Ye Zhou’s figure paused visibly.
“Seducer Perfume? I’ve seen tons of ads for it online, but I’ve never actually seen anyone use it in real life.”
“I can’t exactly go around asking a lady wearing perfume, ‘Excuse me, are you wearing Seducer Perfume today? I’ve been deeply attracted to you and can’t help myself’—that’s just being a total creep.”
“Well, I’ve seen it now, but who are you trying to slay right now, President Jiang? That’s a tough guess.”
“As the name implies, don’t play dumb.” Jiang Yingxue raised her shapely brows. “Who do you think I should be slaying right now?”
After saying that, her gaze inadvertently dropped downward before quickly snapping back up, her beautiful eyes filled with a teasing smile.
“I’m slaying a certain little pervert who’s getting quite… excited.”
“Then let’s make a deal. Since you’ve already slain him, don’t slay me. I really can’t handle your slaying.”
Ye Zhou looked embarrassed, his hands intentionally covering a certain spot that his mind couldn’t control.
Jiang Yingxue let out a pfft and laughed. “Well, that’s not for certain. Haven’t you ever thought about turning the tables and slaying me instead?”
“Huh? How would I even do that? Give me a tip or two, President Jiang,” Ye Zhou asked bluntly.
Jiang Yingxue simply shook her head and sighed.
“Sigh—you’re hopeless. Even if I taught you, it wouldn’t do any good. You’re still too green. When you stop asking such stupid questions, maybe I’ll let you slay me.”
Ye Zhou nodded truthfully.
“It seems your level is too high, President Jiang. Slaying you is practically impossible for me. I need to work harder; I can’t just sit here and wait for death!”
“But in all seriousness, you shouldn’t treat me like an irredeemable idiot. I’m so sad and hurt that I’m about to cry. Look, my eyes are already red.”
Jiang Yingxue plugged in the hair dryer, pulled it over, and used the low setting to blow air near Ye Zhou’s eyes.
“Look at you. You still claim you’re not a dummy, but you have such a big mouth and didn’t even say hair got in your eye.”
Ye Zhou replied, “But you told me not to move.”
Jiang Yingxue shot back, “So if I tell you not to move, you just don’t move? Since when did you become so obedient? Am I your mother? You didn’t even acknowledge me as one yesterday.”
“Gosh, if you ask me, you shouldn’t get too close to Chen Yuhe. Keep a bit of distance between the two of you. I’m not trying to sabotage anything, but you know what? Stupidity is contagious.”
Ye Zhou opened his mouth, but his throat felt as if it had been poisoned; he couldn’t make a sound.
He was speechless.
However, he didn’t believe he had caught stupidity from Senior Chen.
Instead, he believed in a summary that generally applied to most university students:
Middle school: The physical peak.
High school: The intellectual peak.
University: The appetite peak.
Yes, exactly. Even if he was being stupid, it was due to other factors!
“Heh, speechless? Now you finally have some self-awareness.”
Jiang Yingxue teased him while blowing away every last strand of hair from his face. She then turned off the dryer, leaned over to pull a trimmer from the drawer, and paired it with a comb. bzzz… In no time, she had trimmed away the excess stray hairs on the sides of his head.
The clack, clack, clack of high heels circled around his ear. The next second, Ye Zhou felt something soft pressing against the back of his head.
‘It feels like silicone.’
Even without looking in the mirror, he could practically guess what it was.
“Um, President Jiang, aren’t you standing a bit too close?”
“Am I? I don’t think so. Isn’t this a normal distance?”
It would have been better if Ye Zhou hadn’t mentioned it. Once he did, Jiang Yingxue pressed even closer. Ye Zhou could practically feel the depth of that bottomless Mariana Trench.
“Wait, wait, wait! President Jiang, you’re really poking me. Please stop for a second!”
By reflex, Ye Zhou almost stood up.
Jiang Yingxue was quick to pull the scissors and comb back, her voice tinged with complaint. “What are you doing? Moving so suddenly like that, I almost cut my own hand.”
Ye Zhou scratched his head, looking apologetic. “Sorry, my bad.”
“What’s wrong? Do you need to go to the bathroom? I remember you went once when we first arrived.”
Jiang Yingxue asked, “If you have to go again so soon, you might be sick. You should go to the hospital and get checked out as soon as possible. You’ll regret it if it’s too late. After all, premature ejaculation is no small matter.”
Ye Zhou’s face turned beet red. “What premature ejaculation? What are you even talking about? Even if it were something, it would be frequent or urgent urination!”
“Wait! How did we get so far off-topic?”
“The main thing is that you’re getting closer and closer, President Jiang. I’m having a bit of a reflexive reaction.”
Jiang Yingxue spread her hands, looking innocent.
“I can’t help it. Who told you to be so tall? It’s exhausting to cut your hair with my arms stretched out like this. Is it so wrong for me to lean a bit when I’m tired?”
Ye Zhou stammered in protest, “Even so, if you’re tired, you should rest for a bit or find a stool to sit on while you cut.”
Jiang Yingxue countered, “I thought about that, but the stool isn’t the right height. It worked for other people, but it doesn’t work for you. Ultimately, it’s because you’re too tall.”
“So it’s my fault?” Ye Zhou’s lip twitched.
“Mm-hmm. Who else’s would it be?”
Jiang Yingxue acted as if it were common sense. “If you’re going to keep complaining, I’ll stop cutting right now. You can do it yourself.”
“Besides, I’m cutting your hair for you. Not only are you not being polite, but you’re also being so fierce. Anyone would be unhappy! Hmph! Go find whoever you want to cut it; I’m not doing it anymore!”
Seeing Jiang Yingxue frowning as if she were actually angry, Ye Zhou hurried to pick up the scissors and comb she had dropped. He wiped them clean with a tissue and handed them back before sitting back down.
“I’m sorry, I’m sorry. I won’t cause any more trouble. You can cut it however you like; I’ll gladly accept it.”
“Pfft… that’s more like it.”
Jiang Yingxue’s mood changed faster than one could flip a page in a book. She walked back to him in two or three steps, her two dazzlingly white, long legs pressing tightly against Ye Zhou’s legs. Leaning forward, she continued trimming his bangs.
“Now, don’t move.”
Jiang Yingxue became increasingly bold, and Ye Zhou was suddenly unable to move. His entire face was buried in soft cleansing milk.
Fortunately, the black dress Jiang Yingxue was wearing only had a slit at the thigh and not at the chest, otherwise, Ye Zhou really wouldn’t have been able to handle it.
His breathing became labored as he mumbled, “President Jiang, mmph, waaaah…“
“Alright, alright. Be a good boy and don’t move. It’ll be over soon. If you keep moving, I might cut your ear at best, or poke a hole in your head at worst. Don’t blame me if the scissors don’t have eyes then.”
The corners of Jiang Yingxue’s red lips curled up slightly into an imperceptible, mischievous grin.
Ye Zhou didn’t know exactly when she finished the haircut; he only knew it was finally over when he could breathe fresh air again.
There was hot water at the sink in the club’s restroom.
Ye Zhou gave his hair a quick wash and dried it with a disposable towel.
Looking at himself in the mirror, he looked just like Eddie Peng.
He had to admit, Jiang Yingxue’s skills were impressive.
Ye Zhou’s hair was fine and limp, making it difficult to cut. Nine out of ten barbershops would just give him a bowl cut.
The one remaining shop was Jiang Yingxue, who at least managed to give him a decent-looking textured fringe.
“Are you done washing? Hurry up and come out to dry it so you don’t catch a cold.”
Jiang Yingxue’s voice called out from outside.
Ye Zhou thought it was just a simple matter of drying his hair. Surely Jiang Yingxue wouldn’t pull any more stunts, right?
But to his surprise, Jiang Yingxue held the hair dryer and, with her legs crossed, sat sideways on his lap to blow-dry his hair.
***