The Escort – Chapter 5

“Shao Mingwei.”

 

Shao Mingwei's footsteps paused, then he looked back at the smiling person behind him.
“Xi Zi.”

 

The girl named Xi Zi had a pretty face, bright eyes and white teeth, and her cheeks were stained red like peaches because of her fast-paced walking.
Seeing Shao Mingwei looking at her, she unconsciously slowed down and tidied up her hair.
“Did you return home yesterday?”

 

Shao Mingwei nodded and said, “En”.

 

“That…” Xi Zi felt a little numb, as if she was uncomfortable taking the initiative so bluntly.
“Have you had breakfast already?”

 

Shao Mingwei saw the delicate and beautiful lunch box that the other party was holding, but he chose to be insensitive.
“I already ate at home.”

 

“Really…” The disappointment in the girl's eyes was about to pour out, and the hand that was holding the lunch box shrank subconsciously.

 

Shao Mingwei couldn't bear to see her like this, but he resisted the urge to comfort her, and said, “If there's nothing else, I will go up first.
I still have a class later.”

 

But before he could leave, Xi Zi stopped him again and cautiously asked, “Mingwei, did something happen to you recently?”

 

Shao Mingwei pursed his lips and said, “No, everything's fine.”

 

“Then why are you avoiding me?” Xi Zi seemed to be at the end of her rope.
She looked at him with a dispirited and puzzled eyes.

 

“No, I…”

 

“Yes, you are! You hardly reply to my WeChat.
Even yesterday, I asked Liu Yang about you this morning only to find out that you went to work and did not return to the dormitory.” She doesn't understand.
They were fine before, she even thought they would eventually end up together, but now Shao Mingwei suddenly started to avoid her.

 

Shao Mingwei sighed.
Xi Zi and he are both members of the Student Union and the head of the literature and arts department.
The two have planned many successful campus activities together in the past two years, and they know each other very well.
Xi Zi is a beautiful girl, with excellent academic performance, high working efficiency, and a gentle temperament, yet it does not affect her confidence up stage when facing the audience.
She's an outstanding girl, so a lot of l people were pursuing her.
Shao Mingwei knows that Xi Zi likes him.
Although he doesn't know if he likes her, he doesn't hate her, and he admires her very much.
He even thought that if he would eventually fall for her, he could try going out with her, so he didn't show any rejection.
But before that, he knew that Xi Zi was from a wealthy family.
He had seen the limousine that brought Xi Zi to school.
At first, he felt that he was still young.
If they were to together, he would barely match her if he worked hard.
However, Rong Rong's illness allowed him to see the huge gap between himself and Xi Zi, let alone a man like him who's an escort to a place like Nights.
He's not a good match.
He originally wanted them to gradually drift away from each other.
He didn't want to say it directly in fear of making Xi Zi lose her face, but Xi Zi hasn't been able to detect and understand what he meant by his actions.

 

“I'm sorry.”

 

Shao Mingwei said softly from beginning to end, and Xi Zi understood it all at once.
Her eyes suddenly reddened but she stubbornly ask not giving up, “Why? Is there something wrong with me?”

 

“No, the problem does not lie in you, it's in me.”

 

Xi Zi was really upset, her tears were starting to damp her cheeks, “There's nothing wrong with you, you just don’t like me at all…”

 

Shao Mingwei felt guilty, and he raised his hand and touched her head gently.
“It's me who really has a problem.
I'm not worthy of you.”

 

Xi Zi raised her head and looked at him.
“If I say you're worthy, will you be with me?”

 

Shao Mingwei looked at her with helplessness, as if she's Shao Rong who said something unreasonable when in extreme pain.
“Be good, it's almost time for class, you should go back.”

 

Shao Mingwei accompanies the dejected Xi Zi for a while in order to pacify her.
Although her character is good-tempered, her status in life makes her proud and confident.
She said to Shao Mingwei, “Since you have rejected me, so be it.
Nevertheless, in the future if we meet we'll only be friends.
I will leave first.”

 

Shao Mingwei watched her leave, obviously not feeling any grief.
He felt that he was probably worn out by life and that he had lost the ability and interest to like someone.

 

Inexplicably, he suddenly remembered that in the black car last night, when Min Yu held his hand, because of drunkenness, his eyes were like limpid autumn waters¹.

 

He seemed to see a certain emotion in those eyes… longing.

 

At nine o'clock in the morning, the energetic students in the campus could be either seen alone, in groups, in a hurry, or laughing and playing.
All of which adds a youthful vitality to the century-old university that is famous throughout the country.
Shao Mingwei stood in silence for a long time, then took out his mobile phone and called Sister Zhang.

 

“Sister Zhang, I have thought about it.
I will only receive female guests and will not accept male guests in the future.”

 

Sister Zhang just got up, so her voice was a little languid.
“What? You still think Mr.
Min is cheap?”

 

“No.” Not only was he generous, but when Shao Mingwei thought of that person, he remembered how gentle and polite he was.
He was a complete gentleman.

 

“Do you think you're a chaste and honorable woman yourself?”² Shao Mingwei heard the sound of liquid flowing against the glass on the other end of the phone and guessed that Sister Zhang was pouring a red wine into a glass.
She often said that red wine can beautify and is an anti-aging.

 

There was a faint swallowing sound.
After a while, Sister Zhang said, “Do you know how wealthy and powerful Min Yu is? You can see him appear at every news on TV.
You said that you're short of money, and an outstanding person came that wanted your service.
Now there's a big opportunity to earn money in front of you and you don't want it.
The person did not take advantage of you, and what's more, he wasn't even interested in spending a night with you, but just let you accompany him to drink.
What are you avoiding him for? Have you got a hole in your brain?”

 

Sister Zhang was so angry that her Shanghai accent came out.

 

Shao Mingwei just went silent.
Sister Zhang said that Min Yu only asked him to accompany him to drink, but he knew it was different.
Other guests paid for his labor to accompany them to drink.
He couldn't give what Min Yu wanted.
He couldn't pretend that he knew nothing.
He took the other person's money but couldn't hand over the goods.

 

“Fine, fine, if Mr.
Min comes again in the future, I will say that you're not available, and you will only accept female guests in the future.” Not hearing Shao Mingwei's response, Sister Zhang knew that this upright and withdrawn young man's thinking was different from hers.
“One day, you'll regret refusing such an opportunity because of your ignorance.”

 

“Thank you, Sister Zhang.”

 

Shao Mingwei hung up the phone and stared at it for a moment.

 

In the next few days, Min Yu came again at the Nights to look for Shao Mingwei several times, but was obstructed by Sister Zhang using all kinds of excuses.
With Min Yu's character, it was impossible for him to not know what Shao Mingwei meant with his actions, but he's not willing to use his status as an advantage to bully others, so he gradually stopped coming.

 

Shao Mingwei breathed a sigh of relief, while deliberately ignoring the slightly strange feeling he felt in his heart.

 

On this day, Shao Mingwei changed clothes in the staff lounge and was then called by Sister Zhang to her office.

 

 “Sister Zhang.” After Shao Mingwei knocked on the door, he heard Sister Zhang say “come in” and he pushed the door in.

 

“You're here.” Sister Zhang was sitting on the sofa and playing with her mobile phone, looking leisurely.

 

“Sister Zhang, do you have something for me?”

 

“No, Mr.
Min asked me to give it to you yesterday.” Sister Zhang lifted her chin and pointed to the large box with delicate packaging on the jet-black tabletop.