☆ Chapter 3 – The Argument
"I made it through the wilderness…" Xiaomiao plucked the strings of her guitar with nimble fingers as she danced around Shu Mingyang, singing sweetly. Her voice, pure and slightly playful, didn't seem suited for this elegant yet sensual song. Yet somehow, the way she sang it so innocently brought a refreshing and spirited charm to it.
Shu Mingyang wanted to enjoy the music, but not while standing in such an ambiguous pose, especially not with this girl. He tried to take a few steps back, but she immediately stepped closer, leaned into him, and sang:
"I was beat, I'd been had, I was sad and blue—"
Then, with a sudden flick of her finger poking his chest, she looked serious and continued:
"But you made me feel… yeah, you made me feel—shiny and new—"
Ah, the iconic line was coming. Shu Mingyang braced to retreat, but Liang Xiaomiao's eyes suddenly lit up with a mischievous gleam. She grabbed his tie, yanked him closer until their faces were inches apart, and sang straight into his eyes:
"Like a virgin—"
Then, just as suddenly, she spun around, pressing her back to his chest. She took his hand and slowly slid it from her soft, slender neck downward.
"Touched for the very first time—"
The onlookers — homeless folks and street musicians — erupted in cheers. Shu Mingyang quickly pulled his hand away. Xiaomiao shot him a look, and while still singing, stomped hard on his foot.
"Ow!" he winced.
But Xiaomiao didn't stop. She leaned against him again, singing, "When your heart beats next to mine," and placed her palm firmly on his chest.
The crowd roared again. A few Black street singers joined in with lively "yo yo yo" backing vocals. A scruffy homeless man sat grinning in the corner, watching the band play. A graffiti artist sprayed a mural of Madonna in her classic bridal getup from the song onto the tunnel wall.
The once cold and stiff atmosphere in the tunnel had completely come alive thanks to Xiaomiao's performance.
Shu Mingyang finally understood — this wasn't about him listening to someone sing. He'd basically become a live prop in a pop concert. He rubbed his temple with a helpless smile but stopped resisting and chose to play along with her singing and movements. He caught a glimpse of surprise and joy flashing in Xiaomiao's eyes, and strangely enough, his own mood began to lift too.
Maybe it was just because her voice was too beautiful.
By the time the song ended, the crowd was going wild with whistles and shouts:
"Kitty! One more! One more!"
Shu Mingyang looked at the girl in front of him with a smile.
"So your name's Kitty. It suits you."
He had just been wondering what kind of creature she reminded him of — now he had the answer.
She was like a haughty, mischievous cat.
"That's just what they call me. That's not my real name, and I'm not telling you what it is!" Xiaomiao rolled her eyes at him. "Take the right fork in the tunnel, and don't forget — good luck, and goodbye!"
As she spoke, she suddenly snatched his tie, twirled it around her fingers, and ran back toward her bandmates.
"Kitty, not singing another one?" someone nearby asked, disappointed.
Xiaomiao lay back down in An Yi's arms and pointed at Shu Mingyang.
"He only paid for one song."
Shu Mingyang chuckled softly. He pulled out a few more bills from his wallet and walked over, stuffing them into Xiaomiao's hand. Looking at her thigh-high black leather skirt, he said,
"I'm in a hurry to get home, so no need for another song. Keep the money — buy yourself some clothes. Stop wearing skirts. Your legs are already turning red from the cold."
Xiaomiao instinctively pulled her pale, slender legs slightly back under the skirt. But her mouth was as sharp as ever. She glared at him,
"What's it to you? I like dressing this way."
"Alright, alright, my bad for meddling." Shu Mingyang raised his hands in surrender and turned to walk deeper into the tunnel. "Goodbye, Kitty."
Xiaomiao watched his tall figure for a few seconds, then suddenly smirked, leapt forward, and grabbed his collar before he could react. Then — her lips pressed against his.
A fresh wave of whistles erupted all around them.
Xiaomiao kissed him like a greedy little cat, biting at his lips with enthusiasm. Only when she felt satisfied did she release him. Sticking out her tongue at Shu Mingyang's stunned face, she teased,
"What are you staring at? I kissed you — so what? It's none of your business. Now get lost!"
With that, she kneed him in the thigh.
Shu Mingyang nearly stumbled to the ground. He barely regained his balance, his expression still stunned —
What just happened?
That strange street singer had just kissed him… and then kicked him?
Who was he? Where was he? Was this world even real anymore?
He wiped his mouth, half laughing, half speechless. Looking back, he saw the girl had already returned to her group like nothing happened, chatting with the band.
Shaking his head in disbelief, Shu Mingyang turned and walked deeper into the tunnel alone.
Back at the tunnel entrance, Maggie and Payne excitedly surrounded Xiaomiao.
"Kitty! How much did that rich handsome guy give you?"
Xiaomiao counted the bills in her hand — sixteen hundred-yuan notes, including the one he gave her first. She grinned, holding the cash up for the others to see.
"Hey, how about I treat everyone to an early Christmas dinner?"
"Hell yeah!" Maggie shouted in delight.
Payne jumped up, even more thrilled.
"Let's go to BForest! I've been dying for their lamb chops!— Ow! Maggie, why'd you hit me?!"
Xiaomiao's eyes dimmed slightly. After a pause, she nodded.
"Sure, no problem. Let's go."
Maggie and Payne immediately trailed behind her like puppies. Only An Yi stayed slouched in the corner, silent. Xiaomiao looked back, walked over, and kicked his leg.
"You're not coming? We hit the jackpot today!"
An Yi puffed on his cigarette without responding.
Annoyed, Xiaomiao slapped the cigarette out of his hand.
"Quit acting cool. I'm asking you one last time — are you coming or not? If not, we're leaving you."
Instead of answering, An Yi suddenly looked up, eyes cold and sharp as knives.
"That kiss — what the hell was that about? You into that guy now?"
"So what if I am? What's it got to do with you?" Xiaomiao played with her nails, casually replying.
An Yi sneered.
"Liang Xiaomiao, don't you switch men a little too fast? It hasn't even been long since your last fling ended, and now you've got a new target? Don't you worry about dying from overuse?"
"I do what I want. Again — none of your business."
"None of my business…" An Yi repeated bitterly, then suddenly yelled,
"None of my business? Every damn time you break up with someone, you come crying to me! What am I to you, huh? A toy? Something you play with when you want and toss aside when you're done?!"
Xiaomiao replied without hesitation,
"Exactly. At best, you're a fuck buddy. Don't flatter yourself."
"Liang Xiaomiao, you fucking—"
"Hey, hey! Enough with the Chinese fighting, we don't understand a word you're saying!" Maggie tried to step between them, desperate to ease the tension.
But her words didn't help. An Yi stood up and stormed out of the tunnel.
"When it snows again in a few days, don't come begging to me!"
Xiaomiao clenched her fists, gritting her teeth.
"Don't worry. This time, I'd rather die than beg you for anything!"
No one dared speak. Even the normally rowdy Black singers had fallen silent, exchanging nervous glances.
After a long while, Payne asked timidly,
"So… are we still getting lamb chops?"
Xiaomiao kicked him.
"All you think about is food, you glutton!"
But even as she scolded him, she clutched the money tighter and strode outside. Payne's eyes lit up and he quickly dragged Maggie along to follow.
Twenty minutes later, outside BForest — a Michelin three-star restaurant in N City. (Footnote 1)
As Christmas drew near, this world-renowned restaurant was, unsurprisingly, already fully booked. The elegant main hall was filled with famous and fabulously wealthy guests. Reservations were backed up for the next six months, and even so, jumping the line wasn't impossible — as long as you were wealthy enough or carried significant social influence. In that case, the manager would personally find you a seat in the crowded hall.
But such privileges were clearly not meant for three street performers dressed in shabby black leather and sporting full-on punk makeup.
The restaurant manager, Brett, kept a polite but distant expression as he spoke to Maggie standing in front of him:
"I'm sorry, ma'am, but we're fully booked. Also, we require all our patrons to be dressed appropriately. Your current appearance may disrupt the ambiance we strive to maintain and affect the dining experience of our other guests. If you're just looking for a quick meal, I suggest trying the Burger King just across the street."
This kind of snobbish, thinly veiled dismissal immediately set Payne off. He was about to charge forward and curse the guy out when Xiaomiao, who had been standing slightly apart, walked over calmly and blocked him. Without rushing, she took out a card from her worn leather purse and placed it slowly in front of the manager.
Brett took one look at the signature on the card and froze. When he raised his eyes and got a good look at Xiaomiao, his face turned pale — but he forced himself to smile as hard as he could.
"Miss Liang! My deepest apologies. I didn't recognize you just now. Please, come in, right this way!"
Chin lifted, Xiaomiao strode past him into the restaurant. Manager Brett followed anxiously, sweating, and heard her say,
"Didn't you just say the restaurant was full?"
"N-no… well, for others, yes, of course. But Mr. Brown gave us very clear instructions — your table is always reserved."
"Oh? And what about my outfit? Isn't it ruining the other guests' mood?"
Brett wiped the sweat from his brow.
"Of course not! Your style is… very unique. I'm sure it will become the next big trend…"
Xiaomiao burst out laughing and plopped down at the best table by the window. Brett was still pouring out compliments when she waved him off impatiently.
"Alright, enough sucking up! The three of us are starving. Bring us food!"
"Yes, yes! Here's our updated menu from last week. I strongly recommend—"
Even after they ordered, Brett lingered nearby. He leaned in and whispered,
"Miss Liang… I haven't seen you with Mr. Brown lately. Are you two—?"
"Can't I eat without him?" Xiaomiao cut in, coolly.
"No, no! That's not what I meant," Brett said hurriedly. "What I meant was… Mr. Brown still cares about you a lot—"
Xiaomiao began picking apart a pink rose from the vase on the table, petal by petal, and said lazily,
"If you keep talking, I'm leaving."
Brett wisely took two quick steps back.
"I won't disturb you further."
Stretching with a yawn, Xiaomiao slumped onto the table and muttered,
"So annoying. Nosy as hell."
Meanwhile, Payne was happily stuffing his face with complimentary baked escargot and seared foie gras.
"Honestly, that manager was just trying to help you, Kitty. Brown treats you like a queen. He'd probably pull down the stars if you asked. Why did you two break—ow!"
Maggie had kicked him hard under the table.
"Just eat and shut up, will you?"
But Xiaomiao laughed at their antics. She stared at the pink rose in the vase and said softly,
"No reason. I just felt like breaking up. What can I say? I was born to be a heartbreaker. With men… I can never stay for long."
Author's Note:
Note 1: The name of the restaurant is fictional — don't bother looking it up, lol.
"Like a Virgin" is a great song — the lyrics are poetic in a sexy kind of way. You should definitely give it a listen!
PS: There are red envelope giveaways for this chapter too~
And yes, the male lead is Shu Mingyang, lol. His character is warm on the outside, dark on the inside~