After painstakingly scouring the entire commercial street, Jiang Hua finally found her favorite dress and, with the help of her roommate, negotiated a price reduction, buying it at a significantly discounted price. Jiang Hua was overjoyed. Upon returning to her dormitory, she didn't even sit down before pulling the brand-new dress out of its packaging, admiring it from head to toe with eyes full of satisfaction.
"You've practically worn a hole through this new dress by staring at it," Ji Kexin teased, patting Jiang Hua's shoulder from behind. "You're going to be wearing it tomorrow, so hurry up and take it to wash." Jiang Hua was startled but not annoyed. She turned around and winked at Ji Kexin. "I just really love this dress. And it's all thanks to you for coming with me today. Your bargaining skills are no joke. I guess I can't go shopping without you from now on."
Jiang Hua and Ji Kexin exchanged a glance and burst into a cheerful laugh, brightening the entire dormitory room as if infected by their laughter, even though it was already night outside. They chatted for quite a while, and Jiang Hua almost forgot the time. Seeing that it was time to go to bed, Ji Kexin nudged her. Jiang Hua didn't say anything more, lifted her skirt, and went into the bathroom. She carefully washed it with laundry detergent, imagining how she would look in it the next day.
Shopping is tiring, and after Jiang Hua washed her dress and hung it up to dry, fatigue began to creep in. She rubbed her aching calves, washed up, climbed into bed, and quickly fell into a deep sleep.
As a ray of morning sunlight fell on Jiang Hua's profile, she let out a soft, drowsy hum, as if realizing something. Suddenly, Jiang Hua sat up in bed and eagerly leaned over to ask Ji Kexin.
"Oh no, Kexin, what time is it?!" Jiang Hua hurriedly put on a piece of clothing.
"Ah... it's not even eight o'clock yet, where are you rushing off to?" Ji Kexin was called by Jiang Hua, turned her head and took out her phone from beside her pillow, turned on the screen and glanced at it, wondering why she was in such a hurry to get up so early.
Upon hearing this, Jiang Hua relaxed as if relieved, smoothing her long hair as if deep in thought. After a while, she looked up and said, "I think I forgot to ask Gu Yiming when his birthday party starts..."
Upon hearing this, Ji Kexin was immediately amused by Jiang Hua. Ji Kexin lay on the bed laughing so hard that she tossed and turned. "How silly of you! Even if the party is really scheduled for the morning, it won't start this early. You should hurry up and call Gu Yiming to ask. It would be so embarrassing if you missed it."
Jiang Hua smiled a little embarrassedly and scratched her head, thinking to herself how she could be so careless as to forget such an important question. She quickly found her phone and dialed Gu Yiming's number.
The busy tone from the phone was quickly replaced by a somewhat cool male voice. "It's you, Jiang Hua. Calling so early, is something wrong?"
"It's nothing, I just suddenly remembered that I haven't asked when your birthday party starts..." For a moment, Jiang Hua thought she heard a soft laugh, almost like an illusion.
"The party starts at 8 p.m., so there's no rush. Of course, you can bring your friends along; I don't think anyone would refuse."
"Great, Kexin, I can take you to the party this time!" Jiang Hua's face lit up with undisguised joy as she hung up the phone. Ji Kexin pretended to be disgusted, "Then you'd better dress up nicely today, otherwise you'll embarrass me at the party."
Jiang Hua stuck out her tongue, "That won't happen, because I still have you, this magical artifact, in my hands."
"You're so lazy." Ji Kexin laughed and poked Jiang Hua's forehead.
After Ji Kexin gave Jiang Hua a thorough skincare treatment, it was quickly time to go out. Jiang Hua put on the pink dress she had carefully chosen the day before and meticulously combed her long hair. Ji Kexin, with bottles and jars in her hands, carefully applied foundation and drew her eyebrows and eyes for Jiang Hua, and generously laid out many of her lipsticks, letting Jiang Hua choose her favorite color to apply.
Before leaving, the two stood in front of a full-length mirror. Jiang Hua looked at herself, feeling a little embarrassed. "Kexin, do I look too formal...?" Ji Kexin smiled and pursed her lips. "Don't worry, I just did a simple light makeup. It's more about your own natural charm." Jiang Hua looked back at Ji Kexin gratefully, then pulled her out the door.
The two took a taxi and quickly arrived at the agreed location. It was a fairly large karaoke bar. Jiang Hua led Ji Kexin along the corridor, looking for each room one by one, until they finally found the reserved room. Jiang Hua didn't think much of it and went straight in, only to find that the space inside was unexpectedly large, and there were already quite a few people seated inside, presumably all of them friends invited by Gu Yiming.
Jiang Hua spotted Gu Yiming among the unfamiliar crowd at a glance. Gu Yiming also looked over at her. Jiang Hua raised her right hand and waved to him. Gu Yiming put down his cup, stood up, and walked towards the door. He led Jiang Hua and Ji Kexin through the crowd back to their seats and let them sit next to him.
"The cake is here! The cake is here, everyone make way..." Someone in the chattering crowd suddenly shouted this, and everyone looked towards the doorway. A waiter was carrying a cake and walking towards the table in front of Gu Yiming. Jiang Hua's eyes widened, somewhat amazed by the cake's exquisite appearance. The candle in the center of the cake was lit, and a single candle flame flickered and swayed amidst the crowd singing "Happy Birthday."
"Make a wish, Gu Yiming. Make it in your heart, okay? It won't come true if you say it out loud." Jiang Hua suggested to Gu Yiming beside her. Gu Yiming nodded slightly, closed his eyes as if making a very solemn wish, and then blew out the candles in one breath. Applause and cheers immediately overwhelmed everyone.
The long knife was handed to Gu Yiming, who slowly cut the cake piece by piece. Jiang Hua was very happy to see her friend grow another year older, but suddenly Ji Kexin poked her. Jiang Hua turned around in confusion, and Ji Kexin leaned over and whispered in Jiang Hua's ear, "Jiang Hua, have you noticed that person in black over there?"
Jiang Hua looked in the direction Ji Kexin indicated and indeed saw a woman there. However, she was dressed in black and tucked away in a corner, and no one noticed her amidst the noisy crowd. The woman's eyes met Jiang Hua's for a fleeting moment, but Jiang Hua quickly looked away. "Who was that? I think I saw her looking at me just now..."
“It wasn’t just now; ever since I noticed her, she seems to have been staring at you.” Ji Kexin lowered her voice, but Jiang Hua felt a chill run down her spine. She waved her hand to tell Ji Kexin not to worry and returned her attention to the cake in front of her. But the black-clad woman’s gaze seemed to grip her tightly, making her feel a vague sense of unease.
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