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Not long after receiving the text, Shi Min called: “They’re for you. I was worried you might misunderstand, so I thought it’d be better to call and explain directly.”
Luo Mingjing sighed in relief. He knew it had all been a misunderstanding.
Shi Min asked, “Do you have a girlfriend?”
Luo Mingjing’s breath caught halfway: “No…”
“Good.” On the other end, the CEO seemed to chuckle.
Luo Mingjing asked, “What exactly do you mean, President Shi…?”
“I’ll be straightforward—do you want to date?” Shi Min tilted her head, holding the phone between her shoulder and ear as she pushed open the conference room door with one hand, coffee cup in the other. “I’ll give you time to think about it. I’m heading into a meeting now. Talk later.”
How direct.
Even hanging up was done with absolute efficiency.
Luo Mingjing looked down at the basket of roses, and after a long while, he put his phone away and began counting them.
“Seventy-seven…”
He checked the flower language: Happy Reunion , Smooth Sailing in Love .
Leaning against the locust tree, Luo Mingjing fell into an eerie silence for a moment before bursting into laughter.
It felt like a dream.
For twenty-seven years, the first half marked by arrogance that shattered into pieces, he had quietly drifted through life. His presence in reality had been deliberately or unconsciously whittled away until it became a habit. Like this art studio, upon closer inspection, there were highlights, but no one paid attention. And so, he lived contentedly yet alone, slowly letting time slip by.
But that accidental encounter two days ago was like a small stone breaking the calm surface of a pond.
Someone had sent him flowers, someone was trying to enter his life.
And not just anyone—a CEO. Though she brought roses, she had kicked open the door with a domineering approach, one foot already stepping inside, saying she’d give him time to consider.
It was hard to describe how he felt.
But happiness? Yes, there was definitely some of that.
Over the years, though he had grown accustomed to drifting aimlessly alongside the passage of time, quietly wasting away in a corner of the city, deep down, he vaguely longed for someone to walk beside him—someone who wouldn’t look back at his past but would instead focus on the future with him.
Unable to stop smiling, Luo Mingjing carried the seventy-seven red roses back into the studio, found a vase, filled it with water, and placed it on the windowsill next to the two pots of blue flowers from yesterday.
Taking two steps back, he looked at the windowsill again. A strange premonition struck him: in the near future, this windowsill might very well be piled high with flowers.
At noon, he calmly cooked, plated, ate, washed dishes, and finished all the chores. Then, the new autumn dress he had designed three months ago arrived. After signing for the package, he opened it, checked the craftsmanship and fabric, and once everything met his standards, he ironed the garment and drew the curtain separating the front and back rooms to try it on.
When he treated Xu Qianqian to dinner earlier in the year, she mentioned how few affordable clothing options tall girls had. Styles were limited, prices were high, and every seasonal change turned into a battle for tall women trying to find clothes they liked.
“I can’t find clothes I like,” said Xu Qianqian, who stood at 177 cm. “I want to dress like the models, but my wallet can’t keep up. There’s nothing both stylish and affordable… sigh.”
That’s when Luo Mingjing got the idea to design clothes for tall girls.
“If there’s a gap in the market, why not fill it myself?” he said.
In six months, after drafting designs, he explored sales channels one by one, creating samples himself, trying them on, and promoting them. Eventually, using live streaming platforms, things began to pick up.
At first, Xu Qianqian modeled the clothes. But one night, a girl who was 183 cm tall messaged him asking about sizing. Since it was late and he couldn’t contact Xu Qianqian, he decided to model the outfit himself—and unexpectedly became an overnight sensation.
Luo Mingjing once asked his cousin, “Do you think people will find it off-putting?”
Xu Qianqian replied, “Brother, are you blind? Can’t you see your skyrocketing popularity? Just look at your sales figures.”
Luo Mingjing squinted and smiled, looking like a lucky cat: “If that’s the case…”
From then on, every time a new batch of clothes came out, Luo Mingjing’s cross-dressing modeling became a fixed part of the routine.
Doing things seriously had always been his style. After getting ready with makeup, Luo Mingjing went live.
The chat exploded with excitement: “Finally! The main event—the cross-dresser!”
“Fairy finally remembered he’s a cross-dressing legend today.”
“Such a beautiful retro Hong Kong style! Ah!! So charming!!”
“Quick, sing for us! You still owe us a song!”
“Deep male voice! We’ve waited a whole week; we’re losing our hair over here.”
“As a guy, I’m actually falling for this… wow.”
“Caught another male fan! 233333”
Luo Mingjing turned around to show the back view, then said, “This is the largest size, a faux two-piece set that looks slimming. Pair it with high boots. Shoe color doesn’t matter—it works with anything. I’ll post a color-matching guide later.”
The chat erupted: “Holy cow! Girls, check out his waistline!!”
“Frantically screenshotting!!”
“Please share your makeup tutorial, big shot!”
“Beautiful beyond words!”
Luo Mingjing couldn’t help but laugh, sighing, “Too many requests. I’ll record tonight.”
“We love seeing you smile!”
“Mom, he literally glows when he smiles…”
“Y-y-y [speechless].”
“Support live makeup removal!”
“Now! We’re waiting impatiently!!”
“What lipstick shade are you wearing? Share it already!”
The atmosphere was lively. Luo Mingjing adjusted his microphone, queued up the backing track, and softly said, “Alright, time to pay my debt. Here’s a song for you.”
It was a soothing Cantonese song. His voice flowed effortlessly, clean and comfortable, like a whisper in your ear.
As the chat continued buzzing, song requests poured in.
“Honestly, I want to hear Fairy hit those high notes…”
“Calm down, folks. If he can’t hit the high notes, his image will shatter.”
“I’m curious about Fairy’s high notes.”
“Same! Super curious!”
The live stream buzzed with activity. Coins rained down, messages flooded in, and notifications dinged nonstop. Just then, the wind chime at the door jingled faintly.
Luo Mingjing paused mid-song, pulling back the curtain slightly.
Shi Min was clearly taken aback—an expression rarely seen on her face.
After a moment, she relaxed, a smile tugging at her lips as she murmured approvingly, “Very nice.”
Luo Mingjing was startled and quickly turned off the backing track.
“Ahem, you’re here…”
The camera couldn’t capture what was behind the curtain, and the chat went wild with guesses about who had arrived.
“Look at Fairy’s expression!”
“Hahaha, feels like the teacher caught him cross-dressing.”
“He’s totally submitting! Queen energy overload!! Who’s here?!”
Luo Mingjing pulled over a small chair and politely said, “…Have a seat.”
Shi Min tilted her head, her eyes sparkling with amusement: “Your hair?”
“I cut it myself.”
“Are you free right now?” Shi Min sat down naturally, accepting the instant tea he handed her. She took a sip, removed the cup, leaving behind a lipstick stain.
Steam rose from the tea, and even the instant brew gradually released a subtle fragrance.
After a pause, Luo Mingjing said, “…Yes.”
Shi Min lowered her gaze, pulling out a gray square cloth from her pocket. She meticulously wiped the lipstick mark off the white porcelain cup.
Then, she set the cup down, stood up, folded the cloth neatly, and said, “Come with me.”
She didn’t ask, “Have you thought about it?”
Luo Mingjing replied, “Then… let me remove my makeup and change clothes.”
“I don’t mind,” Shi Min said. “You look fine like this.”
Not wanting to keep Shi Min waiting, Luo Mingjing locked the shop door and followed her to the alley entrance.
A white Cayenne was parked at the mouth of the alley.
Luo Mingjing hesitated. It wasn’t the Maserati, and he wasn’t sure if this was Shi Min’s car. Before he could react further, Shi Min noticed his hesitation, chuckled softly, and walked around from the driver’s side to open the door for him: “Please.”
She opened the car door for him.
Luo Mingjing instinctively said, “This is… usually, I should be the one opening the door for you…”
Shi Min narrowed her eyes slightly, responding naturally, “Whatever makes you happy.”
Caught off guard, Luo Mingjing thought as he climbed into the car, This isn’t right. If she does everything men and women are supposed to do, what’s left for me?
Meanwhile, the forgotten live stream in the shop was ablaze with jokes.
“Hahaha, where did Fairy go? Should we call the police?”
“My child just left like that? What about us, his loyal fans?”
“Poor thing must’ve been lured away by money hhhhh.”
“Hello, operator? Someone just kidnapped our cross-dressing icon.”
“Who? Who? Who? Who did he leave with? I just got here, please explain.”
“Place your bets! I bet it’s the Maserati CEO!”
“Wait, is it a guy??”
“Previous comment: It’s a FEMALE CEO!”
“Eek—[secretly wiping nosebleed] So hot.”
As they drove, Shi Min lowered the car’s music and asked, “You don’t have a girlfriend?”
Luo Mingjing replied, “No. What did you mean earlier this morning, President Shi?”
Just to be safe, he figured it was better to ask directly.
Shi Min didn’t answer. Instead, she asked, “Do you have any plans to date right now?”
Luo Mingjing fell silent. The traffic light turned red.
Taking a deep breath, he finally asked, “President Shi… are you suggesting something like a sugar relationship, or…”
Shi Min turned her face toward him, expressionless. The streetlight illuminated half her face while the other half remained in shadow. Her gaze was intense, focused, and dangerously invasive.
Luo Mingjing met her eyes without flinching, allowing their gazes to lock.
The light turned green, and the cars behind honked.
Shi Min pressed the accelerator and said, “Luo Mingjing.”
“Yes, President Shi?”
“Listen carefully to what I’m saying.” Shi Min’s voice was firm. “From the start, my question was simple: do you want to date?”
She slowly smiled, raising an eyebrow: “Not ‘sleep with me.’”
Her car sped smoothly away from the city center.
Turning to look at him, she asked, “Am I clear enough?”
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