Chapter 21: A Hint from Wen De
She realized belatedly what she had said to Jiang Xu earlier. “Dad, it was my classmate who wanted me to go out. I didn’t want to, so I just made up an excuse. There are several casual outfits in the wardrobe that still have their tags on.”
“You weren’t home before, so I just went to the mall and bought a few things casually. You’re older now and have your own preferences,” Wen De said as he put down the newspaper and stood up. Then he added, “Go change your clothes. I’ll start the car and wait for you at the gate of the neighborhood.”
Wen Xia had no choice but to change into a new outfit and head to the neighborhood gate. Wen De’s car hadn’t arrived yet.
At that moment, her phone vibrated. Qin Mo had sent her a message.
[Wife, are you coming home?]
[No, Dad’s taking me to buy clothes.]
The reply came instantly.
[I’ll take you to school this afternoon.]
[Dad’s going to drive me.]
There was a pause of about a minute before Qin Mo sent another message.
[Wife, I miss you.]
Wen Xia smiled as she stared at her phone. After a moment of thought, she replied:
[We’ll have a three-day sports meet next week. I’ll take some time off to visit you then.]
Before she could get another reply, a car horn sounded. She looked up to see Wen De’s car parked a short distance away. Hastily, she put her phone away and ran over.
At the largest department store in Jia County, the two of them went straight to the women’s clothing section on the fifth floor.
Since they were already there, Wen Xia decided to pick out a couple of thick winter outfits. Apparently, in Wen De’s eyes, black was the only color. Her thick cotton jackets were always black, and nothing but black.
She recalled how some classmates had spread rumors that she didn’t bathe or change clothes because of this.
Wen De wasn’t good at choosing clothes and simply stood by as she tried things on. One mustard-yellow, mid-length coat made her face look fair and delicate—fresh and beautiful.
In the end, Wen Xia only chose a short blue-and-white cotton jacket.
“Miss, that coat looks amazing on you. You should take it as well,” the sales assistant suggested enthusiastically.
It did look great, but it was too expensive—799 yuan, enough to buy two jackets.
Wen Xia shook her head. “No, I’ll just take these two.”
Suddenly, Wen De spoke up. “Add that coat to the bill and charge it to my card,” he said, handing over a card.
Wen Xia quickly grabbed his wrist. “Dad, don’t. It’s too expensive.”
She was still growing, standing at only 1.62 meters tall. Her frame was thin, and she lacked curves in the right places. She remembered that after her senior year in high school, she had grown to 1.68 meters, with all the right features finally in place.
The coat fit her shoulders perfectly now, but by next year, it would likely be a bit small. Spending 799 yuan on a coat she’d only wear for one winter didn’t seem worth it.
Wen De glanced at her but still said, “Go ahead and pay for it.”
The sales assistant’s eyes crinkled with a wide smile as she praised her generously. “Miss, you look amazing in that yellow coat. It makes your skin look so fair. If you don’t believe me, you can ask your dad.”
When both of them turned to look, Wen De gave a curt “Hmm” in agreement, his expression serious as always.
The sales assistant continued enthusiastically, “This coat is high quality. You can wear it for three to five years without a problem.”
After checking out, the two of them headed to the first floor, which sold electronic devices.
“Pick a phone,” Wen De said as he walked straight toward the mobile phone counter.
Wen Xia quickly caught up with him. “Dad, my phone is still working fine.”
Her phone was an old-fashioned keypad model, but it hadn’t been cheap when she bought it, costing over 2,000 yuan at the time. It had lasted four or five years without any issues.
“Pick one. I happen to have time right now,” Wen De said, his tone as matter-of-fact as if he were handling a business transaction.
Wen Xia’s keypad phone was bought when she had started junior high. Its limited features were meant to keep her focused on her studies.
Unable to refuse Wen De’s financial generosity, Wen Xia thought about Qin Mo’s black phone and chose a white one—not the same model.
Earlier, she had noticed that Qin Mo’s phone cost 2,999 yuan. She couldn’t compete with that guy.
Instead, she picked one priced at 1,399 yuan, neither too expensive nor too cheap.
Wen De glanced at the phone the staff member had brought out but wasn’t impressed. He scanned the display case and finally pointed at a white phone. “That one.”
It happened to be the same model as Qin Mo’s.
“Dad, don’t buy such an expensive one. I’m still a student. If I accidentally lose it, I’ll feel terrible,” Wen Xia protested, trying to stop him.
Wen De handed his bank card directly to the staff and replied to Wen Xia, “If you lose it, we’ll deal with it then.”
Wen Xia: “…”
What’s the point of dealing with it then if it’s already lost?
The staff member enthusiastically helped her insert the SIM card and memory card.
As soon as the phone was turned on, a message popped up on the screen, displaying its full content:
[Wife, I bought you some snacks. Come down and get them.]
Wen Xia, looking down at the phone on the counter, didn’t catch the message clearly at first. She twisted her neck to read it properly.
“…”
Stay calm. Don’t panic.
She feigned confusion and asked, “Whose number is this?”
Luckily, since it was a new phone, none of her contacts were saved.
The staff member looked a bit awkward upon seeing the message, assuming she might be dating at such a young age. They even stole a cautious glance at Wen De.
Hearing her question, the staff quickly jumped in to explain, “It’s probably a random number. Someone must have sent the message by mistake. That happens often.”
They definitely didn’t want to lose such a big sale over something like this.
“Could you delete it for me, please?” Wen Xia asked, her guilt causing her to glance at Wen De. His expression remained as unreadable as ever, making it impossible to tell if he believed her or not.
The staff member, eager to be helpful, added, “I can block the number for you. This way, they won’t be able to send messages again.”
Wen Xia: “…”
She forced a sweet smile. “Thank you, big sister.”
“No need to thank me—it’s our duty,” the staff member replied cheerfully.
On the way home, Wen De didn’t ask a single question. Once inside the car, Wen Xia quietly removed Qin Mo’s number from the blocked list, sent him a quick message, and then put her phone away, sitting properly without making a sound.
When Wen Xia got home, she immediately began packing her clothes, planning to head to school later. She checked the weather forecast and saw that temperatures would drop after Wednesday.
She decided to bring the yellow coat with her.
After placing her things on the bedroom sofa, she turned on the TV, which hadn’t been on for a long time.
“I’m Zhao Qing, host of the youth-focused program. This concludes today’s broadcast. We’ll meet again at the same time tomorrow. Thank you.”
Just then, Wen Xia heard the kitchen door open and saw Wen De come out carrying some dishes.
At that moment, the TV replayed the previous news segment. “Hello, everyone. I’m Zhao Qing, host of the youth column. Today, I’ll be talking about a second-year high school student named Lili (pseudonym).”
“Lili is a well-behaved student with excellent grades, admired by her classmate Xiao Qiang (pseudonym). Under Xiao Qiang’s pursuit, the two of them started dating…”
Wen Xia: “…”
That was a pretty bold hint.
Because of that, she didn’t dare contact Qin Mo, not until Wen De dropped her and Jiang Yan off at school.
Back in the dorm, Jiang Yan tossed her things onto her bed and let out a breath. “I’m exhausted. Winter is such a hassle with all these clothes.”
“I gave you three minutes to rest. After that, prepare to ‘suffer’!”
Wen Xia snorted, picking up her phone as she went to the bathroom to call Qin Mo. “I’m at school.”
“You’re coming? It’s almost 5 o’clock now. If you come, you’ll miss evening self-study.”
From outside, Jiang Yan’s loud voice could be heard. “An’an, help me! Xia Xia’s about to t*rture me!”
