Chapter 20: Cham-Cham
It was past closing time, and most of the finance department staff had already left. Cheng Yin was still checking the last set of numbers; the blue light from the screen illuminated her face, making her already pale skin appear almost transparent.
Suddenly, a pungent perfume scent wafted into the office area, followed by the crisp sound of high heels clicking on the marble floor.
"Cheng Yin!" A familiar voice rang out at the door.
Cheng Yin looked up and saw Cici standing there in a sequined mini-skirt, her curly hair cascading down to her waist, her red lips like fire. She was wearing heavier makeup than usual today, her false eyelashes fluttering like two small fans with every blink.
"Who contacted him?" Cici rolled her eyes. "It's Girl's Day!"
Before Cheng Yin could react, she had already been pulled out of the office. Cici wore seven or eight bracelets on her wrist, the metal chains digging painfully into Cheng Yin's skin.
As the elevator descended, Cici touched up her lipstick in front of the mirrored wall, nudging Cheng Yin with her elbow: "How long has it been since you went shopping?"
Cheng Yin thought for a moment: "Three years? Four years?"
Cici's eyes widened dramatically: "My God! Are you even a woman?"
Cheng Yin looked down at her white shirt and black straight-leg pants: "Probably."
Cici laughed loudly, her laughter echoing in the elevator. The strong scent of her perfume, mixed with the cold air conditioning in the cramped elevator space, made Cheng Yin feel a little dizzy.
They arrived on the first floor, and Cici pulled her along quickly through the lobby to the parking lot. The red Porsche 911 convertible gleamed in the sunlight.
Cici shoved Cheng Yin into the passenger seat, jumped into the driver's seat herself, and sped off. A blast of hot air hit her, making Cheng Yin's hair a mess, and she instinctively grabbed the door handle.
"Music!" Cici shouted, pressing the speaker switch. A burst of energetic electronic music instantly filled the room.
Cici swayed her head to the rhythm. While waiting at a red light, a man in the car next to them shouted something. Cici blew him a kiss and smiled brightly and cheerfully.
Cheng Yin sat quietly, like a leaf caught in a hurricane.
Compared to her, Cheng Yin felt like a crumpled piece of draft paper, pale, thin, and utterly insignificant.
Our first stop was Galaxy Shopping Center.
"Try this." Cici suddenly smeared a tube of lipstick on the back of Cheng Yin's hand. "It suits you."
Cheng Yin looked at the dark red mark on the back of her hand, which resembled a fresh bloodstain.
"dislike?"
Cheng Yin shook her head: "I'm just not used to it."
Cici pouted and tossed the lipstick into her shopping basket: "You'll get used to it."
Next up is the lingerie store.
Cici walked confidently to the most expensive section, picked up several sets of lace lingerie, and held them up against Cheng Yin. Black, red, purple—each piece was so thin it was almost transparent, and the prices on the tags made Cheng Yin's eyelids twitch.
"This one." Cici picked up a black lace set, held it up against Cheng Yin's chest, and suddenly smiled slyly, "Dong-ge will like it."
Cheng Yin didn't dodge the question; she simply asked calmly, "Why?"
Cici raised an eyebrow: "Don't you know men like this kind of ambiguous, suggestive atmosphere?" She leaned close to Cheng Yin's ear, the scent of her perfume making Cheng Yin want to sneeze, "Especially... before you've succeeded."
"Wrap it up," Cici said to the shop assistant.
Shopping continued until the mall closed. Cheng Yin followed behind Cici, carrying various paper bags, like a silent shadow. Cici suddenly turned around and shoved several bags into her hands: "These are for you."
Cici rolled her eyes: "That's why we need to learn!" She glanced at her watch. "I'm starving, time to eat!"
The restaurant was chosen by Cici; it's a high-end Siamese restaurant.
Under the crystal chandelier, waiters dressed in traditional costumes moved back and forth, and the air was filled with the aroma of lemongrass and coconut milk.
Cici ordered hot and sour shrimp soup, curry crab, and mango sticky rice, and also two mojitos.
"You know what?" Cici said, stirring the hot and sour shrimp soup, "I first met Dong Ge at this restaurant." She took a sip of the soup, sticking out her tongue from the spiciness. "Back then, I had just graduated from university and was working as a salesperson at the jewelry store next door."
Cheng Yin sipped her mojito, the mint leaf brushing against her lips, cool and refreshing.
Cheng Yin nodded, though she didn't really "understand." Cici's story was like a clichéd romance movie, and she was just a forced spectator.
"And then?" Cheng Yin asked politely.
Cici shrugged. "That's it. He bought the ring, gave a tip, and left." She suddenly laughed. "But three months later, I ran into him again at the casino."
"What's wrong?" Cici keenly noticed her distraction. "Are you jealous?"
Cheng Yin shook her head: "I was just thinking... what gifts he'd given you."
Cici laughed heartily, drawing glances from several other tables of customers. "Honey, you're so cute!" She leaned closer to Cheng Yin and made a gesture of counting money. "Brother Dong is direct, honest, and doesn't play games."
Cheng Yin recalled the pink pearl and the expression on Li Yaodong's face when he said "swimming lessons are free." She lowered her head and drank her soup, saying nothing more.
Cici continued her eloquent recounting of her "glorious love history," from wealthy businessmen to celebrities, from politicians to gangsters. Each story was glamorous, and each ended without a trace.
Cheng Yin listened quietly, nodding occasionally, like a sponge absorbing all the sounds.
Until that voice came from behind.
".
Cici's spoon fell into the bowl with a crisp sound. Her smile froze on her face, and the color drained from her cheeks at a visible speed.
Cheng Yin looked up and saw a middle-aged man in a suit standing by their table.
"It really is you!" the man said in accented English. "I thought I had mistaken you for someone else."
Cici's fingers gripped the napkin tightly, her knuckles turning white. "You've mistaken me for someone else." Her voice suddenly turned sharp. "I don't know you."
"I'm your mother's friend..."
"I said you've mistaken me for someone else!" Cici jumped up, the chair scraping loudly on the floor. "Waiter! The bill!"
The man shook his head, said a few words in Siamese, and turned to leave.
Cheng Yin noticed that Cici's shoulders were trembling slightly, and her carefully styled curly hair fell down, obscuring her profile. The waiter brought the bill, and Cici haphazardly stuffed a few bills into her hand, grabbed her bag, and rushed out. Cheng Yin hurriedly followed, carrying her shopping bags.
In the parking lot, Cici leaned against the red Porsche, her fingers trembling as she tried to light a cigarette, taking several tries before it finally ignited.
Cici took a deep drag of her cigarette and exhaled a long plume of smoke. "My name," she said with a wry smile, "is, to be precise, a name my mother just picked out on a whim."
Cheng Yin waited quietly for what was to come. The night wind tousled her hair, and the shopping bags left red marks on her wrists.
Cici stared at the lights in the distance and chuckled self-deprecatingly, "Like bottled water from a convenience store, cheap and meaningless."
Cheng Yin recalled her aunt calling her a "money-loser," her cousin calling her a "bitch," and her classmates calling her a "public toilet"... For some people, a name is just another mark of shame.
"Get in the car." Cici opened the car door. "I'll take you home."
The music was turned off on the way back, leaving only the roar of the engine in the car. Cici drove very fast, almost racing, with the tires screeching as she turned.
Cheng Yin gripped the seatbelt tightly and remained silent.
"Do you know why I asked you to go shopping?" Cici suddenly asked.
Cheng Yin shook her head.
"Because you don't ask questions," Cici said, staring at the road ahead, "and you don't pry into my past like those gossipy old women." She gave a wry smile, "Although we still got caught today."
Cheng Yin looked at the neon lights flashing past the window: "I also have things I don't want to be talked about."
Cici glanced at her sideways, a slight smile playing on her lips: "Then we're even."
The car stopped in front of Gapper's house. Cici took a shopping bag from the back seat and handed it to Cheng Yin: "Here." She paused, "Don't tell Dong Ge about today."
Cheng Yin nodded: "Thank you for the gift."
Cici waved and started the car to leave. Cheng Yin suddenly bent down and asked through the car window, "Did you choose your own name?"
Cici's smile shone brightly in the night: "Of course! Cici, doesn't it sound like a really expensive perfume?" She winked. "Much better than that damn name, right?"
Cheng Yin nodded.
Cici whistled, stepped on the gas, and the red sports car shot off like an arrow, disappearing into the dazzling night sky of Haojiang.
Back in apartment 3306, Cheng Yin placed the shopping bag on the bed and took out the items one by one.
Cosmetics, lingerie, scarves... everything was exquisite and expensive, completely out of place with her. She picked up the black lace lingerie set; the fabric was almost transparent under the light.
Cheng Yin recalled Cici's expression when she said, "Dong-ge will like it," the warmth of Li Yaodong's hands as he taught her to swim, and the strength with which he held her wrist in the darkness...
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