Chapter 4
Edward Quan ·
The comments:
【Don't tell me she's doing a whole outfit and full makeup in there before she comes out. How long is that going to take??】
【Qin Wu, prepare to wait two hours.】
It did, in fact, take me almost two hours.
I put on my new black slip dress. Just enough neckline; the hem reached mid-thigh.
Over it went a cropped jacket in deep purple.
Full makeup.
Long winged liner, false lashes at the outer corners, dark-berry lipstick.
One final look in the mirror.
Neon-green highlights. Rhinestone cat-eye nails. Short slip dress.
Perfect.
The comments froze the instant I opened the door.
Then flooded in.
【Fuck.】
【Fuck fuck fuck.】
【That's the SAME PERSON?????】
【The agent was a sweet innocent. The original comes back and goes straight to dark queen.】
【I finally understand why Qin Wu's attitude changed.】
【Six months and the agent couldn't get him to look twice. She changes her clothes once and he comes running. Isn't that proof enough???】
【Stop making things up. It's obviously sibling affection.】
【Sibling affection, my ass??? What brother waits two hours just to eat hot pot with his sister???】
When I came out, Qin Wu was on the phone by the living-room windows.
He turned at the sound of the door.
His phone stayed at his ear, but he stopped speaking.
His gaze moved from my hair to my face, down to my dress, then my legs.
Finally, it stopped at my feet.
I was wearing black sandals with thin straps. The heels must have been ten centimeters high.
The comments went wild again.
【Qin Wu, have you looked enough yet???】
【That is not how you look at your sister, is it???】
【Exactly. Definitely not a brotherly look.】
【So he really likes her??? Then what was the agent doing for six months??? Wasting her time??】
【Agent: I thought I was winning over the male lead. Turns out he doesn't even like my type???】
Qin Wu lowered his phone and ended the call.
"Let's go." His voice was a little deeper.
I thought nothing of it, picked up my bag and headed out.
As I passed him, he suddenly put out an arm.
"What?"
He looked down at my feet.
"Change your shoes."
"No."
"It's cold outside."
"I'm not cold."
"They'll rub your ankles."
"They won't."
He was quiet for a second, then sighed.
Very softly. As though he'd been helpless like this countless times before.
"Jiang Si."
"What?"
He crouched.
Before I could work out what he was doing, he'd taken a pair of flats from beside the shoe cabinet.
Mine.
Silver.
I'd bought them a while ago and never worn them.
"Wear these."
"Don't want to. They don't go with my dress."
"Those will rub your ankles."
"They're my ankles. Not yours."
He looked up.
"It'll hurt."
The comments fell silent for a second.
【...What's that supposed to mean?】
【"It'll hurt." As in, "If you're hurt, it'll hurt me." But he can't say it.】
【Wait, so he really likes her? Since when?】
【Probably before the agent arrived. This doesn't look like something that started yesterday.】
Looking down at him crouched in front of me, I had a sudden sense that something was off.
But I didn't dwell on it.
"I said I'm not changing."
"All right."
He stood and didn't insist.
I went out with my bag. He followed.
In the elevator, I checked my makeup in the mirror. Lashes still attached. No lipstick on my teeth.
Qin Wu stood beside me without a word.
But in the reflection, I could see him watching.
【Six months. The agent smiled at him every day, cooked for him, spoke so gently, and he wouldn't even look her in the eye. The original comes back, calls him a lunatic three times, demands money, dyes her hair neon green and puts on an absurdly short dress—and he stares at her the entire elevator ride.】
【Because that wasn't her.】
7
The hot pot place was close, about fifteen minutes by car.
Qin Wu drove. I played with my phone in the passenger seat.
The car was quiet.
Then he spoke.
"When did you dye your hair?"
"This afternoon."
"How much?"
"Eight thousand four hundred."
"Mm."
A few seconds of silence.
"And the nails?"
"Three thousand two hundred."
"Clothes?"
"Didn't count."
More silence.
The comments snickered.
【He's adding up the bill HAHAHA. She really can spend.】
【He's not adding anything up. He's trying to make conversation. He wants to talk to her and doesn't know what to say.】
At the restaurant, I pushed the door open. The server paused at my hair and nails, then gave a professional smile.
"Table for two?"
"Yes."
"This way, please."
We were shown to a table by the window.
I took the menu and flipped straight to the hottest option.
"Extra-spicy hot pot."
The server hesitated.
"Miss, that one's very spicy..."
"I know."
Across from me, Qin Wu picked up a menu, ordered a few dishes and handed it back.
"And a split pot. Extra red dates and goji berries in the mild broth."
I looked up.
"Who's having mild broth?"
"You."
"I'm not."
"You get a stomachache every time you eat spicy food."
"It's my stomach."
"Yes."
He nodded, but clearly had no intention of changing his order.
Fine.
At least half the pot would be spicy.
The comments were babbling nonsense again.
I didn't read any of it. My mind was full of hot pot.
When the spicy broth arrived, red oil bubbling, its fiery fragrance rushed straight up my nose.
I took a deep breath and narrowed my eyes in bliss.
I cooked a slice of beef tripe and put it in my mouth.
Hot.
Very hot.
But so good.
I cooked another.
Qin Wu ate slowly from the mild side, glancing at me now and then.
Then he said, "Your mouth."
"Huh?"
"Chili oil at the corner."
Before I could think, I licked the corner of my lips.
His chopsticks stopped for an instant.
Then he lowered his head and kept eating.
The comments:
【!!!!!!!!!!】
【Did he just blush???】
【Hard to tell with the red lighting, but I think he did.】
【Qin Wu, pull yourself together. She licked her lip. Don't embarrass yourself.】
Halfway through the meal, my phone vibrated.
A message from an unknown number.
【Jiang Si? Is this Jiang Si?】
I glanced at it, assumed it was spam and ignored it.
The phone vibrated again.
【I know about the mission agent.】
My chopsticks stopped.
The comments went silent, too.
"I also know she took over your body. Can we talk? I mean you no harm."
I stared at the screen and slowly put my chopsticks down.
Qin Wu noticed.
"What's wrong?"
"Nothing."
I placed my phone facedown.
"Eat."
But my appetite was gone.
The mission agent.
This person knew about her.
The comments grew anxious.
【Who is it??】
【Not another agent??】
I picked up my phone and typed a reply.
"Who are you?"
The answer came immediately.
"Three tomorrow afternoon. West Bank Café. You'll find out when you get there."