Hades, the Urban Legend

Chapter 55: No Buts

"At night? Where are we going?" Yang Chen asked with confusion.

"A few young teachers from the English department organized a welcome party for me. They said it's at 'Tianfu Kingdom' on the bar street. I... I've never been to such a place before, but I didn't want to refuse everyone, so I thought of asking you to accompany me..." Li Jingjing's confidence seemed to falter as she spoke...

In fact, after learning about Yang Chen's marriage, Li Jingjing had been feeling disoriented. It wasn't until the day Yang Chen unhesitatingly helped her out with the Chen family's trouble that she realized her Big Brother Yang hadn't abandoned her. Though feeling upset about Yang Chen's marriage, Li Jingjing couldn't suppress her impulse to see him. When Yang Chen said he would come to see her today, she couldn't sleep all night. Li Jingjing didn't know how to face Yang Chen, but upon seeing him, she realized that nothing had changed much. She still smiled happily in front of him and blushed shyly over trivial matters.

However, when she proposed the request for Yang Chen to accompany her to the nightclub, Li Jingjing became afraid. She feared that Yang Chen would refuse because of his changed status, and she was even more afraid that Yang Chen never intended to agree to her small request.

As countless thoughts raced through her mind and she started to feel somewhat dejected, she heard Yang Chen's hearty agreement—

"No problem!"

"Really?" Li Jingjing was overjoyed, grabbing Yang Chen's arm, "Big Brother Yang, are you really going to accompany me?"

Yang Chen, with a touch of indulgence, flicked the girl's nose. It was these simple thoughts that made him feel compassion. "Look at how happy you are. Remember your role as a teacher and keep your image in mind."

"But I'm just happy..." Li Jingjing stuck out her tongue, still not letting go of his hand.

Looking at the time on the wall, it was a little past two in the afternoon. After some consideration, Yang Chen asked, "Jingjing, do you have anything else to do this afternoon?"

"I'm free. I only have classes in the morning. Since it's just the beginning of the school year, I'm not very busy," Li Jingjing replied truthfully.

Yang Chen smiled meaningfully, "Then let's go somewhere before that. Since they chose Tianfu Kingdom, it wouldn't be appropriate to go there so casually."

After sorting out some trivial matters, Yang Chen took Li Jingjing out of the school gate and onto his car.

Li Jingjing looked around the interior of the BMW in surprise. "Big Brother Yang, when did you buy this sedan?" Although she didn't know much about car brands, with her limited knowledge, she could tell that this car was of high quality.

"Oh, I got a new job that requires driving," Yang Chen replied vaguely, not wanting to explain further. He certainly couldn't say he just casually picked it up from his own wife's garage.

Not understanding much, Li Jingjing didn't dwell on it and asked, "Big Brother Yang, where are you taking me? And why so early? The teachers said the party doesn't start until six in the evening."

"Shopping for clothes. Regardless, you're still my little sister, Li Jingjing. It wouldn't be good if you're outdone at Tianfu Kingdom," Yang Chen chuckled.

"Is my current outfit embarrassing..." Li Jingjing felt a bit self-conscious and lowered her head.

Yang Chen sighed helplessly. "Jingjing, that's not what I meant. It's just that you've never been to Tianfu Kingdom, so you're not aware. From what I know about the bar street, it's not like other KTVs or bars; it's more like a high-end nightclub. Your colleagues chose that place, which means they're all well-off. Dressing simply is fine under normal circumstances, but if you attend the welcome party they prepared for you too casually, it's not only bad for you but also embarrassing for them. Of course, if some people are particularly snobbish, changing into nicer clothes might shut them up and not ruin the mood."

"I feel like the teachers at school are treating me well... They wouldn't mock me, would they..." Li Jingjing hesitated, biting her lip.

"Jingjing..." Yang Chen spoke as he drove, "You've graduated from university for quite some time now. You should face the realities of society. There are some things that you can't take lightly, and not everyone can either. Since you've entered society, you have to adapt as much as possible. There's nothing to be sad or resentful about."

"I... I understand," Li Jingjing nodded. "Thank you, Big Brother Yang. I won't be unable to understand. It's just that I'm still not used to it."

"I'll help you get used to it," Yang Chen said with a relaxed smile.

In less than half an hour, the car stopped at Zhonghai Tower. The tower housed a variety of clothing products from all over the world, saving Yang Chen the trouble of taking Li Jingjing to different places.

This was Yang Chen's first time visiting a large shopping mall since returning to the country. In the morning, he had exchanged the "extorted" checks for cash at the bank and got himself a card, so he finally had some capital in his pocket. With a bit more confidence in his step and the elevator ride up with Li Jingjing, he felt more assured. Previously, even if he wanted to buy clothes, he would have had to borrow money from someone.

Li Jingjing had never been to such a luxurious and perfumed place to buy clothes. She felt a bit nervous as she clung to Yang Chen's arm. Her already pure and beautiful face, combined with her current dependent demeanor, made many passing customers couldn't help but glance back.

After passing by some brand stores like Louis Vuitton, Hermes, and Chanel, Yang Chen frowned slightly and sighed as he said to Li Jingjing, "It seems these shops are even more expensive than I thought. How about we go to Balenciaga instead?" Even though he had some money on him, he wasn't prepared to buy clothes that cost thousands.

Li Jingjing didn't understand the significance of these brands. She only thought the clothes looked very pretty, although some were quite embarrassing. She obediently nodded and said, "Let's listen to Big Brother Yang. Let's not buy anything too expensive. I... I'm afraid I don't have enough money." She even patted her small purse nervously.

Yang Chen smiled knowingly and couldn't help but pinch the girl's elastic and rosy cheeks. "I'll buy you clothes today."

"But..."

"No 'buts'!" Yang Chen immediately interrupted. "Consider it as you owe me. You can pay me back when you earn money in the future."

Li Jingjing could only obediently agree, feeling a bit secretly pleased.

As Yang Chen expected, the clothes at the Balenciaga boutique were a bit cheaper. This French brand, which had been around for decades, always emphasized simplicity, elegance, and purity, which matched the style Yang Chen envisioned for Li Jingjing.

When the saleswoman saw them entering, she warmly greeted them, "Sir, miss, is there anything particular you'd like to see? The latest styles for this season just arrived yesterday. How about I introduce them to you?"

"Oh, no need to trouble yourself. We can pick ourselves," Yang Chen politely declined the saleswoman's offer, leading Li Jingjing to the women's section. He sized up Li Jingjing's figure while personally selecting clothes for her.

Since it was still a workday and daytime, there weren't many customers in the store. Several saleswomen couldn't help but glance over when they saw this young man helping his girlfriend pick out clothes.

As Li Jingjing was continuously scrutinized by Yang Chen, she felt a bit strange but also touched. Seeing Yang Chen so earnestly helping her choose clothes made all her previous melancholy seem to dissipate into thin air.

At that moment, Yang Chen seemed to ponder something and then turned to Li Jingjing, saying thoughtfully, "Jingjing, take off your clothes."