Li, I think this book is very important for you.”
He opened it to find, “Quitting Lust: The First Step to Success!” Lu Li couldn’t help but break out in a cold sweat. If there was one thing Chu Jingyi excelled at, it was pushing his buttons.
If he didn’t know her personality, he would have thought she was mocking him.
He used the book to lightly knock on her head, as if playing whack-a-mole. “Don’t believe everything An Baili says. Grow up, will you?”
Chu Jingyi clutched her head dramatically, pouting. “That hurt! Don’t be so mean!” She mumbled under her breath, “I didn’t even dare write my name on the library card when I borrowed it. I hid it under my clothes the whole way here because I was so scared someone would see…”
Lu Li paused, suddenly realizing that the book was indeed warm, as if he could imagine the touch of a beautiful girl’s skin on its pages. He laughed and put the book away. It was the thought that counted. He might as well humor her.
The three of them – Lu Li, Chu Jingyi, and An Baili – had become quite the trio. They sat together in class, ate lunch together, and even left school together. Of course, Lu Li insisted that it was purely for work purposes, to discuss the details of the music production. There was absolutely no ulterior motive whatsoever.
Chu Jingyi was taking her role seriously. She had been showing up to school with dark circles under her eyes for the past two days. Upon inquiry, Lu Li learned that Silly Goose had been staying up late transcribing sheet music, unbeknownst to her parents.
He felt obliged to show his appreciation. Since school ended early that day, he decided to treat the class monitor to bubble tea at the school’s commercial street. You heard that right, Chuanhai No. 1 High School had its own shopping street, second only in scale to the downtown area.
Girls her age were obsessed with bubble tea, and the class monitor was no exception. An Baili, who had been eavesdropping, chimed in, claiming she was thirsty. The ever-so-naive Chu Jingyi naturally included her as well.
Before Lu Li knew it, their little outing had turned into a group affair.
The two girls found a quiet bubble tea shop and sat down, looking rather shy. They didn’t even have the courage to order, their eyes pleading with Lu Li. He felt a strange sense of fatherly responsibility, as if the two girls sitting across from him weren’t his ex-wife and classmate, but two helpless little lambs.
“What flavor would you like, class monitor? Any allergies?” Lu Li asked.
“Do you have strawberry?” Silly Goose asked nervously. “I’ve never had bubble tea before. I don’t know what’s good.”
Never had it before? Lu Li shook his head. Were her parents that strict? If Chu Xiaodong found out that he was not only making his daughter stay up late but also corrupting her with sugary drinks, he’d probably be thrown in jail for “abduction of women and children.”
The thought made him chuckle.
“Wait, you haven’t asked me yet.” An Baili glared at him. “I want papaya. Papaya.”
As if I’d let you have papaya. Lu Li shot her a look. An Baili didn’t even like bubble tea. She found it too sweet and heavy. She preferred plain black tea.
Silly Goose, hearing An Baili’s choice, nodded in agreement. It was worth mentioning that after being thoroughly brainwashed by An Baili, Silly Goose genuinely believed that he and An Baili were a couple. She would often try to create opportunities for them, even going so far as to schedule their cleaning duties together or assigning them tasks in the school’s botanical garden as a pair.
Where was the fair and impartial class monitor? Silly Goose’s understanding of friendship seemed a little unconventional.
Lu Li approached the counter and glanced at the menu, his heart sinking.
The cheapest drink was 25 yuan, while the most expensive one was a whopping 70 yuan. This wasn’t bubble tea, it was his and Sister Yameng’s blood he was spending! Could high school girls even afford this stuff? But he had to play the part. With a heavy heart, he paid for the drinks.
The shop manager seemed to recognize Chu Jingyi. He approached them and offered Lu Li a generous discount, even escorting them to a private booth.
Despite being called a bubble tea shop, it was more like a hangout spot for young girls. The booth was equipped with a tablet, a microphone, and a ridiculously large claw machine. However, the trio simply sat around a small table, sipping their drinks. An Baili had ordered a less-sweet version of her usual, while Lu Li had chosen a subtly mocking flavor for Silly Goose.
Chu Jingyi took a few sips and smacked her lips. “Isn’t this a bit too sweet? I’m going to gain weight.”
Gain weight? Lu Li glanced at her slender frame. She could use a little more meat on her bones. She was so thin it was almost unhealthy.
How could one tell if a man’s feelings were genuine? If he thought a girl should lose weight, it was merely infatuation. If he thought she could stand to gain a little weight, that was love. True love should be nurturing, improving one’s mental and physical well-being, not draining and destructive like his relationship with An Baili.
An Baili, also sensitive to the word “weight,” discreetly patted her stomach and pushed her drink aside, pretending to be interested in the sunflower seeds on the table. Suddenly, she noticed Chu Jingyi’s gaze lingering on “her” Lu Li. A surge of jealousy shot through her. Under the table, her foot slipped out of her loafer and slowly inched towards Lu Li.
Lu Li was casually chatting when he felt something brushing against his leg, slowly making its way towards his abdomen.
He looked down and saw An Baili’s leg, clad in black stockings. He had to admit, she was incredibly beautiful. Her features, her figure, everything about her was perfect.
Her slender leg continued its mischievous exploration, teasing the inside of his thigh. Following the graceful curve of her leg upwards, he was greeted by the sight of her creamy white skin, the area known as the “absolute territory” in certain circles. The contrast between her smooth, porcelain skin and the black stockings was a sight to behold, sending a jolt of electricity through him.
His gaze traveled further upwards, past her milky white thigh, to where her emerald green plaid skirt offered a tantalizing glimpse of what lay hidden beneath. As if sensing his gaze, An Baili bit her lip and spread her legs further apart, her immodest posture leaving little to the imagination.
Thankfully, Chu Jingyi’s view was blocked by the large table. Otherwise, this shameless display would have surely shattered her innocent worldview.
For Lu Li, this should have been an incredibly tempting situation. However, his attention was drawn to a small hole in her sock, right at the tip of her big toe. The perfect girl had a hole in her sock! Through the tiny opening, he could see her little toe wiggling playfully.
The sight of that hole completely dispelled any lingering desire, replaced by a mixture of amusement and heartache.
Just how bad was An Baili’s financial situation? Was she really that hard up?
He reached out, his finger finding the hole in her sock. He grabbed her tiny foot and tickled her mercilessly.
An Baili jolted as if electrocuted and let out an involuntary, “Ah, stop!” She quickly retracted her foot and glanced nervously at the oblivious class monitor.
Lu Li, on the other hand, remained calm and collected, continuing to sip his drink as if nothing had happened. “What’s wrong?” he asked innocently.
Chu Jingyi looked concerned. “Are you alright?”
An Baili, unable to come up with a plausible excuse, stammered, “I… I saw a rat. It scared me.” Chu Jingyi looked around the booth, searching for the alleged rodent. The place was spotless.
Silly Goose, believing her lie, nodded seriously. “We should report this to the staff. They need to improve their hygiene standards!”
Don’t you dare, Lu Li thought to himself. The shop was perfectly clean. One complaint from this privileged little missy, and who knows how many people would be running around like headless chickens, risking their jobs and possibly even the shop’s license.
Making a living wasn’t easy. To protect the shop owners, Lu Li decided to intervene.
“I think you were mistaken, An Baili. It was probably just the reflection from a car mirror.” He pointed at the window, which offered a view of the street outside.
An Baili played along, her cheeks flushed. “Y-yeah, you’re probably right.” Her bashful demeanor was a dead giveaway. Even Silly Goose could tell that she hadn’t been scared. She shot Lu Li a strange look, as if trying to decipher the expression on his carefully neutral face.
Lu Li responded with an innocent look, only deepening the class monitor’s suspicions.
So, the class monitor wasn’t completely clueless after all…
In the end, Chu Jingyi didn’t press further. As they were leaving, she suddenly said, “Tomorrow’s Saturday, Lu Li. Don’t forget you promised to visit my house. What time works best for you? I can pick you up.”
He had almost forgotten about that. Tomorrow was Saturday, and he had planned to sleep in.
“How about the day after tomorrow? Sunday morning?” he said, stalling for time. He really didn’t want to spend his precious day off feeling suffocated in a high-ranking official’s home.
An Baili’s ears perked up, catching something in their conversation. “Jingyi, you know where Lu Li lives?”
She might not, but Chu Xiaodong definitely did. Lu Li had no doubt that the man who was ostensibly the second-in-command of Chuanhai City, but in reality held true power, had already done his research. Not just on him, but probably on every student in their class.
Chu Jingyi didn’t want to discuss the matter. She found her father’s methods a little underhanded. She quickly changed the subject. “Baili, are you coming too?”
An Baili hesitated, her mind a battleground of conflicting emotions. Finally, she shook her head.
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