Promise me that, after tonight, you'll like me tomorrow too, okay?
—— "Like Me Tomorrow"
-
At seven in the evening, the room, with its lights off, was dimly lit.
The phone on the bedside table was lighting up and vibrating intermittently.
After ringing for quite a while, Lu Jingyan, who had been sleeping on the bed, finally stirred. She reached for the phone, glanced at the caller ID, and hung up.
Soon, another call came through, but this time she didn't even look before pressing and holding the power button to switch the phone off.
The room returned to its peaceful state, and Lu Jingyan stretched leisurely, continuing her slumber.
Before she could fall deep into sleep again, the bedroom door was knocked on. Chen Sister, who had worked for the Lu family for many years, opened the door: "Miss Lu, a Mr. Chen Kai has called the house, reminding you not to forget your appointment tonight."
Lu Jingyan murmured an "Mhmm" without even opening her eyes.
Half an hour later, Chen Sister came upstairs to call her again, still on behalf of Mr. Chen Kai.
This went on four or five times, until finally, at half-past nine, Lu Jingyan sat up lazily from bed.
The nine o'clock gathering, Lu Jingyan stubbornly delayed until twelve before she made her appearance.
The noise in the midnight bar was deafening as Lu Jingyan pushed the door open with ease, the blaring DJ music and colorful spotlights hitting her face.
In the dance floor ahead, men and women were dancing fervently, all dressed to the nines.
In contrast, Lu Jingyan was quite plain, her hair simply tied back, neck and wrists bare of any jewelry.
Even so, she was very eye-catching.
Tall enough, good figure, and most importantly, an exquisite face.
A natural spotlight.
Used to this attention, she ignored the gazes cast her way and confidently made her way to the luxurious private booth at the back.
Before she even got close, Chen Kai's group had spotted her.
"Yan, over here."
"Yanyan."
Amidst everyone's greetings, Lu Jingyan walked over and took a seat next to Song Xian.
Having pulled an all-nighter the night before and still not having enough sleep, she faced Song Xian's exuberant "dear" with a big yawn.
Song Xian: "..."
Song Xian was silent for three seconds, then poured a drink and pushed it in front of Lu Jingyan: "Ancestor, glad you could make it. Any later and Chen Kai would be busting into your place to drag you out."
Lu Jingyan picked up a slim lady's cigarette, lit it leisurely, took a slow drag, and glanced at Chen Kai, who was engaged in animated conversation with a girl. She smirked and raised the glass she held in her cigarette-wielding hand to her lips.
Lu Jingyan wouldn't say she frequented these settings every day, but she'd pass through such scenes at least five times a week.
Familiar with her surroundings, she felt as comfortable as if she were in her own bedroom, sipping wine with Song Xian and chatting idly about sisterly secrets as if no one else was there.
About twenty minutes into their conversation, Lu Jingyan took a trip to the restroom, and when she returned, Song Xian had disappeared. Lu Jingyan sat back down in her original spot and was looking for her lighter among an assortment of bottles and glasses when she inadvertently noticed a man across from her.
It wasn't just him; there was a whole row of people.
He caught her eye immediately.
The reason was simple: the man was beautiful.
Not an exaggeration at all. Even someone like her, who considered herself well-seasoned in the world of good looks, was startled by his attractiveness.
Even though he was sitting down, Lu Jingyan could tell he was well over six feet tall.
Black suit, white shirt, tie and cufflinks slightly undone, revealing a pale and alluring ankle between his pant leg and shoes.
Lu Jingyan scrutinized the man from head to toe with the most critical of gazes, and couldn't help but let out a silent whistle.
Perfect.
Too perfect.
That kind of perfection without a single flaw.
Especially that man's temperament, it was trashy.
The kind that all women know they can't handle but still can't help throwing themselves at with relish.
Song Xian sat down, "What are you looking at?"
Lu Jingyan slowly scanned the man's face again before letting out a slow "Ah" and looked at Song Xian, "Who is he?"
Song Xian paused for a second, "Huh?"
Lu Jingyan, "The third man from the left."
Song Xian looked over, "Oh, that's Chen Kai's cousin."
Lu Jingyan drew out a "Oh," just about to speak when Song Xian was called away by Chen Kai.
Chen Kai and Song Xian were talking about something, and as Song Xian didn't come back for a while, Lu Jingyan admired the top-tier trashy man across for a bit and then took out her phone.
The spot she was sitting in wasn't great; there was no signal.
Lu Jingyan saw a few unread WeChat messages, worried about missing anything important, she looked up at the people across from her.
The row of people was laughing and chatting except for the trashy one who was looking down at his phone.
Seeming to be browsing the internet.
And it looked like he had a pretty good connection.
Lu Jingyan reached out and tapped the wine bottle in front of him, "Excuse me, sorry to disturb you."
After a two-second delay, the trashy guy slowly raised his head.
His gaze was cold, but beautiful.
Lu Jingyan was mesmerized for a moment, "Uh, my phone has no internet. Could you tell me what's the Wi-Fi password for your mobile hotspot?"
The trashy guy stared into Lu Jingyan's eyes for two seconds, "Your birthday."
His voice was faint and clear.
In the noisy bar, it sounded particularly pleasant.
After speaking, he didn't even bother with her and lowered his head to go back to his phone.
Your birthday.
Lu Jingyan frowned, how would he know her birthday?
Could it be that this top-tier trash...
Lu Jingyan hadn't finished her thought when her phone rang.
She stopped trying to enter her birthday digits and answered the call.
It was her uncle, Lu Hongcheng, who had called about something urgent. She had to leave.
After hanging up, she gathered her things, stood up, and made a round of the bar. Not finding Song Xian, she approached Chen Kai, explained the situation, and hurriedly left.
After a few steps, she came back, "Chen Kai, what's your cousin's name?"
"Huh?" Chen Kai was taken aback by the question.
Lu Jingyan frowned impatiently and repeated, "Your cousin's name?"
"Oh, my brother, his name is Sheng Xian," Chen Kai explained, "Sheng as in splendor and Xian as in envy."
Lu Jingyan's phone rang again.
It was her uncle, urging her to hurry.
She didn't say a word, this time she really left.
Since she'd been drinking, Lu Jingyan called a designated driver.
Sitting in the back seat, she typed the trashy guy's name into her notebook: Sheng Xian.
Sheng Xian. Sheng Xian.
Lu Jingyan repeated the name to herself several times and suddenly laughed, "Sheng Xian, fresh produce, it really is something to be consumed."