Chapter 17 The Gift: "You paid for it, you decide."...
After school, the sunset outside the window was magnificent, and Zhao Ying stopped Qin Man at the door.
"The rehearsal is the day after tomorrow. Is your dress ready?" Zhao Ying spoke slowly, with a hint of caution, afraid that such a small question might offend Qin Man.
Qin Man: "I bought the dress a long time ago."
Zhao Ying laughed exaggeratedly, "You must look beautiful in a formal dress, and with a handsome guy like Jiang Xuchi, this year's class will be more exciting than ever before!"
Each year, the student union's publicity department attaches great importance to this charity gala, making it more and more spectacular each year; otherwise, they would be embarrassed if it wasn't exciting enough.
Moreover, the banquet was not only attended by students, but also their parents, school leaders, and almost all kinds of celebrities. No one wanted the banquet to be ruined.
“Zhao Ying,” Qin Man frowned as she remembered something, “neither of our parents are available, so no one can come to the banquet.”
“Sigh—” Zhao Ying lowered her voice, “But parents have to attend and donate money at every banquet. If they don’t come, they’ll end up like Lin Nuo.”
Qin Man lowered her eyes and replied casually, "Okay."
Lin Nuo, whom Zhao Ying mentioned, was also a classmate of hers.
Although her family wasn't poor, they weren't considered well-off in their eyes. Even if the dinner was organized by the student council, Lin Nuo's parents wouldn't receive an invitation to such a high-profile event.
Zhao Ying said this to warn her not to do anything shameful.
Qin Man, carrying her bag, walked towards the school gate, bathed in the golden light of the setting sun.
From afar, she saw a corner of her clothes fluttering in the wind by the school gate. No matter how many days had passed, Qin Man still felt nervous whenever she caught a glimpse of him.
She couldn't quite describe the tension—fear, disgust, hatred, or the pain of being manipulated—none of them seemed quite accurate. She could only blame all these emotions on the other person.
Even after trying everything, I still can't figure it out.
Jiang Xuchi.
When Jiang Xuchi heard Qin Man call him, he turned his head, put the cigarette he hadn't lit back into the cigarette pack, and said indifferently, "Let's go."
Qin Man got into his car and drove him to his hotel.
His driver was always silent and never communicated with Jiang Xuchi, so Qin Man didn't get any information about Jiang Xuchi along the way, and she knew very little about him.
But Jiang Xuchi knows her very well, which is a bit unfair.
Standing at the hotel entrance, Qin Man watched him swipe his card, feeling a pang of fear. But since she was already there, what could Jiang Xuchi do to her?
If she wasn't willing, she wouldn't have agreed. If she went back on her word now, she would seem too cowardly.
Qin Man refused to back down and practically forced herself to walk into the room.
The room was large, with a carpet covering the marble tiles in the living room. At the end of the carpet was a portable clothes rack with all kinds of dresses hanging on it.
Each dress was beautiful; the threads on the fabric shimmered in the setting sun, so beautiful that it was impossible to look away.
Jiang Xuchi walked over, sat down on the sofa, pointed to the clothes rack, and said, "Try it on."
Qin Man picked out two items, went into the bedroom, and closed the door.
She was preoccupied with something on her mind, so she was somewhat absent-minded while changing her dress. It wasn't until the zipper got caught in her hair that she hissed and cried out in pain.
Footsteps sounded outside the room. Jiang Xuchi stood in the doorway and asked through the door, his voice carrying a faint smile: "Can those clothes eat you?"
Unable to pull out the hair, Qin Man said angrily, "Yes, do you want to come and see how it's eaten!"
The door opened, and Qin Man felt a cool touch on the back of her neck. Stray hairs were brushed aside with fingertips, followed by a teasing remark: "Your hair has come to life; it always likes to get tangled up in things."
Qin Man, clutching her strapless bra, urged, "It hurts, take it out quickly."
She couldn't see him, but she could feel his slightly cool skin occasionally brushing against her back, her hair being swept aside strand by strand, and she could feel his hands through the fabric.
She felt so itchy that she couldn't help but dodge a couple of times.
"Don't move." Jiang Xuchi said, placing one hand on his waist and pressing it lightly.
Qin Man dared not move.
But Jiang Xuchi was very slow, and after a long time, he still hadn't pulled his hair out. This made her very uneasy, her heart pounding, and she didn't know why she was so nervous; her face became very hot.
She couldn't help but look out the window. The windowpane reflected the hem of her beautiful skirt. The setting sun was shining brightly outside, and she couldn't see the faces of the two people clearly, only two blurry figures intertwined.
Qin Man kept asking herself what she was supposed to do and whether there was any room for negotiation.
Jiang Xuchi only gave her what he wanted to give her, leaving the rest for her to guess.
Guessing and guessing only torments people.
She wanted to ask clearly, and the words were almost on the tip of her tongue.
"Ding-dong—"
The sharp sound of the doorbell interrupted their actions. Qin Man's newly mustered courage vanished as if pricked by a needle. She hurriedly brushed her hair aside, only to find strands still stuck in the zipper. The pain made her gasp, and she asked hastily, "Who is it?"
Jiang Xuchi glanced at the doorway, then continued what he was doing, replying calmly, "I don't know."
"Ding-dong—"
The doorbell rang again.
Qin Man, clutching the fabric at her chest, took a step to the side and said anxiously, "Aren't you going to do anything about it?"
Jiang Xuchi's smile vanished. He loosely shook the hair from his hands, then turned and walked towards the door. Before he could open it, Qin Man had already closed the door.
After the door opened, a girl's gentle voice came through.
"Brother Xuchi, so you really did move out."
"What are you doing?" Jiang Xuchi's tone was indifferent, revealing no emotion.
"Grandpa talks about you every day and wants you to come and live with him. I came here on his orders, I hope I haven't bothered you?"
Qin Man pressed her face against the door, trying her best to listen.
"Are you done talking?" Jiang Xuchi's tone gradually became impatient.
"Brother Xuchi." The girl was still smiling, but her tone was tinged with unease.
A series of footsteps sounded, and then the girl's voice rang out again: "Why do you have so many skirts? What are you doing...?"
"Zhou Yao, get out." Jiang Xuchi's voice remained indifferent.
A moment later, with a bang of the door closing, the girl's voice disappeared completely.
When the door was opened, Qin Man almost jumped back, her clothes nearly slipping off in fright.
Jiang Xuchi didn't mind her eavesdropping and simply said, "Turn around."
Qin Man turned around, and the zipper on her back slid up and down, revealing her hair. She then carefully zipped it up again, and it didn't get stuck.
After he finished doing all that, he patted her lower back and said, "Go look in the mirror over there."
He was very satisfied with the first set, but seeing that he was in a bad mood, Qin Man went over and tried on the remaining sets.
Jiang Xuchi had never given her the cold shoulder before; it was always her who gave Jiang Xuchi the cold shoulder. But today, after that inexplicable person came and left, Jiang Xuchi was clearly in a bad mood, and even she could sense it.
After trying on all the clothes, Jiang Xuchi asked her which one she was most satisfied with.
Qin Man casually replied, "Which one do you think looks the best?"
Jiang Xuchi was taken aback, seemingly not expecting her to ask for his opinion.
Qin Man fell silent, finding it hard to believe even herself to say such a thing. She quickly regained her composure and said, "It's your money, so you decide."
Jiang Xuchi: "Let's go with the first set." It was his favorite set.
Qin Man was very satisfied with the outfit. After taking it home, she secretly tried it on in her room, just like when she wore her first princess dress as a child, turning around and admiring herself over and over again.
Since her family fell into financial difficulties, she hadn't bought a new dress for a long time, so she forgave herself and wandered around like a country bumpkin.
Qin Man had seen enough, so she took off her dress and hung it up.
She sat on the bed, staring at the wardrobe, looking at this outfit whose style clashed with the rest of her disheveled clothes. Suddenly, her face felt hot, and her heart pounded like a drum. She didn't know why she was panicking.
That night, Qin Man had a dream.
In her dream, she was in a gorgeous cage, surrounded by exquisite gifts, including her favorite luxury brand bags and her most beloved seasonal styles, each one of which she loved dearly.
Outside the cage stood a blurry figure. Even though she couldn't see his face clearly, Qin Man knew it was Jiang Xuchi.
He didn't speak, he wouldn't even look at her, he just stood outside the cage, quietly standing there.
Qin Man reached out and unwrapped the most recent gift. A gold ribbon slipped from her palm, and layers of gold-flecked wrapping paper were unwrapped.
She knew that what she was opening was a gift, and also a gift for herself.
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