Chapter 32
“Ahem.” Jiang Shangwan lightly covered her mouth and coughed, “I ate something a bit salty at lunch, my throat feels a little uncomfortable.”
Shi Yu immediately stood up, bought a bottle of mineral water, and unscrewed the cap, placing it in front of her.
Jiang Shangwan quickly took a sip to ease the awkwardness. What nonsense was this kid from the Lin family talking about? She had been holding Shi Yu and kissing him for a long time last night. If he were allergic, she would be the biggest allergen.
Gao Lulu curiously asked, “Do you guys also wear lip balm?”
“Yeah.” Shi Yu casually brushed it off, “Too dry.”
“Huh?” Gao Lulu looked puzzled, “But isn’t Jiangcheng in the south? It should be very humid there. Why would your skin feel dry? The northern city is obviously much drier. Since I came to Jiangcheng, my skin has felt much more moisturized, not so dry anymore.”
“Uh, our dorm’s environment isn’t good.” Lin Chuan couldn’t stand seeing his brother in trouble, he just wanted to help push along the progress between him and Jiang Shangwan: “We guys’ college dorms have poor air quality, so the skin gets dry and flaky easily.”
“Oh, that’s why.”
The meal ended, and Gao Lulu reluctantly left. Her teacher and classmates were still waiting for her, and she had other plans, so she couldn’t stay too long.
“If there’s a chance, let’s eat together sometime, Shi Yu.” Gao Lulu waved, her smile sweet as she said goodbye.
Once she left, the three of them walked out of the cafeteria. Lin Chuan started stirring the pot again. “Miss Jiang, I actually saw you before at my mom’s dinner party.”
Jiang Shangwan knew this guy’s intentions were bad. “Oh, really?”
“Yeah.” Lin Chuan winked, “It’s such a coincidence. I accidentally saw my buddy’s phone wallpaper, and it looked kind of familiar. When I looked again, hey? Isn’t that your honorable face?”
“So what exactly is your relationship? Is he really just a student you sponsored…?”
Shi Yu couldn’t take it anymore. He grabbed her hand without letting go, covering her palm with his large hand, their fingers tightly intertwined, his gaze deep as he looked at her.
With a slightly expectant and burning gaze, he looked straight at her. Their eyes met, and Jiang Shangwan knew she could no longer avoid it—Gao Lulu had already left.
“Boyfriend,” Jiang Shangwan said helplessly, “We just confirmed the relationship. How come your eyes are so sly?”
“Hehehe.” Lin Chuan grinned, nodding approvingly at Shi Yu, “I told you, I have sharp eyes like the divine. You two go ahead and chat, I’m leaving now.”
“Have a good talk.”
Lin Chuan withdrew with perfect timing. Shi Yu’s lips remained tightly pressed, as if still upset that she had avoided acknowledging their relationship in front of others just now.
He had already given her his ID badge yesterday—so why today, in front of everyone, did she refuse to admit it?
Shi Yu unconsciously squeezed her palm harder, lowering his head slightly in a subtle arc. His side profile was tense, lips pressed into a thin line.
“Are you angry?” Jiang Shangwan shook their linked hands gently. “Don’t be mad, Lulu was just here a moment ago.”
Shi Yu didn’t say a word, quietly holding her hand as they walked side by side along the campus path.
Beside the path, green phoenix trees swayed in the breeze. Their dense leaves were dazzlingly green, and bright hydrangeas bloomed amidst the lush greenery. Golden sunlight filtered through the gaps in the branches, casting a dreamy, almost surreal glow over their intertwined shadows.
They passed through the fragrant grass and trees, ignoring the bustling world around them. At this moment, it seemed as if only the two of them existed in the world.
“I am angry,” Shi Yu said softly. “Why won’t you admit me?”
“Maybe you acted impulsively, then when your reason came back, you didn’t want me anymore.”
“How could that be?” Jiang Shangwan said with a hint of helplessness, lowering her voice to whisper in his ear. “Lulu is also a student I sponsor. Would it be right to admit in front of her that I was flirting with another student?”
“Besides, I did admit it. Didn’t I just admit it in front of that Lin guy?”
Shi Yu’s expression finally softened. The tense lines of his arm gradually relaxed as he lifted her wrist and planted a kiss on the small, faintly reddish mole there.
“That tickles.” Jiang Shangwan was ticklish but didn’t pull away. She realized he actually had a strong streak of possessiveness in private—and she didn’t dislike it.
“Good boy,” she whispered in his ear, “Come to my place tonight, don’t be mad, and I’ll give you a reward, okay?”
“Okay.” Shi Yu leaned in and pressed his cheek against hers, wanting to kiss her, but thinking about being on campus, he held back.
He wasn’t bold enough to French kiss in public yet.
Their figures stood out distinctly in the vast campus, and from time to time, passing students would glance at them.
At first, Jiang Shangwan felt a bit awkward openly holding hands and wandering around campus with him, but Shi Yu held her hand tightly without letting go, firmly gripping it. Gradually, she began to get used to it.
“Isn’t that Shi Yu from the Finance Department? He’s really popular lately. I heard he developed some software that helps people achieve their dreams. Is that girl his girlfriend?”
“No idea. He’s even more handsome in person than online—such fair skin and long legs.”
“Is that girl from our school? She looks so mature.”
—
Occasionally, quiet whispers and gossip floated by, making Jiang Shangwan even more curious.
“Are you famous at your school?”
“No.” Shi Yu was usually very low-key, never interested or participating in things like campus polls for the most handsome guy or top ten singers. “It’s probably just the buzz from that ‘Wish Come True’ software I made recently. It’ll die down after a while.”
“That doesn’t sound bad at all.” Jiang Shangwan lifted her chin to look at him, smiling in her eyes. “Our little puppy really is popular.”
“Woof,” Shi Yu murmured softly.
Jiang Shangwan pretended to raise her hand to stroke his head, and he obediently bowed his head slightly to make it easier for her.
Her fingers ran smoothly through his soft, fluffy hair, then she gently pinched his earlobe. His earlobes were thin and delicate but very soft and easy to pinch. Whenever he got shy, the tips of his ears would flush red.
In the sunlight, his hair took on a light golden hue, blending with the darker strands to become a soft, light chestnut color. His fair skin was further highlighted by the lighter hair, making his complexion look clear and his facial features sharp, giving him an almost divine glow.
“Let’s dye your hair,” Jiang Shangwan said suddenly.
“Okay.”
Shi Yu nodded, unconditionally agreeing to all her suggestions.
They went to a nearby barbershop outside campus. The shop’s decoration was simple but tasteful, at least giving people initial trust in Tony, the stylist’s, aesthetic sense.
A young receptionist eagerly greeted them at the front desk: “Do you have an appointment? What service do you need?”
“No appointment. We want to dye hair.”
“Alright, please wait on the sofa while I check which stylist is available now.”
Jiang Shangwan and Shi Yu were both very eye-catching, so soon the “In-House Director,” identified by a small rectangular silver name tag pinned to his chest, quickly appeared: “Who wants to dye hair? The beauty or the handsome guy?”
Jiang Shangwan gave Shi Yu a look, and after he sat down, the director quickly brought over a price list: “Take a look. Hair dyeing has three price levels. The best uses imported products, which cause less damage to the hair. Our shop is currently running a promotion—if you get a perm and dye together, you get an 8% discount, and if you add treatment, it’s an amazing 10% off. I see this handsome guy has very fair skin. I suggest dyeing it with xxxx… and then doing xxx…”
Shi Yu didn’t understand the details, only heard Jiang Shangwan giving instructions.
Jiang Shangwan didn’t want to hear more nonsense: “Dye it light chestnut with a bit of golden tone, preferably no bleaching. Just a casual perm, nothing exaggerated—keep it natural. For treatment, do the caviar one. Use the most expensive products.”
“Okay, okay, okay,” the director eagerly crouched by Shi Yu’s legs. “If you recharge 5,000 yuan, you’ll get an extra 500 yuan free…”
“Do it first. We’ll talk about payment after,” Jiang Shangwan said calmly, casually ruffling Shi Yu’s hair, then walked to the waiting area.
She mouthed the words clearly: “Waiting for you, baby.”
Shi Yu smiled slightly, stood up, and strode toward the shampoo station.
The colored dye passed through his hair strands, and the steaming hot equipment wrapped around his rounded head. The long process of dyeing, perming, and treatment took a full four to five hours, but Jiang Shangwan did not feel bothered by the tediousness. Watching the hairstylist carefully work on Shi Yu’s hair was a kind of unique pleasure.
He looked like a doll being manipulated, tied with a long red string, the other end of which Jiang Shangwan held firmly in her palm, tied into a knot around her ring finger.
After the caviar treatment was done, his hair needed to be rinsed again to see the final effect.
The hairstylist dried his hair with a blow dryer and kept exclaiming, “Oh my god, this is way too handsome! Can you shoot a video for our advertisement?”
“No,” Jiang Shangwan stepped forward to stop it, “It’s inconvenient. Please don’t film him. How does your scalp feel? Any discomfort like stinging, redness, or itching? The first time dyeing hair can be irritating, so you might feel a little uncomfortable.”
“It’s okay,” Shi Yu said quietly, sitting on the salon chair and looking at his reflection in the mirror. The color of his hair after drying was a soft light chestnut with some scattered golden highlights, much lighter than his original hair color.
He saw Jiang Shangwan holding onto his shoulder with a slightly admiring look and was very satisfied: “This is exactly the effect I wanted.”
Bleached hair that was too light was too eye-catching and didn’t fit his restrained, aloof temperament, dark hair didn’t highlight his advantages enough. This lighter, softer tone complemented his deep features, making him seem like a merciful sovereign with an untouchable sacred aura.
“Do you think the effect is good? We used the best product line. If you recharge 5,000 yuan, we give a bonus of 500. After deducting the cost of perm, dye, and treatment this time, there’s still over 1,000 yuan left—it’s a great deal…” The director flattered him cautiously, about to make another sales pitch, but Jiang Shangwan casually took out a black card and handed it to him: “Recharge 10,000 yuan.”
Shi Yu wanted to stop her from spending, and his WeChat payment code was already pulled up, but she shook her head gently at him: “Baby, this is a little gift from me. How could I let you pay for it yourself?”
The director’s eyes widened as he trembled while taking the black card, his hands shaking slightly.
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