The Scum Gong Refuses the Crematorium [Quick Transmigration] - Chapter 15

Jiang Huaisu and Lu Mingyue sat side by side in the back seat of the car, both looking somewhat awkwardly at Sheng Yan.

Sheng Yan, who clearly didn’t lack for money, remarked, “Why are you looking at me? Once we’re at the mall, if you see something you like, just take it. I’m your human ATM today.”

The most important rule of coaxing someone is to cater to their interests. Based on Sheng Yan’s understanding of Jiang Huaisu, nothing could soothe her anger faster than a shopping spree. Having been pampered and prideful her whole life, Jiang Huaisu had been rebuked by her son today in front of an outsider. She was undoubtedly fuming. Letting her buy whatever she wanted was the best way to let her vent—bottling it up would only be bad for her health.

Logically, it made sense, but as Jiang Huaisu looked at Sheng Yan on her left and Lu Mingyue on her right, she felt even more stifled. What a mess. She had tripped Lu Mingyue up time and time again; would he really sincerely try to cheer her up? She’d be lucky if he didn’t wish for her early demise.

Lu Mingyue also rubbed his nose awkwardly. He couldn’t figure out why he’d agreed to Sheng Yan’s request. Chairwoman Jiang hated him so much she wished he’d never existed—and yet Sheng Yan wanted him to help coax her? Wasn’t that just adding fuel to the fire?

While the two were lost in their own thoughts, Sheng Yan acted as if he noticed nothing and directed the driver to stop outside Yanjing’s most luxurious shopping mall.

He had already notified the person in charge before their arrival. As soon as they stepped out of the car, the mall manager greeted them personally: “Chairwoman Jiang, President Sheng, Director Lu—welcome, it is an honor to have you.”

“Hmph.” Jiang Huaisu was still bristling. Seeing the manager, she didn’t give him a single look of acknowledgement. She pulled a pair of sunglasses from her bag to hide her eyes which were still red with anger and brushed past him with a cold snort, entering the mall alone.

Fine, I’ll buy. She wasn’t the kind of mother who would feel sorry for her son’s wallet. She’d spend every last penny of his spare cash, just so he wouldn’t have enough left to waste on “indecent” outsiders.

“President Sheng, you see…” The mall manager stood there awkwardly, having been given the cold shoulder, wondering if he’d done something to offend the big client.

Sheng Yan explained briefly, “It’s not about you. Let’s go.”

By the time the manager led the two men inside, Jiang Huaisu had already picked out a dozen outfits and pieces of jewelry from the mannequins. Since it wasn’t her money, she didn’t feel a hint of remorse.

The sales assistant, seeing Jiang Huaisu’s decisive spending, assumed she was in a good mood. She squatted by the sofa where Jiang Huaisu was seated, holding a cup of coffee, and asked softly, “Chairwoman Jiang, would you like to pick a few pieces to try on personally?”

Even though the mannequins were roughly the same size as her, clothes were something you had to wear yourself to know if they truly suited you. However, Jiang Huaisu was wearing sunglasses and couldn’t even see the colors properly; her reckless buying was purely for venting, and she had no heart for a fitting session.

But out of the corner of her eye, she saw Sheng Yan and Lu Mingyue being led in. Remembering they were supposed to “coax” her, she realized that letting them off the hook with just a few random purchases would be too easy.

She nodded to the assistant. “Bring the pieces I just selected and the jewelry. I’ll try them.”

While Jiang Huaisu went to the fitting room, the sales assistant noticed Sheng Yan and Lu Mingyue sitting idly on the sofa. Adhering to the principle of never missing a sale, she asked politely, “Do you two gentlemen need anything?”

Sheng Yan glanced at Lu Mingyue. “Is there anything you need?”

Lu Mingyue shook his head. The items here were far too high-end; he didn’t need them for work. Besides, today was about coaxing Chairwoman Jiang—if he picked something for himself, she’d likely explode the moment she walked out.

Seeing he truly didn’t want anything, Sheng Yan declined. The assistant nodded without showing any disappointment, though she lamented missing out on two potential big spenders in her heart.

When Jiang Huaisu emerged from the fitting room and saw the two men waiting obediently on the sofa, she felt slightly better. This looked like they were actually trying to appease her.

After the assistant helped her put on the jewelry, she checked herself in the mirror. It looked decent. She turned and asked, “How is this outfit?”

Sheng Yan, who had stuck to the same style for years, couldn’t see anything particularly special, but noted that the colors were balanced and not garish. He nodded. “It’s good.”

Hearing this, Jiang Huaisu was about to tell the assistant to pack it up, but she caught sight of Lu Mingyue. She tilted her chin and asked, “And you?”

Sheng Yan wanted him to coax her; she wanted to see exactly how he’d do it.

Lu Mingyue, well aware of his mission, thought for a moment before asking, “Chairwoman Jiang, is this outfit for daily wear, or do you intend to take photos for social media?”

Jiang Huaisu challenged him: “What if it’s for daily wear? What if it’s for social media?”

Lu Mingyue replied, “For daily wear, this is excellent. But for social media—” He stood up, took out his phone, and snapped a photo from a specific angle to show her. “If you’re posting it, you need this specific angle to perfectly showcase your beauty and poise. Front-on or high-angle shots would lose some of the ‘flavor’ with this silhouette.”

To prove his point, he took photos from various angles and showed them to her one by one.

Initially, Jiang Huaisu didn’t believe him. She was a natural beauty and well-maintained; even approaching fifty, she looked like a woman in her thirties. She looked good in any photo. But when she saw the comparisons on Lu Mingyue’s phone, she was startled. “It actually makes a difference.”

Lu Mingyue continued, “Also, because this outfit is light green, if you don’t have a professional photographer, you should avoid taking photos with people wearing bright colors like red or pink. Those colors mixed together will make you look like a ‘supporting character’ in the shot, even from my preferred angle.”

Jiang Huaisu didn’t catch much of the technical jargon, but she did catch the implication that her look wasn’t “perfect” yet. She asked directly, “Then how should I dress to look good from 360 degrees?”

“There is no such thing as a truly ‘flawless’ 360-degree look. Those ‘goddess’ photos online depend on the environment, the lighting, the clothes, and the person’s state that day.” Simply put, it required the alignment of heaven, earth, and man.

But since he was there to coax her, he wouldn’t dampen her spirits. “If Chairwoman Jiang just wants daily wear, any photo will look good. But we can make you stand out even more.”

Lu Mingyue scanned the mannequins, picking out a few items and asking the assistant to restyle Jiang Huaisu. “Why don’t you try this?”

“It might not look as ‘harmonious’ in terms of color matching as what you have on now, but these items will mask certain small flaws and ensure you look radiant through a camera lens.”

Jiang Huaisu looked at the pile of items Lu Mingyue had picked, skeptical. “Is it really that magical?”

“Why not try it and see?” Lu Mingyue suggested.

“Fine, I’ll try it.” Jiang Huaisu couldn’t deny she was intrigued. She wasn’t young anymore; no matter how well she maintained herself, time was fleeting. She wanted to stay as beautiful as possible for as long as she could.

When she came out in Lu Mingyue’s curated look, her first feeling was one of unfamiliarity. Everyone has a style, and she had been stuck in hers for years. The assistants knew her habits and only showed her things within her comfort zone.

However, as she walked to the mirror and saw herself—nothing seemed radically changed, yet she looked noticeably more “vibrant” than before—she couldn’t help but say to Lu Mingyue, “Quick, give me the phone, let me take a photo.”

She took several shots and looked at the screen. “It really is a lot better.”

“This necklace covers the neck lines and makes my skin look fairer. Under these lights, there’s no color distortion at all.”

“And these earrings make my face look smaller and younger.”

“The clothes aren’t as ‘stately’ as the previous set, but paired with this jewelry, it works perfectly.”

Seeing that she approved, Lu Mingyue struck while the iron was hot. “If you like it, I can write down a ‘formula’ for you. You can use it to coordinate your outfits based on the occasion.”

“A formula?” Jiang Huaisu was puzzled.

“Just some suggestions to play up your strengths and hide your weaknesses. I personally like to call it a formula.”

Curious, she asked him to write it down. Lu Mingyue immediately began typing rapidly on his phone. Within moments, he sent her a document containing several pages of detailed notes.

Looking at the dense text, Jiang Huaisu felt a bit dizzy. As expected of a computer scientist, she thought, he can produce so much just by tapping away. She asked the assistant to print it out, as reading on a phone was inconvenient. She wanted to see if these formulas were truly that miraculous.

She hurried off with the assistant to discuss the notes, seemingly having forgotten her anger entirely.

Lu Mingyue couldn’t contribute much more to “women’s talk,” so he stepped back. As he sat back down on the sofa, Sheng Yan, who had been watching the show, turned to him. “When did you learn about fashion? You’re quite the expert.”

Lu Mingyue was going to say he hadn’t “learned” it that he had simply calculated it based on her height, body type, skin tone, visual discrepancies, and the refraction principles of mobile cameras.

But seeing Sheng Yan’s expression, his tongue slipped: “I learned it specifically for you, Brother Sheng. Do you want to test the results of my studies?”

Sheng Yan smiled, knowing his “Green Tea” habit was flaring up again, but didn’t refuse. “Sure.”

Lu Mingyue blinked. He hadn’t noticed Sheng Yan having any interest in dressing up! But since he’d said it, he couldn’t back down. Men’s fashion was limited, and Sheng Yan’s current attire was already the pinnacle of luxury.

Lu Mingyue looked around and asked, “Do you have ear piercings?”

“I do.” Sheng Yan nodded. The original owner had been a rebellious teen and had a row of piercings. After his father died and he was forced to mature, he took them out, but the holes never fully closed.

“Can you wear a woman’s earring?” Lu Mingyue picked up a pair of ruby pendants in a Chinese style from a tray.

“I can.” Sheng Yan didn’t refuse.

Lu Mingyue had no choice but to lean in close to Sheng Yan on the sofa. He leaned over, brushing Sheng Yan’s long hair behind his ear, and carefully threaded the earring through the piercing in his porcelain-white earlobe.

Instantly, the red ruby earring acted like a spark, lighting up Sheng Yan’s entire face. His cold, indifferent, somewhat world-weary look was suddenly replaced by a captivating, soul-stirring elegance.

Lu Mingyue’s heart skipped a beat. Maintaining his leaning position, he gazed down at Sheng Yan’s brilliant face and smiled to mask his reaction. “Very handsome. It seems the results of my studies are passing.”

They were very close—close enough for Sheng Yan to feel that Lu Mingyue’s breath had hitched for a moment.

“Is that so?” Sheng Yan looked up into Lu Mingyue’s eyes, using his pupils to see his own reflection.

This caused Lu Mingyue’s breath to hitch once more.

As fate would have it, Jiang Huaisu had just finished reviewing the formula with the assistant and was about to share her excitement when she saw them—locked in an ambiguous, intimate gaze.

The printed paper in her hand crumpled.

And they say they aren’t dating? This is clearly the honeymoon phase!