Chapter 147 — The Long-Awaited...

"Oh, then may I ask, sir—how far along are you and the girl you fancy?" The salesgirl continued, "Have you just met, or do you know each other well but haven't confessed yet, or has it reached the point where only a thin sheet of window paper stands between you?"

"I'd say the third one." Yang Ce didn't hold anything back—after all, he was the one asking for help, and he didn't understand these things himself. The more detailed he was, the better the other party could prescribe the right remedy. If he concealed things, she couldn't help him choose a gift. So he said, "Actually, here's how it is: I like a girl, and at the time I thought she felt that way about me too. But a while back I hinted at it once, and I got turned down. Later, as we spent more time together, I felt she still liked me, and I confirmed it from what others said too. It seems that girl is also waiting for me to confess again."

"Heh, I understand what you mean, sir." The salesgirl nodded with a smile. "You're saying you want to confess to her again, but you're afraid she'll reject you again, so you want to buy a gift to express your love for her in a veiled way—is that right?"

"Yes, yes." Yang Ce nodded hurriedly, thinking to himself: this salesgirl is amazing—she's a match for me! I can see through other people's thoughts, and she can see through mine.

"That girl you mentioned should be the type with a lot on her mind, and somewhat indecisive. Because she worries about this and that, if you confess to her directly, it's very likely to catch her off guard, and that's why she'd reject you," the salesgirl continued. "But through this veiled way of expressing your love, the success rate will be higher. In other words, even if she rejects you again, you can always deny it, and there'll still be a next chance—right?"

"Exactly." Yang Ce nodded repeatedly and gave her a thumbs-up. "Your analysis is really good—much better than my own racking my brains. So what gift would suit me?"

"Actually, there are many gifts that express love in a veiled way, but judging by your situation, I think this one suits you best." As she spoke, the salesgirl took a small box down from the shelf and said, "This one."

"What is it?" Yang Ce took the small box, opened it, and took a look. It was something like a Christmas tree, with a bunch of little tags hanging on it, though the workmanship was quite exquisite.

"This is called a Memory Tree," the salesgirl explained. "Look—on the surface there's nothing special about it, just a Christmas-tree-shaped ornament. But look here, it can be opened."

As she spoke, the salesgirl carefully opened each little tag on the Memory Tree, revealing that inside they were like little message books, with space to write.

"You can leave messages in here?" Yang Ce said in surprise, looking at the Memory Tree.

"That's right. The reason this Memory Tree is called a Memory Tree is that you can write all sorts of beautiful memories inside it," the salesgirl explained. "For example, the story of how you met, or some meaningful and important events—you can jot them down briefly inside. Then you close it up and give it to the one you love. When you give it to her, you don't have to tell her the secret inside; let her discover it herself."

"Oh, oh." Yang Ce nodded in deep agreement. This was a good thing—it could even cultivate Zhao Ying's hands-on spirit and sense of exploration. Not bad, not bad at all. "How much is this? I'll take this one."

"This one is one hundred and thirty yuan, and ninety-eight after the discount," the salesgirl said.

Yang Puqi didn't think the price was very high at all—it was truly good value. The key was that the salesgirl's analysis beforehand was worth far more than ninety-eight yuan. If not for her, Yang Shuoxuan wouldn't have known what to give Zhao Ying.

"All right. Where do I pay?" Yang Yuting nodded, looking satisfied.

"Sir, just follow me." The salesgirl led Yang Ce toward the checkout counter.

"Thank you. If not for you, I still wouldn't know what to do," Yang Ce said sincerely.

"Pfft—hahahahaha!" A girl's laughter drifted over. Yang Ce quickly turned to look, and there, not far from the checkout counter, a girl was choosing gifts—she was the one laughing. And it was actually Jing Yu. No need to guess—she was surely laughing at him, because apart from himself, there were no other customers in the shop but her. Her face was flushed bright red; she had clearly been holding it in for a long time.

Yang Ce was furious. He couldn't help but glare at her and said in a sour tone, "What are you laughing at?"

"Nothing," Jing Yu said, covering her mouth, her eyes brimming with mirth, ready to spill over. "Yang Ce, I never thought there'd be a girl you couldn't win over. Some girls throw themselves at you, and you don't even want them!"

"Don't talk nonsense!" Yang Ce's face flushed with embarrassment. There were other people around—Yang Ce felt extremely awkward.

"I'm not talking nonsense," Jing Yu giggled. "How about this—you confess to me, and I'll be your lover. What do you say?"

"Nonsense." Yang Ce shot her a glare, sounding rather helpless. "You've got a perfectly good job. What do you want with being my mistress at your age? Instead of learning something useful."

"What's this? Talking like some old fossil," Jing Yu gave Yang Puqi a coquettish roll of her eyes. "As if you're so much older—you're my classmate, aren't you?"

Dressed now as a white-collar secretary, Jing Yu was indescribably alluring—a far cry from the punky little delinquent she had once been. Yang Juehuan could not help but picture one of those office AVs. "All right, all right." Yang Ce shook his head, not daring to let his thoughts wander further. "So you're not at work—what are you doing here?"

"I'm off today," Jing Yu said with a smile. "You're the one who got me the job—don't you know the company rotates its days off?"

"Is that so." Yang Ce truly had not known. "Oh. Well, enjoy your shopping. I'll be going."

"Wait a moment. Aren't you fretting over how to chase after that girl? I can give you some pointers." Jing Yu grabbed hold of Yang Ce and would not let him leave.

"What are you doing? Men and women shouldn't touch each other so freely," Yang Ce said, breaking into a sweat.

"I'm not the one making a fuss—what are you getting all bashful about?" Jing Yu said, entirely unbothered.

"You? Give pointers?" Yang Ce looked at Jing Yu with curiosity.

Jing Yu gave a faint smile. "I'm a girl too, so naturally I understand a girl's mind. That shop assistant just now told you what this gift is for, but she didn't say when or how to give it, did she? If you mean to hand it over and be done with it, that's one thing—but if you're hoping to use it as a chance to push her down, well, then you'd better consult me. I'm very experienced."

"Are you serious?" Yang Ce was rather taken in by Jing Yu's words. After all, she had struck right at Yang Juehuan's heart—and at exactly what Yang Ce was most desperate to know.

"Believe it or not." Jing Yu shook her head. "Just pretend I never said anything."

"Wait." Yang Ji stopped Jing Yu. There was no harm in hearing her out, after all—if it seemed useful, he would take a lesson from it; if not, he would let it go in one ear and out the other. He had nothing to lose. So he said, "Go on, then. Let's hear it."

"Do I look like an idiot to you? I finally got a day off—I want to go shopping. But if someone's paying, I suppose I could put myself out and give him a few pointers." Jing Yu stretched lazily and spoke in a languid voice.

To be continued

988. Play Along

Yang Ce knew perfectly well that Jing Yu meant to shake him down, but he was a drowning man clutching at any straw—and besides, Yang Shuoxuan did not lack for money. He truly did not lack for money.

No matter how Jing Yu fleeced him, it would not hurt him. And if she actually offered some constructive advice, Yang Ce would be only too glad to hear it.