Chapter 11: Unexpected Shen Mengli

On the first day of work, Li Weijie followed Xu Rong upstairs and caught a glimpse of Shen Mengli through the glass window of the studio.

At that moment, he thought this girl was cool and stylish, fitting for someone involved in hairstyling and image design, presenting herself so beautifully.

Now, over a week had passed, and he still found Shen Mengli cool. They hadn't exchanged a single word, only occasionally catching a glimpse of her figure from afar.

Shen Mengli didn't give off an icy, distant vibe that repelled others; instead, she exuded an aura that made people willingly admire and appreciate her from a distance—a coolness that one dared not approach.

Apart from that, Shen Mengli also impressed Li Weijie because... her talent was incredibly strong. She was the chief hairstylist at "Shijue"!

Besides Xu Rong, who no longer actively participated in hairstyling design, Shen Mengli was recognized as the chief designer.

The other two senior hairstylists were male, yet they all acknowledged Shen Mengli's skills.

Li Weijie never expected that Xu Rong would be with her. If he had known, he might not have come. He didn't want the top hairstylist in the salon to think he had gotten the job through his connection with Xu Rong.

In his eyes, Shen Mengli didn't always have a gender; she was simply the chief hairstylist—a glory he subconsciously wanted to challenge!

"Jie, Miss Shen, hello."

Although there were many beautiful and elegant girls in the restaurant, they paled in comparison to the two sitting there, attracting the attention of many.

Li Weijie, who sat down at that moment, naturally found himself surrounded by envy and jealousy.

Since he was quite familiar with Xu Rong, Li Weijie naturally sat in the seat next to her, facing Shen Mengli directly.

"Ajie, you're here."

Xu Rong smiled and introduced, "By the way, you two haven't formally met yet.

Ah Li, this is Li Weijie, the one I mentioned to you before. He's very dedicated to learning hairstyling art and recently joined our 'Shijue.'

Ajie, this is our salon's formidable lady, Shen Mengli. Well, well, you should know her, Ah Li."

"Hehe, Rong Jie, you're so mean. Instead of calling me a formidable lady, couldn't you use 'goddess of the salon' instead?"

Shen Mengli joked with Xu Rong, then smiled and extended her slender jade hand to Li Weijie.

"Hello, I'm Shen Mengli. I'm glad to be working together. You can call me Ah Li."

She then stuck out her tongue playfully and added, "Or you can call me Sister Li."

Li Weijie looked at her in astonishment. He didn't expect her to be so warm and friendly when she spoke.

It was quite different from her cool appearance!

"Hehe! Did our beautiful Shen mesmerize you?" Xu Rong chuckled upon seeing Li Weijie's reaction.

Upon hearing Xu Rong's teasing, Li Weijie snapped back to reality and blushed slightly. He quickly reached out to shake hands. "Hello, Sister Li."

He called Shen Mengli "Sister Li" not because she was older she seemed slightly younger than him. However, because she was the chief hairstylist, she naturally held a position of authority.

Most of those at "Shijue" who didn't match her experience and skills were willing to address her as "Sister Li."

Their hands briefly touched and then separated. Li Weijie understood that Shen Mengli shook hands with him and introduced herself out of respect for Xu Rong, not something she would do with just any new colleague.

Therefore, there was no need to make a fuss about it.

"Both Sister Rong and Sister Li are beautiful and enchanting. Hehe, it's normal to be mesmerized by you both," Li Weijie laughed to cover up his momentary distraction.

"I was just caught off guard. I didn't expect Sister Li to be... so approachable."

Xu Rong and Shen Mengli smiled at each other and couldn't help but ask, "What did you originally think she would be like?"

Shen Mengli smiled back at him.

"Well, your words are quite sweet. But... hehe, did you originally think I would be fierce?"

Seeing her smiling so warmly, there was no way Li Weijie could associate her with being "fierce."

He shook his head and said straightforwardly, "I thought Sister Li was cool, but I didn't expect her to be so friendly when she spoke. I was just caught off guard."

Xu Rong asked with a smile, "Cool? Do you think so too?"

"Do you all think the same?"

"Hehe, many people are surprised when they see both sides of her. After getting to know her, they think Ah Li is just pretending to be cool," Xu Rong playfully teased.

"Some even say she pretends to be cute."

Shen Mengli shook her head nonchalantly.

"Ah, it's hard being a person. I'm just being myself, I'm not pretending to be cool. Why would I do that? Do you think I can attract young girls by pretending to be cool?"

Li Weijie nodded in understanding.

Whether it was her cool appearance or her friendly and cute demeanor during the conversation, they were all evaluations and perceptions from others.

Shen Mengli herself didn't have any deliberate pretenses.

But upon hearing her last remark, he couldn't help but laugh and sigh. He jokingly said, "Sister Li, if you dressed up as a man, you would attract young girls."

"Really? I didn't realize I had that potential! I should make good use of it," Shen Mengli said, rubbing her chin and pretending to consider it seriously, which made Li Weijie feel a bit awkward.

Familiar with her, Xu Rong pursed her lips and smiled.

"Alright, stop teasing Ajie. But... to be honest, if you go for the pretty boy route, you can be quite charming to girls."

Shen Mengli smiled mischievously and reached out to hold Xu Rong's hand. "Is that so? Then the pretty boy should first see if he can attract Rong Jie!"

Seeing them joking like this, Li Weijie felt slightly embarrassed. He had just met Shen Mengli, and he wasn't yet familiar enough with Xu Rong to casually joke around.

"Okay, public place, let's be mindful of our behavior."

After all, they were not in a private room. Xu Rong smiled and lightly tapped Shen Mengli.

Shen Mengli suddenly leaned close to Xu Rong's ear and whispered in a low voice, "Rong Jie, hehe, we scared Ajie. Look, he's blushing!"

"Do you have the audacity to say that?" Xu Rong glanced at Li Weijie and then gave Shen Mengli a playful glare.

"Hehe... familiar people will know that I'm quite lively and cheerful in private, a typical little girl. But once I enter work mode, I exude a certain aura that commands respect. That's why you might think I'm cool at times," Xu Rong coughed and pointed out what surprised Li Weijie.

Li Weijie thought it made sense, but he didn't expect her work mode and usual mode to be so distinct.

The meal was spent in laughter and conversation.

Among the three, Xu Rong and Shen Mengli were more familiar with each other, and as two girls who relaxed outside of work, they naturally dominated most of the conversation.

Li Weijie was happy to go along and chat with the beautiful women.

After the meal, to his surprise, Xu Rong didn't go back with Li Weijie but left with Shen Mengli instead.

Li Weijie went back to his place.

The work over the past few days had consumed most of his time and energy, helping him move on from his lost love for Xiaolan.

Since he had a day off tomorrow, he didn't want his mood to be affected. He decided to make good use of the day and explore the city he hadn't had a chance to get to know yet, keeping himself busy so as not to have idle thoughts.