Were You Peeping at Me?

Watching Liu Chao throw a punch, Su Ke felt his body move on its own; he lifted his right leg and kicked out as if by reflex, without a moment's hesitation. He watched as the six-foot-tall guy suddenly toppled backward, clutching his stomach tightly as he crashed to the ground.

"You couldn't win an argument against me, so you thought you could win a fight? How pathetic!" Su Ke watched as Liu Chao's face turned a deep, congested red, his teeth gritted hard to keep from crying out, his eyes filled with nothing but resentment.

Shaking his head, he turned to Wei Lan and said, "Let's go."

Wei Lan had been startled by Su Ke's actions. When Liu Chao first raised his fist, she had wanted to warn Su Ke to be careful, but before the words could leave her lips, Liu Chao had already been sent flying.

Given her personality, Wei Lan usually found it hard to accept boys who resorted to their fists at every turn. Yet, even though Su Ke had clearly been brutal and rough, she didn't feel any dislike at all; instead, she felt a strange, sweet warmth in her heart.

She followed close behind Su Ke. Although school was over, there were still students passing through the hallways. Wei Lan could feel their pointing and whispering, but she didn't pay it any mind.

Walking out of the school gates, the hoodlums who had been taught a lesson by Su Ke last time were nowhere to be seen. The two of them hopped on their bicycles and rode along with the flow of traffic toward Fengze Residential Park.

"I think you've changed so much!" Wei Lan tilted her head to look at Su Ke. The current Su Ke lacked the aggression from moments ago; he was as quiet as a boy next door—gentle, peaceful, and wearing a faint smile.

"Oh? How have I changed?" Su Ke was actually pondering this himself. It seemed his temper really had shifted. If this had happened in the past, he never would have dared to strike back; even just meeting Liu Chao's gaze would have left him standing there like a fool.

Wei Lan thought for a moment. "You used to be like a little white rabbit, but just now you turned into a big bad wolf. No, not a big bad wolf—more like King Kong. Do you know King Kong?" While searching for an adjective, she suddenly remembered a movie she had seen recently. Although that King Kong was fierce and violent when enraged, he also made people feel strangely secure.

"King Kong? Of course I know him. You mean the one who stood on the tallest building in the world to swat at airplanes for the woman he loved?" As soon as Su Ke said "swat at airplanes," he realized the phrase had a double meaning in slang, and he quickly turned his head to look at Wei Lan.

Sure enough, after hearing that, Wei Lan's face turned bright red, like a ripe apple. Su Ke thought, I'm done for. This girl definitely knew the lewd connotation of the phrase. His own face began to burn, and just then, Wei Lan glanced down at his lower body as if by accident.

"You boys only know how to 'swat at airplanes' all day long!" Her tone was a mix of feigned anger and coquetry. After saying that, she was too shy to look at him again and could only stare straight ahead.

Awkward. Su Ke hadn't expected her to say that; he wanted to crawl into a hole. I'm finished, he thought. Turns out this girl is so knowledgeable—she knows everything!

The rest of the ride was silent until Su Ke dropped Wei Lan off at the bottom of her apartment building, where they finally made eye contact again.

"I'm heading up now!" Wei Lan naturally had a bit of baby fat, making her face look chubby and adorable. Now that it had turned into a red apple, Su Ke's heart couldn't help but race.

"Yeah, alright!" Su Ke nodded, but just as Wei Lan turned to leave, he blurted out, "Wait!"

"What is it?" Wei Lan's face turned even redder. She didn't know when it had started, but she had developed a hazy, budding affection for Su Ke. Is he going to confess to me right here? she wondered.

But if he really did confess, would she accept? Her mind was a mess.

Su Ke stammered for a long time before finally hardening his heart. "I—I—I don't actually 'swat at airplanes' all day! You've really wronged me!" With that, he kicked off on his bike and vanished in a flash.

Wei Lan stood where she was, not moving to go upstairs even after Su Ke was long gone. She felt a sense of relief, but it was mixed with a faint, lingering disappointment.

Am I in love? Wei Lan couldn't quite say.

Su Ke had originally planned to head to Fangfei Yiren Beauty Salon after school to check on his interview results, but dropping Wei Lan off hadn't taken too long, so he figured he was still in time.

Lin Xiaobai was still wearing her silver uniform, sitting behind the front desk. Seeing Su Ke walk in, she greeted him immediately, "Su Ke, you're here!"

"Sister Xiaobai, is the boss in?" Su Ke walked inside while taking a deep breath. Even when facing off against Liu Chao, he hadn't felt this nervous, but now he felt a flutter of anxiety.

"Yes, the boss is in. She's in the third-floor lounge; she's usually there when she's free!" Lin Xiaobai stepped out from behind the desk, a smile on her face, her large eyes looking as if they could speak. Before Su Ke could say anything else, she added, "The boss said if you came by, you should go straight to the third floor to find her. It looks like things are looking good for you!"

"Oh, thank you, Sister Xiaobai!" Hearing this, Su Ke felt a weight lift off his chest. He figured Lin Xiaobai must have put in a good word for him!

"Hehe, once you're officially hired, you better reward me properly!" Lin Xiaobai winked at him, looking so playful and cute that Su Ke was momentarily dazed.

"Hurry up and go, I won't go up with you!"

Su Ke nodded and headed upstairs. He now understood why it had been so quiet when he came at noon—it was lunchtime then, and it was the same now; there were still no customers.

The third-floor lounge was right by the stairs. As soon as Su Ke reached the top, he saw the beautiful boss sitting on a fabric sofa, curled up with her bare feet tucked under her, engrossed in a fashion magazine.

She had changed out of the vest dress she wore at noon. She was now wearing a pure cotton black tank top, the kind with wide armholes. Her exposed shoulders were round and full without being bulky, showing a hint of muscle and looking incredibly supple. Her collarbone was perfectly defined, with clean, straight lines.

The way her shoulders met her collarbone outlined the elegance and curves of her upper body. As she breathed, the subtle hollow of her collarbone held a heart-stopping, seductive charm.

Under the tight fit of the black tank top, her breasts stood tall and magnificent, revealing a deep cleavage that was clearly not the result of the fake, padded techniques seen in movies. Su Ke only glanced at it before his throat went dry, and he quickly looked away.

"Oh, our pianist has arrived!" The beautiful boss looked up, and seeing Su Ke with one foot on the third floor, a smile immediately bloomed on her face. She didn't stand up, but instead gestured to the sofa opposite her. "Come, sit down first. I'm really sorry about noon; I just ended up oversleeping!"

Su Ke felt an inexplicable surge of nervousness at the sight of her. He walked stiffly to the sofa opposite her and sat down, feeling completely out of his element. He lowered his head and replied, "It's nothing."

Seeing him like this, the woman laughed instead. She leaned forward and placed the magazine on the coffee table in front of them. "Tell me, did you sneak a peek at me while I was asleep?"