Zhang Lisheng’s Plain Date

After picking George at Geyser Street and sent him to Lina's place, Zhang Lisheng contacted the date that he hired through posting online and picked out through a video call.

"Ms. Maddie, I'm Zhang Lisheng. May I know if you're ready to go?"

"Oh, I'm ready, I can leave anytime. I would like to confirm this again with you, Mr. Zhang. So you'll pay me $300 for being your date tonight. I won't have to do anything else and I'll go home after the prom ended, am I right?"

"Of course."

"You guarantee that you're a student from Lowbige Junior High and we're going for Lowbige's senior prom instead of some weird party right?"

"Of course."

"You'll pay me as soon as we meet right?"

"Of course."

"Okay, pick me up at Madison Fat Chicken Burger. It's on the north of Conan Street."

"Sure, I'll be there right away."

Zhang Lisheng was just two streets away from Conan Street. He turned on the GPS and arrived at a fast food restaurant that was everywhere in New York after a short drive. There was a furry cartoon chicken on the sign. After parking his car, he walked in the snow storm into the struggling fast food restaurant covered in snow. He saw two bored girls wearing silly crest on their heads behind the cashier. They were chatting to a person wearing furry chicken mascot in front of the cashier.

The three of them greeted loudly in unison hearing the tune when the door was opened, "Welcome to Madison Fat Chicken Burger."

Zhang Lisheng was slightly stunned and said while smiling, "I'm Zhang Lisheng, I'm here for Ms. Maddie."

"You're Mr… Mr. Zhang. Oh, you don't sound so skinny… No, I mean so young on the phone and from the video call. Hi, I'm Maddie." The chicken mascot looked at Zhang Lisheng for a while and said in a relief manner.

"You look different from the video too," Zhang Lisheng forced a smile and said while looking at the chicken mascot that was two heads taller than him.

"Maddie, a man who is skinny is still a man. I still think that this is too dangerous," A girl behind the cashier said softly, who was hiding behind the fat chicken mascot.

"Sandy, this boy's so skinny that I could lift him up with one hand. Don't worry, it's going to be okay. He's paying me $300, I can pay for my dad's dentist fee with that," The mascot showed its claws after turning around and gave her friend an 'okay' sign strenuously. She then looked at Zhang Lisheng apologetically, "Mr. Zhang, I didn't know you would be here so fast. I'm sorry, I'll only get off work ten minutes later."

"It's alright," Zhang Lisheng nodded showing that he understood. He got himself a seat close to the window in the fast food restaurant. Soon, the chicken mascot brought a glass of juice with steam coming out of it, "It's my treat."

"Thanks," Ten minutes soon passed as he watched the snow outside and pedestrians walking quickly while sipping on the orange juice. Without him realizing, a tall, blonde girl who had a high nose and pretty eyes wearing a gown walked to Zhang Lisheng. She said wearing a smile, "Mr. Zhang, I'm off work. We can leave now."

Zhang Lisheng turned his head and took a good look at her in shock. The girl before her was even prettier than the one he saw in the video call two days ago, "Your outfit makes you look so different."

Maddie said nothing to Zhang Lisheng's tease and rolled her eyes, the two of them left the fast food restaurant immediately. Before leaving, Maddie's two friends who wore crest were shouting behind the cashier, "Please call us when you get home tonight, Maddie. We will call the police if our phone isn't ringing at 12 a.m..."

"Look how sweet your friends are to you," Zhang Lisheng said casually as he brought Maddie to his Explorer after getting out of the door.

"I know," Maddie smiled rather awkwardly, "So how do we go to Lowbige? Do we take the subway or the cab?"

"I'm driving," Zhang Lisheng opened the door to his Explorer and gotten into the car as he spoke. Maddie went into the passenger's seat in shock, "I thought you skipped a grade, I didn't know that you're 16 just like me and obtained your driver's license."

Zhang Lisheng said nothing and took out $300 from his pocket. He then handed it over to Maddie, "This is the pay that I promised."

"Thanks. I must say that this $300 is the easiest money that I've ever made since I started working this year. This is considered a job too, nothing immoral, am I right? Because we're just going to the prom, nothing else."

"Of course," Zhang Lisheng replied casually and started the SUV engine then drove to Lowbige Junior High. He did not notice at all that there was a black, antique Ford followed him onto the crowded New York street as the Explorer blended into the traffic. A young man wearing black and gray overall locked his eyes closely at the SUV in front, showing an unusual smile as he mumbled to himself, "I've finally got you, kid. I'll break your bones one after another tonight and make it into a perfect Christmas present."

The lights were shining brightly at Lowbige Junior High tonight, the Walk of Fame spread from the school hall to half of the school compound. Those rude boys who usually dressed clumsily wore neat suits tonight. They held their young dates' hand courteously walking onto to the red-carpeted Walk of Fame in pairs. They looked like gentlemen and ladies of the future.

Zhang Lisheng arrived at the street outside Lowbige Junior High after picking up George and Lina. Looking at the couples complementing the beautiful lights far away, Zhang Lisheng stopped his car and looked at George in a suit and tie on the backseat, "George, must we wear a suit to the prom?"

"Of course buddy, please don't tell me you didn't bring your suit. Sh*t I thought you didn't wear it because you were afraid your pure wool suit would be wrinkled."

"Oh, no wonder my mom reminded me to dress formal today. Luckily I have a shirt on," Zhang Lisheng walked out of the car after opening the door. The heavy snow that went on for two days had stopped, but the air seemed to be chillier out there. There was white steam coming out of one's mouth when one breathed out lightly.

"Buddy listen, the shops are still opened now. Maybe you should get a readymade suit now. The money's nothing to you. Also, unless the person's an idiot, nobody would bring a canvas bag to a prom. I'm afraid you might have to be apart from your toad baby for a while," George gotten off the car and said while pouting, as he looked at Zhang Lisheng who wore a black cotton jacket.

"I could keep my backpack in the locker, there's no need to get a suit. Look, that person didn't wear a suit too."

"That person's a nerd. Oh sorry, I forgot that you're one too," George said helplessly, "Maddie, hold onto your employer. We'll go now. This person never listens, you'll be compromising and dancing with this rude slaughterhouse owner later."

Maddie, George, and Lina built a friendship as they chatted along the way. They made the girl understood that the skinny boy who hired her with $300 to be his prom date had no other intention. He just could not find a date because of his weird character.

She held Zhang Lisheng's arm and teased, "George, perhaps the moment when I danced with Lisheng would be the best memory of my life. Your friend who behaves like Frankenstein might reach achievement that's unthinkable one day."

"I don't doubt that at all," George held Lina's hand courteously and slipped his tongue, "This fella would definitely be the person everyone loves in Manhattan over then years later. I wonder if he'll be a Slaughter Lord, or a biologist or… err… Let's go, the prom's commencing."

The four of them walked on the red carpet with over 100 dashing couples into the school hall. Lowbige Junior High's hall was shining in sophisticated embellishment. The entrance was decorated into a classic Broadway ballroom. The student council hired tall and muscular black bouncer who was standing outside the only entrance and exit with red rope, blocking expressionlessly. He was flashing a torchlight and checking each and every invitation cards, killing the dreams of those jokers of getting in and left in grim instead.

Maddie was stunned for a moment when she saw the grand prom while queuing into the school hall. She said softly, "Oh this isn't fair. I live near Chinatown and I go to public school just like you, but your Lowbige prom's so grand. This is even grander than what we see in movies. We only had a bunch of old fairy lights hanging outside the hall at our prom. The drinks and snacks they provided were just orange juice and animal-shaped biscuits."