My Beautician Friend

April 9, 2023, Sunday, sunny, 16–26°C.

Tang Song stopped, panting heavily. After resting for a while, he took his phone out of his armband pouch.

He checked his workout record.

Total distance: 5 km. Average pace: 6'34".

It had been a week since he started exercising. Having made it through the adjustment period, his physical fitness had improved noticeably.

He opened his personal information panel.

Player: Tang Song (25)

Role: Brocade Business—Development Engineer

Height: 180 cm, Weight: 85.5 kg

Constitution: 57, Endurance: 55, Agility: 49, Insight: 76

Asset Status:

Balance: 18,294.00 yuan (Debt: 20,000.00 yuan)

...

His weight had dropped another kilogram on an empty stomach, and his Constitution had risen by one point. Everything was getting better and better.

Then Tang Song's eyes lit up.

His Charm Value had somehow increased by another point!

He had to know that without styling, he was sporting a cool Pot Lid Head with an inherent -1 Charm buff.

In other words, if he got a hairstyle that suited him, his Charm Value could very well reach 27 directly!

He was only 3 points away from unlocking the first-stage reward and activating the planned mission!

It was probably the string of recent events—especially getting over the hurdle that was Xie Shuyu, as well as reflecting on himself after hearing Secretary Jin's news—that had improved his mindset and state of mind.

His Charm had naturally increased by one point.

After doing several more sets of stretches downstairs, Tang Song returned to his Rental House brimming with excitement.

While eating breakfast, he opened Little Red Book to check the results.

In just one night, he had received more than 600 unread messages.

The post he had published last night had attracted quite a bit of attention.

Likes: 412. Comments: 196.

His follower count had jumped straight to 276.

After quickly finishing his low-fat milk, Tang Song began seriously replying to users and gathering suggestions.

Tang Song: "Thanks for the advice. My skin really is in poor condition. I've already started studying it seriously and working on improving it."

Tang Song: "It might be because I often lower my head to use my phone and computer, making my neck unconsciously lean forward. Thanks for the tip. I'll check out this training method!"

Tang Song: "I'm planning to switch to an American Front Spike. Wait for tonight's post to see how it turns out!"

Before he knew it, it was past nine in the morning.

"Bzzz—" His phone vibrated, and a WeChat message popped up.

Zhao Yaqian: "Good morning, Brother! I hope I didn't disturb your rest. Your membership card was already processed yesterday afternoon. Remember to come pick it up when you have time."

Thinking of those 180-centimeter Wine Glass Legs and the Betting Agreement currently underway, Tang Song felt his mind race.

He quickly replied, "Okay, thanks for your hard work, Qianqian. I'll come pick it up at two this afternoon. While I'm there, I'd also like you to do a skincare treatment for me (#happy)."

Zhao Yaqian: "Sure thing, Brother! Your card comes with three basic facial treatments and one VIP treatment. Just come straight to me when you get here!"

They chatted briefly.

Tang Song exited the chat, checked the time, opened a review APP, and began looking for a reliable barbershop.

After picking through the options for quite a while, he finally chose a high-end chain hair salon five kilometers away.

Perhaps because the prices were relatively high, there were not many people in the shop.

The person cutting his hair was a young Tony under thirty. He did not talk much, seemed a little aloof, and was quite handsome.

Having learned his lesson, Tang Song took out the hairstyle photo sent by the user "Minmin" and repeatedly confirmed the final effect with him, asking whether it could be done.

Teacher Tony gave it a quick glance, pinched Tang Song's hair, and flashed him an OK sign through the mirror. "Absolutely no problem."

Seeing how confident the other man looked, Tang Song took a deep breath and closed his eyes.

"Swish, swish, swish—" The clippers shaved both sides into the curved gradient of an American style.

"Snip, snip, snip—" The scissors kept moving, creating layers on top.

Over twenty minutes later.

Tony dried his hair again and began teaching him how to style it.

Watching the other man's movements through the mirror, Tang Song committed every step to memory.

He inserted his fingers into the roots of the hair on top, creating natural volume, then lifted the tips upward to form the textured spikes of the front.

He raised the front bangs upward to make his facial contours appear more defined.

He lightly tousled the hair at the back of his head to make the shape of his head look fuller and more three-dimensional.

"OK, that's it. Your hair quality isn't very good, so if you want the result to meet the standard, it's best to use a matte textured hair clay." Tony gave him his final advice.

Looking at himself in the mirror, Tang Song once again understood the importance of a hairstyle.

Although he still had quite a bit of flesh on his face after losing nine jin, this voluminous, structured hairstyle made him look fresh and stylish. His looks had gone up a level.

He opened the System Interface.

Charm: 27

Nice!

Tang Song's eyes brimmed with undisguised excitement. He thanked Teacher Tony repeatedly and praised his excellent skills.

The praise made the aloof Tony blush a little, leaving him to wonder whether he had been insufficiently warm earlier.

13:50 in the afternoon.

As Tang Song approached Yi Zi Beauty and Hair Salon, he quickly spotted Zhao Yaqian standing at the entrance.

A black suit jacket, white blouse, and flats.

She was still dressed in that appropriate uniform.

Because of her height, she was extremely conspicuous standing there.

Her pretty face wore a professional smile, while her graceful figure drew plenty of looks from passersby.

Perhaps that was also one of the shop's ways of attracting customers.

When she saw Tang Song approaching, Zhao Yaqian hurried forward to receive him. "Good afternoon, Brother. Welcome to Yi Zi Beauty and Hair Salon."

"Good afternoon, Qianqian." Tang Song greeted her with a smile.

"Here's your membership card. It has a balance of 2,000 yuan." Zhao Yaqian took a golden card from her pocket and handed it to him. "You also have complimentary products with a listed value of 998 yuan. I'll take you to the product section to choose them."

"Okay."

Zhao Yaqian turned around and led the way with her Long Legs.

Her fresh, sweet body fragrance assaulted his senses. Her full thighs crossed one in front of the other, while her buttocks, wrapped in thin silk dress pants, swayed lightly.

At that moment, Zhao Yaqian carried an indescribable air of allure and sensuality.

Tang Song, walking behind her, took a deep breath. His heartbeat accelerated, and he simply could not move his eyes away.

He had to admit, this beautician friend of his was seriously stunning!

"Brother, everything on this shelf is available for you to choose. The price tags are on them, and as long as the total does not exceed 998, it's fine." Zhao Yaqian stopped before a display rack and warmly asked, "Would you like me to recommend something?"

Tang Song calmly moved his gaze away. "Just choose for me. I trust you."

Zhao Yaqian froze for a moment, then smiled happily. "Then I'll get you a box of hair clay, a set of shampoo and conditioner, and a facial cleansing device. They're all things you can use."

"Okay, thank you."

After selecting the complimentary items, Zhao Yaqian took him to the beauty section on the West Side.

Although it was not large, it was fairly well-equipped, and every area was clean and tidy.

Beauty beds, carts, wall mirrors, ingredient racks, tool kits, lighting equipment, sterilization cabinets...

There were also quite a few qualification certificates hanging on the wall near the entrance.

It counted as a miniature beauty salon.

Noticing Tang Song's sweeping gaze, Zhao Yaqian explained somewhat awkwardly, "There were originally three beauticians, but they resigned for some special reasons. Right now, I'm mainly in charge, so there's no choice for you to choose a beautician."

"I didn't expect you to be the store's beauty supervisor too. Impressive!" Tang Song saw her embarrassment and made a small joke to ease the atmosphere.

Zhao Yaqian burst out laughing, and the way she looked at Tang Song became much less formal.

Recently, she had run into nothing but upsetting things. She had not even been in the mood to visit her favorite fried skewer shop.

The trust and tolerance Tang Song showed gave her tense, exhausted mind a small measure of relief.

A damp cotton cloth wiped his face clean, then cleanser was squeezed out and gently lathered in the palms.

Starting from the chin, she massaged upward in turn past the corner of the mouth, cheeks, and sides of the nose, circling outward from the eye sockets to soothe the area around his eyes, then kneading his forehead with her palms...

"This step is deep cleansing, mainly to remove grime and oil from deep within the pores. You don't need to make it this complicated when washing your face normally."

"This is to remove dead skin and blackheads, making your skin smoother and brighter."

Zhao Yaqian's movements were gentle and skillful, and her delicate, slender hands felt wonderful.

Tang Song lay on his back on the soft beauty bed, draped in a pure white blanket, with towels wrapped around his head and shoulders.

Zhao Yaqian's sweet voice drifted to his ears from time to time.

He felt so comfortable that he was nearly asleep.

He did not know how long had passed when, accompanied by a gentle facial massage, Zhao Yaqian softly said, "Brother, the VIP facial treatment I gave you is finished."

Tang Song slowly opened his eyes. The first thing he saw was Zhao Yaqian's large work badge, following a captivating curve.

He looked at the LED electronic clock on the wall.

An entire hour had passed without him realizing it, as if he had taken an afternoon nap.

The strongest feeling was that his pores had been cleared. It was as if his skin was breathing, and his face was full of moisture.

He sat up and looked at himself in the vanity mirror.

His face was much cleaner, with far fewer blackheads and acne.

It seemed as though an extra layer had formed over his skin. It no longer felt rough or greasy to the touch, but tender and bouncy.

"Thank you, you did an excellent job!" Tang Song sincerely thanked her.

He could tell that Zhao Yaqian had been extremely attentive with his facial treatment. There had not been the slightest hint of perfunctory work.

"As long as you're satisfied!" Receiving her customer's approval, Zhao Yaqian broke into a broad smile. "You can come once a week or once every two weeks from now on. For daily care, you should also pay attention to maintenance at home. Keep it up for two or three months, and I guarantee your skin will become visibly delicate, fair, and radiant."

"Okay." Tang Song nodded and clenched his fist firmly. He took the initiative to say, "We know each other now, so you don't need to keep using honorifics. Let me formally introduce myself. My name is Tang Song."

Zhao Yaqian looked at him and smiled. "Sure, then I'll listen to you... I mean, you. My name is Zhao Yaqian."

Tang Song sighed and took a small dark-blue box from his pocket.

He placed it directly in front of her. "I'll definitely be asking you about skin problems often from now on. I'm a little thin-skinned, so accept this small gift. That way, I can bother you on WeChat without feeling guilty."

"This..." Zhao Yaqian quickly refused. "That won't do. You're a member of our store, and maintaining customer relationships is part of my job. You're welcome to contact me anytime. I guarantee I'll tell you everything I know!"

Tang Song looked at her pretty face and smiled. "Skin problems have bothered me for a long time. I've always wanted a beautician friend like you. These earrings aren't expensive, just take them as a kind gesture between friends. Don't refuse."

Hearing the word "friends," Zhao Yaqian froze, and her face reddened slightly.

She had been working for more than half a year and had met quite a few people.

From Tang Song's earlier gaze and movements, she could sense certain barely perceptible things.

However, she was not particularly disgusted by this guy. At the very least, he had not acted too blatantly. He seemed polite and respectful toward her.

Especially after everything that had happened recently, she had been in an awful mood.

In a sense, this small gift that had suddenly appeared was a rare stroke of luck and surprise. It was also one of the few lights in her dark life, something worth cherishing.

After hesitating for a while, Zhao Yaqian stuck out her pink tongue and said softly, "Then thank you for the gift, Brother Song. You can come to me with any skin problems later."

"It's a deal!" Tang Song pointed at the gift box. "Open it and see if you like it. I happened to see these earrings while taking a walk at noon, and I thought they suited you."

Zhao Yaqian pressed her lips together and gently opened the little box.

The first thing she saw was a familiar logo: Swarovski.

Below it were two exquisite earrings.

Platinum and rose gold, with a circle of glittering crystals around them.

They were bling bling and looked absolutely beautiful.

Zhao Yaqian picked them up in delight, held them beside her earlobes, and compared them against the vanity mirror.

Her eyes curved with joy. "Thank you, Brother Song. I like them very, very much!"

This pair of earrings was a popular online style, priced at around 700 yuan. For her, they already counted as an extremely expensive accessory.

But that was simply her personality. Since she had accepted them, there was no need to act coy or pretend to be reserved.

Besides, Brother Song had said they were friends!

There was no need to feel ashamed about gifts between friends, right?

At worst, once she received her two months of wages, she could return the favor with a gift in the same price range.

Then Tang Song was jolted awake!

A crisp System Prompt Sound rang in his ears.

"Ding! Condition 2 of the Betting Agreement has been fulfilled! The current betting fund has increased to 150,000.00 yuan."

150,000! That was 150,000 yuan!

It could buy a Class A family sedan, cover a 20% down payment for an apartment in his Hometown county town, equal more than a year of his salary...

Tang Song took a deep breath, and countless thoughts instantly flashed through his mind.

Next, he just needed to use skincare as a topic to get closer to Zhao Yaqian, while also working hard to lose weight and improve himself.

From their interactions over the past two days, Zhao Yaqian was not a complicated girl.

As long as he showed enough excellence and gentleness, it would not be difficult to earn her good impression.

Not long after returning to Qingxin Garden, there was a knock at the door. The five classics he had bought from JD.com yesterday had arrived.

The plastic wrapping was intact, the printing crisp, and they carried a faint scent of fresh ink.

It was a little after three in the afternoon. The sky was clear, the temperature just above twenty degrees Celsius, and it felt exceptionally pleasant.

Tang Song moved the Ergonomic Chair onto the balcony, switched it into recline mode, and leaned back halfway against the chair back.

By his ears was the rustling of wind through the Locust Tree leaves, occasionally mixed with clear birdsong.

With the skyscrapers and the blue sky and white clouds as his backdrop, he began reading The Crowd.