Slowly Falling For Changkong

Chapter 19
***

At Xiang ChangKong’s ‘What?’ Xu Lian raised a brow.

Xu Lian: What? Are you canceling?

Xiang ChangKong: No, no.

Xiang ChangKong: I just have to look at my schedule first.

Xu Lian: OK, let me know if it looks optimistic.

Xiang ChangKong: OK.

After Xiang ChangKong sent this, Xu Lian no longer responded. But he kept the chat open, not logging out just quite yet.

Staring at the brief chat they just had, Xiang ChangKong read it over and over again before finally touching the keyboard.

Xiang ChangKong: How are you feeling?

Xu Lian looked at her phone and smiled.

Xu Lian: Feeling great.

Xiang ChangKong: “…..”

No, wait, did she just say she was feeling great?

Xiang ChangKong: I, I mean how is your body feeling?

Xu Lian: Oh…

Xu Lian: I feel alright, just a little tired. I’m planning on going to bed early.

Xiang ChangKong: Oh, then quickly go to sleep, I won’t bother you anymore.

Xu Lian: Remember to check your schedule.

Xiang ChangKong: Un, I’ll tell you tomorrow morning.

“Hey, Xiang ChangKong! We meet again.” Cheng Peng parked his scooter next to Xiang ChangKong. Under the street light, Cheng Peng noticed something. “How come your face is so red, ah?”

Quickly putting his phone away, Xiang ChangKong packed up his food. “It’s nothing.”

“You don’t look like it’s nothing.” Cheng Peng gave him a playful look. “Did you get a girlfriend?”

“No, no.” Xiang ChangKong headed for his scooter, planning to escape this conversation immediately. Cheng Peng called out to him: “You’re going already? But you haven’t even eaten yet!”

“I just got another order, I’ll eat later.” After saying this, Xiang ChangKong rode away. Watching his retreating figure, Cheng Peng thought of a particular phrase.

To flee in defeat.

Tut, tut, tut, young people these days. They fall in and out of love so quickly.

Cheng Peng didn’t go after Xiang ChangKong. Instead, he sat on the side of the road and hummed as he ate his food.

Xiang ChangKong rode to another street and parked and ate his food. He took out his phone and opened his chat log with Xu Lian again. Then, after a moment of hesitation, he opened his chat log with Xiang Nuan.

She should be studying right now. Xiang ChangKong didn’t want to disturb his sister while she was studying, but there was no one else he could ask.

He sent Xiang Nuan the picture he took of the lipstick this morning and asked: “Do you know what brand this is?”

Xiang Nuan was currently taking a break when she hears her phone vibrate. Taking a look, she was surprised to see that is was her brother. Xiang ChangKong rarely sent her WeChat messages when she was in school. What’s more, she didn’t expect him to ask her such a question.

Xiang Nuan: That looks like the lipstick Big Sister used the last time I saw her!

Xiang Nuan: I’ve checked it out before, that lipstick costs more than 600 yuan in China. Wu wu wu [crying]

(T/N: the text in [brackets] are emoticons or react photos I’m guessing. The raw is like this and not actual emoticons, so just imagine some emoticons.)

Sure enough, the lipstick Big Sister uses isn’t something she could afford.

Xiang ChangKong: What brand is it?

Xiang Nuan: Why? Do you want to buy it for her?

Xiang ChangKong:…

This lipstick was Xu Lian’s favorite, but she used it to write him a message on her mirror. Xiang ChangKong didn’t know if it could be used again. He really wanted to buy her another tube of the same brand and color.

Xiang Nuan: Are you stupid, ah [crying while laughing], what would be the point of getting her the exact same lipstick that she already owns [crying while laughing]?”

Xiang ChangKong: Eh?

Xiang Nuan: I know you clueless men don’t understand such things! Buy her a different brand or color!

Xiang ChangKong: Why?

He didn’t know what other kinds of lipsticks Xu Lian would like. At least with this one, he knows for sure that she’ll like it.

Xiang Nuan: [picture]

Xiang Nuan: This is BUNNY’s new lipstick, Serenade 007. It’s the same general style.

Xiang Nuan: But this is suuuper hard to buy, the entire world ran out of stock [smile].

Xiang ChangKong:…..

Xiang Nuan: I have to go, need to study now [smile].

Xiang Nuan said she was going to study, so Xiang ChangKong had no other choice but to let her go. He studied the lipstick she had sent him, planning on going to the department store in Starlight Park to see if they had it there.

Xiang ChangKong was on the day shift the next day. He entered the company and punched in, then looked at the schedule nearby. He was still on the day shift tomorrow.

He took out his phone and sent Xu Lian a message.

Xiang ChangKong: I’m on the day shift tomorrow. I don’t get off work until 8 p.m.

Xu Lian: OK

Xiang ChangKong: Isn’t that a little late?

Xu Lian: Doesn’t matter, I’ll wait for you.

Xu Lian: Can you send me a copy of your schedule?

Xiang ChangKong’s face was turning red again. Xu Lian’s words reminded him of some couples who exchanged course schedules in university.

He took a picture of the schedule and sent it to Xu Lian.

Xu Lian: OK, got it.

“Xiao Xiang, good morning!” Brother Wang and Brother Wu came into the room and saw Xiang ChangKong, so they said hello. Like a thief caught in the act, Xiang ChangKong quickly put away his phone and said hello.

He went to his locker to change into his uniform. Brother Wu looked at Xiang ChangKong’s back and whispered to Brother Wang: “I think something’s going on with Xiao Xiang.”

Brother Wang gave him a profound smile: “Hehe.”

Brother Wu: “….”

After working through the morning, Xiang ChangKong stopped for his break at 2 p.m. He hastily ate a simple lunch, then rode his scooter to Starlight Department Store. It was the biggest department store in A City, and had many cosmetic counters on the first floor.

Xiang ChangKong found a spot to park his scooter, and after thinking about it for a bit, he took off his uniform coat before entering the store.

Xiang ChangKong, a native of A City, had watched this department store grow from nothing more than some concrete blocks into the largest department store in the city. But he hadn’t visited the store very much. He used to come here with his mother in sister, but nowadays…

While lost in thought, he spotted the counter for BUNNY. There wasn’t a lot of people around it, and as soon as he approached, the young lady operating the counter warmly greeted him. “Hello sir, would you like to choose something for your girlfriend?”

Xiang ChangKong was very embarrassed. He took out his phone and showed her the picture Xiang Nuan had sent him last night. “Do you have this lipstick?”

The young lady looked at the photo then apologized. “Excuse me sir, but Serenade 007 is currently out of stock. 006 is quite close to this color though. Would you like to see it?”

Looking at the 006 lipstick tube that she handed to him, Xiang ChangKong thought about it. The young lady helped him onto the back of his hand. The color was a gentle kind of red.

“Do you have a redder color?” Xiang ChangKong felt that Xu Lian liked warmer, bolder red tones.

“How about this one, its a kind of liquid lipstick.” The young woman passed him another tube, and helped him smear it on his hand.

This color was much redder than the other one. It looked like a blooming rose, and was similar to the lipstick Xu Lian often used. Xiang ChangKong figured that Xu Lian would like this one, so he picked up the tube and examined it.

The young woman asked: “Your girlfriend usually wore something similar to that shade?”

Hearing her say ‘girlfriend,’ Xiang ChangKong became even more embarrassed. “A-ah, yes, I often see her wearing something similar.”

The young woman replied: “Oh, then she may already have this shade. You have to pick a different shade. After all, no woman will like getting identical lipstick colors.”

Xiang ChangKong recalled his conversation with Xiang Nuan. It seems that she said something similar.

The young woman helped him choose another color and smeared some on the back of his hand. “This one is another liquid lipstick that’s very popular. It colors the lips in a rich red very similar to wine. It’s mellow and looks gorgeous, your girlfriend should like it.”

With three different kinds of red smeared on his hand, Xiang ChangKong couldn’t tell which from which anymore.

“We only have one more box in stock. I can wrap it for you if you’re satisfied with this.”

Xiang ChangKong had been troubling her for such a long time, he didn’t want to say no. Besides, the color of this lipstick really was beautiful, so in the end, he replied: “Alright, please wrap it up for me.”

The young woman took out the last box from a cabinet and rang it up for him. She then said: “Sir, if you leave your phone number with us, we can contact you right away if Serenade 007 does come back in stock.”

“Ah, yes please, thank you.”

After paying, Xiang ChangKong wrote down his phone number and left. After a while, the young woman took out her phone and sent out a message in her group chat.

Boyfriends never let me down [smiles].

(T/N: She means boyfriends looking to buy something for their partners never fail to purchase something)

On Thursday, Xu Lian woke up early to receive packages containing the small red boxes that she had bought. With several packages in her arms, she went back into her home and opened them up.

Hm, she’ll have to put some under a sofa pillow, and most certainly under her bed pillows. What about the bathroom? Should she put some there? Thinking back to their many accomplishments during that night, Xu Lian placed a box behind her toiletries by the counter.

After cleaning up, she decided to go out and buy some vegetables. After all, Xiang ChangKong was supposed to teach her how to cook.

Xu Lian’s neighborhood didn’t have a vegetable market in the vicinity. The nearest one was a ten-minute drive away. However, there was a vegetable supermarket just outside the community called Starlight Farm. The prices would be higher compared to vegetable markets, but Xu Lian heard that fresh vegetables were transported to Starlight Farm every day.

(T/N: Instead of stalls [vegetable market], there’s a supermarket specializing in vegetables.)

Xu Lian usually passed the supermarket every time she drove to work, but she had never gone in. Now, as she stepped inside, she saw that they had a huge variety of vegetables.

“Welcome! Our vegetables are grown on our own farms and delivered fresh every day. Please feel free to browse.” When the clerk saw a first-time customer, he immediately greeted her.

Xu Lian wasn’t the type of person who thought about what vegetables to buy beforehand. She would often just walk around, follow her gut, and buy whatever. After browsing for a few minutes, she opened her WeChat and sent Xiang ChangKong a message.

Xu Lian: What vegetables do you like?

Xiang ChangKong: You can buy what you like.

Xu Lian didn’t expect Xiang ChangKong to reply so quickly this time!

In the end, Xu Lian bought a lot of vegetables that she liked to eat. She paid for everything, then from the vegetable supermarket, went to a general supermarket and bought some meat. Looking at the fresh shrimp they had today, she decided to buy some too.

Xiang ChangKong should be able to cook shrimp, right?

After buying all this, Xu Lian went home. S placed all the shopping on the table, took a picture of it, then sent it to Xiang ChangKong.

Xu Lian: The ingredients are ready, the only thing missing is the chef.

Xiang ChangKong: Do you have any seasonings?

Xu Lian: “…”

She went into her kitchen and opened her seasoning cabinet.

Xi Lian: [picture] only soy sauce and vinegar.

Xiang ChangKong: …..

How does she live like this?

Xiang ChangKong typed up some seasonings and sent it to Xu Lian. Xu Lian looked at the list and felt a headache coming on.

Xu Lian: So many seasonings exist in this world?

Xiang ChangKong: That’s right.

Xu Lian: Alright, I’ll go buy it now.