Don't be So Proud

Chapter 12.3 — The Peach Is Ripe (3)

“Once a girl is being kept by a sugar daddy, that girl has lost those things that are most precious, that is, her dignity and pride.”

Shen Xi had just searched in Baidu [Chinese search engine] “What should a girl do when she gets a sugar daddy?” And then, she was given this slap in the face. Baidu taught her that a price can be put on being kept by a sugar daddy, but pride and dignity are priceless.

But priceless means “without a price.” No price means it’s all a load of bullcr*p! And plus, in the future, when she had money, couldn’t she just pull the reverse and be He Zhi Zhou’s sugar mommy?

Everyone eventually has times when they’re short of money, right?

Shen Xi swiftly crawled up from the rug. Immediately returning to the bedroom, she yanked open the drawer of the bedside table and gingerly found the card He Zhi Zhou had left inside. The card lay in there silently. Her heart was going thump, thump, leaping nonstop. Another internal battle ensued, but in the end, she still stretched out her evil claw in the direction of that card.

At the very least, she should have a look to see what price her sugar daddy, He Zhi Zhou, had put on keeping her, right? And that way, she could judge if he had a lot of sincerity in this, right?

With this idea in her head, Shen Xi took that bank card and its PIN number and headed out the door.

There was a 24-hour ATM just outside of the community compound. After letting her eyes sweep a circle around her, Shen Xi stepped inside. When she stuck the card in, her heart rate sped up a little bit; when she input the PIN number, her heart rate sped up a little bit; when the prompt displayed that the PIN was correct, her heart rate was so fast she could not take it… When she at last saw the total sum of money on that card, she nearly had a heart attack.

Shen Xi felt she needed to support herself against the wall and take some deep breaths to calm her overwrought emotions. If it could be said that last time, He Zhi Zhou had already “kept” her once with five yuan, then just how many times would it be with all that money on the card?!

Shen Xi tried to calculate it out in her mind, but she was not able to. She just did not get it. Why was He Zhi Zhou so rich?! Why was Lin Yu Tang so rich?! Why was Monkey so rich?!

Living in the world of a bunch of rich tycoons—so tiring she couldn’t even love anymore.

She sent a text to He Zhi Zhou, asking him

He Zhi Zhou, did you know you have so much money on your bank card?

He Zhi Zhou was already at S&N and started working. The Bolin project was currently divided into five sub-teams, and He Zhi Zhou was already the team leader of Sub-Team B. Right now, with the team leader badge hanging from his neck, he was making modifications to the action plan while also attending a meeting. At the same time, he was also able to reply to his girlfriend’s text:

There’s lots of money?

Shen Xi wanted to vomit blood, feeling that He Zhi Zhou was showing off.

He Zhi Zhou truly did not think that there was all that much money on that card. The money on that card all came from the little side jobs he had accepted over these last two years, and he was very clear on the amount that was on it. It absolutely could not be considered a lot. The one that truly held a lot was another card of his that had all the money from the profit sharing and dividend pay-out from Granddad’s company. But, he had no basis for using that money.

Shen Xi sent another text over.

Big Brother He, you’ve given me this card, but aren’t you scared I’ll spend all the money on it?

At this moment, He Zhi Zhou was leaning over and discussing a bug in the program with a colleague. With a very clear train of thought, he stated his opinion on how it should be amended. And then, he replied to Shen Xi.

As long as you don’t spend it on another man, for anything else, do as you want.

Do as you want…

Such a mild statement, yet so wild beneath the surface. And it totally rocked!

The male colleague standing beside He Zhi Zhou stole a peek at the chat window on the screen of He Zhi Zhou’s mobile phone. Even he, a grown man, was flushed in the face and ears after reading it. Who would have thought? He Zhi Zhou was a great god in his school, was a great god in S&N, and even carried the air of great god when it came to dating.

Even the male colleague was flushed, let alone Shen Xi, whose little heart was so utterly and totally awed it was about to go on strike. On that crowded street where people were coming and going, Shen Xi strode along with her chin lifted especially high and her chest puffed out especially far. Ha ha! She was a woman with a sugar daddy, too!

Shen Xi shopped for half a day, but actually, with He Zhi Zhou’s card in hand, the feeling when she went to spend money was like her hands and feet were tied. In the end, she only bought a blow-up bra. It was an extremely awesome and impressive bra. Once you put it on, you could immediately say goodbye to that era when had to pad yourself up with foam. Recalling all that foam that had been yanked out from her, Shen Xi felt terribly indignant. She had never seen a man whose eyes were as sharp as his! And he had even found such an honourable and high-sounding reason, saying he was worried she’d get a sweat rash. Ha ha. What girl got sweat rashes from just a bit of foam padding?

For various reasons, Shen Xi was unable to restrain the itch in her heart and ended up buying a legendary blow-up bra.

Back in the apartment, she tried on that bra. Oh yes, it sure was so fun. Inflating the bra to the maximum amount, she stared at the D-cup version of herself in the mirror. Happiness had come just too quickly! She did not even know how to accept it.

Covering her face with her hands, she grinned delightedly for quite some time. She really wanted He Zhi Zhou to come home and see this commanding and impressive her.

He Zhi Zhou was worried that Shen Xi would be bored, but in reality, Shen Xi truly was not someone who would easily get bored. When she was alone, she would lie on the dance mat in the living room and practice her dance skills, or maybe sit on the sofa and post, post, and post some more on Weibo, or use He Zhi Zhou’s computer to fight monsters with Brawny…

Why Brawny? Because Brawny was someone who had nothing to do, too. He could not compare with his buddy, Monkey, who had already stepped foot on the path of CEO internship.

Shen Xi was having a video call with Brawny, who right then was completely bare on top and eating watermelon. From behind him, a person, equally bare on top, walked over. Hey, wasn’t that Monkey?! They were actually hanging out together! Shen Xi was utterly shocked, and she forced the two of them to ’fess up.

“Xixi, don’t get the wrong idea, eh!” Brawny set down his watermelon and hastily opened his mouth to explain. “We haven’t done anything…”

Seriously! The more explanations, the more suspicious it seemed!

Walking over, Monkey waved at Shen Xi and then jumped in to speak first. “Brawny ran away from home. I was kind enough to take him in. That’s the whole situation.”

Brawny shoved away Monkey and then gave a different explanation: This summer break, he had been staying at home, reading the books for taking the examination to be a civil servant, but all his studying had driven him crazy. Monkey had been bragging to him that he was already on the road to being a CEO and would be marrying a young, filthy rich hottie soon and stepping up onto the pinnacle of his life. Brawny had been so envious he had instantly put down his book and defected over to Monkey’s side, coming here to see him. But what was ridiculous was, Monkey had been demoted by his own father and banished to a factory to be some sort of assistant to the factory manager. And the most ridiculous part was, there was no air-conditioning in the dormitory!

Our little “soft and delicate-skinned” Brawn Brawn had never had to live such a hard life before!

After hearing this, Shen Xi burst out into very unkindly guffaws, laughing so hard she could not even close her mouth.

Shen Xi posted on Weibo about winning 500 yuan from her scratch-and-win card last night and also happily shared a photo with the post, too. At the same time, she used “Islet in the River’s” account to forward it with an additional comment that said,

Everyone joins in on the rejoicing!

On one hand, Brawny and Monkey criticized her that this sort of action of flaunting her riches was an abomination, yet at the same time, they sucked up to her and asked her to treat them to eat. Shen Xi was full of promises to their request.

Lin Yu Tang made no comment at all and only quietly clicked “like.”

“Lion in the Wind” had always forwarded every single one of his daughter’s Weibo posts, and this time was the same. He forwarded it and also added a comment:

When you’ve played enough, come home. Remember to bring roast duck.

Shen Xi said an “I’m sorry” in her heart, then pretended she had not seen it.

Shen Xi’s agreement to treat Monkey and Brawny to food had not been said in seriousness. But the result was, that afternoon, they really did secretly take the factory manager’s car and drive over to find her. The factory was in the Guping Industrial Area, which was the heart of development of the nation’s flourishing electronics industry. That was also where He Zhi Zhou had gone to have that meeting previously.

Since Monkey and Brawny could be so thick-skinned to come over, how could she not host them? Originally, she had intended on taking He Zhi Zhou’s bank card to carry out her hostly duties, but as she was about to leave the house, she remembered He Zhi Zhou’s instructions: the money could not be spent on other men.

She let herself be immersed in depression for a while. Well, she could only use those 500 yuan she had scratched and won.

Monkey drove an S-class Mercedes over, flauntingly parading himself through town.

When Shen Xi got into the car, she snubbed him, “You guys are driving your big, fancy Mercedes over to get me to treat you to a meal. Do you think that’s good?”

Brawny shook his head. “There was no other choice. This is the factory manager’s car.”

Shen Xi asked Monkey, “It’s really expensive, right?”

Giving a thump to the steering wheel with his fist, Monkey answered in huffed voice, “This Mercedes is from the nineties!”

Shen Xi had them drive the car over to the plaza up ahead. When they got out of the vehicle, she asked Monkey and Brawny what they wanted to eat. For more than a month already, Monkey had been eating in the factory’s cafeteria and had completely gone from being a second-generation rich kid to a peasant worker. In bitter suffering, he answered, “Anything will be good, as long as it’s not the fast food from the cafeteria.”

Brawny had suffered along with Monkey for two bitter days and had become very open to suggestions as well. “As long as it’s good food, I’m good.”

These two people truly seemed like they were refugees escaping from somewhere. Glancing them over a few times, Shen Xi pityingly took them to have a meal of fish hot pot. Completely satisfied from eating, Brawny finally wiped his mouth and declared, “I’ve decided, I’m not going to Monkey for refuge anymore. I want to run to you and Leader instead.”

Shen Xi was given a fright at this. Don’t! Definitely don’t! Her eyes were fixed on Brawny, and though she did not utter a word from her lips, it was plainly written in her eyes, “You actually have the nerve to come disturb us?”

Brawny began to play the pity card. “Xi Xi, just let me stay for a couple of days, eh! I can’t stay in that crappy place of Monkey’s anymore. I have never seen a second-generation rich kid in such a sad state before!”

Shen Xi: “……” No, don’t!

Brawny drank another bowl of soup and then smacked his lips to express how delicious it was.

Watching him, Shen Xi felt extremely stirred within her, and she could not help pulling out her mobile phone, saying, “I need to discuss this with He Zhi Zhou first.”

Brawny nodded in hope.

Shen Xi dialed He Zhi Zhou’s number. After the call connected, she conveyed Brawny’s request of going to their apartment to stay for a while. On the other end of the line, He Zhi Zhou was quiet for a moment. “Shen Xi, we don’t keep large-size pets in our home.”

Pet… large-size pet…

Shen Xi gave Brawny an apologetic look. “He Zhi Zhou said he won’t keep a large-size pet.”

Brawny replied through gritted teeth, “Fine! He’s hard-hearted!”

After walking out from the fish hot pot restaurant, Brawny sobbingly followed Monkey into that S-class Mercedes. Before leaving, he sadly lowered his window, not wanting to part from her, and waved at Shen Xi. “Xi Xi, if you have time, come find us.”

“Okay, okay,” Shen Xi promised. But unless something went wrong with her brain, she very likely would not be going.

Taking the metro back to the apartment, she immediately slipped into her “being kept by a sugar daddy” mode and went into the kitchen, where she put on an apron. She needed to choose all the ingredients and then wait for Big Brother He to come back and cook them.

Shen Xi was always meticulous and careful when she did little things like this. Every little pea pod she selected was exquisite and lovely. She set them all on a plate and then also washed the rice and scrubbed the pan. While she was happily keeping herself busy, the doorbell rang.

He Zhi Zhou never rang the doorbell; he would only ever be “rough and simple” and just open the door directly with the key. With the apron still on her, Shen Xi walked out of the kitchen and, after looking through the peephole at the people standing outside, opened the door.

Outside stood two people, one elderly and one young. The elderly person was even holding a cane. Remembering that He Zhi Zhou had once mentioned that his grandfather had amputated a leg many years ago, Shen Xi immediately understood who was outside.

Shen Xi opened the door, greeting in a sweet voice, “Hello, Granddad.”

Elder He had two legs: one was the real deal, one was not. His posture was still more erect than most elderly people, and he carried more airs than the average elderly person as well. Clearing his throat, he asked, “Who are you? Why are you calling me Granddad?”

Bashfully lowering her head, she invited He Zhi Zhou’s grandfather into the home first. When Elder He gave a wave of his hand, the young man, of his own accord, remained outside in waiting.

Inside the apartment, Elder He took a seat. Shen Xi brought out tea and poured water, already being the model granddaughter-in-law.

Elder He asked one more time, “Little girl, just who are you?”

Shen Xi rubbed her hands shyly, truly too embarrassed to state that she was He Zhi Zhou’s girlfriend. With a twitch of her brows, she cheerfully put forth a request in return. “Guess!”

Tossing the question back over to He Zhi Zhou’s grandfather, she thought to herself, the elderly man had sharp observation skills; he should definitely be able to guess the answer.

Elder He coughed and then truly did begin guessing. “You’re the little housekeeper that A’Zhou hired?”

“……”

Shen Xi grew quiet. Inside, though, she was shouting silently, she was not a little housekeeper! She was the little lover that his A’Zhou had spent lots of money to keep so he could be her sugar daddy!

Elder He leaned back into the sofa. “Could it be, that’s not it?”

Shen Xi miserably shook her head. “It’s not.”

Elder He: “Could it be you’re his girlfriend?”

Only now did Shen Xi nod. “Yes, Grandddad.”

Elder He: “……”

Elder He did not stay for long and left before He Zhi Zhou returned. Prior to departing, he left a sentence of instruction with Shen Xi. “Little Xi, have He Zhi Zhou give me a call this evening.”

“Yes, yes.”

Shen Xi saw this “retired emperor” respectfully out the door, her manner ridiculously docile and well-behaved. If H City’s Shen Jian Guo and Grandpa Shen saw this, they would definitely vomit a liter of blood. They had raised their daughter and granddaughter for basically another family.

When He Zhi Zhou came back, Shen Xi told him about Granddad’s visit here and also told him, word for word, the instructions Granddad had left behind. Then, she even chimed in an especially happy voice, “Granddad praised me and said I’m pretty.”

She was already calling him “Granddad”! With a pat on Shen Xi’s head, He Zhi Zhou stepped out onto the little balcony to make the phone call. This call lasted more than a full ten minutes. When he walked back inside, Shen Xi was already nowhere to be found in the living room.

Nor was she in the kitchen or bathroom.

Striding over to the door of the bedroom, he pushed open the light yellow, wooden door. And then, he did not step inside any further, standing where he was, utterly motionless.

Right at this moment inside, Shen Xi was changing her bra. With her back to him, she was sitting on the bed. The white blouse she had been wearing was now already removed and tossed to the side… From his angle, his eyes beheld a large stretch of her smooth and delicate back as well as a curve that was every once in a while visible to him.

It was a pretty shape, like a just-ripened peach.

Bonus Side Story: That Legendary First Meeting (1)

Many years ago, during the start of a new school year, the members of dorm room 921 all, one after the other, met. The first person who found the dormitory room was “Brawny” Zhou Chen. The first thing he did after setting down his luggage was to pull out the class contact book that the counselor had given him and call each girl in his class to introduce himself. The content of what he said was roughly this: “Hi, this is Rong Rong, right? I’m Zhou Chen, from our class. Hello, hello. You can call me Big Chen, too. We’re going to be classmates from now on. If you need any help, just call me on my phone. This is my number.”

Of course, there were only six students in their entire class.

Brawny was so caught up in making phone calls he was unaware of anything else and did not even know that “Monkey” Yang Lei had walked over. Poking his head over, Monkey asked, “Hey friend, the way you’re just randomly tossing out your net, aren’t you scared you might end up pulling in a great white shark?”

At the beginning of university, Brawny’s face had still not been so thick-skinned yet, and he was unable to bear Monkey’s teasing, especially since this was the first time meeting this roommate. He explained sincerely, “You’ve misunderstood. It is fate that we can all come together. It is out of friendship as a fellow classmate that I’m calling them.”

“Oh, friendship as a fellow classmate.” As he searched for his own bunk, Monkey asked, “Then how come I’ve been standing at the door for so long but you haven’t come to greet me and show ‘care’ for me?”

Brawny stood. “Friend, there’s no need to be so overly polite, like we’re regarding each other as outsiders.”

Monkey let out a “ha ha.”

Brawny was not happy about Monkey’s “ha ha.” With a sideways glance, he caught a glimpse of Monkey’s shoes, and in a tone that had purposely-created emotion, he cried, “Wow! Your shoes are a limited edition.”

Monkey held out his leg in display for a bit. “Yup.”

Stepping forward, Brawny eyed it over and then made a couple of clucking noises. “Where’d you buy this knockoff?”

Monkey: “……”

As a matter of fact, that first meeting between Monkey and Brawny had not been all that pleasant, until Lin Yu Tang arrived. Such an elegantly handsome boy. He was like the spring breeze of their dorm room 921.

Lin Yu Tang gave a nod: “Lin Yu Tang, from H City.”

Brawny had already made his bunk. Turning his head to the side, he asked, “Isn’t Lin Yu Tang the name of some sort of author?” [referring to林语堂 Lin Yǔtang (1895-1976), but the middle character of his name is different from that of 林煜堂 Lin Yù Tang of our story and also has a different tone].

Lin Yu Tang gave an explanation. “No, it’s not ‘yǔ,’ it’s ‘yù,’ the yù in ‘ri yi yù hu zhou’ [日以煜乎昼 ‘the sun’s duty is to illuminate the day].

Brawny blinked in confusion. “You’re a liberal arts student?”

His show-off display of looking intelligent had failed. Aloofly, Lin Yu Tang turned away. “It’s the same yù as Li Yù.” []

After thinking about it for a moment, Brawny was still unable to remember which yù was in Li Yù. Right as he was about to ask Monkey, Monkey, still holding a grudge, retorted with the question, “Did you honestly get into S University with your own hard work?”

“Of course.” Pride rose up on Brawny’s face, and then he stated his score on the College Entrance Examinations.

Monkey let out a “Holy crud!” It was even two points higher than his.

Brawny was very pleased with his College Entrance Examination results. The feeling of superiority he got from Monkey, though, was not enough, so he then turned his gaze over to Lin Yu Tang.

Lin Yu Tang did not state his own.

So, Brawny gave him an encouraging look and indicated he should say it.

Lin Yu Tang could not take it anymore and had no choice but to tell them his marks on the College Entrance Exams. With a “Sh*t!” Brawny stretched out his hand to Lin Yu Tang. “Holy cr*p. You’re amazing!!!”

Lin Yu Tang did not say much. In between, he took a phone call. Monkey asked him whether it was his girlfriend. A smile came onto Lin Yu Tang’s lips. “It’s my little sister.”

Brawny’s eyes brightened. “Introduce her to me, eh, introduce her to me.”

Ha ha. You wish! Lin Yu Tang flicked a glance at Brawny, having no good feelings towards him as well.

Very sadly, school had only just started and Brawny had already gotten on the bad side of both Monkey and Lin Yu Tang.

That night, when it was time for bed, the last member of their dormitory room still had not arrived. This seemed so haughty that none of them could understand it. It was not until the next day, when everyone was in the main auditorium and saw the student representative of all the new entering students, that they finally beheld the august countenance of that roommate who was late to show up in their dorm—He Zhi Zhou.

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