stonecrandall 071 Dress Change
071 Dress Change
Lu Mingfei stood at the door of room 304 in the girls' dormitory, holding a clean lunchbox in his left hand and his right hand hovering in mid-air, hesitating whether to knock on the door.
He washed the lunchbox three times. After the first wash, he felt it wasn't clean enough, so he scrubbed it again with dish soap. After the second wash, he picked it up and smelled it; it had a lemon scent. Afraid that Zero would notice and think he was being deliberate, he rinsed it with water again. After rinsing it a third time, he stared at the inside of the lunchbox for a long time to make sure there were no water stains before drying it with a paper towel.
Fingel, who was lying on the top bunk watching the whole thing, concluded: "You look exactly like my mom washing my dad's dentures right now."
Lu Mingfei rolled his eyes and said, "Shut up."
Just then, the door opened by itself.
Selma opened the door, wearing an oversized hoodie and her hair casually tied in a bun. She glanced at Lu Mingfei from head to toe, her gaze lingering on the lunchbox in his hand.
"You're here?" She smiled meaningfully, stepping aside to make way. "Come in, Zero's been waiting for you for ages."
Ling stood by the window, her hair wet. Her originally light golden hair had turned pale yellow, and strands of it clung to her face and fell to her chest. Her usual aloofness had faded, and she even showed a hint of maturity.
Lu Mingfei walked over, and she reached out to take the lunchbox, saying, "It's on the bed."
Lu Mingfei looked over and saw a black suit on the bed. The shirt had been taken out of its packaging, the tie was hanging on a hanger, and the cufflinks were in a small velvet box.
"I... I'll change here?" Lu Mingfei asked.
"Where do you want to change?" Zero asked, looking at him.
Lu Mingfei glanced around the girls' dormitory. "Selma's still here—"
"She went out."
Lu Mingfei turned around, and Selma was indeed no longer in the room. Was she that perceptive?
Ling drew the curtains, and the room darkened. She walked to the bedside, picked up the shirt, pulled out the hanger, and unbuttoned it one button at a time.
"Change."
Lu Mingfei took off his T-shirt and put the shirt on. He started buttoning it from the bottom up, but when he got to the third button, Ling reached out and pushed his hand away.
"You buttoned it crookedly."
"It's not crooked!" Lu Mingfei looked down to confirm.
Ling pushed Lu Mingfei's hand away, her fingers pinched the button, unbuttoned it, and then buttoned it back up. Her fingertips brushed against his abdomen, cool and refreshing through the fabric of his shirt.
"Turn around."
Lu Mingfei turned around, and Ling picked up his suit jacket and shook it open. She helped him put the jacket on from behind, pushing it outwards along his shoulder line with her hands, her palms against his shoulder blades, pausing for a moment.
"The shoulder width is just right," she said, her voice very close to the back of his neck.
Did you tiptoe? Lu Mingfei felt the hairs on the back of his head stand on end.
"Turn back."
He turned around, and Zero looked up at him. She picked up her tie, wrapped it around his collar, and began to tie a knot.
As she tightened the knot, her fingertips slid down the tie to Lu Mingfei's chest and gently pressed it.
Zero took a step back, tilted his head, and looked him up and down.
Then she reached out and pulled the hem of his suit jacket to the sides, her palm sliding down his waistline to his hips, tucking the excess shirt inside.
Zero picked up the cufflinks and bent down to fasten them for him. As she fastened his left hand, she held his wrist and pressed her fingers against his pulse.
"Your heart rate is a little fast," Zero looked up at him. "Nervous?"
"...What do you think?" Lu Mingfei's voice was dry.
"I'm all dressed," she said.
The door was pushed open at that moment.
"Let me see, let me see—" Selma walked over and circled Lu Mingfei. She patted him on the shoulder, tugged at his tie, and finally stood in front of him, looking him up and down twice.
"That's right." Selma smiled with satisfaction and gave Zero a thumbs up. "You used everything?"
Zero did not answer.
Lu Mingfei glanced at Zero, then at Selma.
They used everything, but what did they use on me?
His mind raced through the series of actions he had just witnessed.
"You taught her?" Lu Mingfei pointed at Selma.
Selma smiled brightly: "Of course! I told Zero on the plane that boys are much more sensitive to physical contact than to verbal cues, and that we need to pay special attention to their key points—"
"You were eavesdropping outside the door," Lu Mingfei interrupted her.
Selma nodded without any hesitation: "I was afraid she would forget the steps."
Lu Mingfei covered his face.
One dares to teach, the other dares to do. With these two working together, he can't withstand them.
"That's enough." Lu Mingfei lowered his hand. "I almost had a heart attack."
Selma laughed so hard her shoulders shook.
"It suits you perfectly," Zero said.
"What are you wearing tonight?" Lu Mingfei asked.
"White dress."
Selma walked to the window and drew back the curtains. Sunlight streamed in, making Lu Mingfei's black suit gleam. She watched the two men standing at opposite ends of the room, not far apart, but not close together.
She recalled what Aki had said on the plane: "You two seem to know what each other is thinking without even saying a word."
Selma laughed and said that this was how premarital counseling began.
Looking at the two people in front of her, she felt that Zero truly didn't need to say much to understand Lu Mingfei's meaning. But she wasn't sure if Lu Mingfei felt the same way. There was a lot in his eyes when he looked at Zero, but it was all shrouded in a mist, and no one could see it clearly.
"Oh, right," Selma pulled a folded note from her pocket, "Aki asked me to give this to you. It's the seating arrangement for tonight's engagement ceremony. She said you'll be sitting in the first row."
Lu Mingfei took the note, unfolded it, and glanced at it. The names were written neatly, clearly written by Aki. The first row listed the names of Ye Sheng and Aki, with Mans, Lu Mingfei, and Zero next to them.
"Ye Shengxuan's position?"
"Aki," Selma said, "she specifically asked you to sit next to her; everyone from the Kuimen operation should sit together."
Lu Mingfei folded the note and put it in his pocket, then said to Ling, "See you later."
Ling nodded slightly.
The door closed.
Selma leaned against the wall and summarized in a tone of someone who had been there before: "Your performance has improved since last time."
"Where has the progress been made?"
"Last time you wiped his mouth for him in the library, he tried to run away. This time you helped him get dressed, and he didn't run away."
"Because you can't run away if you're only half-dressed," Zero said.
Selma paused for a moment, then laughed; she hadn't expected Zero to have a sense of humor.
But Zero looks very serious.
"Were you joking just now?"
"Selma".
"Um?"
"What do Ye Sheng and Aki plan to do after retiring?"
Selma tilted her head and thought for a moment.
"Aki said she wants to apply for a transfer to the archives, where the working hours are more stable. Yeh Sheng might stay at the school as a swimming coach. On weekends, we'll drive to the farmers' market; Aki wants to learn how to cook seafood."
Zero listened quietly to the end.
"Very good," she said.
Ling turned around, walked to the wardrobe, opened the door, and took out a white crystal evening dress.