Chapter 25: Not a Vain Woman

The area from the Bund to Renmin Road is the heart of the "City That Never Sleeps" in Shanghai, where many shops remain open until dawn.

Lu Liang took Li Manli for a stroll and managed to find a Japanese restaurant open until the early morning hours.

"Is it good?" Lu Liang asked, ordering a bowl of ramen while watching Li Manli stare at the spread of various sushi items before her.

Li Manli took a bite of a tuna sushi roll, her face crinkling in disappointment. "Why isn't it as good as I imagined?"

"Have you never had it before?" Lu Liang asked.

"No, I just kept hearing others talk about how delicious it was, so I’d always wanted to try it."

Li Manli tasted a piece of grilled eel and whispered, "Is it me? Why does it taste kind of bad?"

The teriyaki sauce was cloyingly sweet, and the rice balls were ice-cold—the cold rice, in particular, was something she couldn't get used to.

"It's not you. People who aren't used to it naturally find it unpalatable."

Lu Liang slurped his ramen, catching a faint gamey scent of pork; he seriously suspected the pig hadn't been castrated. He pulled Li Manli up. "Let's go. I'll take you to get something actually good."

Li Manli was stunned. "We're just leaving all this food?" She hadn't ordered much, but she’d checked the menu earlier; the table already cost over eight hundred.

"If it’s that bad, why bother eating it?" Lu Liang paid the bill and asked with a smile, "Or did you want to pack it up for a midnight snack?"

Li Manli shook her head like a rattle. "No way."

Near daybreak, the two arrived at a riverside congee house. Lu Liang had ordered takeout from here several times; their clay pot congee was exceptional, and the ingredients were always fresh and abundant. They ordered a serving of blood eel clay pot congee for two, a steamed red snapper, and a plate of century egg with pea shoots.

The blood eel cost over four hundred per jin. The per-capita cost was similar to the Japanese restaurant, but the flavor was leagues ahead. No matter how well preserved frozen seafood is, it can never compare to being prepared fresh.

"Tastes good, right?" Lu Liang loved the century egg with pea shoots here; the century egg seemed to be fried in palm oil, giving it a unique, charred aroma.

"It's delicious! This, and this—it's all so good!" Li Manli slurped down the congee, her belly rounding out. Suddenly realizing how unladylike she looked, she quickly sucked in her stomach and sat up straight. "I'm full."

Lu Liang chuckled. His phone rang; it was Meng Changkun, calling to invite him to play tennis the next morning. Lu Liang happened to have a few things he wanted to consult Meng about, so he agreed, and they settled on a time and place.

"It’s the weekend tomorrow. Do you still have to work?" Li Manli asked softly, her mood dipping slightly.

"It's not work, just some sports and entertainment. Do you want to come play tennis with us tomorrow?"

Hearing the invitation, Li Manli was delighted, but then she hesitated. "But... I don't know how to play."

"Neither do I. We're just messing around." Lu Liang had already figured out Li Manli's personality. Her thoughts were far too easy to read; whenever she said "but," it meant she actually wanted to go, but just needed a little push.

"What time?" Li Manli asked.

"Nine-thirty."

"Then I need to go home early and sleep, so I can wake up tomorrow morning."

"Stay at my place tonight. There are a few empty rooms; take your pick." Lu Liang’s tone was calm, as if he were simply offering a place to crash for the night, with no ulterior motives.

Li Manli bowed her head, her voice barely a whisper. "Okay."

After their midnight snack, Lu Liang took Li Manli to a mall that stayed open all night. He bought her several sets of clothes and daily toiletries. The total came to over thirty thousand.

When they returned home, it was past one in the morning. Li Manli clutched her pile of shopping bags and ducked into the guest room at the end of the hall. Although she had only been here once before, she often replayed that day in her mind. Tomson Riviera was the most high-end, luxurious residential complex she had ever encountered in her life. She remembered the layout perfectly—which room was the master bedroom, which was the secondary, and which was the guest room.

"Get some rest, and wake up early tomorrow." Lu Liang knocked softly on her door. He didn't play any childish games about lingering at the threshold. Li Manli agreeing to go out for a late-night snack and then agreeing to stay the night was, for all intents and purposes, the same as being undressed. She was just newly of age and shy; she couldn't be as direct as Zhang Qian, and Lu Liang was willing to spend the time playing house with her.

"Okay~" Li Manli stood quietly behind the door, her voice trembling slightly. She hadn't locked it, and she had steeled herself for what might come.

After a long while, the activity outside ceased. Li Manli carefully opened the door and tiptoed toward the master bedroom where Lu Liang was staying. Through the door, she heard the faint sound of him snoring, and she felt a touch of disappointment. "You idiot, I already came home with you."

Soon, her disappointment was replaced by excitement. She rose onto her tiptoes and began to dance gracefully in the spacious living room, eventually wandering to the balcony to admire the night view. She pulled out the iPhone 6 Lu Liang had given her and snapped a flurry of photos of the Bund across the river.

Li Manli searched for the perfect angle. She wanted to take a picture that didn't explicitly say she was at Tomson Riviera, but one that would make others guess as much. After much effort, she finally found the best angle at the edge of the balcony. The Bund was in the distance on the left, the Pearl Tower on the right. She looked off into the distance with a dreamy gaze, adding the caption: "The moonlight is beautiful tonight."

Li Manli hit send, but she intentionally blocked Lu Liang; she didn't want him to think she was a vain girl. Shortly after, her social media feed buzzed with constant notifications. Soon, people began to guess that she was staying at Tomson Riviera in Shanghai. With the Bund in the distance, the Pearl Tower to the side, and the height of the floor, the answer was practically written on the wall.

***

Back in her room, Li Manli lay on the soft bed, rolling around in excitement as she read the envious and jealous comments from her friends. She hopped on a video call with a few of her closest girlfriends to show off the magnificent, spacious room.

The next morning, past eight o'clock, Lu Liang knocked on her door. Li Manli emerged with faint dark circles under her eyes. He had cooked buttered toast for them both. "What were you doing last night?"

"Nothing much, just... I'm not used to the bed." Li Manli didn't dare look up, feeling guilty; she had been chatting with her friends until nearly dawn.

"Do you want to sleep a bit more? I can go by myself and come back to pick you up in the afternoon," Lu Liang said with concern.

"I'm used to staying up late. Look, the dark circles are already gone." Li Manli quickly swept her bangs back. The slight shadows from when she first woke up had almost completely vanished.

"It's good to be young," Lu Liang sighed. He remembered his own youth, when a few hours of sleep were enough. But as he grew older, even if he could pull all-nighters, he would feel terrible the next day.

"Don't say that. You're not old either." Li Manli reached out and took Lu Liang’s hand, becoming quite proactive. Her "advisory team" had given her a lot of advice last night. While most of it was unreliable, she agreed with one point: a girl's prime is short, and if an opportunity arises, one must seize it, for it might just change her entire life.

"Your mouth is so sweet—did you put honey on it?" Lu Liang was surprised, sensing the shift in her mindset. He lifted her chin and kissed her lips. "Tastes like milk."

"I want one too." Li Manli countered, reaching up