TCOR CH23

Chapter 23: Is it too long to hold back?

Shen Wunian eventually drove me to a shopping mall. This was located on the banks of the riverfront in Jiang City. This is the central area of the city centre, surrounded by world-class skyscrapers. You could describe this area as a location with an inch of gold.

I hadn’t been to this mall before, but because it’s close to the River City Art Museum, I always pass by it when I get out of the underground, so I recognised it just by looking at the exterior.

Shen Wunian drove the car to the entrance of the underground floor, and as soon as he got out of the car, a mall staff member came over, took the key from him, and parked the car for him.

Afterwards, we were guided by another employee who swiped through several access controls and arrived in front of a lift that only VIPs can use.

‘Two please.’ The staff member in the welcome suit blocked the lift door and bent down to invite us to enter.

Shen Wunian walked in casually, hands in his pockets, and when he turned around and saw that I hadn’t followed, he was a little surprised.

‘Why don’t you come over?’He smiled and reached out his hand.

His hand was well-proportioned and slender, with full, shiny nails and a metal watch that matched the place.

I hesitantly placed my hand on it, and in the bright light, I saw the gap in an instant.

Because cleaning up the box is always unavoidable to contact detergent, coupled with the cold days, my hand is full of burrs and moulting skin, a hand that does not fit here.

Shen Wunian gently pulled, and I stepped into the car without thinking.

Inside the bronze-coloured lift, a whole side of the compartment opposite the door is like a mirror that clearly reflects the appearance of Shen Wunian and me at the moment.

He was smartly dressed and had a very good appearance. I had bruises and was wearing clothes that were three or four years old. I didn’t want to wear the down jacket that Du Jingchuan had given me because the inside was all wet and it didn’t keep me warm. I bought a pair of cheap white shoes on the street and had been wearing them for years, so they were falling apart. I felt like I wasn’t good enough to be Shen Wunian’s friend.

I recently looked into why Bai Qixuan and Shen Wunian are friends.

They had a smooth childhood as ‘other people’s children’, and they were never confident or proud. They were admired and praised by others, but then one day they met real pride, which made them feel a bit overwhelmed. How would they feel about being compared to people like this? Bai Qixuan is tired because he has been trying to catch up, and even beyond that.

I, for my part, am not tired of qualifications.

The cheetah and the wolf race are still worth watching. If you compare a cheetah to a rabbit, it’s funny.

‘What are you looking at?’ There were just the two of us in the lift, and Shen Wunian knew what I was doing and where I was looking.

I stopped thinking about it and asked, ‘What are we doing here?’

The lift dinged, indicating that it had reached the top floor.

‘You’re going to be my assistant, so how can I not get you some clothes? And…’ the lift door opened slowly and he walked out. ‘You dress well to please Bai Qi Xuan.’

I felt my hand tighten in my pocket. I was shocked to realise I had forgotten. There was an experiment between us.

‘Hello Mr Shen, can I ask what you would like to see today? Spring men’s clothing or something else?’ A tall, thin man in a suit, wearing a “Account Manager Chen Pin” name tag on his chest, holding a tablet computer, had already been waiting outside, slightly bowing his waist the entire time he spoke to Shen Wunian.

‘I’m not shopping today,’ Shen Wunian glanced back at me, looking at me as if to say something. ‘I’m shopping for new clothes for our kids.’

Manager Chen suddenly stopped talking and then noticed me, who had been quiet behind them.

He hesitated for a moment, then said, ‘What kind of style does the young master usually like to wear? You tell me, and I’ll arrange it for you.’

Little young master really is eating this bowl of rice, thanks to him for saying it.

‘I like to wear cheap clothes; the cheaper the better.’ I moved back a bit under his gaze and whispered, ‘I’m allergic to more than two hundred clothes.’

‘This…’ Manager Chen looked at Shen Wunian as if he was trying to get help.

‘Don’t listen to him. Bring all the new spring models that are suitable for his age and let him try them out. Then call the teacher from the “Huijing Nian” to come over, measure him and make two suits.’ Shen Wunian gave orders one by one.

Manager Chen repeatedly said yes, and the tablet was operated, and then we were led to a VIP box with luxurious and retro decoration.

There was a thick green carpet on the floor, dark wood panelling on the walls, light orange wallpaper on the walls, large windows looking out onto the street, and you could see the famous buildings of Jiang City. Inside the box there is a dressing room and a bathroom, as well as a series of furniture such as dining tables and sofas.

Thanks to Shen Wunian, I also got to visit the Grand View Garden. I found out that rich people used to buy clothes from shops, not from the internet.

After tea and snacks, the manager went out and came back ten minutes later. He came back with six rows of mobile floor racks filled with clothes, which were very full.

‘Go ahead and try it on.’ Shen Wunian elegantly held his teacup and pointed at the clothes.

In front of the clothes, which had flowers and green patterns on them, I skipped over the ones that were too brightly coloured and had a lot of metal studs. I touched one of the white sweatshirts, which had a very plain look and mediocre fabric, as if it were random, and then I flipped open the tag to take a look at it.

It had four figures on it.

I had trouble widening the only eye I had left, double-checked that the price was correct, and hung the shirt back up.

‘This is too expensive.’ I went back to the sofa and tried to persuade Shen Wunian to leave, saying, ‘3999, that’s enough money for me to buy clothes online for a few years.’ I was afraid that Manager Chen would hear me, so I lowered my voice.

‘You don’t buy all of them, you only buy the ones you’ve tried on and feel good about. Isn’t that what you said? Money should be spent wisely.’ Shen Wunian was unmoved by my words. ‘My customers are either artists with a global reputation or billionaires with hundreds of millions of dollars. You see them, do you want to wear such a dry down jacket?’ He had a teacup in one hand and a tray in the other. He looked down at my feet. ‘Washed yellow sneakers?’

I felt a bit embarrassed, and because he said it in the right way, I couldn’t argue with him.

‘Then… then you take it out of my salary.’

Anyway, Shen Wunian pays for my room and board, so I usually don’t need any money, and it’s not like I can’t live without a salary for a few months.

I look through the clothes, picking out a few items with numbers ending in 999. After ten minutes, I still hadn’t selected any clothes.

Manager Chen followed me, his smile a little stiff. Shen Wunian couldn’t watch any longer, sighed lightly and put down his teacup.

‘I’ll do it.’ He walked to a row of hangers, picking up clothes more quickly than I could. ‘This, this, and this.’

Every time he took down a piece, Manager Chen continued at the side.

After picking a row of hangers, Shen Wunian pointed to the dressing room and indicated me: ‘Go and try it.’

‘This way, please, young master.’ Manager Chen smiled broadly as he reached out from the pile of clothes to lead the way.

The dark entrance of the changing room looked like a horrible mouth, and even though I knew it would be dangerous, I still had to go in.

This is probably how I felt when Liu Bang went to the ‘Hongmen Banquet’.

I kept telling myself, “I don’t have to buy it if I try it on”, and took the clothes from the manager. Sadly, I strutted into the changing room.

At first, I still thought about the price, the fabrics and the styles of the clothes, but as I tried more, I became numb and started to act like a fitting machine without feelings. Almost Manager Chen brought me a piece, and I changed it. When I’m done, I turn around in front of Shen Wunian, who nods, hangs the clothes on the empty rack on the left, says ‘next’, and goes back to change again.

Six rows of clothes to try on is not generally a lot, and I have not yet had lunch in the VIP room when I continue in the afternoon.

After putting on a new dress, I was just about to go out when I suddenly felt that something wasn’t right, as if the tags had been put on the wrong way.

But the buttons were clearly at the front, right?

I checked and found that this white dress was actually buttoned at the back, and when I buttoned it up, there was a large cut-out on the shoulder blade side.

I tried to fasten it with the back buttons, but each button had a white ribbon bow, so it was difficult to do by myself. I asked Shen Wunian in the dressing room, ‘Shen Wunian, I can’t button this dress, or forget it, right?’ This style is a bit too avant-garde for me.

Without waiting for Shen Wunian to respond, I shrank back and took off my clothes. I had previously tried to button up the bottom few buttons with great effort, so unbuttoning them now was another physical effort.

I was struggling with the buttons when the door to the dressing room was gently knocked. Shen Wunian’s voice sounded outside: ‘Open the door.’

I stopped trying to undo the buttons and quickly opened the door. Then I turned my back on him and said, ‘You quickly help me undo it. This dress is not only hard to wear but also hard to take off.’

‘Let me take a look at…’ Shen Wunian’s fingertips felt a bit hotter than my body temperature, and when they touched my skin, I recognised them. ‘It is indeed a bit difficult to undo. Sorry, I only looked at the front and didn’t pay attention to the back.’

My knuckles were rubbing against the back of my waist and I was shivering uncontrollably. I remembered last night and my whole body froze.

What’s going on? Is it holding it in for too long? How do you move?

I’m always busy during the week, so I don’t have much private space. I’ve always thought I didn’t want much, but am I wrong to want this?

I’m distracted for a moment, and my body and brain go into two parallel lines. My brain is still thinking about the reasons for this situation, but my body has already fallen forward, and a light hum comes from my nose, making me think about something else.

‘What’s wrong? Did I touch your wound?’ Shen Wunian’s voice was full of worry as he spoke.

I shook my head to signal that I was awake, and said, ‘No, it’s just standing for a long time, my legs… my legs are a little numb.’

Shen Wunian made sure that I stood steadily, and loosened his hand around his waist, ‘Then let’s go back after choosing clothes later.’

After unbuttoning me, Shen Wunian left, and the breath I was holding was completely gone.

I looked down at the seat on the stool in the dressing room, feeling angry. Shen Wunian was sitting there, and I pointed at him and said in a low voice, ‘You’re going to have to wait for two days. I’ll find a chance to let you relax a little.’

I tried on six rows of clothes, thinking it was all over, but then I saw the teacher master waiting at the side.

The teacher looked about sixty or seventy years old, with white hair and withered hands, but still moving about easily. He was strong and healthy, but after more than ten minutes, I felt the effects on my body.

He noted the data and retired, and at this time I looked back, shocked to find that the row of hangers on the left was completely empty.

‘Where are the clothes?’ I felt upset and asked Shen Wunian.

‘They’ve been packed up and sent home.’ Shen Wunian thoughtlessly twisted up a piece of chocolate on the snack rack and handed it to me.

I subconsciously opened my mouth, aching while being amazed by the sweet taste that quickly melted in my mouth.

‘It’s so good… No, how much does that cost?’I started to remember how many dresses were probably on the hanger.

‘What do you want to eat for dinner?’ Shen Wunian looked around and headed outside the VIP room.

I hurried after him, ‘Fifty thousand? One hundred thousand? Do you want me to work for you forever?’

The whole time, I kept asking Shen Wunian how much those clothes cost, but he wouldn’t tell me.

Before going back to the flat, we stopped at the supermarket to buy food for the next few days. I wanted to pay, but then I remembered that Shen Wunian hadn’t given me my mobile phone back.

We went back to the flat with big bags, and as soon as we got out of the lift, we saw two figures far away that looked familiar, but they should not be there.

‘Huan Chen?’ I carried my bag and quickly stepped forward, ‘Why are you here?’

Pei Huan Chen was originally squatting on the ground with his bodyguard. When he saw that I had returned, his dark blue eyes lit up, he got up from the ground and smiled innocently, ‘I heard that you had been beaten up, and came here specifically to visit. Liang said that caring for a good friend is an important lesson for humans. If I want to become a human, I must learn to care for others.’

As if to prove his point, his tall bodyguard immediately presented me with a fancy fruit basket.

‘This is a gift for you.’ The bodyguard said in a rough voice.