After staying up late and walking around earlier, she had been quite busy. Xia Bing thought she would be exhausted, but after showering, she felt more awake.
Wiping her hair, she was about to find a good TV show to watch when the taskbar icon kept flashing – it was an online friend named Yuanding.
Xia Bing double-clicked to open the chat window.
Yuanding: Sister Bing, quick, look at this…
Xia Bing quickly replied. Yuanding was a night owl, so it was normal for her to be awake past two.
Yuanding: Sister Bing, did you see? That Dugu Jiujian went too far, criticizing us women…
Xia Bing saw the post and just pursed her lips. If this had happened a few years ago, she would have impulsively argued, but now she saw things differently.
Xia Bing thought to herself, time indeed smooths a person’s edges.
Unable to resist the young girl’s persistence, Xia Bing finally replied to the post and said goodbye to Yuanding.
Xia Bing casually turned on a TV show and set an alarm.
……
At eleven, Xia Bing was awakened by the alarm. She pulled the blanket, thinking she could laze around for a few more minutes. When the second alarm went off, Xia Bing had to bid farewell to her soft bed.
Xia Bing had intended to send the file via computer, but the editor wanted her to come in person. Xia Bing got up in a daze, yawning, thinking next time the editor should just call her instead of making her make the trip.
The Appointment
It turned out the editor was telling her that someone wanted to adapt her only crime-solving book into a movie. Just thinking about the follow-up work made Xia Bing’s head feel heavy.
Soon, her phone rang.
Seeing the caller ID, Xia Bing couldn’t help but cover her face, wondering when she could escape this fate.
“Aunt Wen.”
Aunt Wen asked how yesterday’s blind date went. Xia Bing said the other person was nice. After hanging up, Xia Bing suddenly realized she had heard Aunt Wen suggest bringing the person home for a formal meeting.
Just as she was about to turn off her phone, it rang again. She wanted to ignore it, “Aunt Wen, is there something else you want to tell me? You said to bring him home, I’m afraid…”
After speaking, she didn’t hear Aunt Wen’s roar. Xia Bing took down the phone and saw an unfamiliar number, cursing herself for being a big fool.
“Sorry, you’ve dialed the wrong number.”
Xia Bing said hurriedly, about to hang up when she heard a magnetic voice, “Is this Xia Bing?”
Hearing her silence, he laughed, “I probably didn’t dial the wrong number. This is Chen Haijun.”
Xia Bing touched her cheek, feeling it was burning. He must have heard everything she just said, “That… did you hear anything strange… you…”
Laughter came from the other end, “Your aunt wants you to bring me home. When?”
Xia Bing went “Ah”, “You’re willing to come home with me to deal with my aunt?”
“From your tone, it sounds like your aunt is terrifying,” Chen Haijun laughed on the phone, imagining her expression would be very interesting.
“If you’re not afraid of being entangled by my aunt, I’d be happy to have your help,” Xia Bing thought. Chen Haijun coming to help would be good. She thought he wasn’t bad, and she could tell her Aunt Wen that he was so refined, and however you looked at it… to use a phrase a triad boss might say: however you looked at it, he wasn’t from the same world.
Chen Haijun laughed and said if it weren’t for her aunt, how could he possibly have met such a beautiful woman. Knowing it was a compliment, Xia Bing laughed happily, and they agreed on a meeting time before hanging up.
Chen Haigun looked at the phone, thinking that she was indeed an interesting girl. Xia Bing, ice of summer, they say names reflect character, but she was not like that – her smile was radiant, like sunshine that could melt people…
Sow Racing Diaochan
Xia Bing pushed open the café door, and Liang Xiaoyu flew over like a flower butterfly.
“You’re here.”
Xia Bing relaxed her shoulders, “Could I not come?” People say one shouldn’t be corrupted by wealth or bend under pressure. If she were to have her keys taken back, wouldn’t she be ‘exposed in the wilderness’? So how could she not come?
Liang Xiaoyu smiled, “Good that you understand. Honestly, what’s the story with that handsome guy?”
“Introduced by Aunt Wen, I heard he just returned from overseas.”
“A sea turtle? Didn’t expect Aunt Wen to have such a top-tier male. Xia Bing, you’ve struck gold. I saw that handsome guy treats you pretty well, seems like it’s your destiny.” Liang Xiaoyu had a suggestive expression.
Xia Bing looked at her expression, feeling a cold wind blowing down her back.
“Miss, mind your shop’s image, don’t laugh so…” Xia Bing gestured with her eyes at the people in the coffee shop.
“My laugh is worth a thousand gold, don’t be disrespectful.” Xiaoyu also bantered with Xia Bing, then threw a coquettish glance.
“Xiaoyu, you say your laugh is so valuable, I don’t believe it.” Xia Bing widened her eyes, her tone revealing she was exaggerating.
Xiaoyu couldn’t stand Xia Bing’s disdain, “Ask the handsome guys in the shop, my beauty’s smile is crucial.” She then threw a flirtatious glance at the shop’s staff, implying the shop’s revenue wouldn’t be so good without her.
Xiaoyu turned back to Xia Bing challengingly, “This is my charm.”
Xia Bing rolled her eyes, “Selling melons like an old woman. Why only charm the men? The women in the shop don’t think so.”
“Aren’t you repelled by the same sex and attracted to the opposite? Besides, not being envied means you’re mediocre.”
“I don’t trust the shop’s females, and I don’t trust those ‘losers” taste. I wonder where they came from, did they just return from military service?” Xia Bing made an exaggeratedly confused expression.
“How did you know about military service? When did you become a fortune teller?” Xiaoyu was puzzled.
“Don’t you know, during military service, even sows can compete with Diaochan.” Xia Bing said sharply, quickly moving aside before Liang Xiaoyu could react.
“Xia, Bing!”
“Loud voice, great breath control.” Xia Bing nodded interestingly, “Keep it up. But now, shouldn’t you mind your image?”
Xia Bing secretly thought that she had managed to dodge the issue. Just as she was privately congratulating herself, a voice interrupted her meditation, “Xia Bing, later you’ll still have to honestly explain what happened during that blind date…”
Xiao Yu finished speaking and gave her a warning look.
“Ugh, all this effort was for nothing, wasting my breath. I just worked so hard, and if I’d known it would be like this, I might as well have been obedient from the start. I’ll just rehydrate first.” Xia Bing let out a long sigh, realizing she had truly wasted her efforts, and looked resentfully at her friend’s departing figure.
A light laugh escaped, and Xia Bing looked around.
“So it’s you,” Xia Bing sat down in front of Cheng Yuanjun, “Don’t you know that eavesdropping on a lady’s conversation is unethical?”
Cheng Yuanjun revealed a suave smile, “Eavesdropping? You were speaking so loudly that only a deaf person wouldn’t hear you.”
“You…” Xia Bing angrily pointed her finger, “A real man should have some gentlemanly manners.”
Cheng Yuanjun pressed down her raised finger, “Gentlemanly manners are for ladies. With you, I’ll save my breath.”
He not only eavesdropped but was also impolite to the person being eavesdropped.
“You… Cheng Yuanjun…”
“Yes, you still remember my name. Seems like I’ve made quite an impression.” Cheng Yuanjun broke into a big smile, meeting her always made him happy, and he enjoyed teasing her.
Xia Bing’s left hand also grabbed Cheng Yuanjun’s right hand, trying to free her restrained right hand, glaring hatefully at the man grinning before her.
