Pressing onto his shoulder firmly, Zhou Xufang said, “Don’t move.”
He remained frozen on the spot.
Suddenly, thunder boomed outside his window.
Jiang Zhi sat right up, awakening from his bizarre dream within a split-second.
The rumble of thunder could be heard, but there were no signs of rain outside. Dawn had been swallowed up by a colossal grey cloud, turning the morning sky into a monochromatic sea of grey. Ten minutes later, the first drops of rain finally descended from the sky. Jiang Zhi, no longer feeling sleepy, sat on the edge of his bed, listening to the sound of raindrops splattering onto his glass window. He remained there for quite a while, thinking deeply about something.
This rain would continue for 3 whole days.
Even Xue Baoyi noticed how sickly Jiang Zhi’s face was looking. They weren’t even halfway through the banquet held by the Xue family when the man was nowhere to be seen. After a round of searching, Xue Baoyi finally discovered his vanished friend dozing off in the resting lounge.
Well, at least it seemed like he was trying to. Jiang Zhi laid there lifelessly but his eyes were wide open.
“Jiang Zhi.”
“Hmm?”
He seemed as sick as he could get.
Worried about his friend’s condition, Xue Baoyi ordered Xue Bingxue over. “Uncle, take a look at him.”
‘What on earth happened to him?’ thought Xue Baoyi.
Xue Bingxue took Jiang Zhi’s pulse reading.
“Hmm, it’s pretty chaotic. Your body is currently severely depleted of Qi.”
“What have you been doing over the past few days?” Xue Bingxue asked.
Jiang Zhi propped himself up forcibly. “Nothing much.” Then, in a very normal tone as if he was talking about today’s weather, he added, “It’s just that I’ve become so infatuated with someone that I got sick.”
“…”
The uncle-nephew duo went speechless.
They already knew that Jiang Zhi was interested in this girl, but what they did not expect was the extent to which his obsession had grown.
Xue Baoyi couldn’t believe his ears. “So, you truly are straight now?”
“Mmhmm.”
“You really like her that much?”
Jiang Zhi struggled for a moment but finally gave in. “…Yep.”
Tsk.
‘He’s serious about this!’
To be honest, Xue Baoyi was a little saddened by this. After all, Jiang Zhi had remained under the care of him and his fellow brothers for so many years now, however, the day had finally come for him to leave the nest with a lover of his own. He now understood a father’s feelings when walking his daughter down the aisle.
As the saying goes, “the ten-thousand-year-old tree has finally blossomed”, and as a brother, how could he possibly tear down the blossoms. No, he had to support him whole-heartedly till the very end. “Relax, this is no biggie, alright? It’s just a little crush you’re after.”
As a close friend of his, Xue Baoyi felt obligated to take part as a strategic advisor.
“Brother Zhi, being hesitant will bring you nowhere. If you like her, just go for it. I’ll teach you a trick or two if you’re confused.”
After all, they didn’t call him a playboy for nothing.
Jiang Zhi rose from his seat and left.
“Where are you going?”
He went to 43, Changdu Street, where a hair salon oddly-named “Angel’s Descent” was located.
“You are…” The shop owner cum chief hair stylist, Cheng Zeng, couldn’t believe his eyes. “Director Jiang?”
Jiang Zhi rarely appeared in public but his face was unforgettable enough that people could recognize him instantly from the handful of times they had seen him in tabloids or the news. Cheng Zeng was certainly startled by his appearance at his humble shop. Why would the great Buddha come to his broken temple?
“Shhh.” Ah Wan gave the salon owner a look that told him to keep his mouth shut.
‘So it’s true! My eyes have not deceived me!’
Cheng Zeng rushed over to welcome his honored customer. “Director Jiang! A-Are you perhaps here to… to get your hair done?”
“Yeah.”
Jiang Zhi gave him a haphazard reply, his eyes glued to a poster stuck onto the main door.
Cheng Zeng was a little confused as to what that meant. “Then, Director Jiang, what kind of hairstyle are you interested in?”
Jiang Zhi looked away from the poster. “The same one as Zhou Xufang’s.”
“Huh?”
“That poster on the door.” Jiang Zhi pointed toward the poster he had been staring at moments ago. “I want my hair dyed in the same color.”
The great director seemed to be in a good mood today. He may have a sickly complexion but his eyes were still glowing brightly with energy. Noticing how pretty his face looked, Cheng Zeng couldn’t help but take a few more looks at Jiang Zhi’s face. “So, you want an ash-blue dye?”
Jiang Zhi glanced at the chair.
Ah Wan instinctively walked up with a wet wipe and disinfected the seat.
“Yeah,” muttered Jiang Zhi as he plopped down on the clean seat.
Ash-blue was the hottest-selling color in this hair salon. However, it was mostly picked by youngsters, which was why Cheng Zeng felt that it may not be suitable for Jiang Zhi considering his social standing. And so, he decided to try and persuade the Director to go with another color.
“Director Jiang, perhaps you would be interested in another color. I’m afraid tha-”
“My schedule is tight. I need you to hurry up,” interrupted Jiang Zhi.
This color was a favorite among lower-class hooligans, yet, for the great director to pick it…
4 hours later.
“Amazing!” Cheng Zeng praised his own work.
‘Good God, this looks better than I thought it would!’
‘Dye is life!’
‘Dye is life!’
Jiang Zhi, whose eyes were closed the whole time finally peeled them open lazily. With a hoarse voice, he asked, “Does it look good on me?”
Cheng Zeng’s head bobbed up and down like a cartoon character.
Frankly speaking, his opinion of the color had changed after doing it on Zhou Xufang’s hair.
A lot of patrons of this salon who opted to go with this color were male, and while the color itself was pretty, there would always be something “trashy” about it when the person entered the equation. Jiang Zhi, however, was nothing like that. Everything about him in terms of looks was perfect. This ash-blue combination was paired tastefully well with those eyes of his, and while others would seem overly tacky, he did not. As expected from the son of a noble family.
At this point, the only customer left in the salon was Jiang Zhi himself.
Cheng Zeng could finally speak to the director without restraining himself. “Director Jiang! I can guarantee you that you’ll be the finest man to ever walk this district!”
On the other side, Ah Wan, who was looking at the young master with eyes filled with admiration replied, “Of course! My boss’s good looks are unrivaled even within the capital city!”
Although his temper was one of the most potent ones Ah Wan had ever come across, his face was simply irresistible.
“If it really does look good…” Jiang Zhi stood up and moved closer to the mirror, pulling on a tuft of hair dangling above his forehead. “How about I become a model for your hair salon?”
The watery eyes of his in combination with his ash blue hair paralyzed the chief hairstylist.
“Huh?”
Cheng Zeng was taken aback.
“That poster on your front door, I want it. You name the price.”
Jiang Zhi paused.
“And in exchange, you could put a photo of me as a substitute.”