Lan Hui had a headache. Completing this task was just too difficult.
Previously, she’d been tangled up over what kind of girl Peng Kai might like.
Now, her worry was even greater: not only did the girl Peng Kai liked need to catch his eye, but she also had to be in great physical shape.
Otherwise, how could she handle it!
“Brother Kai, are you free tomorrow?”
Peng Kai looked up at her. “What’s up?”
“Let’s go shopping at the supermarket together tomorrow.”
Lan Hui mainly wanted to take Peng Kai to buy clothes and get a haircut. His hair was a bit long, falling into his eyes, and his clothes were old—he had absolutely no image to speak of.
If it weren’t for his good looks, his entire appearance would be just like a man in his forties or fifties.
Looking like that, never mind untying his emotional knots, even girls wouldn’t spare him a glance.
Lan Hui planned to spruce him up. Once he looked handsome, girls would naturally be curious about him.
With more women around, perhaps one day Peng Kai would find someone he liked, and then her task might finally have hope of being completed.
“Brother Kai, what do you think? Do you have time?” Seeing that Peng Kai didn’t answer, Lan Hui couldn’t help but ask again.
Peng Kai met the eager look in the girl’s eyes. That pitiful little face—it was as if she’d be heartbroken if he refused.
“Alright. What time tomorrow?”
Lan Hui was overjoyed, her eyes sparkling with a smile. “How about four in the afternoon tomorrow, is that okay?”
It was already past four in the morning now; after a good sleep, it’d be about that time.
“Sure.” Peng Kai nodded.
Lan Hui grinned like a flower. “Then it’s settled! I’m going to bed now.”
Peng Kai was both amused and exasperated. Was it really such a big deal to agree to go to the supermarket with her?
The corners of Peng Kai’s mouth subconsciously lifted in a smile, though he didn’t even realize it himself.
Legs.
***
The next day, at four in the afternoon, Lan Hui had tidied up and was waiting for Peng Kai in the living room right on time.
Peng Kai was just as punctual; the two of them left their rooms almost one after the other.
“Which mall are we going to?” Peng Kai asked her.
Today, the girl wore a white cotton coat, bare-legged below, makeup on her face, her black hair falling naturally down—youthful and beautiful.
“Is there a big mall nearby? We can stroll around.” Lan Hui said.
“There’s Junlan Plaza about ten kilometers away—it’s pretty big.”
Lan Hui made a decisive call. “Let’s go there, then.”
“Alright.” Peng Kai picked up the car keys and went to the door to change shoes.
Lan Hui followed closely behind, changing into a pair of five-centimeter black ankle boots.
Peng Kai glanced at her legs. “Aren’t you cold with bare legs?”
Lan Hui couldn’t help but laugh. “I’m not bare-legged! These are nude-colored tights, and they’re lined with fleece inside—super warm.”
Lan Hui was a girl who loved beauty. In her previous life, she was good-looking and loved to dress up; she was even the University Belle at school.
Now that she’d become Yue Fu, she wanted to dress up beautifully too, live happily every day, and make her life fulfilling and without regrets.
“Alright then.” Peng Kai didn’t know much about these things. He’d seen plenty of girls dressed like this outside and thought they really went bare-legged in the winter.
The two of them went downstairs. Peng Kai opened the car door and got into the driver’s seat. Lan Hui, smiling with squinted eyes, opened the passenger door and sat inside.
Peng Kai was a bit stunned. He hadn’t expected the girl to sit in the front seat on her own; before, she’d always sat in the back.
Lan Hui caught his gaze and cheerfully fastened her seatbelt. “The view is better from the front, it’s more comfortable, and it’s easier to chat with you, Brother Kai.”
When they’d just met, it hadn’t been appropriate to sit in the front. Now that they were familiar, and Peng Kai didn’t have a girlfriend, there was nothing wrong with her sitting up front.
Lan Hui was a clever girl. If there was a better seat, she definitely wouldn’t miss it.
Peng Kai didn’t say anything. Seeing how happy she looked, his expression unconsciously softened.
“As long as you like it.”
“Of course I do.”
The car slowly drove out of the neighborhood and arrived at Junlan Plaza in about twenty minutes.
Peng Kai parked in the underground garage, and the two of them took the elevator to the first-floor lobby.
“Where do you want to go?” Peng Kai asked Lan Hui.
Lan Hui looked around and pointed at a hair salon that looked nice. “Let’s get your hair cut first. Brother Kai, your hair’s a bit long—let’s get it trimmed.”
Peng Kai frowned. “Forget it, it’s too expensive here. I’ll just go to a shop outside.”
There was a huge poster on the shop front: a senior stylist’s cut was 99 yuan, the manager’s cut was 199 yuan. He didn’t even want to look at it.
A regular shop outside only charged 30 yuan—a huge difference.
Lan Hui didn’t think so.
“Brother Kai, you get what you pay for. Sure, the small shops are cheap, but the cuts are boring and stiff. A pricier place is different—they’ll tailor your hairstyle to your features. It’s a completely different concept.”
“Brother Kai, why don’t we give it a try? I’ll pay for the haircut.” Lan Hui wasn’t stingy at all. Only by transforming Peng Kai could he attract women, and her task could progress.
The girl’s gaze was too earnest, her tone humble to the extreme. Peng Kai couldn’t refuse. “Alright, let’s give it a try.”
Lan Hui’s face instantly lit up. “Great, let’s go, let’s go!”
As soon as they walked over, the staff hurried to open the door and warmly invited them inside.
Lan Hui smiled sweetly. “Hello, we’re here for a haircut.” She pointed at Peng Kai behind her. “He’s the one getting the cut.”
Peng Kai still wore his ice-cold expression, making even the staff unable to smile.
“Sir, please sit here.” The staff led Peng Kai to the designated seat. “Would you like a senior stylist or the manager?”
Before Peng Kai could answer, Lan Hui spoke up. “The manager, please.” She was willing to spend the money—as long as Peng Kai could be transformed handsomely, 199 yuan was nothing.
Peng Kai said, “Then the manager.”
The staff smiled even more warmly. “Alright, I’ll call the manager over right away.”
Soon, the manager arrived, asked a few questions, and began to cut according to Peng Kai’s head shape and features.
Lan Hui sat and waited nearby. After about an hour, the manager finally put down the scissors. “All done.”
Lan Hui looked at Peng Kai in the mirror. He still had that perennial ice-cold expression, but he was completely different from before.
The manager had given him a slightly parted, textured cut that highlighted his striking features. His cold eyes were calm and deep, making him look exceptionally refined.
This 199 yuan was worth it—totally worth it.
Peng Kai’s looks had gone up at least three levels.
“Manager, your skills are really impressive.” Lan Hui beamed, her gaze fixed on Peng Kai, thoroughly satisfied.
Peng Kai caught the look in her eyes and the corners of his lips lifted slightly. The money was indeed well spent.
The manager smiled. “Miss, if you ever need a haircut, you can come to me. I’ll design a stunning style just for you.”
“We’ll see. I don’t plan on changing my hairstyle for now,” Lan Hui said.
“Alright, just come anytime you need. Old customers get a 20% discount.” The manager finished and said to Peng Kai, “Sir, let’s go wash your hair.”
Peng Kai got up and followed him.
Ten minutes later, the two walked out of the salon. Lan Hui glared at him. “Brother Kai, we agreed I’d pay. Why did you rush to pay? You’re making me feel really embarrassed.”
“What’s there to be embarrassed about? I was the one getting the haircut in the first place.”
Peng Kai felt it was only natural for a man to pay, especially since it was his own haircut—what kind of man lets a girl pay?
“I just wanted to treat you once,” Lan Hui said.
“I should be the one treating you. You’ve already done so much. You save food for me every day, and last night you even cooked noodles for me in the middle of the night.”
“We’re not even related, and you do more than Gu Shinan ever did.”
He and Gu Shinan had dated for seven or eight years, never lived together, and he never realized girls could get up in the middle of the night to cook.
Last night had completely changed his view of the world.
“It’s not enough—I want to treat you even better, Brother Kai,” Lan Hui said sincerely.
She didn’t realize just how ambiguous that sounded to outsiders.
Peng Kai felt ripples in his heart as he heard it.
He coughed twice and scratched his head. “You really think this hairstyle looks good?”
Lan Hui nodded, speaking from the heart.
“Way more handsome than before. Your old hairstyle wasn’t even a style—guys in their fifties dressed better.”
“Now you look not only more handsome, but also four or five years younger. Haven’t you noticed a lot of young ladies around here glancing our way?”
Peng Kai’s refined face softened. “As long as you like it.”
Lan Hui smiled. “I’m very satisfied.” With Peng Kai’s current high rate of turning heads, the effect was better than she’d expected. How could she not be happy?
She was completely oblivious to the deeper meaning in Peng Kai’s words.
If Lan Hui had ever dated before, she’d definitely have caught the hint right away.
But she’d only been in college for a few days before transmigrating, and she’d never even dated—she was a total rookie.
“Where to now?” Peng Kai asked her.
Lan Hui thought for a moment. “Let’s go to the supermarket.”
She actually wanted to help Peng Kai pick out some clothes, but thinking about how he didn’t have much money and had just spent 199 yuan, she was afraid it’d be too much if they spent more.
Next time, then.
This was already a big change.
According to the system info, Peng Kai had always worked to support Gu Shinan’s studies. After their breakup, Peng Kai opened an auto repair shop, but it didn’t make money the first two years.
Only in the third year, as repeat customers increased, did he finally turn a profit.
He’d only broken up with Gu Shinan a little over a year ago, so his auto repair shop had only been open for about a year—this was probably his poorest period.
Save where they could.
“Alright.”
Peng Kai had no objections.
The two of them went straight to the supermarket on the second floor. Peng Kai pushed a shopping cart, following behind Lan Hui.
Lan Hui first went to the egg section and bought two cartons of eggs, then picked up six packs of steak from the specials section.
On days when she didn’t feel like cooking, she could just fry a couple of steaks.
She also bought three jin of Meihua Pork, picked up some corn, and grabbed some Dumpling Wrappers to make dumplings at home.
“Brother Kai, besides corn dumplings, what other flavors do you like? I’ll make extra and keep them in the freezer.”
“That way, if you don’t feel like cooking or come home late, you can just boil a bowl—it’s super convenient.”
Warmth spread through Peng Kai’s heart. The girl’s every word and action included him—it felt really nice.
They’d only been roommates for less than half a month, but he was already getting used to this kind of life.
“I’m fine with anything, I’m not picky. Everything you make is delicious.”
Lan Hui said, “Then I’ll make some Chive Egg dumplings for you? And maybe some Pickled Vegetable Pork too?”