Chapter 2 Balance -220000
Seeing that no one answered, Xia Mingzhao rang the doorbell again: "Xia Mian, are you in there? I'm here."
Xia Mingzhao and Xia Mian were born on the same day, month, and year in the same hospital, and both have the surname Xia. They were switched at birth by the nurses. It wasn't until three months ago that the truth came to light, and the two sons were reunited with their biological parents.
However, after returning to Xia Garden from the slums, the Xia couple discovered that Xia Mian was not only rude but also exceptionally stupid.
In contrast, the adopted son Xia Mingzhao is obedient and gentle, almost like a little angel.
Having cherished Xia Mingzhao like a precious treasure for twenty years, the Xia couple missed him even more and, fearing he would suffer in the slums, gave Xia Mingzhao's birth mother a sum of money and brought their adopted son back into their care. They never mentioned the switch to anyone else, only saying that Xia Mian had been abducted as a child and had only recently been found.
This is just so incredibly dramatic.
Zhou Ting's hand was on the doorknob, and the veins on his forehead and arms bulged out from Xia Mian's anger.
Xia Mian laughed even more happily, brushed her bangs back, and mouthed, "Hurry up."
Zhou Ting then realized that Xia Mian's eyes were very beautiful, clear and bright, like two plump black grapes.
He turned around angrily, grabbed his clothes, and went back to the bathroom.
Xia Mian breathed a sigh of relief.
The first hurdle has been overcome.
Since no one answered, Xia Mingzhao rang the doorbell for the third time.
Xia Mian quickly straightened her clothes, ran over, and opened the door: "Sorry, Mingzhao, I just heard you."
Xia Mingzhao and Xia Mian didn't have much contact. Perhaps Xia Mian resented him for being with Zhou Ting, as Xia Mian had never been very friendly to him.
Xia Mingzhao then politely asked, "What brings you here?"
"I want to give you a little surprise," Xia Mian said, pulling his arm. "Close your eyes."
Xia Mingzhao hesitated for a moment, then closed his eyes as instructed, and Xia Mian led him slowly into the room.
After Zhou Ting was dressed, he whispered, "Okay, open your eyes."
Upon seeing the person in front of him, Xia Mingzhao was slightly surprised: "A-Ting?"
Xia Mian: "I know that you haven't been in contact with Zhou Ting lately because of what happened to me. Zhou Ting misses you a lot, so he came to me, wanting to meet with you and talk through me."
It has been seven months since Xia Mingzhao and Zhou Ting met, and six months since they started dating. Their relationship is getting better and better, so they decided to take it to the next level.
Who knew that after Xia Mian was recognized, she suddenly started crying and making a scene, saying that Zhou Ting was her boyfriend and demanding that he return her boyfriend. If he didn't, she would expose his true identity!
Xia Mingzhao was so tormented by Xia Mian that he couldn't eat or sleep, and recently he didn't even dare to contact Zhou Ting. How could he possibly believe what he said? He kept frowning.
"Right, Zhou Ting?" Xia Mian looked at Zhou Ting with a forced smile.
Zhou Ting had no idea how he had managed to fabricate such a long lie in such a short time. Unfortunately, he was already on the wrong side of the story and had no choice but to agree and cover for him.
Xia Mingzhao finally breathed a sigh of relief.
Seeing that Xia Mingzhao believed her, Xia Mian didn't want to continue acting in a three-person movie, so she quickly left: "Then you two chat, I'm leaving."
After saying that, he ran outside and waved to them with a smile.
Perhaps because of his difficult childhood, in Zhou Ting's memory, this boy was often gloomy, like moss growing in a damp corner, and even when he smiled, it was full of flattery.
He had never seen Xia Mian so smug and cunning.
With a "snap," the door slammed shut.
"Ah Ting, what are you looking at?" Xia Mingzhao turned around and found that Xia Mian had already left. She waved her hand in front of Zhou Ting's eyes. "You wanted to talk to me about something?"
*******
After running out, Xia Mian didn't know where to go and stood in the elevator for a full five minutes.
He had probably faced a life-or-death situation as soon as he arrived, and his mind was completely focused on survival, leaving him no time to think about anything else. Now that things had temporarily come to an end, the panic of being in a strange world swept over him like a tidal wave, almost suffocating him.
What should he do next? The ending of "Love in the Palm" is already predetermined. Can he really escape the original owner's fate?
Can he ever return to reality? Is he dead... or alive in reality?
This is so damn annoying!
When Xia Mian is in a bad mood, he likes to eat and shop. He plans to rest for a while first, then go buy some clothes and shoes, and pick up a new car to play with.
Hmm... wait, I think I've overlooked something. Xia Mian found the original owner's phone, scanned her face to open the mobile banking app.
Looking at the "5" and five "0"s inside, I fell into deep thought.
The original owner only had 500,000.
Buying a few pairs of shoes isn't enough, let alone a car!
Annoyed, Xia Mian put her phone back in her pocket, then remembered something extremely important and ran to the bathroom.
Fortunately, he patted his chest—the person in the mirror had features that were about 80% similar to his, except that the skin was a bit rough, the hairstyle was a bit outdated, the posture was a bit hunched, and the clothing was a bit lacking, so he needed to take better care of himself.
In just two minutes, he devised a makeover plan for himself, the first item of which was, of course, a haircut. The original owner's bangs were too long, and when left untrimmed, they were always greasy and stuck to his forehead. He was a bit superstitious and felt that it was bad luck to have them covering his forehead.
Moreover, the original owner's hair was dyed, but now most of it has fallen out, leaving only a yellowish-brown base color, making the hair look extremely bad.
Xia Mian chose the restaurant with the most positive reviews and the highest price on the review app and rushed over.
Tony smiled and said, "Hello, what kind of hairstyle would you like?"
Xia Mian: "What do you think suits me?"
Tony: "Do you prefer something more trendy or something more classic?"
Xia Mian: "You know that Korean boy group xxx, right? Their styling team comes to do my hair every month, but I've never paid attention to any information about hairstyles."
Tony: "......"
So, what brings you, such a great Buddha, to my humble temple?
Fortunately, Tony's skills in China are still quite good. When Xia Mian saw her "brand new" self in the mirror, she felt much better.
Balance -2000.
He paid promptly and gave Tony a 20% tip, then took a taxi to a nearby shopping mall.
He couldn't afford haute couture anymore, but he could buy two ready-to-wear outfits. He walked into a store where he usually bought clothes. The saleswoman was stunned when she saw him—this guy was too handsome.
Handsome young men are always easy to tame. After noticing that he was wearing cheap, low-end brands, the saleswoman took him aside and whispered, "Sir, our clothes are quite expensive. The third floor has affordable menswear; you can go up and take a look."
"Is the price high?" Xia Mian asked in surprise. "I think your store is quite cost-effective, except for the leather clothes that wrinkle when they get wet and have to be thrown away. The spring collection this year is also well-tailored."
Ignoring the sales assistant, he walked to the men's section: "Are there any male sales associates with a similar build to me? Let him try this one, this one, and..."
Xia Mian ordered a total of six pieces of clothing, two pairs of shoes, and four accessories. The saleswoman had been in the luxury goods industry for nearly ten years and had served all kinds of customers. Judging from his clothes, he definitely didn't look like someone who would buy luxury goods.
But he acted like a spoiled young master, even complaining about the effort of trying on clothes. In the end, he had to find a skinny male sales associate to help him try on clothes.
From the time Xia Mian could speak, her family hired an etiquette teacher to refine her color and styling skills. Immersed in this environment daily, she developed an excellent eye for fashion. When the male assistant tried on clothes styled according to his guidance, the previously understated outfits suddenly became fashionable.
"Take them all."
The saleswoman's eyes lit up: "Do you have a membership account? I can accumulate points for you."
Xia Mian wanted to say yes, but then suddenly remembered that he was no longer the "Xia Mian" he used to be, and that brands would no longer send him unreleased new products a month in advance. He felt a little melancholy.
“Help me open a new account,” Xia Mian said, “so you can send me new products in the future.”
Balance: -220,000.
After wandering around for so long, the sun has set, and it's time to go "home".
The Xia family's residence is called Xia Garden, nestled halfway up a mountain by a river. As a newly appointed VIP at the shopping mall, Xia Mian was driven directly back to her residence by the mall's car.
Coincidentally, I ran into the same pair of mandarin ducks at the door again.
Xia Mingzhao stared for a while before recognizing that the handsome, almost flamboyant person in front of him was Xia Mian.
Zhou Ting pursed his lips.
Summer hibernation... What happened? Why has it changed so much?
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