Chapter 30: Red Crowned Crane Red
Chapter 30: Red Crowned Crane Red
Zhu Lili turned on her phone, opened WeChat, and went into a mysterious group chat.
Zhu Lili tapped her fingers really fast. In the blink of an eye, she typed several lines in the group: “I recommend one promising stock. It looks great now and has solid future performance. Good for long-term holding. Anyone interested, come to Meilei V508 soon.”
It was like throwing a rock into a deep pond. The group, which had been quiet, suddenly stirred.
“No photo, no proof.”
“Lili, don’t trick your sisters.”
“Thanks for inviting me, but I’m at MixC now. Just walked into the LV store, won’t come tonight.”
“I only do short-term trades.”
“Just lost money trading stocks. I’m almost done for, don’t think of me.”
“Heh heh.”
Seeing these replies in the group, three black lines popped onto Zhu Lili’s forehead.
These little jerks.
They thought her honest intentions were worthless!
They say every woman secretly dreams of being a matchmaker, and Zhu Lili was no different.
When she saw Gao Jing earlier, her heart beat a little faster.
It wasn’t that she’d fallen for Gao Jing. She felt she was tied to Zhang Hongyuan for life, with no other thoughts.
She just cared about her single friends and wanted to do something nice for them.
If a relationship somehow happened, that would be wonderful.
Zhu Lili knew Gao Jing for a while. Zhang Hongyuan once asked her to find a girlfriend for Gao Jing.
But after learning about Gao Jing, she brushed him off at the time.
He hadn’t seemed a good fit.
Yet today, seeing the fresh, new Gao Jing, she remembered what her boyfriend said.
So she hinted to Zhang Hongyuan to set up a meeting.
But though the room was booked, her friends weren’t interested.
Some even doubted her.
Zhu Lili suddenly felt her reputation in the group was in big trouble!
She gritted her teeth. Holding her phone as if texting, she took a secret picture of Gao Jing.
Zhu Lili’s phone skills were excellent. She switched to portrait mode and added a soft filter.
In the picture, Gao Jing sat half-turned. He was chatting with Zhang Hongyuan.
He had a soft smile on his face. The ceiling light shone on him and, against the blurred background, gave off a movie-like feel and color.
Truly extraordinary!
Zhu Lili quite liked this sneaky shot and quickly sent it to the mysterious group chat.
She didn’t believe they’d stay cold now!
If she’d thrown a rock in the pond before, this was like dropping a bomb.
The fish scattered everywhere.
“Wow, such a handsome guy!”
“Lili actually got it right this time—he’s my type!”
“Oh, Sister Lili, are you two there yet? I’m already in a cab.”
“Being handsome isn’t a big deal. Not bringing money to invest here—just feeling like singing K.”
“Think I’ve got some hope after all.”
“If he turns out well, I might consider a long-term hold.”
“Coming!”
Watching the flood of group responses, Zhu Lili chuckled.
Women!
Gao Jing and Zhang Hongyuan had no idea what big change was unfolding in Zhu Lili’s friend group nearby.
The two had finished eating and drinking. Gao Jing called over the worker and paid the bill.
Everyone left the small restaurant together for the KTV.
Inside the cab, Zhang Hongyuan asked his girlfriend, “How many of your friends are showing up?”
Zhu Lili checked her phone. “Six signed up—two are bringing their partners.”
“Fine by me.”
Zhang Hongyuan waved it off. “A big group makes it fun. By the way—”
He added, “Is Song Xue coming?”
“Huh?”
Zhu Lili put down her phone. A knowing smile tugged at her mouth. “Still thinking about her?”
“Don’t be silly!”
Zhang Hongyuan couldn’t help laughing. “When have I ever thought of her? Unless it’s ’cause she’s the prettiest… Cough!”
He stumbled over his words, earning a sharp pinch from Zhu Lili.
Gao Jing, sitting in the passenger seat, smiled softly.
He could tell—his friend was wrapped around Zhu Lili’s finger.
Bound for life.
Nice.
Gao Jing also knew this couple wanted to set him up.
While he had no plans to date right now, he wouldn’t throw cold water on their kindness.
It’d be good fun to hang out.
At Meilei, the trio took the elevator straight to the fifth floor.
Once settled in their booked room, Zhang Hongyuan cheerfully ordered a pile of drinks, fruit plates, and snacks.
Back working in Yuncheng and away from workplace annoyance, he felt wonderful.
After the staff brought everything, Zhu Lili’s friends showed up one by one.
Nine people in total—two couples. With Gao Jing and the others, that made twelve.
Perfectly filling the large room.
Zhang Hongyuan knew them all. He introduced each to Gao Jing.
Like attracts like, birds of a feather flock together.
Zhu Lili’s friends all hit the standard mark looks-wise, average around 6 or 7 out of 10.
No big uglies or huge beauties. Most were city office workers like Zhu Lili.
Some had straightforward and bold personalities, daring to scrutinize Gao Jing openly in front of everyone.
Others were polite and reserved, their courteousness carrying a hint of restraint.
Though they’d seemed wildly enthusiastic and assertive within the group chat earlier, when meeting in person, none devolved into starry-eyed fools.
It wasn’t that Gao Jing looked worse than his photos; charisma like his couldn’t be perfectly captured on a phone.
The girls’ first impressions of Gao Jing were actually quite positive.
Definitely a good-looking guy.
Yet these savvy young city office workers had sharp eyes. A quick glance was all it took to peg the entire value of Gao Jing’s outfit—under three hundred yuan.
T-shirt, jeans, and sneakers… something you could score with a “200-yuan-off-120” voucher on Taobao.
And Zhu Lili had already stated in the group: Gao Jing was a “potential stock,” promising future performance, suitable for long-term investment.
What did that really mean?
A poor handsome youth!
Potential was hard to define; the future was unknown.
For girls who’d already been in the workforce for years, a handsome guy with no money was like red-crowned crane poison—beautiful but deadly toxic.
They couldn’t afford the risk, didn’t dare gamble, and definitely didn’t want to waste their precious youth and cash!
Girls still in school and girls who’d navigated society for several years truly belonged to different species.
Of course, reality was reality. No one was foolish enough to openly flaunt their snobbishness.
It was just friends gathering to sing karaoke—everyone laughing, joking, and having fun was good enough. No commitment required.
As Zhu Lili grabbed the mic first and started singing, the atmosphere in the private booth quickly warmed up.
Gao Jing clinked his bottle of Corona with Zhang Hongyuan’s and they drank.
Zhang Hongyuan set down his empty bottle, winking at Gao Jing. “Lao Gao, hey, don’t just focus on yourself.”
His gaze flicked meaningfully towards the girl sitting on Gao Jing’s right.
Her name was Song Xue, the prettiest among Zhu Lili’s close friends.
Her looks rated at least a 7.5, hitting a solid 8 with makeup and styling. Her aura was quite remarkable.
She had a slender, graceful figure.
Though a bit flat-chested.
She hadn’t come to check out the handsome guy of her own volition; another friend of Zhu Lili’s had practically dragged her here.
Before arriving at Mele KTV, they’d been shopping at the MixC.
Once there, Zhu Lili deliberately placed Song Xue next to Gao Jing.
The intention was obvious.
But Song Xue’s impression of Gao Jing was lukewarm at best.
She’d had plenty of handsome guys pursue her. Gao Jing wasn’t stunningly handsome, nor did he meet her personal standards.
Song Xue hadn’t refused Zhu Lili’s deliberate seating arrangement.
But after the introductions, when they sat down, she only whispered to the friend beside her.
The two of them stayed distinctly separate.
Gao Jing could clearly sense her reserve and distance.
Why would he push himself to be friendly anyway?
Opening another Corona, Gao Jing grinned. “Nonsense, of course I’m looking out for you! Another one!”
“Afraid of you?”
Seeing Gao Jing stubbornly stuck to his lane, Zhang Hongyuan couldn’t very well force him to turn into some lovestruck puppy. “Tonight—no going home sober!”
Gao Jing chuckled.
The two were happily drinking when a young man sitting across from them, holding his beer, walked over. Smiling, he said, “Brother Zhang, here’s to you.”
Zhang Hongyuan scrambled to stand up. “Brother Zheng, too kind! Let me toast you.”
This young man was the plus-one brought by one of Zhu Lili’s friends. His name was Zheng Xing’an.
He wasn’t tall, dressed head-to-toe in Burberry.
As he extended his bottle towards Zhang Hongyuan, the brand new Rolex Submariner on his wrist glittered brightly.
Among the four men in the private booth, Zheng Xing’an had the shortest stature and was the least conventionally handsome.
But his wealth was undeniably the highest—or at least, it visibly appeared to be.
Zhang Hongyuan treated him with noticeable respect.
After clinking bottles with Zhang Hongyuan, Zheng Xing’an turned his gaze to Gao Jing. “Friend, let’s have one too.”
Gao Jing smiled and stood up. “Alright.”
He noticed that while Zheng Xing’an seemed to be looking at him, the man’s eyes were really fixed on Song Xue beside him.
Interesting indeed.