Wearing Pinru's clothes
1740 Words
On Sunday, Ji Mian returned to the city and received a call from Zhang Keke on the bus to her apartment complex.
The background noise on the other end was loud, the surging music coming through the static and assaulting Ji Mian's ears. She was probably in a bar.
"Mianmian, I'm free tonight. Do you have time right now? Could you help me move my things?"
Zhang Keke had been living in Ji Mian's apartment for a while, and Ji Mian had gradually learned about her situation. She worked part-time singing at a bar every night to earn money, and she still helped out at her mother's after school every day. After the evening rush hour, she would rush to the bar and wouldn't be back until around midnight, so she hadn't had time to move her things.
"Sure." It was rush hour, and the bus was stopping and starting, barely moving an inch. She looked at the colorful signs outside the window, some of them familiar, and asked, "Coco, where are you now?"
"Tianhe Bar, not finished yet, wait for me."
"I'll come find you, I'm nearby."
It was seven o'clock in the evening, and the bar street was already bustling. Ji Mian got out of the car and walked towards Tianhe Bar. From afar, she saw Zhang Coco, sporting an exaggerated hairstyle, standing at the entrance smoking.
"This way, wait for me?" Zhang Coco turned and walked inside.
The door opened a c***k, and a tidal wave of loud music rushed in, almost knocking Ji Mian over.
"I'll wait outside."
"Okay, I'll pack my things and come out."
Zhang Coco went into the bar, and came out again a moment later. "Here."
She tossed something out from the doorway, and Ji Mian quickly reached out and caught it—a bottle of strawberry-flavored milk.
Ji Mian, dressed in a white cotton dress, a cardigan, and canvas shoes, clutching a bottle of milk, looked completely out of place in the atmosphere of the bar street. In this street where people sought attention through unique attire, she became the most distinctive presence.
Every now and then, small groups of people would walk past her, their gazes lingering on her.
Ji Mian felt uncomfortable with these stares and moved to a side alley. Most bars and restaurants had such a back alley, usually deserted.
The alley was quite deep, and Ji Mian didn't dare go in. She stayed a few meters from the entrance, drinking her milk and waiting for Zhang Keke. It was quiet, but she could still see the bustling main street, so it wasn't dangerous.
As she drank her milk, she heard a loud bang from deep within the alley—the sound of a door slamming shut.
Curious, she looked in the direction of the sound and saw a boy in black clothes and a black baseball cap coming down the steps of the bar's back door, obscuring his face. Walking in front of him was a hot girl, wearing a tight-fitting mini-skirt and a cropped T-shirt.
"Be my boyfriend?" The girl stopped, turned around, and looked up at the boy, simultaneously lifting his chin with her finger.
The boy tilted his head back, the streetlight behind him illuminating his face, making his jawline appear particularly sharp and defined in the interplay of light and shadow.
Ji Mian snapped out of her daze. It was a confession. She was about to walk out of the alley when she heard a familiar, lazy voice—
"That won't do," he drawled, utterly irreverent, "My mom won't allow me to date."
It was Jiang Wang.
Ji Mian stopped, glancing at him again.
Jiang Wang had already freed himself from the girl's hand, a cigarette dangling from his lips. He lit it, tilting his head. The spark illuminated his face beneath his hat brim, a nonchalant smile playing on his lips, but his eyes remained cold. "Jiang Wang!" the girl stomped her foot angrily. "Did you do that on purpose?"
Jiang Wang replied, "You knew and you still asked. How am I supposed to answer?"
"You f*****g bastard!"
"Hmm," Jiang Wang held a cigarette between his fingers, licking his lips, "Finished? I'm leaving now. I have to go back and finish my homework. I have class tomorrow."
Jiang Wang took a step to leave, but the moment he turned around, the girl who had confessed suddenly shoved the unsuspecting Jiang Wang against the wall, grabbed his collar, and kissed him on tiptoe.
Ji Mian froze instantly, forgetting all about the immorality of peeking.
A forced kiss?! Jiang Wang was forcibly kissed; he'd be furious.
She widened her eyes in shock and immediately covered her mouth.
But the next second, she saw Jiang Wang somehow cover the girl's mouth. He moved with lightning speed; Ji Mian didn't even see what happened before he covered the girl's mouth and nose and shoved her away.
His usual carefree smile was gone, replaced by a thin, pursed line, exuding a cold, inhuman aura. The upper half of his face was obscured by the brim of his hat, the shadow and black clothes making his lower half appear even paler, revealing a chilling, unsettling presence.
"Are you..." He took two steps forward, forcing her against the wall, his voice icy, "...looking for death?"
Ji Mian was too far away to see his eyes, but she was already terrified by his appearance.
Let alone the girl in front of him.
The girl was clearly terrified, pressed against the wall, trembling uncontrollably. "Jiang Wang, I...I..."
He asked coldly, "Are you scared?"
The girl nodded instinctively, then shook her head frantically. "No, I'm not scared."
"Then why are you trembling?" His voice held a hint of emotion, not as cold as before. "You know you're scared, yet you're still eager to die?"
"I'm...I'm sorry..."
Jiang Wang sighed helplessly. "Stay away from me."
"Huh?"
"Tsk, can't you understand when I speak gently? Get lost!"
His words were rude, but the girl felt as if she'd been granted a reprieve, stumbling and running into the bar through the back door.
Ji Mian hid behind a pillar outside the wall, her heart pounding. Jiang Wang's appearance just now was indeed terrifying. She clutched her chest, trying to steady her breathing, when a voice suddenly exploded in her ear—
“Still waiting to see paid content?”
Jiang Wang had appeared out of nowhere. Ji Mian jumped in fright, shrinking back against the wall, her hands instinctively clenching.
She forgot about the bottle of strawberry-flavored milk in her hand.
The bottle slammed open, and milk gushed out, spraying Jiang Wang all over his face and body.
Ji Mian: …
Jiang Wang: …
They were close enough, and he was tall, so Ji Mian could clearly see his expression through the brim of his hat.
His face was covered in milk stains, expressionless. “What does this mean?”
Ji Mian was already a little afraid of these delinquents, and after witnessing that scene, and then getting milk all over him, she was even more frightened, her eyes reddening.
“I didn’t mean to…” Her voice trembled, her curled eyelashes fluttering.
Jiang Wang glanced at her, his eyes darkening. Damn, even her eyelashes are this beautiful?
He licked his lips, his gloomy aura vanishing, replaced by a roguish demeanor. "What are you afraid of? I'm not going to eat you."
Ji Mian mentally retorted, "You were practically threatening to eat me just now."
"What did you say? Say it again, louder!"
Ji Mian belatedly realized she had blurted out what she was thinking.
"I...I didn't say anything."
"A good girl lying now?" He chuckled, leaning closer. "What are you afraid of? If you don't kiss me, I won't scare you. Or..." He paused, his gaze meaningful, "What dirty thoughts do you have about me?"
Ji Mian: ...
He was too close; the scent of milk and strawberries wafted over her, and his warm breath brushed against her face as he spoke.
Ji Mian's scalp tingled. She whispered, "Jiang Wang, don't get so close."
"No, you've got me all covered in this, aren't you going to take responsibility?" Jiang Wang started shamelessly. "Weren't you afraid I'd scare you? Well, your attitude of running away after you've done this definitely needs a scare."
His closeness made her uncomfortable. The frightening scene he'd just created frightened her, and the fact that she'd dirtied his clothes made her uneasy.
In short, being near Jiang Wang made her nervous and uncomfortable.
"I'll help you wipe it," Ji Mian said, quickly rummaging through her canvas bag for tissues, hoping to get him away as soon as possible.
She frantically searched, her elbow accidentally brushing against Jiang Wang's chest. Her touch was negligible to him, but it tickled his heart.
"Hey, if you're looking for something, just look for it. Why are you trying to take advantage of me? Don't let my easygoing nature fool you; I'm not that kind of person."
Ji Mian was already anxious, and his teasing made her shout, "I didn't! You just got too close! Move away!"
Her voice was shrill, but trembling with fear, it lacked any real authority.
Jiang Wang couldn't help but laugh. "Just talk, why are you being so coquettish again?"
"I didn't! Stop talking nonsense, okay?!"
Jiang Wang grinned, then suddenly licked his lips with the tip of his tongue. "Hey, your strawberry milk tea is pretty sweet."
Ji Mian was caught off guard by his teasing. Clutching a tissue, she stood there awkwardly, her face flushed. "Holy s**t!" Zhang Keke's voice suddenly rang out, "Jiang Wang, you're so f*****g lewd! Pinru's clothes aren't enough for you, are they? Get lost!"
As she spoke, she rushed over and pulled Ji Mian aside.
Ji Mian thought for a moment, then handed him the tissue she was holding.
Before Jiang Wang could take it, Zhang Keke snatched it away. She threw the tissue at Jiang Wang, saying, "Why are you paying attention to him? He's just a lunatic."
Zhang Keke pulled Ji Mian a few steps away, then suddenly stopped. She turned around, pointed at Jiang Wang, and said to Ji Mian beside her, "Baby, didn't you want to learn how to swear? Here's your chance, swear at him! He won't hit you, swear!"
Ji Mian: Ah!!!
Jiang Wang: Huh???
Jiang Wang looked at Ji Mian from afar and smiled, "Swear."
- Writer
