Chapter 19

Qiao Zhenzhen didn't just talk about it, she acted. She grabbed Chi and they headed straight for the barber.
Mindful that Chi Shen's money couldn't be wasted, she picked a small shop near the school. Inside there was only an old man in his sixties or seventies who washed and cut hair himself. His taste was outdated and he didn't do flashy perms or coloring, so students didn't favor him and business was usually quiet.
When Qiao Zhenzhen brought Chi into the shop, the old man was the only person there. He stood up at once on seeing customers. "Haircuts?" he asked.
"Yes, we need haircuts," Qiao Zhenzhen said, nudging Chi forward. "Please give him something neat and fresh."
"Any particular requests?" the old man asked, putting on his glasses.
Qiao Zhenzhen thought for a moment. "Not too short, please."
"Got it." The old man immediately beckoned Chi Shen over.
Qiao Zhenzhen had only heard of the place before and never been there. Now that she saw the antiquated shampoo sink, Chi had to sit and tip his head back under the pipe to get washed, she instantly regretted choosing it. But it was too late: the old man had already lathered Chi's head into a mass of suds, and there was no escaping.
She could only hope the old man would somehow exceed expectations. When Chi Shen sat in front of the mirror and the old man began rubbing his head with a towel, she couldn't bear to look. She plopped down on a small stool and started praying.
Strands of black hair fell to the floor, exposing Chi Shen's cool, reserved brows and revealing his sharp contours more clearly. At first Qiao Zhenzhen didn't dare look, but when she heard the snip of scissors she couldn't help peeking up. She caught him off guard, their eyes met, and she couldn't look away.
She'd always known Chi Shen was good-looking, but she'd never imagined how handsome he'd be once his features were fully revealed. With the overly long hair gone, his cool features took on a sharper, more rugged edge; the brooding aura softened, and he gained that particular youthful charm of a boy his age.
In short: he looked great.
When the old man finished, he used a sponge to brush the hair from Chi Shen's face and neck, then examined him closely and nodded with satisfaction. "Not bad, young man. Your body odor's a bit strong, but you're still handsome."
Qiao Zhenzhen's mouth twitched. To keep him from saying anything more outrageous, she quickly handed him ten yuan, grabbed Chi Shen, and rushed out.
After they'd walked quite a way, Qiao Zhenzhen finally remembered the blisters on his feet hadn't fully healed and immediately grew anxious. "Does your foot hurt?"
Chi Shen shook his head slightly.
Qiao Zhenzhen looked up and met his gaze again; she swallowed and suddenly rose onto her tiptoes.
She leaned in so suddenly that her breath brushed his nose. Chi Shen reflexively tried to step back, but his feet felt rooted to the floor, he couldn't move an inch.
The air held for three seconds. Qiao Zhenzhen reached out and pinched a bit of his cheek, then stepped back to her original distance. "That old man's eyesight is terrible, you still have stubble on your face."
Watching her pinch a little bit of hair and complain, Chi Shen blinked slowly.
[Affection +30, now 250]
Qiao Zhenzhen paused, glanced at him with a subtle expression, and after a moment mischievously curled the corner of her mouth. Supporting herself on his arm, she rose onto her tiptoes again.
Faced with her second approach, Chi Shen held his breath without realizing it; his hoarse voice trembled slightly, "…Anything else?"
"Seems like it," Qiao Zhenzhen blinked. "Don't move."
Chi Shen's Adam's apple bobbed; his body grew more and more rigid.
Amusement spread in Qiao Zhenzhen's eyes and the corners of her mouth lifted. Chi Shen paused and, a little slow on the uptake, realized she was teasing him.
[Affection +10, now 260]
"No wonder the system limits how much lifespan the host can grant others, it can't exceed the host's own life," Xiao Ba sighed in her head. "At this rate, he might live to be two hundred."
The smile in Qiao Zhenzhen's eyes deepened. She stepped back a few paces before speaking, "Let's go buy a few clothes."
She said it and reached out her hand toward Chi Shen.
Chi Shen hesitated for a moment, then slowly extended his hand. When his fingertips brushed hers, he suddenly noticed the scar on the back of his hand from where fish scales had scraped him and instinctively pulled back.
Qiao Zhenzhen didn't know why he suddenly had second thoughts, but seeing him press his thin lips together, she didn't push him.
After the haircut, their next stop was buying clothes. Since shopping near the school meant a high chance of twin outfits, Qiao Zhenzhen simply led him to a mall farther away.
After a casual browse, Qiao Zhenzhen asked, "Anything you like?"
"You pick." Chi Shen answered in two words.
Qiao Zhenzhen sighed, "I still need to know what you like."
Chi Shen looked at her quietly.
Qiao Zhenzhen had an epiphany, what she liked was what he liked, so she stopped resisting and began choosing outright.
Chi Shen was tall with long legs and a lean, athletic frame, born to model clothes. Considering his reserved nature, Qiao Zhenzhen didn't dare pick anything too flashy and grabbed some basic pieces instead.
When they reached the underwear section, Chi Shen's neck flushed and he absolutely refused to let her go in. Qiao Zhenzhen nodded in understanding and, as she watched him enter, called after him, "Remember to get cotton!"
Chi Shen's back went rigid; for the first time he ignored her remark.
They shopped from the first floor up to the fourth and back down, their hands full of bags. As they stepped out to hail a taxi, Qiao Zhenzhen's sharp eyes spotted something and she immediately changed direction. Chi Shen asked nothing and silently followed.
The two of them finally stopped in front of a bathhouse.
"Go in, take a bath, get a scrub and a salt treatment, then put on these clothes," Qiao Zhenzhen said, fishing a whole outfit out of the bag. "Get rid of the stuff you're wearing and shake off the bad luck. From today on, you're coming with me."
The last sentence felt like a small knife, stabbing into Chi Shen's heart. His first reaction was a little sting, then a comforting, soaked softness as if he'd been steeped in warm water.
Seeing him hesitate, Qiao Zhenzhen shoved the clothes into his hands and pushed him through the door.
Chi Shen went in to shower; she sat in the lobby and waited.
It was already evening and the bathhouse was nearly empty; the few people who drifted in had a slightly rowdy air about them.
Qiao Zhenzhen sat in a corner and noticed two drunks who'd just come in seemed to be staring at her. She frowned and kept her head down, playing with her phone.
"Hey beautiful, you alone?" At last, someone approached.
Qiao Zhenzhen ignored him and, expressionless, rose to leave, but another man blocked her way. "Don't go, pretty, I'll buy you a bath."
After he spoke, something crossed his mind and he broke into a leering grin.
Qiao Zhenzhen's gaze chilled, "Please step aside."
"Come on, beautiful, together..."
He didn't finish. Qiao Zhenzhen's eyes met Chi Shen as he came out, and they immediately lit up; she waved him over. The two drunks followed her line of sight and, upon seeing the tall Chi Shen, frowned.
Chi Shen walked over with a dark expression and stood protectively in front of Qiao Zhenzhen. The two drunks exchanged a look and, losing interest, wandered off.
"So annoying," Qiao Zhenzhen muttered, then turned to the freshly washed Chi Shen.
He'd always been clean; it was only his clothes, permanently soaked in the odd smell from the fish stall, that had made people assume he was unhygienic. Having tossed those clothes today, he looked refreshed.
Qiao Zhenzhen leaned in and sniffed him, eyes half-closed in satisfaction. "Smells good."
Chi Shen's neck reddened again as he lowered his head and took the things from her hands.
Qiao Zhenzhen sighed, "You spent so much, I'm a bit embarrassed. Dinner's on me tonight." With that, she tugged him toward the exit.
After they'd walked a short distance, Chi Shen suddenly stopped.
Qiao Zhenzhen halted, puzzled, "What's wrong?"
"I didn't grab my things," Chi Shen replied.
Qiao Zhenzhen gave a helpless sigh, "How can you be so careless? Come on, I'll go with you..."
"Wait here," Chi Shen said, handing all the bags to her.
Qiao Zhenzhen's arm sagged under the weight and she couldn't move. She could only admonish him, "Hurry back."
Chi Shen nodded and turned back toward the bathhouse.
Bathhouse, men's section.
The two drunks had stripped off and, tipsy, sat in the sauna talking lewdly about the girl they'd seen earlier. As they got more excited they gestured wildly and laughed in a leering, obscene way.
At that moment it wasn't yet the busy hour at the bathhouse; the men's section had only the two of them, and even the scrubbing attendants had gone out to eat.
They were chatting happily when a lean, wiry figure suddenly appeared in the sauna. The two of them looked over drowsily, and the next second they were knocked to the floor.
There was a chorus of guttural cries inside the sauna, but because the room was sealed, none of the sounds escaped.
Three minutes later, only two people remained inside, and the door was locked from the outside. The two drunks had taken a beating and were trapped in the sauna's nearly forty-degree heat; soon they were so distressed they could barely catch their breath.
Outside the bathhouse, Qiao Zhenzhen waited anxiously. At last she saw Chi Shen come out and breathed a sigh of relief. "Why did you take so long? I've been waiting for you," she said.
"I'm sorry," Chi Shen said, lowering his head.
Qiao Zhenzhen looked at the sweat on his brow, frowning with concern. "Nobody hurt you, right? Why did you come out so late, did you run into those two drunks again?"
Chi Shen remained silent.
Qiao Zhenzhen snapped, "Did they bully you? I'll call the police right now."
As she spoke she pulled out her phone to call the police, but Chi Shen grabbed her hand.
She froze for a moment, staring at him in confusion.
"...I wasn't bullied," Chi Shen said, gripping her hand; the skin at his neck was flushing. "Are you hungry?"
Qiao Zhenzhen paused, and her stomach instantly growled.
She cleared her throat and slid the phone back into her pocket. "I'm hungry. Let's eat first."
"Okay." Chi Shen nodded and took the bag from her hand.
Qiao Zhenzhen instantly relaxed, and when she looked at his handsome features she grew curious about how the classmates who had mocked him would react now that his one obvious flaw had disappeared.
"After we eat, let's go back to school for evening study."
"Okay."