After putting on the clothes Xia Xiaobing bought for him, Lu Zhe had to admit, no matter how stubborn he was, that his appearance and temperament had indeed improved significantly.
A crisp black cotton shirt with letter print, paired with light blue slim-fit jeans, made him look even more upright. Xia Xiaobing had even prepared socks and combat boots for him. Wearing the whole outfit, he stood in front of the full-length mirror by the bedroom door, feeling that he looked even more handsome and refreshed…
Then Lu Zhe couldn't help but ask the question: "How much does this whole set cost in total?"
Xia Xiaobing waved her hand: "There's no need to worry about the money. This dress is a gift for you."
Lu Zhe: "I know it's a gift for me, but the problem is, I got bonuses and red envelopes during the day, and now I get these clothes at night, they don't even look cheap..."
"Feeling bad about it? Then treat me well from now on." Xia Xiaobing paused for a moment, then suddenly laughed. "Just kidding, there's no need to feel pressured. Relationships aren't about me being good to you and you having to be good to me in return. Don't feel pressured, just do what's natural and comfortable for you."
Lu Zhe remained silent for a while before smiling and saying, "It's definitely most comfortable being with you. However, I can't easily break my promise to others."
Xia Xiaobing: "Are you talking about being Miss Tang's assistant? It's okay, take it slow. I won't ask you to cut ties with them immediately."
Lu Zhe: "So how much does this outfit actually cost?"
Xia Xiaobing chuckled and said, "You're still thinking about it? I didn't keep the receipt, but I vaguely remember that it added up to more than ten thousand yuan."
Lu Zhe glanced down at it: "Over ten thousand..."
Xia Xiaobing: "Is there a problem?"
Lu Zhe shook his head: "No, there's no problem."
He knew that for the young woman in front of him, spending over ten thousand yuan on clothes was a piece of cake, but for him, he had never worn such expensive clothes in his entire life. Even when he was at his most financially comfortable before quitting his job, the clothes he bought never exceeded three hundred yuan. If you exclude his thick winter coats, then they almost never exceeded one hundred yuan.
After all, Taobao has plenty of good quality clothes at reasonable prices. Even now, he still thinks it's foolish to spend thousands or tens of thousands more just for a slight improvement in style and temperament.
Xia Xiaobing suddenly said, "Perhaps you need to change your spending habits a little."
Lu Zhe: "Is it necessary to deliberately change this...?"
Xia Xiaobing shrugged: "If you don't think it's necessary, then do whatever you want. But you need to know that your income will increase in the future, even far exceeding your current expectations. If you still only buy low-priced items like before, then you'll seem a bit foolish."
Lu Zhe stood there, looked at himself in the mirror again, and remained silent.
After a while, he suddenly said, "By the way, our takeout arrived a long time ago. I'll go down and get it now."
Xia Xiaobing asked with a smile, "What did you order?"
Lu Zhe: "Considering it's a bit late now, you probably don't want anything too greasy or heavy, so I ordered light meals. To be honest, when I placed the order, I thought those few dozen yuan were a bit expensive, but now..."
Xia Xiaobing: "Now I think it's still cheaper?"
Lu Zhe smiled wryly, "That's somewhat of a feeling. Is this what's called the anchoring effect?"
————
After finishing his takeout dinner with Xia Xiaobing, Lu Zhe went downstairs to Tang Qi's house.
Of course, he made a point of changing back into his old clothes before entering the room.
As soon as I opened the door and went through the entryway to the living room, I saw Tang Qi still playing games.
Lu Zhe went over and took a look. The kid was playing Sekiro. He only watched for a few seconds before the screen went dark and a blood-red 'death' character appeared.
He couldn't help but laugh and said, "Although you died a terrible death, your courage in taking on this kind of game deserves encouragement."
Tang Qi rolled her eyes at him and pouted, "You're not tired after working overtime for so long, and you still have the energy to mock me?"
Lu Zhe's smile froze for a moment.
In a sense, he had indeed worked overtime, and it was the kind of overtime that was very exhausting. But recalling what he had done during those two hours of overtime, and looking at the girl who didn't seem to suspect him at all, Lu Zhe couldn't help but feel a pang of guilt.
In an instant, he regained control of his emotions. He knew very well that since he had chosen a path of no return, he should grit his teeth and continue on it.
Lu Zhe said, "Maybe it's because I have more energy. Look at Xiao Die, she draws at work and she still draws after get off work. Isn't she full of energy too?"
In the same living room, Xue Xiaodie was sitting at the dining table, drawing with her laptop and graphics tablet on, wearing headphones.
Tang Qi glanced at the dining table and sighed, "You two are really something."
Lu Zhe: "Don't just talk about us, what about you? August is almost over, when are you starting school?"
Tang Qi glanced at the bright red "Death" on the screen again, and suddenly lost all interest. She quit the game, put down the controller, hugged her knees, and curled up into a ball.
She looked exceptionally cute, so Lu Zhe couldn't help but reach out and pat her head.
Having just experienced the allure of a mature woman with Xia Xiaobing, Lu Zhe suddenly felt a new sensation as he faced the adorable, legally-loved loli's head-patting gesture. The path of being a scumbag didn't seem so difficult after all.
Tang Qi said sullenly, "I have to go to school to register in another week. I think there will be military training or something... Ugh, I'm definitely going to get a tan!"
Lu Zhe: "Who doesn't get sunburned during military training? It's perfectly normal. But seriously, with your family being so rich, couldn't you use your connections to get yourself exempted from military training?"
Tang Qi: "My dad probably wouldn't be happy, he even..."
Halfway through her sentence, the young lady suddenly stopped. She had meant to say, "He even transfers my living expenses to my school card, so he's incredibly stingy," but thankfully, she realized the problem before she could say it.
If I were to say that out loud, wouldn't that clearly mean I can no longer pay my assistant's salary as agreed?
Tang Qi didn't want to reveal this now, so she changed her tune and said, "Anyway, my dad said he wanted me to undergo a test so I wouldn't be too spoiled."
Lu Zhe laughed and said, "That's great! I'll bring you water later, how about that?"
Tang Qi's eyes lit up: "Are you sure?"
"As long as the military training instructors aren't too strict, there shouldn't be any problems. Besides, this is exactly what an assistant is supposed to do."
When Lu Zhe said this, he lowered his voice slightly—because he didn't want Xue Xiaodie, who was wearing headphones, to hear him.
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