Chapter 4 She Shouldn't Have Worn a White Dress
Song Ni's slender, delicate fingers tapped rhythmically on the stair railing. She had orchestrated this entire affair precisely to let Tan Zheng know she was looking for him. Yet, the man was clearly inside the bar, but he deliberately refused to show himself. Did he simply not want to see her?
The image of those hands, and the cigarette between his fingers, flashed in her mind. Song Ni thought, that cigarette had better burn all the way down to his hand. Burn him fiercely! The eldest daughter of the Song family was inherently proud. It wasn't easy for her to go this far. Since Tan Zheng didn't wish to see her, was she supposed to grovel and insist? Song Ni couldn't bring herself to do that. With a cold expression, she gazed at the private room and raised her voice.
"Tell your boss, he'd best have the guts to never show his face again for the rest of his life." If that was the case, then she wouldn't have to worry about that darn blind date anymore. Having declared this brazenly, Song Ni turned to leave. Her high heels struck the floor with a clatter, like a dance upon the heart.
After Song Ni departed, a waiter entered the private room and relayed her exact words without omission. Ding Jing, who was listening beside Tan Zheng, chuckled. "Brother Tan, is this... a debt of love?"
Tan Zheng uncrossed his legs and casually spread them apart, fiddling with a lighter in his hand. Upon hearing Ding Jing's question, he merely glanced up at him. It wasn't precisely a debt of love, but there were indeed some entanglements. Tan Zheng raised a hand to stroke his chin. The stubble on his jaw was beginning to show signs of growth again in the late evening. He seemed to recall something, and a self-deprecating smile touched his lips. He stood up, preparing to leave.
Ding Jing called out from behind, "Brother Tan, remember to come watch the competition the day after tomorrow." Tan Zheng waved his hand in acknowledgment.
Just as he rounded the corner outside the bar, he saw a young girl in a white dress standing by the roadside. Beneath the moonlight, her high heels, adorned with fine diamonds, were strikingly eye-catching. Tan Zheng's steps faltered. For reasons he couldn't quite fathom, he leaned against the wall, pulled out his cigarette pack from his pocket. Only one cigarette remained. On a rainy day like this, his craving for a smoke intensified. With a click, the red tip of the cigarette glowed, unremarkable on this bustling bar street. After taking a puff, Tan Zheng bit down on the cigarette holder, his gaze fixed ahead through the smoke. His eyes held no specific focus, his gaze unfocused, with only a vague white silhouette visible.
Song Ni hadn't anticipated that, in the brief moment she was waiting for Qin Yang, some scummy characters would appear and foul her sight. The street, still damp from the rain, carried a faint earthy scent from the nearby greenery, causing Song Ni's delicate eyebrows to furrow. She wasn't much of a drinker, and the smell was making her feel nauseous. What bothered her even more, however, were the three drunken men in front of her. She couldn't stand the miasma of smoke and alcohol. So, as the three men leered and approached, reaching out to touch her face, Song Ni deftly dodged aside. She casually rummaged for something in her hand.
"Get lost." This dress she wore was a gift her mother had brought back from abroad recently. She didn't want it tainted by these degenerates. The leader, a greasy man in his thirties with narrowed, drunken eyes, became even more interested when he saw Song Ni's defiant reaction. He cackled, calling her disgusting names. "Little sister, come, brother will show you something fun."
Seeing his mouth reveal a row of yellow, blackened teeth, Song Ni felt she had reached her limit. Without regard for what she was holding, she swung it towards his head. With a clang, not particularly loud on this street, a dark silhouette leaning against the wall behind her seemed to stir. The red glow of the cigarette tip flashed and then vanished. Song Ni had put all her strength into that swing. The man who was hit tumbled to the ground. His two companions, sluggish with drink, didn't react immediately until the man on the ground cried out in pain and cursed.
"Damn it, you little brat, what are you standing around for? Grab her for me, go!" The two finally reacted. Song Ni took a step back, her lips pressed together. These high-heeled shoes were a special design from her sister-in-law for her eighteenth birthday. She cherished them and had worn them ever since. Frowning, she made a quick decision. Seeing the two men's sluggish movements, she quickly crouched down and removed her shoes, intending to place them aside and deal with these disgusting creatures herself. However, after a few drinks, the moment she bent over, her vision blurred. Song Ni pursed her lips, struggling to maintain her balance. In that brief moment of adjustment, the two men had already lunged forward, the stench of alcohol overwhelming. Song Ni's body tensed, and she instinctively braced herself, her mind racing: if her shoes were ruined, she would beat these men until they were a bloody mess.
But Song Ni didn't have to intervene. Qin Yang had already arrived, followed by Cheng Ling. Cheng Ling knocked the two men down with two swift punches. Qin Yang, also in high heels, followed closely behind. Seeing the men on the ground, she mercilessly stomped on their hands. A chorus of groans erupted. Song Ni breathed a sigh of relief. Her shoes and dress were still clean.
Qin Yang and Cheng Ling rushed forward, grabbing Song Ni and examining her with worried expressions. "Nini, are you okay?" Qin Yang's eyes were filled with panic. Heaven knows how terrified she was when she saw Nini cornered by three burly men. Cheng Ling also felt a lingering fear, grateful that he had accompanied Qin Yang.
Song Ni raised her eyebrows, looking at her two childhood friends. "What could happen to me?" Qin Yang and Cheng Ling were momentarily startled, having forgotten that Song Ni had been learning martial arts from her elder brother since she was young. Song Ni asked Cheng Ling to deal with the three men on the ground. It was then that she clearly saw the object she had used was a sign from the shop next door, left out before closing.
"Do you have any cash?" Qin Yang was on the phone, gesturing for Song Ni to check her bag. Song Ni took out two hundred-yuan bills, bent down to pick up the sign, which had a dent in it, and placed them both by the shop entrance. She was barefoot, and in the moonlight, her fair skin contrasted sharply with her red nail polish. After placing the items, Song Ni took out a tissue to wipe her high heels.
In the night, on the bar street, a barefoot girl, amidst the commotion of dealing with three drunks, was lost in her own world, inspecting her shoes and dress. Hidden in a dark corner, Tan Zheng still leaned against the wall, his cigarette extinguished. He fiddled with his lighter, its antique silver casing reflecting the light, occasionally revealing the carved patterns. Tan Zheng's gaze fell again upon the bare feet, his eyes narrowing. The flamboyant color perfectly matched her fierce actions just moments ago. Tan Zheng thought, she shouldn't have worn a white dress.
For a moment, his vision blurred. Tan Zheng looked up at the girl's face, his hand movements with the lighter stilled. He shoved both hands into his pockets, straightened up, and turned to leave. At that instant, Song Ni seemed to sense something. She turned her head towards where Tan Zheng had been standing, her brow furrowed. After a pause, she took a step in that direction. There was no one there, but the scent of smoke still lingered in the air. Strangely, despite her dislike for the smell of smoke, she found this particular scent bearable. Song Ni paused, then glanced back at the bar entrance.
Our Nini is unrestrained, flamboyant, and radiant, able to pull off both red and white dresses! Tan Zheng has yet to truly experience how maddeningly captivating Nini looks in a white dress!