Chapter 82 : Girlfriend Qualifications
The next day, October 24th, Frost's Descent, a day suitable for travel, meeting friends, and business transactions.
In C City's Q District comprehensive commercial area, silver, white, blue, and black buildings of various heights and shapestall, connected by elevated pedestrian bridges and underground passages, threading together bustling streets to create an intricate urban maze.
The city's prosperity seemed to cater to everyone yet was utterly inconsiderate, making familiar people more numb and strangers more marginalized.
This was Jiang Yao's first time shopping in the CBD area. She held a fashion magazine and a cup of juice, looking completely bewildered. (TN: Central Business District.)
"Good thing it's a weekday, there aren’t many people around."
Zhong Jing finished parking and had just emerged from the underground passage when he saw Jiang Yao staring blankly at the surrounding skyscrapers. He immediately smiled: "Decided where to go first? I'm just here to provide muscle."
"I don't know..." Jiang Yao shifted her gaze to Zhong Jing's face, looking somewhat embarrassed. "Sister always bought these things before. I just wore them and complained..."
"You bought this magazine on the way, planning to cram at the last minute?"
Zhong Jing glanced at the fashion magazine in her hands and couldn't help rubbing his face, taking a deep breath: "Those won't help in a pinch. Well then, stay close and watch me!"
"That's exactly why I asked for your help. You know so many women, and you're a player, so you should be expert with women's clothes..."
Jiang Yao pouted and obediently followed beside Zhong Jing.
Hearing this, Zhong Jing stopped in his tracks, his expression even more between laughter and tears: "Why is it that every time you mention my good points, your angle has to be different from everyone else's? No wonder you fought with Jiang Yan."
"What kind of person you are? Is there really a second interpretation? Anyway, I bragged about it, so I'm buying the clothes. Whether she gets mad or not, I don't care anymore..."
Jiang Yao muttered stubbornly, casually tossing her magazine and drink cup into a passing trash bin. "She didn't come herself anyway, so if I buy something unsuitable, don't blame me."
"You really did fight? You two didn't seem like it... What was it about?"
Zhong Jing led Jiang Yao into the splendid commercial plaza, while guessing what degree of conflict Jiang Yao and Jiang Yan had escalated to yesterday.
"Eh? Brother Jing, what are you doing here?"
From the crowd streaming past, a tall, beautiful urban woman suddenly appeared, about twenty-three or twenty-four years old. She was blinking her pretty big eyes, looking somewhat surprised at Zhong Jing and the light golden-haired girl beside him.
"Heh heh... Xiao Nuo, long time no see."
Zhong Jing's scalp tightened as he quickly forced a smile, lacking in charm, abundant in awkwardness.
"A few months ago, didn't you say you were going abroad to study? Who is she, a new employee at your company?"
The pretty woman called Xiao Nuo's expression gradually turned cold as she looked suspiciously at the man and woman before her, her tone becoming unfriendly: "What a fine Second Young Master Zhong who prioritizes career and studies over relationships... Do you get like this after the novelty wears off? I fed myself to your mouth and you found all sorts of excuses to be picky, then immediately switched to another?"
"Hey, I’ll leave you two chat, this has nothing to do with me!"
Seeing Zhong Jing touching his nose and looking around, Jiang Yao suddenly burst into laughter, quickly giving the pretty woman a mischievous wink before walking toward the distant escalator, turning back to roll her eyes at Zhong Jing.
Standing by the glass railing on the second floor, she could only see the pretty woman tugging at Zhong Jing's sleeve, but couldn't hear what she was saying. The malicious pleasure Jiang Yao felt watching the drama was gradually replaced by a strange discomfort.
She's not that pretty anyway, and her temper is worse than mine. Wait, why am I comparing myself to her... If even a player like that won't touch you, maybe look for the problem in yourself... Jiang Yao suddenly remembered some online jokes and actually started applying them to the situation.
About five minutes later, the urban beauty stormed off angrily, and Zhong Jing hurried up to the second floor to join Jiang Yao.
"Minor issue, a former client." Zhong Jing looked completely nonchalant, even lifting his hand to check his watch. "Let's go, let's get this done before noon. There are several good specialty stores upstairs. It should be enough for you to buy a whole season's wardrobe."
"You come here often? You used to accompany those women shopping? No wonder you were so confident you could help me." Jiang Yao asked with feigned composure.
The young man stopped talking, just slowly walking ahead, his eyes scanning store after store as if he'd entered work mode, treating Jiang Yao's sarcasm as nothing.
Zhong Jing's handsome, carefree appearance still attracted considerable female attention even in this weekday shopping mall with fewer people.
As for the girl beside him, in her somewhat dowdy athletic shirt and jeans, if not for her pretty face, good figure, and that eye-catching light golden ponytail adding points, she would really look somewhat out of place walking beside the young man.
"This one, and that one. Oh, don't forget to match it with that scarf, it’ll be perfect for winter.
"This outfit doesn't suit your temperament, it ages you. Don't bother looking.
"If you're not too afraid of the cold, this long knit cardigan works, but you'd need to pair it with pantyhose and tall boots.”
Zhong Jing was like a master of feminine fashion taste. As outfit after outfit was decided, a shopping cart quickly filled with bags of various colors.
"What about my sister's clothes? I can't help choose for her..."
Jiang Yao looked at the basketful of dresses, shoes, and socks in the shopping cart, both doubting his confidence and feeling somewhat embarrassedly inferior, because from start to finish, she didn't need to try anything on in the fitting rooms. Everything was decided and packaged.
Zhong Jing's perverse grasp of her body measurements and sizes had reached a level that made Jiang Yao somewhat fearful.
"Mm, I'm looking. Oh, this set would work for her. I saw she quite likes cool tones.
"That store across the way, second row from the right, academic big sister style clothes, also suits her.
"There's another store on the fourth floor with a style similar to what they wear at the club. Jiang Yan would probably like it, just slightly more expensive."
Zhong Jing operated like a precision machine. From routes to stores, there was absolutely no wasted browsing time. In one go, he filled a second shopping cart.
Especially each time they entered a specialty store, the sales associates' flattering words were cutting, keeping Jiang Yao's ears burning.
For example: "Sir has excellent taste choosing styles for his girlfriend."
Or: "The colors your boyfriend chose should be even better!"
"You really are trash. You’ve memorized both my sister's measurements and style preferences!?"
Before noon at twelve, Zhong Jing's autumn-winter clothing shopping expedition was successfully completed, taking less than two hours total.
Jiang Yao looked somewhat horrified at the packages filling two entire shopping carts, nearly spilling out. She had originally thought Zhong Jing was professional and efficient at helping women choose clothes, but realizing he could handle not just her needs but Jiang Yan's so quickly, her mindset was about to explode.
This feeling was like a long-term worker betraying her, extremely uncomfortable.
"Uh... my strength is being particularly sensitive to women's clothing parameters... Hey, why are you hitting me?"
Zhong Jing protected his aching arm, smiling as he watched Jiang Yao's sudden mood change, feeling quite amused inside. "I excel at providing optimal lifestyle advice to others. It’s an occupational hazard."
"What kind of perverse profession is that, just worrying about women's affairs all day, you player..."
Jiang Yao bit her lip, muttering quietly: "Let's be clear first. All these were chosen by me and paid for with my money. You can't say you helped me, remember."
"Other girls come buy a little each week, enjoying the progressive happiness of shopping over time. You wanting to buy everything for fall and winter at once is just like my habit, which is why I got into the zone so quickly... Don't just stand there, help load the car, we still need to catch lunch."
Zhong Jing loaded items one by one into the car. The spacious Bentley hybrid SUV's trunk and back seats were filled with various packages, though in Zhong Jing's view, this would at most last a quality-conscious girl through three months of novelty.
"Zhong Jing... that woman this morning, was she someone you used to... play with? When you said we're people who can have fun together, did you mean the same thing?"
Jiang Yao suddenly felt afraid, her body involuntarily stepping back two paces, her face gradually turning red and white: "I... let's not eat lunch. I'm going home first!"
With that, Jiang Yao quickly walked toward the mall passage at the end of the underground parking garage as if fleeing some monster.
Zhong Jing's brow furrowed as he quickly caught up and grabbed Jiang Yao's arm: "Don't be like this..."
"My sister always says I have a problem. Once I get close to someone, I lose all sense of boundaries. I'm afraid I'll misunderstand later..." Jiang Yao didn't dare look at Zhong Jing's face, looking panicked. "I won't be your friend anymore, and I won't ask for your help anymore..."
Zhong Jing took a deep breath, pulled out a cigarette and lit it, then simply sat on a nearby fire hydrant, quietly smoking. Jiang Yao stood at the pedestrian passage entrance not far away, also silent, seeming to wait yet not wait, to leave yet not leave.
Only after finishing the entire cigarette did Zhong Jing say lightly: "What are you nervous about? With your current personality, you're not qualified to be my girlfriend yet...
"Hey! Why are you hitting me again! When I tell the truth, you hit me, when I joke, you also hit me! Do you really think I'm spineless and can't beat you!"
Zhong Jing jumped up, dodging Jiang Yao's incoming kick, his expression between laughter and tears.
"As if you could beat me... My sister was right, I'm actually very stupid and can't distinguish your truths from your lies at all. Anyway, you can't treat me like that woman this morning!"
Jiang Yao huffily walked back to the car, squeezed into the passenger seat, and turned her head to the side.
…
…
Their meal was eaten in a strange atmosphere. Probably to erase the memory of that confusing little tantrum, Jiang Yao started her carefree rambling again.
Zhong Jing also played the straight man from start to finish with a playful expression, performing the supporting role to the extreme. This kind of nonsensical romanticism from Jiang Yao was unique among all the women he knew, worthy of such treatment from him.
In the afternoon, Zhong Jing drove to the small street entrance. As if suddenly realizing something, his face changed dramatically: "I forgot your house is inside. This is a pedestrian street. Do we have to make trip after trip carrying everything in? Doesn't your family have a small electric scooter?"
"I forgot too..."
Jiang Yao awkwardly grabbed several bags beside her, pushed open the car door, also getting a headache.
For the next hour, the two took turns retrieving clothing packages from the car, making multiple round trips over the several hundred meters between the car and home.
Jiang Yan just silently stood guard at the small courtyard entrance. Each time clothing packages were delivered, she quietly carried them back to the living room without even glancing at Zhong Jing.
"Does Jiang Yan have something against me? I only tricked her once initially, is she that grudge-holding?"
Zhong Jing was already covered in sweat as he handed the last few clothing bags to Jiang Yao, his tone somewhat awkward: "You two must have fought pretty badly yesterday. Looks like she doesn't welcome me inside either, so I'll go."
"Well... Yesterday, if I hadn't made things clear, she would have wanted to kill you... Never mind, thanks for today."
Thinking of yesterday's conflict when she mentioned her period not coming, and how her disconnected explanation nearly caused Jiang Yan's emotional breakdown, Jiang Yao's face burned with embarrassment.
"What did you say? What exactly did you make me out to be in front of Jiang Yan?"
Zhong Jing also felt exhausted overall, sitting back in the car without starting it for a long time.
"What kind of person you are… do I need to explain that?"
Jiang Yao coldly laughed, turned and walked into the alley.
"Sigh, how can you be hot one moment, cold the next..."
Taking out a cigarette to light, an image of a certain Japanese heiress's elegant, dignified demeanor appeared in Zhong Jing's mind, making him self-deprecating.
Unlike most women, what she probably needs isn't consideration, but external domination and control. What kind of bullying did she suffer as a child... In the swirling smoke, watching Jiang Yao's gradually retreating figure, Zhong Jing smiled somewhat helplessly.