The Man in the Black Sweater - 2.2: Seeing My Hometown Again

Back in the day, if she wanted to sit in on college lectures, Luo Xu had to sneak into classes here and there. She went more diligently than the actual students, to the point that quite a few professors knew her face.
Staring at the screen, Luo Xu suddenly felt like the domestic situation was thriving. Her parents had gone overseas all those years ago, breaking up their family and wrecking their lives—what for, really?
A “school dropout.” The thought left Luo Xu dispirited; she only ate one bowl at dinner that night, putting her “eat to make up the fee” plan on hold for now.
Pei Yan returned at nine. From her bedroom window, Luo Xu saw his car drive into the courtyard. When it stopped and he stepped out, dressed in a black coat, his already noble and austere air grew even sharper. But in Luo Xu’s eyes, what radiated from him wasn’t coldness but golden light and glittering currency symbols.
A little later, Auntie Chen knocked on her door and told her that tomorrow they would go to the East District to meet the old master and madam.
Luo Xu shuddered, remembering Tang Huan’s warning.
At the root of it all, the reason Tang Huan had begged her to play-act to help him avoid a forced marriage was this meddlesome old lady. According to his account, she was shrewd and sharp-eyed. Whatever tricks Tang Huan tried, they were like the White Bone Spirit in front of the Monkey King—no matter what form he took, she could always see right through him.
Of course, Luo Xu also marveled at how shameless Tang Huan was to compare himself to the White Bone Spirit. Since when did the White Bone Spirit have such hairy legs? Absolutely shameless.
To be safe, Luo Xu decided she should ask Pei Yan about the old lady’s preferences. Even if he often ignored her, he was still the one who had brought her back to the country. Surely this was something she could discuss with him?
……
“The old lady’s likes and dislikes?” Pei Yan set down his book and turned to look at her.
Luo Xu nodded. “It’s my first time meeting the elders. I’m really nervous…” If she didn’t play her part well, Tang Huan might refuse to pay her the final installment—what then?
Pei Yan wore a gray casual suit, tall and poised, with a calm and steady aura. Luo Xu stood far away from him, afraid that standing side by side would make her look pitiful in comparison.
“You don’t need to prepare anything. As long as the person is right, the old lady won’t be picky.” He pulled out another book, turned a page with his fingers, and began reading again.
The words were artistic but biting. As long as the person is right… So was she the right person, or not?
If she was right, she could show up empty-handed and they’d still be delighted. If she wasn’t, she could carry in a mountain of gold and they’d still ignore her. The key was—she didn’t even have a mountain of gold.
“So… I don’t need to prepare anything at all?” Luo Xu asked hesitantly.
Pei Yan gave a short “Mm,” clearly uninterested in continuing the conversation.
Luo Xu turned to leave.
“Oh, and don’t dress too sloppily. The old lady prefers a more proper appearance.”
Pei Yan’s words floated after her, striking the back of her head.
“Dare I ask, what exactly counts as sloppy?” Luo Xu turned back, flashing a row of pure white teeth.
Pei Yan tilted his head to glance at her. “I count as Tang Huan’s elder too. What were you wearing the first time you met me?”
“T-shirt and jeans.”
“That. Don’t wear it again.” He raised his chin slightly.
Luo Xu drew a deep breath. Final payment, final payment, final payment. Don’t argue with the handsome guy, don’t argue with the handsome guy, don’t argue with the handsome guy!
“Alright, I understand.” She smiled as she turned away, nearly biting through her molars.
Pei Yan gave a sidelong glance at the doorway where she had disappeared, expressionless.
Back in her room, Luo Xu turned her suitcase upside down.
Sloppy, sloppy, sloppy…
For the first time in her life, she had been branded sloppy. She had always thought that even if she draped herself in a bedsheet, she could still pull off dazzling beauty. This was the first time she’d suffered a setback in appearance.
Embracing the mindset of “better to die than be humiliated,” Luo Xu shoved her suitcase out and swore she’d make him look at her in a whole new light.
……

At ten o’clock at night, sitting in the middle of a pile of Zara, Gap, and the like, she started to kind of understand what Pei Yan meant. These simple, easy-to-match clothes were fine for meeting friends, but meeting parents…
Forget it. Why should she care so much about Pei Yan’s opinion anyway? It wasn’t like she could make money out of it.
Luo Xu gave up, packed the clothes back into her suitcase, lay down flat, and waited to be crushed under Pei Yan’s gaze tomorrow.
Knock knock knock… The sound of knocking came.
Luo Xu got up and opened the door, only to find Aunt Chen. In this house, there were only the old butler and Aunt Chen. After hanging around these days, she had finally memorized their faces.
“Aunt Chen, what is it?”
Aunt Chen lifted up the clothes in her hands and said, “Sir asked me to bring this over to you. Try it on and see if the size fits.”
Luo Xu raised her brows. “For me?”
Aunt Chen smiled a little sheepishly and said, “Sort of, yes.”
Luo Xu took the clothes. A dust cover was draped over them, so she couldn’t see what the clothes really looked like.
“Please thank Mr. Pei for me.” Luo Xu took a deep breath.
Aunt Chen finished her errand, pulled the door shut for her, and left.
Luo Xu threw the clothes onto the sofa, crossed her arms, and stared at them. Was Pei Yan so certain she didn’t own a single non-sloppy outfit that he had to send her something?
That was just looking down on people. Wounding her pride…
She unzipped the dust cover, and a gray coat leapt out. She reached out and touched it, and immediately knew this one piece probably cost more than her entire suitcase full of clothes. She’d worn good clothes on the runway before; she knew what branded goods felt like.
She put the coat on and walked to the mirror.
“Damn…” Luo Xu was startled. This was… way too perfect.
A double-faced wool coat, top-tier quality, lightweight and comfortable. Once it was on her, it was as if she had become someone from another social class entirely, her whole body glowing with the sheen of money.
Pei Yan’s taste in people might be off, but his taste in clothes wasn’t bad at all. Luo Xu admired herself shamelessly in the mirror, and honestly wanted to wear it straight into her coffin.
Sigh… She couldn’t help but wonder greedily—did he by any chance also prepare an inner layer to go with it?