Free Web NovelChapter 222: Chapter 140: Prom Madness
"It makes my skin look completely gray," Anya grumbled, applying some moisturizer to her arm. "I should have bought that body powder from CPB," she added with a pout.
Li Wei didn’t say anything, just watched as Anya, mid-makeup, snatched a long Dior dress from the bed. She dangled it from her fingertips. It was a long, very smooth brown gown, with small pearls sewn diagonally across the bodice.
She studied herself carefully in the mirror. "I think this dress is good," she said, turning her head to look at Li Wei. "What do you think, darling?"
Even with his 3.0 stats, Li Wei could barely tell the difference between this one and the 17 other dresses she had tried on. But that didn’t matter; all he had to do was say it looked good.
"I think this one’s good," she said, turning around in satisfaction. "This dress doesn’t make my butt look big at all."
Today was the Horace Mann School prom. In fact, she had already spent yesterday at the beauty and spa center getting her body waxed, exfoliated, and steamed with essential oils mixed with Egyptian perfumes. From her hair follicles to her toenails, everything was perfectly moisturized. She even daringly added a few pink highlights to her black hair, which looked cool, like she was heading into battle.
"I’m ready!" she announced to the mirror, satisfied. "Let’s go."
To match her, Li Wei had been half-coerced into buying a semi-formal tuxedo. Neither of them drove today. To keep a low profile, their housekeeper, Auntie Kaja, drove them to the Horace Mann School prom in an unremarkable Bentley.
When the car stopped in front of the Horace Mann School’s red carpet and the door opened, they were greeted by—a group of guys in suits and ties?
"Oh my god, I can’t believe you’re finally here!"
"The only reason I came to the Horace Mann prom was for you!"
"Guys, it’s Li Wei!"
"Can you sign an autograph for me? Right on my suit jacket!"
Li Wei had expected to cause a bit of a stir, but not like this. The eyes of these elites from a prestigious private school, who usually thought so highly of themselves, were filled with nothing but adoration and surprise.
For guys this age, an Ivy League acceptance letter had nothing on the superstar standing right in front of them.
From the boys’ chattering, Li Wei finally understood that he was now seen as some kind of tycoon fighting the old system. "The Asian who broke racial barriers," "The first person in history to skip the NCAA and go straight to the NFL"—to them, it was the coolest thing ever.
"Show us a move! Just one! Please!"
Although the event was a prom, it had turned into something like a Li Wei fan meet-and-greet.
Anya was pushed to the side by the sudden wave of fanaticism. Not only was she not angry, but she actually seemed a little proud as she retreated to the periphery to greet a few girls she knew.
She had recently asked Aunt Tatyana to do quite a bit of reputation management and hyping up for Li Wei. Li Wei himself probably had no idea how famous he’d become online.
She watched Li Wei, who stood out from the crowd like a crane among chickens, enjoying the spectacle.
"Guys, this is a prom, not a fan meet, okay?" Li Wei said, looking at the fervent eyes all around him. It felt great to be acknowledged as an "alpha male," but he hadn’t forgotten the main reason he was here. "Don’t block the entrance..."
Just as he was about to do a quick feint to placate them, he suddenly saw something discordant.
On the outskirts of the crowd, Tiffany was holding a glass of sparkling drink. She pretended to casually approach Anya, who was chatting with friends, from the side and behind. The angle of her wrist was tilted forward; she was clearly ready to pour it and humiliate Anya.
’This woman is sick,’ Li Wei thought. ’So obsessed with getting revenge.’
His left hand, pretending to unbutton his suit jacket, stealthily plucked one off. Then, with an almost imperceptible flick of his wrist...
[Predetermined Trajectory]!
A sharp CRACK echoed through the air, followed by the sound of shattering glass and a girl’s scream.
The wine glass in Tiffany’s hand suddenly exploded when it was still half a meter from Anya’s back. A full glass of sparkling grape juice drenched Tiffany from head to toe.
"Ah!"
Tiffany shrieked and jumped. The sticky drink trickled down her meticulously styled curly hair, ruining her makeup. A large, ugly stain instantly spread across her silver dress.
The surrounding crowd fell silent for a second, then a low burst of laughter erupted.
"Oh my god, Tiffany, is this some kind of performance art?"
"That’s a non-alcoholic drink. Are you drunk already?"
Anya turned around in surprise. She saw the pathetic state Tiffany was in, then glanced at her own undamaged dress. Though she didn’t know what had happened, she still took a step back in disgust.
Li Wei took the opportunity to slip away, shrugging at the boys around him whose attention had also been diverted.
The farce was over. The boys and girls entered the school’s grand hall and began to dance gracefully on the dance floor.
Among them, Anya and Li Wei were without a doubt the center of attention. The handsome man and beautiful woman outshone everyone else, having already locked in the titles of Prom "Queen" and "King."
"I saw," Anya whispered. "You’re the one who broke Tiffany’s glass, right?"
"Mm-hmm," Li Wei said, his arm around her waist. "You saw?"
"I saw," Anya said, a strange light glinting in her eyes. "How did you do that?"
"I’m a Magician. Isn’t throwing cards normal for us?" Li Wei spouted nonsense.
But Anya clearly bought it. She was very satisfied with Li Wei’s performance today.
The girls around them were jealous she had such a perfect boyfriend. The boys around them were jealous of her too, wishing they could take her place and dance hand-in-hand with Li Wei. After all, Li Wei was a big-shot celebrity now.
Basking in everyone’s gazes, Anya was immensely pleased with herself.
...
"You’ve been staring at that thing for over twenty minutes," Li Wei said with a laugh. "You can look at it more when we get back."
On the way home, Anya hummed a little tune while turning the prom queen’s crown over and over in her hands, as if it were some priceless treasure.
"What do you know," Anya said, rolling her eyes at him. She continued to gaze gleefully at the crown. "Didn’t you see the way Jessica and Tiffany were looking at me? That’s what really makes me happy."
With that, she glanced at Kaja, who was driving in the front, and suddenly pulled out her phone, her fingers flying across the screen.
Li Wei thought Anya was showing off to her frenemies, but then his own phone screen lit up.
He opened it and saw, to his surprise, that it was from Anya, who was sitting right next to him.
Anya: You did very well today.
Anya: I’m very happy ))))
Just as Li Wei was about to say something, a fragrant scent washed over him—Anya had rested her head on his lap, curling up on her side on the Bentley’s back seat.
Li Wei picked up his phone too.
Li Wei: Why the sudden text?
Anya: I’ve decided to give you a reward.
Anya suddenly shifted, nuzzling her head in his lap. She turned her face upward, using her phone to cover half of it.
Li Wei: What kind of reward?
Anya: It’s— freeweɓnovel.cѳm
Anya: It’s what you’re thinking.
As if she weren’t comfortable, she rubbed the back of her head between Li Wei’s legs.
Li Wei moved his phone away, his eyes meeting Anya’s.
"Auntie Kaja," Anya said suddenly. "I’m not going home tonight. Just take us straight to Li Wei’s place."
The housekeeper, Auntie Kaja, glanced in the rearview mirror but said nothing. At the next intersection, she turned right, heading toward Battery City Park.
The Bentley glided smoothly through the Manhattan night. The car’s interior was perfectly soundproofed, completely isolating them from the hustle and bustle outside. Only the occasional passing streetlight cast fleeting patterns of light through the window, refracting across the small pearls on Anya’s brown Dior gown.
"You... you go take a shower first," Anya said without looking back, heading for Li Wei’s room. "I’m going to change."
A flicker of anticipation sparked in Li Wei. He had dropped hints a few times before, but a shy Anya had always refused for one reason or another. Maybe today, since she was in a good mood, she was willing to reward him for once.
Ten minutes later, Li Wei walked out with a bath towel wrapped around his waist.
Only a floor lamp was on in the living room, its dim yellow light suffusing the high-rise apartment next to Battery City Park. Outside the window was the dark surface of the Hudson River and the scattered lights of Jersey City on the opposite bank.
The master bedroom door opened.
Anya walked out. She had taken off the brown gown with the small pearls, replacing it with a black silk robe.
The belt was tied loosely, revealing glimpses of her pale thighs as she walked. She had clearly touched up her makeup; a fresh coat of shimmering gloss covered her lips. Her long hair, which had been down before, was now tucked behind her ears, exposing her slender neck.
"What... what are you laughing at?" Anya said tensely. "Don’t laugh!"
"I’m not laughing," Li Wei said, touching the corner of his mouth. "Is it that obvious?"
"Don’t... don’t think I’m just giving in. I’m only rewarding you because you did well today," Anya said, pointing to the edge of Li Wei’s bed. "Sit."
Li Wei obediently sat down, resting his arms casually on the edge of the bed.
Anya took a deep breath and walked in front of him.
She didn’t act immediately. Instead, she looked down on Li Wei, as if to seize the initiative. But when her gaze fell on his bare torso and the faint smile playing on his lips, her confidence visibly faltered.
"Close your eyes!" she commanded, a little flustered and angry. "No peeking."
"Alright, alright," Li Wei said, covering his eyes with one hand. "I won’t look."
"Hmph," Anya snorted, her face blushing. Then, she somewhat clumsily knelt on the carpet.
She reached out, her hands—which had gotten a special French manicure for the prom—trembling slightly. When her fingertips touched Li Wei’s skin, the cool sensation made him instinctively flex his abs.
Anya seemed startled by the subtle muscle reaction. She froze for a moment, then, as if having made up her mind, she lowered her head.
