Western Jin City, Hongda Plaza.
In the ultra-luxurious VIP room on the fourth floor KTV, a huge music screen was playing the latest pop songs. Next to a large coffee table, a group of fashionably dressed teenagers were playing cards.
Around them were piles of drinks, alcohol, and various snacks.
As they played, one of the teenagers with a cigarette looked at a beautiful woman who had just risen from the sofa nearby and said playfully, "Shi Shao, congratulations on your persistence paying off and winning the beauty’s heart."
The nearby teenagers all laughed, but only Shi Tongyang, sitting in the middle, maintained a half-smiling expression, with little change in his demeanor.
Seeing this, someone turned their gaze and jokingly scolded the boy who spoke first:
"Do you know how to talk? What’s with the ’persistence pays off’? Our school flower at Dinying being fancied by Shi Shao? She’s bound to be his sooner or later."
However, someone was puzzled by his words, "Isn’t the lady still the school flower? Didn’t they say the school flower at Dinying was some first-year in the experimental class, Ning... Ning something?"
"Ning Youguang," someone next to him immediately added.
"Who cares about Ning Youguang? I say our lady is the most beautiful, truly deserving the title of school flower."
"Yes, yes, our lady is the most beautiful, the others are nothing."
"Of course, Shi Shao has the highest standards."
Unexpectedly, Shi Dashao, who had been lounging on the sofa, smoking and playing cards without joining their chatter, suddenly sat up straight, half-closed his eyes, and said, "Ning Youguang is quite good, she’s prettier than Zhang Xuan."
The group of teenagers was dumbfounded.
...
This ultra-luxurious room was huge, crowded, and noisy, plus the music playing in the room, so Zhang Xuan, sitting a bit further away from the teenagers, couldn’t hear what they were saying.
She was holding a cup of iced drink, leaning lightly by the window, watching the crowd below.
The Hongda mall she was at was newly opened by the Shi family and had become extremely popular.
On weekends, many students and white-collar workers came here for food, movies, and shopping.
Because of the new opening, many brands that moved in had discounts these days. Additionally, there were promotions like cash-back and lottery activities, attracting even more people, so every shop on each floor was packed.
You had to queue for food, queue for movies, and queue to buy bubble tea.
Downstairs was crowded with people, looking like a swarm of ants chasing food.
She smirked with a bit of disdain.
...
On the first floor, a bubble tea shop with a long queue.
Ning Youguang was on the phone, hearing the anxious voice of Ning Yi on the other end, "Youyou, Dad’s caught in traffic here, not sure when I’ll arrive. Find somewhere to sit alone and have a drink first."
"Mm, okay, I’m already in line for bubble tea."
"Got it, no worries."
"Don’t hurry, drive safely, I’ll wait for you."
After hanging up, a fine sweat appeared on the girl’s smooth forehead.
It was a bit hot today.
After school yesterday, she received a call from her dad, arranging to meet here for dinner today.
She hadn’t been to this mall before, though Daidai and friends had been a few times, saying it was popular and fun. But when she arrived, she found it incredibly crowded.
After buying the bubble tea, Ning Youguang turned around and saw a flower shop in the mall, with vibrant flowers catching her eye yet not many people inside, so she walked in.
After browsing around, she came out with a bunch of white roses in hand.
Just in time, her dad called.
He had arrived.
...
Ye Ziqin and Zhang Li entered the fourth-floor KTV room excitedly, and immediately saw Zhang Xuan nestled in Shi Dashao’s arms.
She was holding a cup of refreshing iced drink, lazily biting on the straw, perhaps amused by someone’s words, blossoming into a smile that made her the most dazzling sight in the room.
The Zhang Xuan here was different from the Zhang Xuan at school.
At school, Zhang Xuan wore a school uniform, with bare makeup, looking pure and sweet.
Here, Zhang Xuan’s makeup was much more elaborate, her dress much more mature.
At this moment.
She was wearing a pink short dress from Valentino, carrying a beige chain bag from the same brand, with nude studded high heels, showing off her snow-white slender legs, highlighted by bright red toenails. Her hair styled in waves cascading down her back, exuding a charm absent at school, and maintaining a stronger sense of distance.
Seeing them arrive, Zhang Xuan didn’t rise from Shi Tongyang’s embrace but waited for them to come closer, "Why did you arrive so late?"
"Queued downstairs for bubble tea, took quite a while," Zhang Li laughed, glancing at the group of playing wealthy second-generation members.
"There’s all kinds of drinks here, didn’t I say so?" Zhang Xuan sneered, "Why squeeze with those folks, can’t bubble tea be drunk anywhere?"
"But I’ve wanted to try their bubble tea for a while." Zhang Li blushed a bit, "If I’d known the queue would be so long, we wouldn’t have gone down."
Ye Ziqin excitedly told Zhang Xuan, "Xuanxuan, come here, I have something to tell you."
"Can’t you just say it directly?"
"No, come over, I want to show you something interesting."
Only then did Zhang Xuan rise from Shi Tongyang’s arms, and as she did, Shi Tongyang pulled her up for a kiss, mouth to mouth, prompting the boys nearby to laugh boisterously.
...
"What’s this?" Zhang Xuan stared at the photo on Ye Ziqin’s phone with wide eyes, her inner excitement growing.
"Yes, it’s her, I saw her downstairs when buying bubble tea." Ye Ziqin was so thrilled that her hands were shaking.
"Wow, never thought she’d be like this in private," Zhang Li exclaimed, eyes wide with disbelief.
...
In a private room of a restaurant on the third floor.
Ning Yi raised his tea cup to clink with his daughter’s, then downed the tea in one go, "Suddenly I feel nostalgic, my baby girl has grown up in the blink of an eye."
"Not fast, it’s been over ten years." Across the table, Ning Youguang put a piece of radish skin in her mouth, "Time hasn’t gone by in vain."
Quite tasty.
"But Dad always wishes my baby could grow up slowly." Ning Yi chuckled, "If you grow up slowly, I won’t feel I’m aging so quickly."
"Dad isn’t old, aren’t you just about to become a groom?"
"What groom? I’m just getting married again."
"Getting married makes you a groom anyway."
Seeing his daughter’s relaxed smile, Ning Yi, who had been a bit nervous, gradually began to relax. 1314