"Xu Lin, let's go, my wife is inviting you to dinner today."
"Eh?"
At the end of school, Xu Lin was just about to head to the office to find the class teacher when he was stopped by Ma Zhiyu.
"Lu Man, right?"
"Yeah, she wanted to treat you last time. Are you going? You can bring Sister Qin along if she's free."
"I've got something to do."
"What's so important? You're always busy, like some big boss."
"Can't help it, I promised someone."
"A date?"
"No, I'm accompanying the class teacher to buy clothes."
"Eh?" Li Bin and He Yuanliang, who were nearby, also leaned in curiously. The class teacher buying clothes?
Xu Lin simply explained the class teacher's situation, and the others nodded in understanding.
"The class teacher really should change his image. You say he's 29, but I really don't believe it—he looks like he's over 35."
"Then we'll come along to have some fun too."
"I feel like the class teacher's going to beat you guys to death."
"Haha, then you go ahead. I'll tell Lu Man and we can eat together another time."
"Eh, wait, don't tell me you've got something else going on?"
Xu Lin felt that Ma Zhiyu wasn't inviting him to dinner without a reason. This guy's as tight as a drum when it comes to spending money.
"Ah, you know me, I just want to ask you for a favor."
"Say it."
"Lu Man had a little conflict with her coworkers, so I told her to quit…"
"You want her to come work for me?"
Xu Lin immediately understood what Ma Zhiyu meant. Lu Man was good-looking, and she'd changed that thug-like hairstyle back to something more decent. But being a waitress was a waste of her potential. The salary he can offer wasn't exactly that high either.
"You can offer whatever salary you want."
"It's not about the salary. I just feel like there's no suitable position for her in my place. Having her as a waitress would be such a waste."
"It's not a waste. I trust her being with you."
"Hey, what does Lu Man thinks about this personally?"
"She…"
Xu Lin knew this guy, Ma Zhiyu, acted on impulse and liked arranging things for others.
"Go talk to her about it first. Whatever the situation, you need to consider how the girl feels."
"I know, but the problem is, she's surrounded by…"
"So what, are you still that immature? Afraid someone might like her? If you were more confident, you wouldn't be thinking like this."
Xu Lin suddenly slammed his fist onto Ma Zhiyu's chest, then stared seriously at him.
"If you were really confident, you wouldn't think this way. You wouldn't worry about who she's interacting with. Confidence… be confident!"
Feeling Xu Lin's punch and hearing his words, Ma Zhiyu nodded. Recently, he had indeed fallen into a strange mindset.
"Thanks…"
"Don't thank me. Also, Lu Man is so good to you. If you're insecure, that means you don't trust her. Treat her well."
"Yeah, I'll get her favorite roast duck and take it home."
"Good, talk to her properly about work. If she really doesn't have anywhere to go, I'll figure something out."
"Alright, but I'll definitely treat you to a meal next time."
"Meal? You're treating? Well, you can't back out. Next time, I'll call you."
As Xu Lin finished speaking, Li Bin patted him on the shoulder. Xu Lin looked over and saw the class teacher at the door, so he stood up and walked toward him.
"Xu Lin, can I come with you?"
Just as Xu Lin was about to leave, Ji Yun grabbed his arm. He nodded in agreement.
"This is just too double-standard!" Ma Zhiyu's eyes widened in disbelief.
Just now, he was told he couldn't bring him, but now Xu Lin was being asked if she could come along?
"Are you more beautiful than Ji Yun?" Li Bin asked while stuffing books into his backpack.
"No."
"Then that's settled."
"You big black guy, are you talking about me?"
"What's wrong with that?"
"You don't even have a girlfriend."
"Who says I don't… I'm looking…"
"Hey, hey, who is it?! Our Lin Bin finally…"
Ma Zhiyu quickly changed the topic, and Li Bin hurriedly covered his mouth, picking up his backpack, ready to slip away.
"Come on, tell me!"
"Nope."
Xu Lin and Ji Yun arrived in front of Zhao Gang, who still had a serious look on his face. However, the class teacher now appeared a bit more reserved, or perhaps tense.
"Let's go, is it okay if Ji Yun comes too? Her choice is definitely better than mine."
"Alright, alright, let's go. I borrowed a car specially for today!"
"Looks like you've been pushed pretty hard."
"Of course, let's go, I'll drive out first, you guys can get in the car outside."
"Okay."
The class teacher quickly headed downstairs, and the two of them followed at a more relaxed pace.
"Ji Yun, let's go to the back for a bit."
"Oh, don't worry about Senior Sister Bai. She went with Teacher Su to Qinglong Lake at noon and successfully brought the kitten back."
"Ah, that's good."
"By the way, the class teacher really needs a new hairstyle."
"Yeah, this hair really makes him look older."
"Same goes for you."
"Eh?"
Xu Lin touched his hair, not wanting to get a haircut… It's only been just over a month since his last one.
"Your hair's all messy. You should get a trim."
"I don't want to cut it, I don't go out much anyway. This works for me. It hides my looks and causes less trouble."
"Get a trim~"
Ji Yun leaned on him, her voice soft and sweet enough to melt him, instantly suppressing any resistance he had…
"You have to watch me cut it."
"Okay!"
An hour later, Xu Lin sat in the barber's chair, with the class teacher beside him and Ji Yun next to him.
Since he was with the class teacher, if they mentioned a haircut, the teacher would insist on treating them. So they planned to wait until the teacher left before getting their haircuts. But after buying clothes, when they arrived at the barbershop, the class teacher said since they were already there, they should go ahead and get their haircuts. So they were directly seated.
However, Ji Yun's hair was already fine. The school didn't allow flashy hairstyles, so they only needed to trim it a little.
It was Xu Lin and the class teacher who took more time. Xu Lin's haircut was a bit quicker, with a cleaner, fresher look. As for the class teacher, he finally got a decent change. The young barbers worked hard to make him look younger.
Twenty minutes later, Zhao Gang looked at himself in the mirror and was struck for the first time by how old he usually looked.
"Sir, is this alright?"
"Not bad."
"Great, please come over and we'll wash your hair."
A few minutes later, the three of them walked out of the barbershop, feeling refreshed. Zhao Gang glanced at his phone and smiled unexpectedly.
"It's only 7:30. Let's go, I'll take you guys to eat."
"We'll just eat at home."
"You spent the whole afternoon with me buying clothes, I can't not treat you guys to a meal."
Just then, Zhao Gang's phone rang. He picked it up and said a couple of sentences. From what Xu Lin and Ji Yun overheard, it seemed like his family was calling him back for dinner.
"Well, teacher, we'll head back first. It sounds like your family's calling you home."
"Sorry about that, next time I'll definitely treat you to a big meal."
"When my shop opens, just come by and have a seat."
"Alright, I'll be going then."
"Mm."
The class teacher quickly walked toward the car. Even though his belly was still noticeable, with his new hairstyle and clothes, he now looked more like a 30-year-old intellectual than a 40-year-old middle-aged driver. At least, it wouldn't be too off-putting at first glance anymore. His posture had unknowingly straightened a little too; it seemed like a good makeover could really make a difference. Hopefully, the class teacher would find his own happiness soon.
"We're going home, Ji Yun. Let's eat at my place."
Xu Lin directly took her soft little hand in his.
"Did you forget something important?"
"Forget what?"
"Your Snow Princesses are still in the fridge."
"Oh, I totally forgot about those! I need to deliver them to everyone, can't leave them in there too long, they'll go bad."
"But there are so many boxes—who are they for?"
"Well, you know the family from the villa? How come the mother came back and then left again the next morning? We went out that day, and they were supposed to wait until the villa side was ready, but when we came back, we thought it had already been bought."
Xu Lin quickly changed the subject. After all, it wasn't the right time to reveal everything just yet.
Besides, he could ask Jiang Zimeng about it—didn't her mother come back that day? Then why did she say she was leaving on a business trip?
How strange!
Was she trying to back out of selling? Did she feel like she'd be losing money?
That shouldn't be the case…