Whether You Like It or Not

Disappointment was inevitable.

But Zhong Pei had expected it and was mentally prepared.

He raised his hand and handed the bag he was holding to Bai Ran. "Could you give this to Xiangsi?"

"Oh, sure."

Bai Ran took the bag and glanced inside. It was desserts from the Red Snail Restaurant.

"Thank you," Zhong Pei said with a faint smile. "I'll be leaving now."

"Alright. Take care."

"Yeah."

Watching Zhong Pei's departing figure, Bai Ran sighed and turned back inside.

She placed the bag in front of Sheng Xiangsi. "Here, he left this for you. Desserts from Red Snail Restaurant aren't cheap."

Sheng Xiangsi frowned, feeling a weight in her heart.

"Xiangsi?"

Bai Ran, curious, couldn't help but comment, "You're avoiding him? But he seems nice, polite even. Don't you like him?"

"He's very nice, extremely nice," Sheng Xiangsi sighed helplessly. "That's exactly why I need to avoid him."

"Huh?"

Bai Ran was taken aback. Thinking of Zhong Pei, she speculated, "Is he a rich young master?"

"Yes." Sheng Xiangsi nodded.

"Oh."

Bai Ran understood. "In that case, I get it. For ordinary people like us, it's better not to aim too high."

"Yeah."

Sheng Xiangsi noticed Bai Ran's tone seemed a bit down and distracted, but she quickly recovered, smiling lightly. "I'll go get your costume."

"Thanks."

…

Fu Hanjiang had parked his car by the dance troupe's side door, waiting for nearly half an hour when he finally saw people coming out.

This was the staff exit, so only members of the dance troupe used it.

From a distance, he saw Xiangsi walking arm in arm with a girl, chatting and laughing as they approached.

He pushed open the car door and got out.

"Xiangsi!"

Fu Hanjiang hurried over and stopped in front of Sheng Xiangsi.

"Huh?" Sheng Xiangsi stopped abruptly, surprised. "Do you need something? Is Grandma looking for me?"

Her words made Fu Hanjiang frown immediately, displeased.

"Why does it have to be Grandma looking for you? Can't I look for you?"

Fu Hanjiang's mood changed faster than flipping a page.

"Xiangsi." Seeing this, Bai Ran pointed to the side. "I'll wait for you over there."

"Okay."

Sheng Xiangsi was grateful. She really couldn't figure out Fu Hanjiang's intentions and didn't want to provoke him. His temper was indeed terrible.

Trying to avoid trouble, she asked patiently, "So, what do you need?"

"Here."

Fu Hanjiang pulled out the hair tie he had just repurchased at TeeMall and tossed it to Sheng Xiangsi.

"!"

Sheng Xiangsi reflexively caught it, nearly dropping it.

Despite the poor lighting, she recognized it immediately. "This isn't my hair tie."

"I couldn't find yours."

Fu Hanjiang's tone was stubborn.

"I tried to return it yesterday, but you didn't want it. This one…"

He stumbled over his words, "I bought this one. Take it or leave it."

Before Sheng Xiangsi could respond, he looked at her expectantly.

"Do you like it? Do you… like it?"

"Huh?"

Sheng Xiangsi was confused, seeing Fu Hanjiang glaring at her fiercely. "I'm asking you, do you like it or not?"

Why was he being so aggressive again?

In this situation, how could she say no?

Sheng Xiangsi nodded reluctantly. "Yes, it's nice."

Since it was a replacement, she might as well accept it.

As for the Tahitian pearls, Sheng Xiangsi had no idea what they were. She thought of the hair tie as an ordinary one costing three yuan.

She casually slipped the hair tie onto her wrist. Against her fair skin, it looked quite nice, making Fu Hanjiang smile slightly.

"I'll go now," Sheng Xiangsi said, pointing to Bai Ran. "My friend is waiting for me."

Fu Hanjiang nodded slightly. "Okay, go ahead."

"Okay."

Without even saying goodbye, Sheng Xiangsi turned and ran towards Bai Ran. "Ran Ran!"

"All done?"

"Yeah!"

"Let's go!"

The two girls walked away arm in arm. Fu Hanjiang watched them for a while, then snapped back to reality and got into his car.

Quietly, he followed them.

The girls boarded a bus and eventually entered an old neighborhood in the old city area.

Fu Hanjiang parked his car at the neighborhood entrance, murmuring, "Metropolitan Pearl."

He made a mental note.

He turned the steering wheel and headed to Shanhai City.

Today, the private room was bustling with people. Two tables of mahjong were set up, and Qin Yanzhi was dominating one of them.

Zhou Jinting, who had organized the gathering, came over to greet Fu Hanjiang.

"You're here? I thought you weren't coming."

"Yeah." Fu Hanjiang leaned back on the sofa, indifferent to the cold reception.

"Oh." Zhou Jinting noticed his good mood. "You seem pretty happy."

He nudged Fu Hanjiang with his elbow, grinning slyly. "Tell me, is it because things didn't work out between Xiangsi and Zhong Pei?"

"Ugh!"

Fu Hanjiang, who was drinking water, choked.

He shot a glance at Zhou Jinting. "What nonsense are you talking about?"

"Still won't admit it? Your mood is written all over your face."

Zhou Jinting didn't push further. Among friends, a little teasing was enough.

"This is indeed a good opportunity. If you really have feelings for her, seize the moment. As your brother, I support you."

With that, he got up and walked away.

Fu Hanjiang sat alone, his heart beating faster.

A good opportunity?

Maybe, just maybe… it was worth a try?

…

The next morning.

Sheng Xiangsi was brushing her hair when Bai Ran walked by and then doubled back.

"Xiangsi."

"Yes?" Sheng Xiangsi looked puzzled. "What's wrong?"

"This…"

Bai Ran bent down, picking up the pearl hair tie by Sheng Xiangsi's side, unsure. "Is this yours?"

"Yes, it is."

Sheng Xiangsi didn't understand what the issue was.

"This…"

Bai Ran was just curious. "Xiangsi, don't get me wrong. I just think this doesn't seem like something you'd buy."

"Why?" Sheng Xiangsi still didn't get it. "What's wrong with this hair tie?"

"There's nothing wrong with the hair tie."

Bai Ran explained, "I just noticed that you're usually very frugal."

She had observed Sheng Xiangsi's daily habits and spending, which is why she commented.

Feeling a bit regretful, she added, "But, of course, it's perfectly fine for a woman to treat herself occasionally."

"It's not that..."

Sheng Xiangsi started to sense something amiss. She held the hair tie tightly. "Do you mean this is expensive?"

"Yes."

Bai Ran nodded. "Didn't you know?"

"How could I?"

Sheng Xiangsi examined the hair tie closely. Though it wasn't her original one, it looked very similar, with embedded white beads.

Wait, white beads…

"This…"

Sheng Xiangsi's eyes widened. "Are they real?"

"Yes." Bai Ran nodded repeatedly. "Genuine. With my experience, I can tell."

Bai Ran, being a fashion designer familiar with the fashion industry, could easily distinguish between real pearls and fakes.