Chapter 21

In an extraordinary turn of events, the four girls didn't sleep in the next morning. In fact, the three girls rose even earlier than Jiahui did. When they were done cleaning up, Shi Xiaoxi opened her wardrobe and started to rummage for nicer clothes, while Baobei magically retrieved from a corner of her cabinet a wide variety of cosmetics.

“We’ll doll her up nicely later!” She stretched her fingers, as if preparing for an intense battle. Baobei had said this previously: One might have been blessed with good features, but we shouldn’t just leave it as such; even though she didn’t use makeup regularly, it didn’t mean that she didn’t know how to use it. Young ladies from prominent families might have the freedom to do anything they wanted, but there were still some things that they were made to learn. Baobei’s grandmother had been a descendant of a prestigious family, so Xia Xu and Baobei had been made to learn everything that a lady was supposed to learn since young. These included lessons on etiquette, horse riding, dancing, art appreciation, and even make-up.

Grandmother Xia was a disciplined person; hence, she looked barely past forty even though she was already more than sixty years old. Baobei was the same; her complexion might be good, and she might be lazy, but she did not give up on the good genes she had been blessed with. She still ensured that she had a basic skincare regime, hence there were a substantial number of bottles in her cabinet. Like her sister, she enjoyed using the brand Sisley.

But honestly, no one had seen her put makeup on.

Fang Jie looked over. “Baobei, do you know how to do it?”

“Yes.” She nodded. When she turned to look at Jiahui, the latter’s face was fearful. “Don’t worry! There’s nothing to be afraid of! It’s not like I’m not going to overdo it. We’ll do a nice bare-faced makeup look!”

Fang Jie picked up a bottle of foundation and pouted. “I wanted to buy this when I was out shopping with Jia Jian previously. However, he said it was too expensive.”

“You’re spending your own money, what does it have to do with him?” Jiahui retorted.

“But he thinks that such extravagant spending is wrong.” Jiahui explained with understanding.

“Is this extravagance?” Baobei frowned.

“Lady, it's a foundation that costs nine hundred and fifty. That’s half the amount of the living expenses for many of us students!” Fang Jie rolled her eyes.

“That’s just an excuse that the stingy Jia came up with. The pair of Adidas on his feet also costs more than a thousand. Given his spending standards, that’s also extravagance, so why do you need to save while he spends? There’s something seriously wrong with these men! My dad said this before, the motivation for his hard work is to allow my mother to spend on luxury goods on his supplementary card, without having to bat an eyelid.” Shi Xiaoxi added.

Fang Jie pouted, but did not reply.

“We’ll just put up a facade for now. When you sign a lifelong contract, then you will be able to spend all you want. Let’s also study hard and in future if we become lawyers, we’ll be rich! At that time, it won't just be a bottle, you’ll be able to afford to buy a bottle for your face, and a bottle as paint for your wall! You might be a princess if you rely on your family, and become a duchess if you rely on your man. But if you rely on yourself, you can truly be a queen!” Baobei turned and patted Fang Jie’s shoulders, then pushed the bottle of foundation to her hands. “Your birthday’s next month, so take it as an early birthday present. It’s brand new, so use it well and shock Jia Jian with your beauty!”

“Baobei, you are the best -----” The sisters came over shamelessly to her.

“Shi Xiaoxi, I’m warning you! Don’t even think of making me wear this skirt! It’s too revealing!” Jiahui frowned, as she looked at the micro mini skirt in Shi Xiaoxi’s hands.

“How is it revealing! This is called seduction! Seduce him! In order to save yourself any further pain, just take Ke Xiaoliang down at once!”

“I think that’s a little too much.” Fang Jie said objectively.

“Are you silly? Ke Xiaoliang came back specially to confess. If you let Jiahui dress like a social escort, won’t he be frightened away?” Baobei looked at Shi Xiaoxi’s taste with disdain. “Exposing yourself is not necessarily sexy. Of course, it’s not good to be too formal, but if you wear something tastefully revealing, then his mind would be led astray!”

Shi Xiaoxi held the skirt and started fuming. How did the most precious item in her wardrobe become an escort’s outfit?!

Baobei retrieved a one piece dress that was still wrapped. When she opened the package, they saw a deep blue dress with a woolen hoodie, retro prints and with buttons. It was an outfit with a college vibe, and the side of the hoodie even had a large fluffy border. “Don’t worry, it's unworn.”

She shoved the outfit to Jiahui, then turned around, and pulled out a pair of brown boots with heels. “This pair of boots is one size too big for me, so I never wore it. Here you go. It might still be half a size too small for you though.”

Jiahui looked at her best friends, who had gone out of their way for her, feeling emotional! She would have let them down if she was going to be passive about this! She took the shoes and said, “I’ll squeeze my feet in no matter what! Even if I have to bind my feet to get it in, I’ll do it! If I can’t successfully get Ke Xiaoliang, I’ll be letting all of you down!”

The girls laughed.

Jiahui put on her new outfit. The hoodie covered her face like a cute eskimo, accentuating her fair skin. The waistline and the flowing hem of the dress exuded a youthful and college-student vibe. The translucent stockings were also tastefully worn, making the small white patch between the dress and the boots a sight that would make thoughts run wild.

Baobei applied makeup for Jiahui, while Shi Xiaoxi took the curler to style her hair. Fang Jie was of no help, so she volunteered to buy breakfast.

Once Shi Xiaoxi finished curling Jiahui’s hair, she tried to braid it up. Logically speaking, it would be cuter for her to match this outfit with braids. However, Baobei spoke up. “Don’t do that. Men do not understand braids. Just a ponytail will do, let’s portray a clean-cut look, tying her hair upwards would also make her neck look longer.”

“Alright!” Shi Xiaoxi had no objections.

Baobei took a long time with the makeup. Jiahui felt many layers being applied to her face, and it was subsequently rubbed, brushed and touched for an endless amount of time. When it was all complete, Jiahui looked at the mirror. Wow! There was no sign of makeup on her face! However, her skin was flawless, her skin tone dramatically improved. There was a trace of an eyeliner, but without too much make-up, her eyes appeared deeper. A nude lip gloss also made Jiahui’s mouth appear supple and luscious.

“Baobei, teach me how to do this next time! It’s amazing!” Shi Xiaoxi gasped.

“Wow, how am I this pretty! Is this really me?!” Jiahui was even more surprised.

At long last, a polished Jiahui stood in the dorm together with the sisters who spent over an hour helping to doll her up. Jiahui held back her tears. It was really her good fortune to have been able to meet these wonderful ladies!

“Yin Jiahui, all the best!”

“Good luck!”

Just before Jiahui left, Baobei even wanted to switch bags with Jiahui, but the latter refused. “I came to Beijing to study. If I carry a Chanel in less than a year, Ke Xiaoliang will probably suspect that I became a sugar baby.”

The Class President Jiahui, under the help of her sisters, finally skipped class gloriously in search of love.

“Baobei! You are so nice!” Shi Xiaoxi snuggled close to Baobei, “You gave Fang Jie and Jiahui presents, what about me?”

Baobei stopped smiling, then eyed Shi Xiaoxi saying, “I’ll give you an autographed picture of me later.”

“Ohh….”

The three friends then got ready for class. By the time they arrived, it was already the third lesson.

It was a joint lecture on general theory. The students from both classes were seated with their own class.

There was a thick-skinned lady in the next class, whose looks were somewhat below average. However, even Baobei’s class had heard about her inglorious history.

Class hadn’t started, so some tried to use the rest time to mug, while others gathered in small groups to chat.

Just as Baobei’s group took their seats, a sharp voice could be heard speaking from the front. “I still have some expectations of my other half. As the saying goes, money is not omnipotent, but one cannot survive without money. Hence, I think only a man with a car and a house is worthy of me.”

Her words disgusted them. As they looked down, there was a group of four females and three males. The females took the front row, and all of them had their heads turned, speaking to the males behind. The one who spoke was the infamous, unabashed lady, while their attention was on a young man who was looking down at his book. It seemed as if her words were meant for him.

They were probably waiting for a response from him.

The male student didn’t even look up when he replied, “I’ll go and sell my house and car later.”

Laughter spread across the room; even Baobei and her friends couldn’t help but burst out in laughter.

“This sister has been stonewalled.”

“I like this brother.”

At this moment, a female student from their class walked in, and rushed over to Baobei. “Baobei! I just heard that Lecturer Jiang’s class this week is cancelled, where did he go?”

Everyone had subconsciously acknowledged that Lecturer Jiang belonged to Baobei.

“Ah? Cancelled? Where did you hear this from?” Shi Xiaoxi’s reaction was huge.

The students in front heard the commotion, then turned around as well.

“Ah, isn’t that He Yixiang?” Fang Jie muttered.

Wow! Turns out the male student was the top of the class. He wasn’t only a good student, he was also good at sarcasm.

Baobei’s eyes met He Yixiang’s for a short moment. She was stunned, then unconsciously turned away while puffing her cheeks. This child was acting cute unknowingly again.

“Baobei, tell me! Where did my Lecturer Jiang go to? Where!!” Shi Xiaoxi was almost screaming. It wasn’t easy for her; she could only see her idol once a week, but the lesson this week was cancelled, this was shocking news to her!”

“Oh. He’s on a business trip in Hong Kong. Didn’t I tell you?” Baobei refuted.

“Since when did you tell me?!” Shi Xiaoxi covered her face and leaned on Baobei’s shoulders to cry.

“Get lost!” Baobei cringed.