Chapter 39: The First Date: A Shivering Disguise

Su Mian’s heart felt as though an invisible hand had seized it, causing it to violently constrict. His blood seemed to surge through his limbs in an instant, only to recede just as swiftly, leaving his face utterly pale.

There was no escape.

This date, in all its terrifying reality, was now undeniably before him.

His mind went utterly blank, save for a few terrified thoughts screaming in his head: ‘Turn back? Could turning back truly allow him to escape?’

Yet, his feet felt as if they were cast in lead, rooted firmly to the spot.

‘Had he already recognized him? If he did, would he beat him to death on the spot?’

‘Even worse, would he expose his grand scheme of impersonating a girl online to catfish his rival on N University’s campus network, ensuring his complete social annihilation?!’

As Su Mian stood frozen, battling an internal war, Xiao Moyuan observed him. Seeing the young man’s desperate desire to bury himself, a faint yet intrigued curve played upon Xiao Moyuan’s lips.

Instead of waiting, he took the initiative, striding forward with unhurried grace until he stood directly before Su Mian.

Su Mian kept his head bowed, his gaze fixed on the ground. He could only see the man’s gleaming leather shoes and the impeccably creased trousers move into his field of vision, then halt.

That potent presence pressed down on him with a tangible weight, causing his heart to lurch once more, and he instinctively bit down hard on his lower lip.

Xiao Moyuan’s gaze, openly scrutinizing, swept over the ‘girl’ standing before him, assessing him from head to toe.

His skin, even fairer and more delicate than it appeared in the videos, seemed almost excessively slender. Yet, his legs… encased in sheer black stockings, were long, straight, and flawlessly sculpted.

The hem of the skirt fell to a perfectly tantalizing length, inviting endless speculation.

Evidently, this entire ensemble had been meticulously planned, designed with a clear objective in mind.

However, his hands were clenched so tightly that his knuckles gleamed white from the effort, his fingernails nearly digging into his palms.

This minute detail, betraying his extreme nervousness, did not escape Xiao Moyuan’s keen observation.

Interesting.

He clearly intended to capture attention with such a bold outfit, yet the person beneath it was as jumpy as a startled rabbit.

‘Could there be a hidden reason?’

This contradiction, however, made him seem far more… vivid and endearing than any straightforward attempt at seduction.

“You’re nervous?” Xiao Moyuan asked, his voice noticeably softer than usual. It was as if he feared startling away a small animal that had only just been coaxed from its burrow.

“Um… I… I’m a-a-a little unwell, I w-want to go back first…” Su Mian stammered, desperately trying to find an excuse to escape. The moment the words left his lips, he panicked even more.

His voice trembled uncontrollably. The practiced falsetto he used, usually flawless, was now so distorted by extreme nervousness that he could barely string together a complete sentence.

‘Damn it! Why did he have to mess up at such a crucial moment!’

Far from being displeased, Xiao Moyuan’s eyes crinkled with deeper amusement at Su Mian’s words. He smoothly responded, “Unwell? Shall I accompany you to the hospital, then?” His tone was remarkably solicitous.

To the hospital?!

Su Mian’s heart gave another violent leap, threatening to bound out of his throat. Going to the hospital would require real-name registration—wouldn’t that expose him completely?!

“N-no need!” In his panic, he refused with unusual swiftness and clarity, his voice rising slightly. “I feel… it’s not serious enough to warrant a trip to the hospital.”

The moment he finished speaking, he paused, surprised by his own words.

‘It seemed… it wasn’t as difficult to speak after all?’

His fear seemed to be slightly overridden by the more urgent thought of ‘not being exposed’.

Xiao Moyuan, ever adaptable, seized the opportunity. “Since it’s not serious, and you’re already here, why not stay and sit with me for a while?”

With nothing left to say, Su Mian could find no further excuse to decline. He could only steel himself and give an almost imperceptible nod.

However, Xiao Moyuan apparently had no intention of letting him off so easily.

He leaned forward slightly, feigning a perfectly measured hint of doubt as he challenged, “Aren’t you tired, keeping your head down like that? Or perhaps… the person in those photos and videos you sent me isn’t actually you?”

His words exploded in Su Mian’s mind like an alarm bell!

He abruptly lifted his head, eager to protest, yet his gaze still dared not meet Xiao Moyuan’s. Instead, it darted frantically across the man’s face.

Through the corner of his eye, he caught his first clear glimpse of Xiao Moyuan’s attire: a perfectly tailored dark suit that made his posture appear even more upright and distinguished.

He exuded a calm, powerful charisma that seemed at odds with his student identity, captivating anyone who looked his way.

Moreover, Su Mian belatedly realized that their presence had already drawn the attention of numerous passersby.

Many men and women had paused to stare, and some were even discreetly raising their phones to take pictures.

He vaguely heard suppressed gasps and whispers: “Oh my god, look at that couple, their looks are incredible!” “Are they celebrities? Filming something?” “Handsome guy, beautiful girl – what a perfect match!”

Su Mian secretly breathed a sigh of relief. So, the hundred percent ‘return rate’ wasn’t because he had been exposed, but because he was simply too eye-catching.

This realization allowed his taut nerves to relax slightly.

Still, he dared not meet Xiao Moyuan’s gaze directly. He could only feel that profound stare, locked firmly upon him, as if intent on seeing through him, from the outside in.

That gaze made him feel as though he were sitting on a bed of needles.

Suppressing the turmoil in his heart, Su Mian gathered his courage and asked in a voice barely louder than a mosquito’s hum, “Do… do I look strange?”

Xiao Moyuan’s gaze lingered on his face for a moment before he slowly spoke, his tone unreadable. “No. You look very pretty today.”

He paused, then delivered the latter half of his statement, “But, you’re… a little different from usual.”

Su Mian’s heart, which had just begun to settle, was instantly yanked back to the edge of a cliff by those words.

The tremor in his voice returned uncontrollably. “Wh-where am I different?”

Xiao Moyuan offered no direct answer. He merely gave Su Mian a meaningful glance, then turned and began to walk. “Let’s go eat first.”

This method of speaking in riddles, leaving half unsaid, filled Su Mian with even greater unease and dread than a direct confrontation would have.

He could only follow Xiao Moyuan, his heart pounding with apprehension, maintaining a distance of about a step, as they entered the sky-piercing landmark: the Twin Towers.

The elevator ascended smoothly, finally coming to a stop on the one hundred and eighth floor.

The restaurant Xiao Moyuan had reserved was nestled high above the clouds.

“Mr. Xiao, your reserved table is ready. Please follow me.” The moment they stepped into the restaurant, a well-dressed waiter with a practiced smile greeted them respectfully.

They were led to the table with the best view in the entire restaurant—right beside a massive, panoramic floor-to-ceiling window.

As night descended and the city lights began to twinkle, the entire dazzling nightscape of N City unfolded before them through the glass, as if they were suspended above a river of stars.

At that moment, in the lavishly decorated, tranquil restaurant, they were the only guests apart from the staff.

Evidently, Su Mian had not realized that Xiao Moyuan had booked the entire place.

Though he had never been to such a place, he knew that dining here would undoubtedly incur an astronomical cost, one he couldn’t even fathom.

‘Splitting the bill…’ The mere thought sent a shiver down his spine.

The meager amount of money in his pocket probably wouldn’t even cover a single appetizer.

The thought of being unable to pay when the time came made him so mortified his toes curled.

He took the menu offered by the waiter, opening it with a sliver of hope, only to discover that none of the exquisite dishes listed had prices indicated!

“What’s wrong?” Xiao Moyuan noticed his face instantly stiffen and the subtle shift in his expression.

Su Mian instinctively looked up, his gaze colliding with eyes that seemed to see through everything, then immediately dropped his eyelids as if startled.

His voice was barely audible: “Um… why… why are there no prices on the menu?”

Xiao Moyuan didn’t reply. Instead, the waiter beside them offered a patient, smiling explanation:

“Miss, to ensure the optimal quality of our ingredients, most of our specialty produce is air-freighted directly from its origin. Prices fluctuate daily according to market conditions, so we do not list fixed prices on the menu.”

‘Fluctuating with market prices… no listed prices…’

Su Mian felt his face flush instantly. Didn’t that essentially mean, ‘too expensive for you to need to know the price beforehand’?

He dared not order anything. Blushing, he mumbled to Xiao Moyuan in a voice like a mosquito’s hum, “Um… why don’t you order… When the time comes, I’ll… I’ll transfer the money to you…”

Even as he spoke, he felt a surge of guilt and apprehension.

Xiao Moyuan glanced at him, said nothing, and simply instructed the waiter, “Bring out my usual set menu.”

From his familiar tone, it was clear he was a regular patron here.

Su Mian wailed internally: ‘He’s handsome, has a great physique, is an academic genius, and he’s rich too?!’

‘Which window did God close for him, exactly?!’

‘Comparing oneself to others truly was enough to provoke one to death.’

After the waiter departed, a brief silence settled over their table.

Melodious piano music flowed through the space, yet it did nothing to alleviate Su Mian’s tension.

He could distinctly feel Xiao Moyuan’s gaze still fixed on him, filled with scrutiny and probing curiosity, making every cell in his body scream with discomfort.

To break the suffocating silence, or perhaps out of sheer habit, Su Mian unconsciously raised a hand. With a slender index finger, he gently tucked a rebellious strand of his wig behind his ear.

To enhance the illusion, his little finger even unconsciously curled into a natural arc.

It was this seemingly inadvertent, distinctly feminine gesture!

Xiao Moyuan’s pupils contracted almost imperceptibly.

That movement…

The floodgates of memory suddenly burst open: the male student named Su Mian, in the professional course classroom, had performed this exact same gesture countless times while deep in thought—fingers tapping his cheek, pinky slightly curled!

Two utterly distinct figures, at this moment, abruptly overlapped in his mind for an instant, all because of this minute habit!

A cold, dangerously playful smile flickered in Xiao Moyuan’s eyes, too swift for anyone to catch.

He leaned forward slightly, closing the distance between them. His gaze, like a hawk locking onto its prey, firmly held Su Mian’s frantically darting eyes.

Then, with deliberate slowness and clarity, he began his probing inquiry:

“Do you know why I said you were different from usual just now?”

Without waiting for Su Mian to answer, he continued, each word like a hammer blow against Su Mian’s fragile heart:

“Online, you were so bold, sending messages non-stop, your words incredibly passionate. Yet, the moment we meet, you become as quiet as a startled kitten?”

He paused, his gaze sharp as a blade, as if intending to strip away all of Su Mian’s disguises. Then, he dropped the ultimate bombshell:

“And… I can’t help but feel that you greatly resemble someone I know.”

Su Mian felt as though he had been struck by lightning, his entire body’s blood seemingly congealing in that very instant!