“?” Hua Jie raised an eyebrow. “How much is this down jacket?”
“4,300 yuan.” Liao Shanshan held up four fingers.
“????!!!!” Hua Jie was petrified.
She thought it was a few hundred at most, not that expensive!!!
Shen Mo is way too extravagant!
“What? You didn’t know how much it cost?” Liao Shanshan blinked.
“Um…” Hua Jie really didn’t know.
“Oh, did your mom or dad buy it for you?” Liao Shanshan’s eyes sparkled, “I’m so envious of you, your dad must really love you.”
In Liao Shanshan’s eyes, a mother equated to being stingy.
“No…” Hua Jie awkwardly denied, her mind flashing back to the previous afternoon when Shen Mo had gripped her waist, forcing her to call him ‘Dad’.
It was too stimulating, almost dizzying.
Just then, Shen Mo burst through the door, wearing large earmuffs and a pair of fingerless gloves around his neck, adding a touch of childish charm to his cool demeanor.
As soon as he entered, he spotted Hua Jie. Now, it was easy to find her in a crowd—just look for the pretty girl with cat-like eyes, a small nose, and lovely lips.
It was as easy as picking a face out of a bunch of potato heads.
At this moment, he still carried the pride of being called ‘Dad’ the day before.
When his eyes met Hua Jie’s, he curved his lips into a smile.
Hua Jie glared at him, then looked away, ignoring him.
Liao Shanshan turned, saw Shen Mo, and instinctively felt a bit scared. She patted Hua Jie’s shoulder and walked away.
Hua Jie stood up to make room for Shen Mo. After he entered, she sat down again, her teeth clenched, determined not to pay him any attention.
However, Shen Mo was still very happy, unusually maintaining a smiling face.
A while into the study period, Shen Mo contentedly read his book, while Hua Jie couldn’t keep calm and turned to ask him:
“Aren’t you going to apologize?”
“I was thinking of apologizing, but I was worried you couldn’t handle it,” Shen Mo said, his hand resting on his book as he turned to look at her, barely suppressing a laugh.
“What can’t I handle?” Hua Jie didn’t understand.
“Me, being such a dignified person, apologizing to you—aren’t you afraid your fate can’t handle it, and you’ll be struck by lightning?” He leaned over the table, lifting his brow in a teasing smile, his expression like someone teasing a pet.
“?????” Hua Jie was utterly confused.
Has Shen Mo started to pick up bad habits recently!
Finally, she couldn’t hold back any longer and swung her fist in a powerful punch.
Shen Mo quickly used his arm to block, but laughter still spilled from his lips:
“Hahaha!”
The classmates in the room couldn’t help but look up at the source of this rich laughter, which, to their surprise, belonged to Shen Mo.
Since the start of the school year, many had seen Shen Mo laugh for the first time, and so loudly at that.
“Why are you laughing so loudly?” She withdrew her fist, arms akimbo, sitting upright like a little cat, hands tucked in front, yet her eyes still scolded him.
Shen Mo smiled silently, reveling in the addictive pleasure of teasing her.
Throughout the busy school day of solving problems and memorizing texts, Hua Jie had no time to properly argue with Shen Mo.
During the evening self-study, Shen Mo suddenly took advantage of the teacher’s inattention, leaning over the desk, staring at her eagerly.
“?” Hua Jie felt a bit uneasy under his gaze, stopping her pen and turning to look at him.
“Hua Jie…” His voice was low, almost tender.
“What is it?” She glanced quickly at the class teacher, who was engrossed in grading papers, and asked him in a low voice.
The boy crossed his arms on the desk, resting his chin on them, staring at her for a while before murmuring:
“Hua Jie, my life has been so hard, you’re the only true friend I have. I really value you, please don’t be so hard on me.”
His words were slow, deliberate, enunciated clearly, his gaze deep, his brows softer when they relaxed.
“Where has your life been hard?”
“You always rank first in exams!”
“You live in a villa, ride in luxury cars, wear Adidas, and sport Nike—do you call this suffering?” Hua Jie pouted, she wasn’t going to fall for his guilt trip.
“…” Shen Mo’s face suddenly darkened, his deep black eyes became intense as he looked at her earnestly.
Hua Jie suddenly felt uncomfortable under his gaze, her heart starting to soften.
He did enjoy many material comforts, Mr. Shen was wealthy and indulgent in that regard.
But for humans, material enjoyment is finite, and no amount of money can compensate for the lack of spiritual nourishment.
He had indeed been quite lonely since he was little.
She pursed her lips, her clear, large eyes fluttering as she considered saying something gentle to comfort him.
The boy suddenly spoke, his voice hoarse:
“I never thought you were so shallow. Does a person’s happiness, joy, or pain only depend on these superficial things? Can spiritual joy and sorrow be judged by these?”
His expression was dark, a trace of heart-wrenching oppression and suffocation in his eyes.
Hua Jie parted her lips to deny it; she did agree with him, she had thought about it too.
Just now when she said he wasn’t suffering, she really thought he was just teasing her like yesterday, so she spoke out of annoyance.
Her eyes flickered with unease, sympathy, and regret, like a startled little animal, wanting to apologize but not knowing where to start.
Suddenly, Shen Mo reached out and gently grasped her left hand’s pinky and ring finger. Feeling apologetic, Hua Jie let him hold them without pulling away.
The corners of the boy’s lips slightly lifted.
Hua Jie watched him, noticing his expression relax yet still a bit unsure, always feeling like she was being tricked:
“Are you serious? You’re not just scaring me?”
He pressed her head, scratching the little tuft of hair standing on top, then twisted her head to face her own textbook, to prevent her from seeing his face sneak a smile and exploding.
The young man’s well-defined hand cradled the back of her head, his slender, beautiful fingers gently weaving through her loosely hanging hair, feeling wonderfully soft.
Out of the corner of his eye, he caught something and turned his head to meet the gaze of Zhao Jinhui in the row behind, staring at his hand. His look instantly turned fierce.
“!” Zhao Jinhui quickly looked away, staring down at his workbook, his pen moving rapidly, yet actually not writing a word on the paper.
Pretending to be busy very earnestly.
Shen Mo then turned his gaze back to Hua Jie, who tried to look back at him:
“If you’re mad at me and don’t talk to me, I feel miserable, like I’m the most pitiful person in the world. It feels suffocating, unhappy.”
“Who’s ignoring you? It’s you who’s been bullying, okay? I was just busy studying today, I didn’t ignore you.” Hua Jie pouted, and after speaking, it took several seconds before Shen Mo responded.
She grabbed his wrist with her right hand, throwing off his hand, and turned to look at him.
Then she met his eyes, twinkling with a smile.
“!” Hua Jie.
She couldn’t believe that her soul, experienced in all sorts of melodramatic dramas and having seen so much, could still be fooled by the cunning tricks before her.
Her foot, clad in little boots under the table, lifted and stomped hard on his white Adidas shoes.
The boy quickly withdrew his foot, again displaying a bright and refreshing smile.
Hua Jie narrowed her eyes at him, feeling utterly defeated in this childish prank war, and very unwilling.
Shen Mo leaned back against the windowsill and radiator, his left arm resting on the desk and his right arm draped over the back of his own chair. His arms were long enough that his right hand could conveniently grasp the leftmost edge of her chair.
His long legs were crossed leisurely, comfortably propped up.
His eyes sparkled, his smile was genuinely joyful.
Unlike his usual indifference, he finally exhibited the mischievous demeanor characteristic of boys his age—no longer precocious, nor obscure.
Purely exuberant, lightly carefree, even his pride was nothing but brightly sharp.
Like the midday sun in spring.
Bright and clear, sweeping away the gloom.
She looked at him, and he was looking at her too.
The girl’s short hair had grown to her shoulders, sweeping up with a lively curl when she turned her head.
Her cheeks were flushed, and though her face bore a hint of reluctance, there was no displeasure.
Although she still tried to look upset, pretending to glare at him with her big eyes, the joy and the irrepressible smile in the depths of those eyes completely betrayed her.
Genuinely radiant and vibrant in youth, she was the most beautiful sight in young Shen Mo’s eyes.
…
Shen Mo’s quirky actions had also dissolved any slight awkwardness between them.
When school ended, he slipped a small box into her backpack with a note saying, “Congratulations on selling your painting and successfully overcoming the first hurdle in the process of painting. This is a gift,” then he quickly walked away.
Hua Jie, with her backpack on, rode home with Bian Hong. Once in her room, she opened the little box.
Inside was a very simple little crown-shaped hair clip, perfect for holding up her bangs when curled at the top of her head.
It was like wearing a tiny crown, making her feel like a little princess.
She gently caressed the hair clip, feeling incredibly happy.
Hua Jie was not one to owe favors. Besides giving him a painting, she also wanted to give him another gift.
Otherwise, it would be too embarrassing.
But what should she give?
The girl tilted her head in thought for a moment, deciding to check out her father’s personally renovated shop over the weekend and take a walk around Fuyun Building while she was there.
She then gently placed the hair clip to the side and started studying seriously.
Two hours later, Hua Jie stretched lazily, stood up, and walked around, noticing that her trousers were beginning to feel a bit short.
It’s time to buy new pants.
Turning around, she glanced at her sparse wardrobe.
After standing still for a while, she suddenly turned back to her desk and started sketching vigorously on a piece of paper.
She modified the JK uniform1“JK uniform” refer to the Japanese schoolgirl uniforms commonly worn by students, especially in high schools. The term “JK” stands for “joshi kousei” (女子高生), which translates to “high school girl” in Japanese. These uniforms have become iconic and are often characterized by a sailor-style blouse with a pleated skirt. in her memory to make it more retro and traditional, marked the necessary details and measurements for the clothing design, and then neatly filed away the finished design.
JK uniforms had always been a special favorite and unresolved desire for Hua Jie.
When she was of the appropriate age, she didn’t have the means to wear one.
When she could afford to buy them, she felt she was too old for them.
Now, back at age 15, she finally had the chance to wear them, and now she also had some pocket money. Although there were none for sale in Jinsong City, she was fortunate to have studied painting and even took a fashion design course in her past life.
With a longing for beautiful clothes, Hua Jie began to look forward to it.
The next day, she did not wear the hair clip Shen Mo had given her.
Although the boy didn’t say anything, he felt somewhat displeased. His taste should be good, right? Why wouldn’t she wear such a beautiful hair clip?
At noon that day, Hua Jie took some time to visit the tailor, handed over her design, chose the fabric, discussed the details, paid, and then left.
The tailor worked quickly, and by Thursday evening, Hua Jie picked up her new outfit.
On Friday morning, she dressed in a white blouse, tied a dark gray tie, donned a dark gray woolen vest, and wore a dark gray cashmere cardigan in the style of a school uniform.
She paired it with a matching color thick, mid-length pleated skirt with great drape, black velvet leggings, and black leather shoes.
Standing in front of the mirror, she carefully styled her hair and clipped on the hair clip Shen Mo had given her.
She turned left and right a bit tentatively, admiring herself. She looked so good that it was almost embarrassing.
After taking a few deep breaths, she stepped out of the room.
Hua’s mother couldn’t help but admire her daughter’s growing interest in beauty and how she was becoming more and more attractive.
Hua’s father was almost worried, afraid that her daughter’s good looks might attract the wrong kind of attention from boys.
Remembering his daughter’s maturity and that Bian Hong always accompanied her to and from school, he felt somewhat reassured.
When she left the house, she put on her down jacket, a pink knee-length garment that showed off a section of her pleated skirt and a pair of slim, straight legs.
Bian Hong stared at her for a long time before finally averting his gaze, his face showing a bit of discomfort.
In the early morning after playing basketball, Shen Mo staggered in from outside, his eyes immediately catching the sight of the girl sitting at the front row by the bed.
Bathed in the morning light, her head sparkled.
He leaned against the doorway, watching her for a few seconds before entering the classroom.
When the girl stood up to let him pass, Shen Mo paused, taking in her unique outfit from head to toe, finding her both charming and pretty, almost unfairly so.
“How is it?” Hua Jie’s cheeks were red as she stepped back and smiled at him.
She felt a bit embarrassed but also somewhat hopeful for his praise.
Shen Mo looked up into her eyes, blinked, and managed to suppress the overly eager emotions in his gaze before taking his seat and saying with a smile:
“It looks good.”
Hua Jie was satisfied, pursing her lips as she sat back down, shyly smoothing her skirt, her feet in the boots he had given her swinging happily.
Shen Mo’s gaze lingered on the down jacket draped over her chair, then swept over the cute sparkling hair clip on her head, across her suit and long skirt, pausing on her calves, before finally resting on the little boots she was wearing.
He realized he had given her quite a few things without even noticing.
Little Potato was sensible, knowing the good stuff he gave her and wearing them obediently.
Feeling a slight softness in his heart, he uncomfortably ran his fingers through his short hair and turned to lean on his hand, looking out the window.
From time to time, he could hear the chattering praises from the other girls noticing Hua Jie’s outfit:
“Wow, where did you get that hair clip? It’s so pretty!”
“That outfit looks beautiful! Where did you get it? I want one too!”
“Wow! Hua Jie! You look like someone out of a movie, I’ve seen actors dress like that in Hong Kong films.”
“Is it like something from an American movie? It seems different, and it’s too good, right?”
Then there was Liao Shanshan’s admiration:
“Wow! Hua Jie, how do you keep getting prettier?”
“Is that outfit also very expensive? Are those diamonds on your hair clip? Did your dad buy it for you?”
“…” Shen Mo involuntarily glanced over.
Hua Jie’s head dropped in embarrassment.
Could we please not bring up ‘dad’ again…
….
During the big break, all the schoolgirls saw how Hua Jie’s skirt gracefully fluttered while she did her calisthenics, and the sparkling hair clip on her head.
Throughout the day, girls from other classes secretly came to admire Hua Jie’s suit and skirt.
How could it look so good?!
So beautiful and so charming!
It was mesmerizing!
They wanted one too.
So, over the weekend, the inspired and motivated girls headed to the city center, scouring places like Wenzhou City and Fuyun Building in search of the kind of suit that Hua Jie wore.
But no one managed to actually buy the same outfit.
The girls who settled for piecing together similar vests, cashmere sweaters, and mid-length skirts soon realized that although their outfits seemed similar to Hua Jie’s, the effect was vastly different.
It wasn’t until the first girl went to a tailor and had a dress made that closely matched Hua Jie’s suit that the other students had their eureka moment and found the right approach.
Suddenly, various styles of student suits became popular at Jinsong No.1 Middle School, and this trend gradually spread to other schools, leaving behind sweet, cherished memories of youth for the naturally fashion-loving girls.