Chapter 58.1 – Cross-dresser Jiang (x) (2)
During the traffic jam, none of the luxury cars could match the efficiency of a small electric scooter.
Weaving through the multitude of four-wheelers, Jiang Yujin finally parked the electric scooter in front of the hotel.
The hotel provided valet parking service. The attendant approached as soon as they noticed someone arriving, but upon seeing the electric scooter, they were momentarily stunned, unsure of what to do.
Initially, Jiang Yujin wanted to speak but then realized something. He gestured towards himself and then pointed to the designated area nearby specifically for parking electric scooters.
The meaning was for him to park the scooter himself.
The attendant cryptically understood his gesture and stood aside, observing as Jiang Yujin swiftly parked the vehicle.
His sole purpose today was to help preserve a helmet. After handing the helmet to the attendant, Jiang Yujin took out his phone, tapped a few times, and showed something to the attendant, indicating that the helmet should be given to a round-faced girl with a bodyguard who would arrive later.
The attendant held the helmet, observing the person before them—a demeanor cold and distant, yet adorned with long eyelashes.
Sometimes, the colder someone seemed, the more others wanted to do for them. The attendant cautiously asked, “Is there anything else I can do for you?”
Jiang Yujin shook his head. His white hair swayed with the movement, contrasting starkly against the black skirt. The attendant’s heart fluttered for a moment, murmuring softly with a hint of regret, before leading the person into the hotel.
Inside the hotel, another person guided them, confirming their destination and identity. Another attendant took over, leading Jiang Yujin upstairs as if in a relay.
The ballroom was on the second floor, accessible directly via the stairs on either side of the lobby.
After being tripped by the overly long skirt for the second time, Jiang Yujin’s patience wore thin. He simply lifted the skirt and continued walking.
The attendant ahead glanced back, involuntarily scanning the blindingly white legs, swiftly retracting their gaze afterward.
The attendant opened the doors to the ballroom.
The lobby was indeed grand, split into two levels with a massive chandelier hanging from the second floor all the way down to the first. Apart from the grand ballroom visible upon entry, there were specialized dining areas for friend gatherings, a chess room, and a tabletop gaming room.
Listening to the attendant’s introduction, Jiang Yujin scanned the entire lobby with his gaze.
Rich people certainly knew how to indulge.
The other early arrivals headed to the specialized dining area on the second floor while familiar stairs lined the edge of the second floor.
With a twitch at the corner of his eye, Jiang Yujin once again pinched the hem of his skirt.
The attendant escorted him to the room’s entrance, bid farewell, and left.
Before entering the room, footsteps echoed from the end of the second-floor corridor—two sets, two people.
Jiang Yujin turned to look and spotted a man and a woman emerging from the corner. The woman wore a green fluffy skirt, while the man donned casual clothes and carried a small yellow bag, obviously belonging to her.
Though the two weren’t touching, they conversed with laughter, an air of intimacy between them.
Having seen pictures before, Jiang immediately recognized the man as Tang Guo’s ambiguous companion, the person he needed to clearly express his stance to today. If memory served, the guy was called Wen Yang. However, from the current scenario, it seemed Wen Yang might not be the only ambiguous companion of Tang Guo.
Encountering a sleazy guy, it seemed less crucial to express a stance in this situation.
Clearly, the other party had noticed him too, freezing for a moment while holding the bag.
Today’s main objective was to smoothly enjoy the gathering without getting involved in any odd emotional disputes. Before the two individuals approached, Jiang Yujin took the initiative, pushing the door open and entering the room directly.
Inside the room, there were sofas, a small coffee table, and in the middle, several people sat around a round table, holding glasses and chatting merrily.
They were all youngsters exuding an air of youthfulness.
When he entered, the people inside paused, then someone realized and stood up, helping to pull out a chair beside them.
Others were amazed and waved, “Tang Guo, you finally made it!”
They had thought Tang Guo looked good in the photos, but the impact in person was even stronger.
Jiang Yujin sat down, politely nodded by way of greeting. It was a gesture of civility.
By the time he sat down, someone had already poured a drink for him. Objectively speaking, the liquor smelled delightful.
Just as Jiang Yujin was about to reach for it, someone swatted away the server’s hand, saying, “Guozi, your throat isn’t good; let me pour the drink for you.”
The server remembered and sheepishly withdrew.
Jiang Yujin just looked at the glass, feeling disheartened. Even the slightly raised eyelids drooped a little more.
In a short while, both seats beside him were occupied.
The door reopened, and Wen Yang and the girl in the fluffy skirt appeared. Naturally, Wen Yang handed the bag back to her.
Others glanced at them. Someone half-jokingly said to the girl in the fluffy skirt, “You’re not clueless about who Wen Yang is, don’t let the playboy deceive you.”
The girl in the green fluffy skirt sat down with the bag behind her back, smiling and saying she knew. In just that brief moment, the ambiguous atmosphere between them dissipated.
Citizen Jiang, who had been repeatedly called “uncle” by his big son’s friends, once again marveled at the complexity of relationships among young people.
Wen Yang scanned around the table and noticed that both sides of the person with long white hair were already occupied, so he casually found a seat and sat down.
The world of young people was indeed colorful, delving into things that the normally soap opera-watching, puzzle game-playing Citizen Jiang wasn’t familiar with.
Being unable to speak was quite handy. He only needed to listen to others talk, occasionally nod, and frantically use a search engine on his phone, all the while updating Tang Guo, who was already at the hotel, on the progress.
There wasn’t much to report at the moment, so he only mentioned matters related to Wen Yang.
After years of friendship, Tang Guo actually knew Wen Yang was a bit of a playboy. She had thought he might be sincere with friends, hence the ambiguous relationship, but it seemed he was like that with everyone.
Tang Guo, despite her soft demeanor and slow speech, made decisions surprisingly quickly. She quickly decided he wouldn’t need to say much to Wen Yang. As long as he kept eating and drinking without being discovered as an impostor by others, it would be fine.
Task 1 – Once he finished reporting the progress, Jiang Yujin had completely lost track of the conversation among the others. So, he put away his phone and focused on eating.
The food at this hotel was actually quite delicious.
While the others conversed, they also kept an eye on the person who couldn’t talk due to a throat issue. Seeing Jiang Yujin focused on eating, they started recommending dishes they thought he might enjoy.
Truth be told, these recommendations aligned well with Citizen Jiang’s taste.
A person seated nearby observed the rise and fall of Jiang Yujin’s cheeks as he ate, feeling an inexplicable boost in their own appetite.
The group gradually shifted their focus from chatting to enjoying the meal.
After eating to his heart’s content, Jiang Yujin lounged lazily in his chair, feeling a bit drowsy. He wanted to yawn but resisted, holding back the physiological tears welling up in his eyes.
The scent of the alcohol he was destined not to taste tonight lingered in the room. After a brief contemplation, he decided to step outside for some fresh air to clear his head.
Remembering the balcony the attendant had shown him, Jiang Yujin gestured towards himself and then towards the door, indicating his intention to go for a walk outside.
The person beside him nodded in understanding.
The others watched him leave, and someone nearby explained that he was just going out for a walk. Wen Yang stood up, seemingly inclined to leave as well.
Someone stopped him, saying, “What are you going out for? It’s fine to have fun, but don’t make advances on our friend.”
Wen Yang was thus stopped and sat back down.
It wasn’t until the room door closed completely that someone remarked, “Did anyone else feel like Tang Guo tonight was a bit… distant?”
Although she had a face resembling a highland flower, Tang Guo was actually quite talkative and smiled a lot. In group chats, her messages were often filled with laughter. Today, due to her throat issue, she couldn’t speak much, which was understandable. But upon closer observation, she only smiled briefly when she first entered. After that, she mostly listened to others speak and ate, her facial expression remaining unchanged.
Another person gestured, “Maybe she hasn’t adapted yet. She might open up later.”
“Opening up” wasn’t something he could easily do; Citizen Jiang was better off on his own.
After leaving the room, he encountered those cursed stairs again. Jiang Yujin gathered his skirt and descended, crossing the lengthy lobby.
The balcony was wide open, offering a much fresher breath of air.
Just as his hand touched the balcony door, Jiang Yujin glanced back towards the entrance at the end of the lobby, where he had come in. His hand twitched for a moment before he remembered that his mission today wasn’t to solve strange species. He continued walking onto the balcony to enjoy the breeze.
Tang Guo remained seated in the hotel lobby. Her driver and bodyguard were in the parking lot; she sat alone, observing people coming and going in the hotel.
The staff had already noticed the young lady sitting there but didn’t say much or disturb her.
Tang Guo had booked a room upon entering the hotel; she was a guest and had no problem sitting there for as long as she wished.
The sound of the automatic door opening echoed again, and she turned her head to see two men in casual attire entering.
These two individuals appeared ordinary yet not quite usual. Upon entering, they surveyed the hotel with an inexplicable, intimidating gaze that ordinary people didn’t possess. Their focus lingered notably at the entrance of the lobby on the second floor.
Ignoring the staff’s suggestions, the two burly men insisted on booking the cheapest standard room. They declined the company of a staff member, took the room card, and went upstairs on their own.
