Chapter 111: An Exchange of Courtesies
Shen Lu showed her pass to the soldiers at the checkpoint and entered the Upper City District without a hitch.
The moment her feet touched the ground in the Upper City District, Shen Lu could tell it was different.
Smooth, solid, and clean.
Walking on a road like this, you didn’t have to worry about getting your shoes or clothes dirty. Nor would you suddenly find massive potholes ready to swallow your car’s wheels.
There were even flowerbeds along the road, filled with flowers, grass, and trees.
Well... they were fake.
Still, they were pleasant to look at.
Following the original owner’s memories, Shen Lu hailed a car and headed to Bai Wanwan’s home.
Bai Wanwan’s home was a villa with a garden, spanning several thousand square meters. Shen Lu was a bit stunned when she got out of the car.
Having spent so long in the Lower City District, she had gradually come to accept that this was a wasteland. She had started to feel like everything was supposed to be tattered, desolate, and run-down.
But here in the Upper City District, it was even more modern and prosperous than the top-tier megacities she had visited in her past life. It gave her a jarring sense of displacement.
It was like she had stumbled into another world.
Shen Lu took a deep breath, suppressed the swirling emotions inside her, and pressed the doorbell on the ornate, wrought-iron gate.
A maid quickly came to the gate and very politely invited her in.
Shen Lu followed her. Before they entered the villa, the maid made a point of telling her to wipe her shoes on the doormat.
Shen Lu’s eyes narrowed, her sharp gaze fixed on the maid’s face.
"And what if I don’t?"
"That is your prerogative, Miss Shen." The maid’s tone was bland, but Shen Lu easily detected the contempt in it.
"Then I won’t." Shen Lu walked straight in, leaving a trail of footprints on the soft, white carpet.
Bai Wanwan came down the spiral staircase, complaining bluntly, "What time is it? Why are you only just getting here? Don’t you know that styling and picking out a dress takes a lot of time?!"
Then, her eyes fell on the footprints on the carpet. Bai Wanwan clicked her tongue. "Shen Lu, look how dirty your shoes are."
"Young Miss," the maid interjected coolly. "I did advise Miss Shen, but she was unwilling to cooperate."
Before Shen Lu could react, Bai Wanwan’s voice dropped as she coldly snapped, "I’m speaking with Shen Lu. Does that give you the right to interrupt?"
The maid’s face went pale. Her expression stiffened, and she lowered her head, though not without a hint of defiance. "I was wrong, Young Miss."
"Leave. I don’t want to see you."
Her employer had spoken. The maid had no choice but to scurry away.
Bai Wanwan jutted her chin toward Shen Lu. "Come on, follow me upstairs."
Shen Lu didn’t move. "Weren’t you just complaining about my dirty shoes?"
"Oh, give me a break. Do you have any idea how expensive this carpet is? Am I not allowed to complain a little?"
It wasn’t that Bai Wanwan was disgusted by Shen Lu’s dirty shoes; she was simply stating a fact.
The corners of Shen Lu’s mouth turned up. She accepted Bai Wanwan’s explanation.
’She knew Bai Wanwan didn’t look down on her like the maid did. If Bai Wanwan truly disdained her, she wouldn’t be interacting with her so much in the first place.’
"Do you have any clean slippers? I’ll change." She wasn’t that unreasonable; she had only been trying to antagonize the maid.
’Now that the maid was gone, it was time to quit while she was ahead.’
Bai Wanwan called another maid over and had her bring a pair of slippers for Shen Lu.
"You should just throw those shoes away. They’re ugly and dirty."
"I just bought these a few days ago. It doesn’t matter if they’re ugly, as long as they’re comfortable." Shen Lu walked over to her. "Besides, any pair of shoes will get filthy in the Lower City District."
"So you admit the Lower City District is filthy," Bai Wanwan shot her a sideways glance. "Then why do you insist on staying there?"
Shen Lu started up the stairs, changing the subject. "I didn’t make the braised crayfish you wanted. I brought you something new instead."
"What is it?"
"Braised pork belly."
"But I don’t eat fatty meat!" Bai Wanwan pouted. "You didn’t skip the braised crayfish just because it was too much trouble, did you?"
"Of course not," Shen Lu lied with a straight face. "The crayfish were out of stock. There was nothing I could do."
’The truth was, it *was* too much trouble. The braised pork belly was already made; all she had to do was pack it up.’
’The crayfish had to be washed, deveined, fried, and then braised. She was in no mood to do all that for Bai Wanwan today.’
Bai Wanwan had her own personal stylist, who was waiting for Shen Lu in the walk-in closet.
"Sister Hua, give her the full treatment." Bai Wanwan’s own styling was nearly complete. She just needed to change her clothes and put on her jewelry, and then she’d be ready to go.
She sat down on a nearby sofa and opened the container Shen Lu had brought. The sealed-in aroma of meat instantly billowed out.
"It smells amazing." Bai Wanwan was momentarily captivated. In the closet, Sister Hua and her assistant, who were about to start on Shen Lu’s skincare and makeup, also found their attention drawn by the tantalizing aroma of the braised pork belly.
Bai Wanwan had someone bring her a pair of chopsticks. Forgetting she had just declared she didn’t eat fatty meat, she picked up a piece of the pork and popped it into her mouth.
"This braised pork belly is incredible," Bai Wanwan said, her eyes blissfully narrowed. It was the first time she’d ever thought fatty meat wasn’t so bad, especially when paired with the richly flavored lean meat. The combination was perfect.
"It would be even better with a bite of rice."
Bai Wanwan sighed regretfully. She remembered she had a banquet to attend that night and couldn’t eat too much, lest a little potbelly stick out in her form-fitting dress.
She forced herself to close the container and ordered a maid to put the braised pork belly away.
"Keep it safe. No one eats this until I get back, understand?"
"Especially Bai Lei. Don’t let him find it under any circumstances."
The words were barely out of her mouth when a knock sounded at the door of the walk-in closet. Bai Lei’s voice drifted in from outside.
"Sis, the maids told me Shen Lu is here?"
"She is," Bai Wanwan replied.
Bai Lei didn’t push the door open. He was a well-bred man; a lady’s walk-in closet was a private space, and one couldn’t just enter without permission.
"Did she bring anything with her?"
"What’s it to you? She’s here to see me."
"So she did bring something. Shen Lu! Boss Shen! You brought a share for me too, right?"
Having been called out by name, Shen Lu had no choice but to respond. But Bai Wanwan darted over, clamped a hand over her mouth, and whispered, "Don’t you say a word!"
’If she mentioned the braised pork, she’d have to give half to Bai Lei, and she wasn’t about to do that.’
Shen Lu nodded to show she understood.
"Uh, I was in... a bit of a hurry today, so I didn’t bring any gifts. Next time, for sure."
Bai Lei didn’t buy it.
’His sister was probably trying to hog it all for herself.’
’Fine, have it your way. But with his skills, did she really think he couldn’t find it?’
Only after Bai Lei left did Bai Wanwan return to the sofa.
As a face mask was applied to her skin, Shen Lu couldn’t help but feel this was all a bit much.
’She thought she was just coming over to pick a decent dress, get some makeup on, and have her hair done. But from the looks of it, Bai Wanwan was planning to give her a head-to-toe transformation.’
"You don’t have to go to all this trouble. Do you have a simple black dress? I can’t stay long tonight. I’m just going to show my face and then leave."
’Ruin Shen Lan’s birthday party, then make a run for it.’
’It was only proper to return the favor.’
’Shen Lan had come to ruin her grand opening, so she would return the favor by ruining Shen Lan’s birthday party.’
’It wasn’t that she was being malicious or deliberately seeking revenge. After all, Shen Lan was the one who sent the invitation.’