Chapter Sixteen: Smile More

“Don’t thank me just yet. This time, I’m helping you on one condition.” Zhao Kewen shot me a look of deep disdain. “I’ve been running around for you all morning without even having breakfast. And all you, as my little brother, can say is ‘thank you’?”

“Hmm… Let’s go, Kewen, I’ll treat you to lunch!” My heart was beating nervously. I did have over seven hundred yuan on me now, but five hundred of that was money she’d lent me... How could I use her own money to treat her?

“That’s more like it!” Zhao Kewen turned to leave, adding, “You figure out where to go. I’ll change my clothes; it’s still early anyway.”

I knew full well that for a woman, getting dressed, washing up, and putting on makeup was a massive project—no way she’d be ready in less than an hour. And that was just for a casual outing to eat and shop...

Rummaging through a desk drawer, I found a small wooden box. It used to hold the couple rings Zhang Jiaxin and I wore. Now the rings were long gone, leaving just the empty box—perfect for an ashtray.

As I smoked, I mulled over how I should find the earliest chance to repay Sister Shi Yu. The sum wasn’t much, but dragging it out like this didn’t sit right with me.

I walked over to the small mirror on my desk to tidy myself up a bit. Even though the supermarket owner was Kewen’s friend, I still had to look presentable—not embarrass her. As I posed and preened in front of the mirror, the phone suddenly rang.

Checking the caller ID, I was astonished—it was Luo Qing. A miracle, like the sun rising in the west.

“Hello.” I never knew what tone to use with her apart from mechanical greetings. This woman’s temperament was just too strange, impossible to figure out.

There was silence on the other end. I wondered if she’d dialed me by mistake.

Just as I was about to hang up, Luo Qing’s emotionless, chilly voice finally came through: “How are you doing?”

“If I were crippled, would you take responsibility and marry me?” I don’t know why, but I rather enjoyed teasing her.

“Yang Chen, are you insane? Where are you? I’ll come treat your illness!” Luo Qing paused, then suddenly exploded.

“Uh... No need to trouble the goddess Luo…” I immediately regretted provoking her out of sheer boredom. With her temper, if she found out where I lived, she might just storm over and kill me.

She gave a cold snort and fell silent. The atmosphere instantly grew tense.

“Actually, I’m fine. I’ve already taken off the bandages—it’s just a scratch, really, nothing to worry about. Thank you for your concern, but you don’t need to think about it anymore.” I switched to a more earnest tone, trying to smooth over the awkwardness that threatened to break the conversation at any moment.

“Who’s thinking about it! I just didn’t want you to turn into a vegetable and end up only knowing how to drink water!” Strangely, Luo Qing’s emotions flared up again.

“I honestly don’t get it—you’re such a pretty girl, but why is your mouth so sharp?” I exclaimed in exasperation. Did this little imp have to play rough even when joking?

“So what if I am? Come bite me!” Luo Qing replied smugly, giggling.

Listening to her clear, melodious laughter on the other end of the line, I was momentarily stunned. This... was this the first time she’d ever laughed so happily in front of me?

“Why are you quiet? Don’t tell me you’re really mad—what a baby!” Luo Qing stopped laughing and grumbled.

“No, no, not at all… Your laughter is really nice. You should smile more—it’d make you even more of a goddess.”

“Mind your own business!” Luo Qing shouted into the phone.

I was completely at a loss with her. What kind of demon was she? Say something bad and she’s angry, say something nice and she’s still mad; compliment her, no good; tease her, even worse... I just couldn’t win with her.

Her last words left me tongue-tied, unsure how to continue, so we both lapsed into silence. The situation grew awkward again. I smiled bitterly—how could a call with Luo Qing leave me so on edge?

“Uh… Thanks for your concern. If there’s nothing else, I’ll hang up now.” I really couldn’t take it anymore. This call was pure torture. Rich or not, this was a waste of time.

“Wait.” Luo Qing’s tone returned to its earlier coolness.

“Mm?”

“If you’ve mostly recovered, come back to the bar tonight and sing. I’m used to hearing you perform.”

She said she was used to hearing me sing? Was she serious? Probably just trying to comfort me because she still felt bad about me taking a beating for her. Why was this girl so stubborn?

It’s not that I lacked confidence in my singing, but there was no real reason for her to say that. I knew my own abilities—I was still too weak in controlling a song, nowhere near able to draw listeners into my story.

That reminded me of Youqin, the guitar girl I met last night. If I could reach her level, my self-confidence would have soared—I might even fall in love with myself.

Maybe my silence dragged on too long, because Luo Qing seemed a bit embarrassed or maybe just impatient. At last, she snapped, “Come if you want!” and hung up.

I really did want to sing for her. Not for any other reason—just for that single sentence, “I’m used to hearing you sing,” I should go. But what reason, what face did I have left to return to Fenghua Bar? Was I looking for trouble?

Staring at my call log, I thought about Luo Qing’s capricious temperament and recalled a classic saying among the old-timers: “If words fail, out comes the knife!”

In a mischievous mood, I quietly changed her contact name to “Heroine Luo.”

Phone in hand, I tidied up in front of the mirror again—just quickly combed my hair and used a bit of gel to look more energetic.

At long last, at half past eleven, Zhao Kewen was ready. The first thing she said when she saw me was, “You were gone for a minute and it looks like a donkey’s already licked your hair?”

She seemed especially delighted to see me deflated, and dragged me outside, asking where we were going for our feast.

Lunch had suddenly become a “feast”! I chuckled inwardly. A feast? Dream on… I’d already made up my mind where to go.

Downstairs, Zhao Kewen wanted to call a cab, but I quickly signaled her not to bother and told her to follow me.

I led her across the street and through two narrow alleys, finally arriving at our destination—Yichun Authentic Cold Noodle House.

She stared in disbelief at the sign that read “Cold Noodle House,” rooted to the spot, neither moving nor speaking.

“Sis? Let’s go in.” I noticed her expression had changed, so I hurried her along, tugging at her bag.

“Are you kidding me? After all the help I gave you, this is where you’re treating me? Your idea of a feast is cold noodles?!”

I wiped the cold sweat from my forehead. She’d finally exploded…