I'm Just Getting Your Luck - Chapter 27
“You live with your boss?”
Zhou Chenyi’s clothes always look more or less the same. He’s lazy, and his wardrobe basically consists of black, white, and grey.
Zhou Buping, on the other hand, had tried many styles. Whenever she bought clothes for her husband, she’d often get a set for Zhou Chenyi too—but most of them ended up buried in the closet.
Early in the morning, Zhou Buping arrived with several sales assistants behind her, pushing large custom wardrobe trunks.
This was from her favorite brand, and judging by the looks of it, she had picked out quite a few new items.
Zhou Chenyi looked up from an English news report. Facing his sister’s relentless affection, he sighed deeply: “Sis, I’m really not into clothes. You don’t have to buy me anything.”
“Who said these were for you? They’re for Yingyu.” Zhou Buping rolled her eyes and directed the assistants to push the trunks into the dressing room.
Just as she said that, Yingyu arrived. The two of them linked arms affectionately and went off to try on clothes together.
The invitation from Sister Xiao specifically asked for formal attire. Yingyu had searched online, but none of the advice seemed reliable, and she couldn’t decide what was appropriate. By chance, she ran into Zhou Buping that day and asked her for advice—Zhou Buping enthusiastically took over the task, and Yingyu couldn’t get out of it even if she wanted to.
With Yingyu’s face and figure, every dress looked good on her. Every single one. Zhou Buping wanted to buy each one she tried on. She even told the staff to remember Yingyu’s size and bring more options next time. “You really need to try these clothes on to feel them—none of the real models look half as good as you!”
“Buping-jie, I really can’t wear this many clothes. You don’t need to go through all this trouble.”
Yingyu was wearing a white feathered sequined gown that made her look like a fairy.
It was beautiful, yes—but she really didn’t have any occasion to wear this sort of thing.
“If you can’t wear them, just put them in your closet and look at them. Who says you have to wear the clothes you buy?” Zhou Buping didn’t seem to care, like she was playing a real-life version of Love Nikki, then turned and asked the staff to bring jewelry to match.
Zhou Chenyi stood at the doorway, chuckling as he looked at Yingyu. “Ever since she was a kid, my sister’s always been mad I was a boy, because she couldn’t dress me up like a Barbie. Now that you’re here, she’s finally got someone to play with. Just let her enjoy herself.”
He silently mouthed to Yingyu: Sorry. Consider this overtime pay.
Zhou Chenyi really had a knack for comforting people.
Yingyu smiled.
To little Zhou Fan, white puffy dresses were basically wedding dresses.
He broke off half of his chocolate cake and handed it to Yingyu, tilting his little head to ask, “Monster-sis, are you getting married to my uncle?”
Yingyu and Zhou Chenyi both choked and started coughing hard.
Yingyu took the water the little gentleman Zhou Fan offered and explained, “No, I’m going to someone else’s wedding. This is the formal dress I bought for it.”
“Huh? So you’re marrying someone else? You don’t want Uncle anymore?” Zhou Fan strained his little brain to pitch his uncle, “He’s older than you, not very healthy, and he’ll die before you—then no one will take care of you! He also works all the time and never comes home, so he won’t even know what you’re doing. But you can play with me! Also, his mouth is sharp—if anyone bullies you, he can shut them up real fast.”
Yingyu: “…” Technically, she would outlive Zhou Chenyi. She could probably send him off herself.
But you couldn’t compare monster years and human years directly. Their schooling alone could last decades. Yingyu had only been working at the Monster Management Bureau for a few years. Her life experience was no match for Zhou Chenyi’s.
Zhou Chenyi clutched his chest like he’d been shot: “…Sis, aren’t you going to do something about your son? He’s straight-up slandering your own brother.”
“If the top beam’s crooked, the lower ones tilt. He’s always with you—of course he picked up your habits.” Zhou Buping was fastening a gemstone necklace on Yingyu and still found time to glance at her brother, “Fan-fan is just telling the truth. It’s hard to find a needle in the sea—don’t you dare bully him.”
This uncle was a lost cause.
Zhou Fan looked at him with disdain. “Sister, can I go to your wedding with you? I want to be a flower boy.”
Someone in his class had done that and looked very handsome in a little tux.
“Zhou Fan, have you finished your homework?” Zhou Chenyi brought out his ultimate weapon. “Go do your homework.”
Zhou Fan huffed: “Uncle, no wonder she doesn’t like you!”
The other dresses all looked great, but they didn’t quite suit someone else’s wedding. There was only one dress left to try on. Yingyu came out in it—and Zhou Buping’s expression said it all.
Stunning. Absolutely stunning.
Zhou Chenyi was upstairs in the study. He heard Zhou Buping call out, “I’m not sure anymore—let Chenyi take a look. He’s younger. If he says it looks good, then it definitely does.”
Yingyu was gently persuaded up to the study door.
“Zhou Chenyi,” she called.
Zhou Chenyi turned around—pretending he had just heard her—but he was still stunned.
A sky-blue off-shoulder gown, with cutouts at the waist that revealed her slender figure. The color looked like it was plucked straight from the sky—any darker would be too mature, any lighter too childish. It made her skin look even fairer, like milk. Zhou Buping had chosen large pearl earrings and a silver bracelet that draped onto her hand.
“Does it look good?”
Zhou Chenyi made a barely perceptible hum of agreement.
Yingyu suddenly walked over to him, her lowered hair brushing his face and making it tickle. She cupped her hand and whispered, “Zhou Chenyi, this isn’t really appropriate, is it?”
There were no price tags on the dresses. They had to be ridiculously expensive. She’d just seen one of the assistants press a calculator with a bunch of zeroes—it was even more than Zhou Chenyi’s Rolex.
Zhou Chenyi raised an eyebrow, “You want to pay me back?”
Yingyu looked distressed, “I do… but it’s too expensive. Even if I left, I couldn’t pay it all back.” With the little salary she made at the bureau, how many years would it take?
“Leave?” Zhou Chenyi immediately caught onto her wording. “Where are you going?”
His reading comprehension must be full marks.
Yingyu mumbled, “…To the wedding. I’ll be leaving in a bit.”
“I’ll have the driver take you.”
“No need, Chao’nan-ge is almost here. He’s picking me up.”
She glanced at her phone, grabbed her bag, and headed downstairs.
—
Yu Chaonan was a gentleman. He opened the car door for her, complimented her in monster language, and even held an umbrella when the sun was too bright.
The portal between the monster world and human world was in a small town outside the Third Ring Road.
The town was quite commercialized but didn’t attract many tourists. The portal was in a nail salon.
Everyone coming through was a monster—they’d stick their hands under the UV lamp.
Yingyu’s yellow fox paw and Yu Chaonan’s white fox paw appeared. The chair dropped through the floor, descending into the monster world.
Sister Xiao’s wedding aisle was long—you could already see the beach venue from a distance.
Yingyu was glad she dressed up. Since Sister Xiao asked for formalwear, everyone was dressed like it was fashion week. Professional photographers were stationed all along the path, snapping away nonstop—it was like a red carpet.
Since she was already here, Yingyu cooperated and posed for photos with Yu Chaonan.
“Okay, now smile for the camera, you lovely couple—wishing you everlasting happiness!”
Yingyu waved, correcting them: “We’re not a couple.”
The photographer quickly apologized: “Sorry! You two just look so good together I couldn’t help myself.”
This happened with three more photographers. Each one said the same thing—only with different phrases.
Yingyu: “…”
Are you photographers or emcees? And what kind of couple has space for another person to lie between them?
That’s just how matchmaking magpies do their job.
One of the photographers waved, “Come on, get closer. Hold hands! Don’t be shy!”
“Don’t explain anymore. I was in court all day yesterday—my throat’s still on fire.” Yu Chaonan gave up and took her hand, smiling gently. “Let them say what they want. Jokes aren’t admissible as evidence.”
Yingyu nodded, looking determined: “Go ahead and take the photo!”
By the time they got to the venue, Dayan and Erhe were already there.
Yingyu sat next to them.
They thought Yu Chaonan was Zhou Chenyi and interrogated him for a while before realizing he was just her childhood neighbor.
“Yingyu, hurry up and come back to work at the bureau. It’s been so boring without you,” Erhe complained. “Lost and Found is taking on more and more responsibility. We even have to take lost kids home now.”
The monster world’s map system had only been developed in recent years, and it was still rough. It only had basic routes. Streets and rivers were drawn in one type of line—if you weren’t careful, you’d fall into a ditch. Literally.
Zhou Chenyi’s company had recently developed a new navigation app with 3D modeling. It showed detailed, realistic buildings and streets, significantly reducing misdirection.
Suddenly, an idea popped into Yingyu’s head:
What if Zhou Chenyi’s technology was applied to the monster world?
Her phone buzzed—Long Qiuqiu had sent a string of selfies showing off a necklace.
YouFatBall [nickname]: OMG SO SPARKLY!!!
Tbh I was gonna say no at first, but this necklace feels like it BELONGS on me. It’s choking me with fabulousness!
[next time for sure.jpg]
Yingyu had guessed that would happen. She smiled and replied.
The ceremony began. The whole venue fell silent as the bride arrived. Everyone held their breath.
Sister Xiao wore a traditional snake clan black wedding dress, with gemstones mimicking scales that glittered in the light.
Snake-kin sang their sacred hymns, echoing across the sea.
They exchanged rings, and kissed in front of everyone.
Yingyu admired their love and felt happy for them.
She hoped the good luck she brought would stay.
By evening, there was a beach party. Yingyu kicked off her shoes and danced and sang with everyone on the sand.
When she got tired, she sat down and doodled in the sand.
She had some real drawing skills. She proudly snapped a photo and sent it to Zhou Chenyi.
Z: A shrimp holding a basketball… You want wasabi shrimp balls?
Effort [her nickname]: …………
That’s an old man! An old man holding a basketball!
Part of her shadow had covered it. Zhou Chenyi zoomed in and saw a big “Z” on the old man’s chest.
Z: That old man is me? And the second one is… a grave mound? You’re just like Zhou Fan. If I die, who’ll pay your salary?
It was too long to explain in text, so Yingyu held the voice button:
“An old man playing basketball means you’re healthy—you’ll live long. And that grave? It has lots of flowers. That means you were a kind person. People saw through appearances and recognized your true nature.”
Effort: You have terrible comprehension.
Since Yingyu moved in, all the coffee in the house had been replaced with milk tea. Zhou Chenyi never knew what flavor he’d get each day—it was like opening a mystery box.
He took a sip—peach milk. Very sweet. Just her style.
Z: That cat squatting on my grave is also attracted by kindness? It doesn’t look like a cat. What is it?
Yingyu was about to reply when Yu Chaonan asked from behind, “Who are you texting so happily with?”
“My boss. Work stuff.” She took the wine glass he handed her and shifted a bit to make room. “Chaonan-ge, why aren’t you dancing? I saw you were really good just now.”
“The sea breeze is strong. I thought you might’ve fallen asleep sitting here.”
A soft foreign song came on. Sister Xiao and the groom began to waltz. Arm around the waist, spinning, holding hands—it looked so effortless. Yingyu didn’t know the steps, but it felt beautiful. The skirts spun into perfect arcs in the sunset.
She was completely entranced. After the song ended, Yu Chaonan asked, “Do you like this?”
Yingyu smiled: “Who doesn’t like watching beautiful people?”
“I’ll teach you.” Yu Chaonan stood up.
Yingyu quickly pulled him back. They’d already held hands today and it felt weird. If they danced now, in such a romantic setting, it would cross a line. That wouldn’t be good.
“Better not. Sister Butao’s here—I saw her earlier.”
Yu Chaonan teased her: “Yingyu, are you living in the last century? We broke up. I don’t have to mourn for three years. Didn’t you see? She’s here with her new boyfriend.”
Yingyu hadn’t noticed.
She always thought they were just on a break—they’d dated since high school.
Feeling a little guilty, she tried to change the subject. Yu Chaonan helped her out: “My birthday’s next week. If you’re feeling guilty, how about you treat me to dinner?”
They hadn’t kept in touch for years. Yingyu had even forgotten his birthday. She asked what kind of food he liked so she could book a place later.
Speaking of birthdays, Yingyu figured he’d know: “Chaonan-ge, what kind of gifts do guys usually like?”
“Typical gifts? Watches, suits, cologne—stuff most guys use.”
Great. Yingyu mentally took stock. She couldn’t afford any of those—especially not for someone like Zhou Chenyi, who didn’t even like gifts to begin with.
She asked, “Do guys like handmade gifts?”
“Handmade ones are more meaningful. Others might not get it, but I’d really like something like that.”
Yingyu felt a little better. She checked the shipping status of the wood materials she’d ordered.
While she was chatting with Yu Chaonan, Zhou Chenyi had already sent several messages.
Z: Not replying is rude.
Don’t drink too much.
When are you coming home? Curfew’s at 10.
Is your phone dead?
I picked up the car.
Yingyu opened the photo—yep, it was Little Yellow.
Effort: Who took it?
After a pause, he sent a voice message:
“A middle schooler. He saw us leave and pushed it away.”
“When are you coming back?”
“I’ll be back tomorrow. I’m staying here tonight. Don’t wait up.”
She was about to send another message, but Yu Chaonan suddenly asked, “You live with your boss?”
“No, we’re just neighbors.” As soon as she said it, she let go of the screen—and accidentally hit delete instead of retract.
Just perfect.
Effort: When did this curfew rule happen?
Z: Your neighbor set it at 10:01.
Yingyu: “…”