Chapter 8: Will You Be Coming Back Tonight?

"Yan! Yan!"

Li Yan emerged from his bedroom, still groggy, and opened the door to find Wang Zhen standing there. Seeing two missed calls on his phone, he realized Wang Zhen had come straight to his house to wake him up.

Wang Zhen slipped off his shoes and casually entered, handing Li Yan a bottle of chilled cola as he spoke.

"Yan, it’s time to head out. It’s already three o’clock."

Li Yan glanced at his phone; it was 2:40 p.m., about time to get moving. He took a long sip of the cold soda, instantly feeling more awake.

Watching Wang Zhen sitting comfortably on the sofa, Li Yan knew full well that his friend was eagerly anticipating tonight’s gathering.

Sure enough, just as Li Yan headed to the bathroom to wash his face, Wang Zhen’s voice carried from the living room.

"Yan, did Shen Qingyue send the photos yet?"

"Yan, what exactly does her best friend look like?"

Li Yan couldn’t help but be amused by Wang Zhen’s enthusiasm. After washing his face and trimming the stubble that had begun to show, he stepped out of the bathroom, grabbed his phone, and messaged Shen Qingyue.

"Send me a photo of your best friend. My friend wants to get a look first."

He then tossed the phone to Wang Zhen and went back to his bedroom to change.

Wang Zhen eagerly caught the phone, eyes glued to it, waiting for Shen Qingyue’s reply.

Li Yan returned to his room, pulled out a white shirt, and rolled up the sleeves. He chose a pair of light-colored casual trousers and slipped on a pair of gray Nike sneakers with the iconic reversed swoosh.

Li Yan’s watch collection was small, just three pieces: an Apple Watch, a gold Casio square watch, and a Rolex Submariner "Green Hulk" that he rarely wore these days.

The priciest was, of course, the Rolex Green Hulk, which Li Yan had bought on the secondary market during his second year of high school.

It wasn’t that he didn’t want to buy a new one; rather, they were simply impossible to get.

Even this secondhand piece had cost him 146,000 yuan. But because it was secondhand, it was almost indistinguishable from new—its previous owner had bought it solely to resell and had barely worn it.

Still, Li Yan wore it less and less, not for any other reason but because with TikTok’s rise, fake Green Hulks had flooded the market, turning the watch into a kind of internet celebrity item.

Li Yan found it a little tiresome but had no choice; he couldn’t afford anything pricier at the time, and he had only worn the Green Hulk for less than six months.

Nowadays, Li Yan mostly wore the gold Casio square watch.

He picked it up and strapped it on; the golden face oddly complemented the white shirt.

It wasn’t just any version—it was the Casio 40th Anniversary Frosted Gold edition, one of Li Yan’s favorites.

At five thousand yuan, it was no burden for someone like Li Yan, who was practically a mini-Warren Buffett.

Carrying his shoes and still in slippers, Li Yan stepped out of the bedroom and looked at Wang Zhen, who was still sitting dazed on the sofa.

"Well? What do you think?"

"Hmm… it looks good, but Yan... I don’t think I can handle this!" Wang Zhen said, conflicted, handing back the phone.

Li Yan took it, curious about what was going on. Why did Wang Zhen feel uncertain?

Opening the chat with Shen Qingyue, he saw no photos sent directly—just a WeChat contact card.

Li Yan tapped it and found he could view her Moments without adding her as a friend.

That setting gave him an inkling of what was happening.

Opening the profile, Li Yan saw a collection of photos styled in a European and American Instagram aesthetic, and he understood why Wang Zhen felt out of his depth.

The first photo in the Moments was taken inside a dimly lit bar, with moody lighting and obvious editing.

The girl in the photo, to Li Yan’s eyes, barely rated a four out of ten; he had no interest in her at all.

But for Wang Zhen, she was quite attractive.

However, the tongue piercing, black stockings, tattoo on the forearm, and bleached yellow hair were probably why Wang Zhen felt he couldn’t handle it.

Wang Zhen might be a bit flashy, but deep down, he was a rather innocent young man.

Though he often bragged about his conquests, Li Yan knew there was plenty of exaggeration.

This girl looked like a seasoned party girl, and Wang Zhen was definitely out of his league.

Yet Li Yan smiled and said,

"What if she goes to bars, has tattoos, tongue piercings, and dyed hair, but is actually a good girl?"

"Give it a shot, it’s no big deal. I’ll back you up tonight, don’t worry!"

Truth be told, although Li Yan wasn’t attracted to this type of girl, her style was undeniably a kind of edgy beauty.

Of course, it was just an unconventional style.

Li Yan didn’t mind; he’d never held any prejudice against people who dressed or acted differently.

His philosophy was simple: no matter how strange someone seemed, as long as it didn’t concern him, he had no judgment.

Respect other people’s choices and fates.

He wasn’t one to meddle or stand on moral high ground to criticize others—it wasn’t worth the trouble.

Wang Zhen wasn’t exactly a novice, but in this situation, he was as inexperienced as one.

Seeing a girl like that and feeling unsure was perfectly normal—Wang Zhen wasn’t a party animal by nature.

Li Yan pocketed his phone, placed his keys and cardholder inside a small Louis Vuitton pouch he had bought.

Just that tiny LV pouch and a cardholder had cost him 20,000 yuan.

After a quick check of his not-so-long hair in the mirror, Li Yan put on a pair of Ray-Ban sunglasses worth 5,600 yuan and laced up those Nike sneakers he had bought for over 8,000 yuan.

"Let’s go."

"Damn, Yan, you’re really something else!" Wang Zhen said with envy.

Li Yan might not have been strikingly handsome, but who else knew how to dress like him?

Add to that his confident, scholarly aura and impeccably neat appearance, and it was no surprise he had plenty of admirers at school.

Of course, his financial prowess was the key to winning over so many pretty girls.

Everything else was just the prerequisite.

People always compare themselves to others.

Wang Zhen, in his Nike shorts, Adidas T-shirt, and Nike sneakers, looked like the quintessential sidekick standing next to the protagonist.

Standing beside Li Yan, Wang Zhen was both excited about the evening’s plans and watched as Li Yan made a phone call.

They were hailing a cab at the entrance of their residential complex while Li Yan was on the phone with his mother.

"Mom, I won’t be home for dinner tonight."

"Whether you come back to sleep depends on how things go… well, actually, it depends on the situation."