Chapter 28.1 - The First Date (1)
"Forget about the law class on Saturday. My uncle opened a bar in Houhai, and he wants me to come check it out and show support for the opening. I don’t really want to go, but I can visit Houhai while I’m at it. A classmate gave me a bunch of coupons recently, plus a membership card for the ice skating rink in Xidan. Oh, and I also have a discount voucher for the Golden Jaguar in Wangfujing. I've already made a reservation, so let’s just go together."
Sheng Huainan’s message was long, and Luo Zhi looked at it for a while before replying cautiously.
"Who’s coming?"
A few minutes later, she regretted asking that.
Luckily, she didn’t regret it for long.
"I’ve only reserved spots for two people. Who else do you think would come?!"
Here it comes again. Sheng Huainan’s occasional arrogant, provoking questions always made Luo Zhi feel like there was some sort of ambiguity between them.
She had never been to Houhai before, so on Saturday morning, just before heading out, she checked the route on Baidu Maps and memorized the transfer routes for buses and subways. She was about to leave when Baili suddenly sat up in bed.
"Hold on, let me see what you’re wearing."
Her slightly curly hair cascaded down to her waist, a dark gray casual shirt, with a loose, low-necked beige sweater hanging down to her legs, and black knee-high socks paired with wide, soft boots.
"Damn," Baili murmured.
"Is it not good?" Luo Zhi tilted her head, asking seriously but slightly shy. Seeing her nervous expression, Baili couldn’t help but laugh.
"Just make sure you protect yourself, I’m worried he doesn’t have enough self-control."
Luo Zhi froze for a moment. She took two steps up the ladder and reached out to pull the blanket off Baili. They joked around for a while, and Baili glanced at the clock by the pillow.
"What time did you guys agree to meet? Hurry up, don’t keep him waiting."
Luo Zhi awkwardly jumped off the ladder and grabbed the bag from the chair.
"It really does look good. Having a nice appearance is really too useful."
The tone was somewhat playfully melancholic, but before she could finish, both of them thought of Chen Mohan.
Luo Zhi fell silent and quietly stepped outside, closing the door behind her. Just as the door clicked shut, she faintly heard a muffled voice from inside.
"Luo Zhi, good luck."
However, when she opened the dormitory door and saw Sheng Huainan standing leisurely with his hands in his pockets outside, she instantly lost her confidence.
Had she made it too formal? Why did it feel like she was really going on a date? Her hand gripped the cold door handle, and she recalled the carefree laughter and the sweetness she felt when he held her hand at Happy Valley not long ago. Suddenly, she felt that her outfit was ridiculous. She rarely dressed up, and she couldn’t even do makeup. Today, she had carefully put together an outfit, but still, without any makeup, it was already very different from her usual style.
She was still self-conscious, but the seriousness with which she chose her clothes this morning was genuine, and no matter how much she told herself to calm down, it was impossible. After all, she was just an ordinary girl.
She calmly walked up to him and smiled as she looked up. Since things had come to this, she might as well treat it like a dream. After all, it was still a part of youth, and she had never had the experience of dressing up and walking side by side with someone she liked like others did.
Sheng Huainan always looked calm and composed, but at this moment, his face was slightly flushed, and his voice sounded a bit hoarse as he said, "You look really good."
She didn’t modestly deny it, but tilted her head and smiled, "I know."
He didn’t tease her for being boastful. The more she smiled, the redder his face became. He cleared his throat and changed the subject, "I have a gray shirt that looks very similar to yours. I should've worn that one today, it’s just that..."
"What is it?" Luo Zhi was taken aback, and her ears burned. She lowered her head and said, "Let’s go."
He grabbed her arm, "Where are you going? The west gate is this way."
"But..."
"The west gate is the closest to your dorm."
"But don't we need to go to the east gate to catch a bus?"
"Which gate doesn’t matter? Just follow me!"
Luo Zhi stopped arguing and followed him wholeheartedly. As she looked up, she saw his figure so close, closer than ever before, and she couldn’t help but feel a bit bitter.
Unexpectedly, he turned around.
"Why do you always walk behind me?"
She hadn’t expected that either. It had become a habit for her to silently follow behind him, and it wasn’t really a good habit.
Sheng Huainan sighed awkwardly, slowed down his pace, and eventually walked alongside her.
