Chapter 215: Little Sister as a Third Wheel

"Hello?"

Long had just returned to the guesthouse after dinner when he got the call—unexpectedly, it was Ming's, and he was inviting Long out to eat.

Long was moved: "But I've already eaten."

"Heping Hotel. Are you coming?"

"Ah, you're serious? Then I'm coming!" Long thought—he wouldn't bother with ordinary eateries, but this was Heping Hotel.

But why didn't Ming say anything earlier? This invitation came out of nowhere.

Long had never been on Wei Ming's dinner plan—only he and Xue Jie were supposed to go.

But plans change—just then, he'd happened to spot Gong Ying sketching on the Bund.

After all, she was Xue Jie's younger sister, so Wei Ming politely asked if she'd like to join.

A smart little sister would've said, "I've already eaten, no thanks," but Gong Ying didn't seem smart—she said, "Sure, sure!"

Now Wei Ming was stuck. Take her? But he wanted to spend the afternoon and evening alone with Xue Jie—what was he supposed to do with a third wheel?

Gong Rui felt awful—Heping Hotel was so expensive, adding one more person meant spending much more, and Gong Ying was genuinely in the way—her presence made it impossible for her to say many things.

But Wei Ming laughed: "More people, more fun—and we can try more dishes. Should I call another friend?"

Luckily, he had experience in this—he decided to deploy the "third-wheel countermeasure": invite another male friend to distract Gong Ying and give him and Xue Jie space.

Long was the only option, so he immediately called from a public phone.

Then they waited for Gong Ying to finish her sketch before slowly heading toward No. 20 The Bund.

When Gong Ying saw the sign for "Heping Hotel," she finally understood why her sister had been so upset—it wasn't just some ordinary restaurant; this place was way too upscale!

But is it appropriate for two ordinary friends to eat here? Or is your relationship not so ordinary after all?

Now Gong Ying couldn't leave—she had to find out what was going on. She wasn't just hungry—she'd treat them to a cheaper place later if she had to.

Wei Ming and the sisters went in first; he figured Long would arrive soon and went down to wait.

The moment he left, Gong Ying leaned close to her sister: "Second sister, when did you two make plans?"

"No plans—we just ran into Xiao Wei at Shanghai Film Studio today, so we decided to eat together."

"Eat together… here?" It felt more like a premeditated date.

Gong Rui glanced at Wei Ming's retreating back and whispered: "Xiao Wei's a foodie—he's been dying to come here since he first arrived in Shanghai. I couldn't stop him."

Gong Ying reluctantly accepted this explanation, recalling: "Last time I saw him was also on the Bund—I was sketching. What a coincidence. And it's been less than a year—he's matured so much! Last time he looked like a kid."

Wei Ming: Obviously—he was still a virgin last time!

Gong Rui didn't think so: "He's always been calm—nothing like someone his age. He just has occasional bursts of whimsy."

Gong Ying wondered: Is he pretending to be mature and experienced just for her sister?

"Sis, do you like him?" Gong Ying asked bluntly.

Gong Rui naturally denied it: "Don't say nonsense—we're just ordinary friends."

Gong Ying smiled: "I didn't ask about your relationship—I just asked how you feel about him."

"I admire him. I even admire him a little. I'm proud to be his friend. That's all." Gong Rui wouldn't admit more—there was too big an age gap, and she felt insecure inside.

As the sisters chatted, Wei Ming met Liu Rulong outside.

"You finally showed up. Come on, come on—there are two gorgeous women here."

"What? I haven't even cleaned up." Long was still wearing his Shanghai Film Studio work clothes—paint-stained, hands still dirty from mixing pigments.

Wei Ming: "No need. This isn't a date. Two rules: the two women across from us are sisters—Gong Rui you know, the other's her little sister. After dinner, distract her. Give me and Gong Rui some alone time. Got it?"

"Got it!" Long agreed quickly, then asked: "But Ming, aren't you already married? In Beijing?"

Wei Ming slapped Long's shoulder: "Beijing's Beijing. This is Shanghai."

Long didn't fully get it, but given their relationship, even if Wei Ming turned into a scumbag, he'd gladly be his wingman.

The two entered the Dragon and Phoenix Hall of Heping Hotel, sat down, and Wei Ming introduced them.

When they heard Liu Rulong was from the Film Academy, the sisters bowed in respect. When they learned he studied animation and was interning at Shanghai Animation Studio during vacation, they began sharing childhood memories of the studio's short films.

Back then, without TV, they'd often see a short Shanghai Animation Studio clip before the main feature—adults found them annoying, but the girls loved them.

Long saw Gong Rui in person for the first time—she was truly beautiful, stylishly dressed—not the bold, radiant type like Zhu Lin, but with delicate features, a sweet smile, flawless. No wonder Ming couldn't resist betraying Lin Saozi.

As an art student, Long couldn't help analyzing her from an aesthetic standpoint.

Though her sister was also beautiful, and the two looked alike, a hair's breadth made all the difference—the gap between them was obvious.

But Long noticed Gong Ying's oil painting easel lying face-down beside her, and paint clearly smudged on her sleeves.

"Did you paint this?" Long asked curiously.

"Mm, just doodling." Knowing Long was a professional artist, Gong Ying felt embarrassed.

"Can I see it?"

Wei Ming silently gave Long a thumbs-up—good job, keep talking to her!

"Gong Ying, let him see it. Long is a disciple of Master Guan Shanyue—he has excellent artistic taste."

Though a master of ink painting, Gong Ying had heard of him. She shyly turned the easel over and began chatting with Long.

Long was usually quiet, but when it came to his passion, he talked nonstop. Though he didn't specialize in oil painting, he could do it—and his skill was on par with Gong Ying's.

They chatted away while Wei Ming and Xue Jie quietly ordered dishes—no need to check prices, just pick what they liked.

Xue Jie was too shy to order expensive dishes—she picked a seasonal vegetable. As an actress, she kept her figure, so she ate little and avoided heavy meats.

Wei Ming loved meat—those were his energy sources.

He ordered braised eel threads, eight-treasure duck in a gourd, crystal river shrimp, and snowflake beef cubes.

But not all meat—he added braised tofu goose, and for staple, crab roe buns—two steamed baskets to start.

Six dishes for four people was enough—no extra orders. Two girls, one already ate, and he was the only real eater.

"Drinks? They have Coca-Cola here. One bottle each." In Beijing's Friendship Store, a bottle cost 4. fen; here it was one yuan—still fine. Ordinary people couldn't even buy it without foreign exchange coupons.

Gong Rui thought of her foreign exchange—her heart warmed—but she still hadn't decided what to buy.

Wei Ming calculated: under thirty yuan. More expensive than that first Peking Duck meal in Beijing—no wonder it was Shanghai's priciest hotel.

Gong Ying glanced at the menu and did a rough calculation—good heavens, nearly her monthly salary.

She'd just started a graphic design job—low pay, only thirty yuan a month, enough for one meal here.

While waiting for the food, Gong Rui whispered to Wei Ming: "Where's your surprise?"

Wei Ming glanced at the two third wheels and whispered: "After dinner."

The meal was pleasant. Both girls, with small appetites, ate plenty. Long, who'd already eaten, didn't hold back—why should being full stop you from eating more?

Plus, southern portions were small, so they finished everything—no waste.

The four left Heping Hotel burping—blame the Coca-Cola.

Before leaving, Wei Ming asked the staff how much it cost to stay one night at Heping Hotel.

Long asked: "Aren't you coming back to the Shanghai Animation Studio guesthouse tonight?"

!

Hearing this, Gong Ying thought: But my sister has to come home with me to sleep!

Wei Ming laughed: "Just asking—in case the guesthouse ever kicks me out, I can crash here for a night."

A night here cost slightly more than Baiyun Hotel in Guangzhou, but still affordable—if I keep earning foreign exchange overseas, I can afford luxury hotels later.

Still, nothing beats home. I wonder how much old Shanghainese villas cost now.

Old Shanghainese villas are like Beijing Sihe Academy—once owned by old-money families, but with the overseas migration wave, prices have risen.

Gong Rui asked: "Gong Ying, don't you have work today?"

Gong Ying beamed: "I took a day off—I don't have to work all day!"

Gong Rui thought: Damn. I can't get rid of her today!

Wei Ming glanced at Long—she's off work, so you're off too.

Long blinked: "Bro, I've got to go back and study tech—for the revival of Chinese animation!"

Wei Ming pulled Long: "How about we stroll down Nanjing Road? Artists need to observe, right?"

Nanjing Road would be bustling in the future, but even now it was Shanghai's top commercial street—the first built after the city's opening, steeped in history. The sisters agreed without hesitation.

After a few steps, they saw the Shanghai Art Exhibition Hall—the future Shanghai Art Museum, still unrenovated and unnamed.

The Gong sisters had often come here with their father as kids. Gong Rui's elementary school even organized a visit—she enrolled in 1960, before Wei Ming was born.

Gong Rui explained: "Inside, they display ink paintings, oil paintings, woodcuts, comic strips, and New Year prints."

Hearing this, Long perked up. Wei Ming had an idea: "Let's go in."

The four entered, but soon split by interest—Wei Ming told Long to stay with Gong Ying and look at oil paintings, while he and Gong Rui wandered, then slipped away.

Outside the exhibition hall, Wei Ming grabbed Xue Jie's hand and ran, laughing: "Let them have fun—we'll do our own thing."

Then he took her to the nearest bus stop and boarded the first bus—guaranteeing the other two could never find them.

Gong Rui thought it was a bit unkind, but secretly found it thrilling.

"So where to now?" she asked, feeling as lost as the protagonist in The Graduate after the excitement faded.

Wei Ming: "How should I know? I'm not local. What's interesting along this bus route?"

Gong Rui checked: "Oh, this bus passes Hongkou Park—Lu Xun's tomb is there."

She'd hit the nail on the head—she knew "Wei Kuangren" was his pen name, from "A Madman's Diary."

Hongkou Park was later renamed Lu Xun Park. Wei Ming slapped his thigh: "Perfect. Let's go there."

Meanwhile, inside the Shanghai Art Exhibition Hall, Liu Rulong had finished viewing the oil paintings with Gong Ying, who returned the favor by showing him the comic strip section.

In 1922, Shanghai's Wenyi Publishing House released "The Complete Illustrated Romance of the Three Kingdoms"—China's first storybook told entirely in sequential illustrations. Shanghai's comic industry was thus highly developed, especially in the 1930s–40s, with masters who profoundly influenced Yang Songqiao, Liu Rulong's grandfather.

Grandfather once told Long that in 1952, Shanghai established a comic artist training class, accepting 200 people—he was lucky enough to be one.

When Long saw those old-fashioned comic strips passed down through generations, he thought of his grandfather and studied them with even greater seriousness and reverence.

When Gong Ying visited on her own, she had barely glanced at anything, but Long was so intensely focused that she suppressed her smile, finding this little brother quite amusing.

He himself looked cartoonish—round and slightly chubby, with pigeon-toed feet, harmless as a panda—and now he worked in comics and animation; it felt as if he could just draw himself as a comic character and publish it directly.

Long carried paper and pen with him; he said to Gong Ying, "Sister Ying, I'd like to copy this painting—I heard about it from my grandfather, but I've never seen it before."

Gong Ying didn't rush him: "Sure, take your time copying it. I'll go find the two of them."

But when Long finished his copy, Gong Ying returned with a gloomy expression.

"Long, we've been made to look foolish!"

Long: "Huh? No way—I've been perfectly well-behaved."

"I mean my sister and Xiao Wei—they're gone!"

Long had expected this; he smiled: "Then they must be the ones who made fools of themselves, leaving us behind. But it's fine—they're adults, they'll find their way home."

Gong Ying felt this was premeditated, but she didn't consider harmless Long part of the plan—it must have been her sister and Xiao Wei's idea; those two were definitely more than just friends!

"Long, tell me about Xiao Wei."

"What aspect?"

Gong Ying: "His romantic life."

Long thought for a moment: "I can say for sure—he likes women~"

…

(Bonus update for 11, 00 monthly votes—December bonus updates cleared. I'll make up today's base update tomorrow—middle age leaves you powerless.)

(End of chapter)