Chapter 32: Elegant Sounds of the Great Tang (Seeking Collections and Recommendations)

Girls' dormitory.

Jing Tian lay on her bed, playing with her flip phone.

Just then, a text message popped up: [Junior sister, are you free tonight?]

"Ah... oh my!"

Jing Tian was stunned; she didn't hold the phone steady, and it smacked her in the face.

Fortunately, she was using an ultra-thin flip phone, not one of those big Nokia bricks, so she didn't hurt herself.

She hurriedly sat up and checked it several times, confirming she hadn't misread it—the person who sent the text was indeed Qi Hui.

Then... she became a bit conflicted; how should she reply?

[I... I am free. Is there something, Senior brother?]

[I'd like to treat you to a meal, is that alright?] Not long after, Qi Hui's reply arrived.

Now Jing Tian was even more conflicted; they hadn't known each other long, wasn't this too fast?

Before the thought faded, Qi Hui's second text came in.

[Are any other junior sisters or brothers free? They can come along too, you know.]

The more people there were, the safer he, Qi, would be!

Looking at this text, the bit of wariness and conflict in Jing Tian's heart vanished instantly; it seemed Senior brother wasn't that kind of person.

I knew it, Qi Hui looks so handsome and so good... Jing Tian smiled lightly, her fingers tapping quickly on the T9 keypad:

[I asked, they aren't free. I'll have to go to the big meal tonight by myself.]

Qi Hui replied quickly: [Alright, I'll wait for you at the school gate at seven tonight.]

"Seven o'clock..." Jing Tian muttered, isn't that too early?

Immediately, she rolled off the bed and began to change clothes.

Soon, she was wearing a white sleeveless dress; it was clean, elegant, sweet, and lively, yet without losing a sense of maturity.

"Yo? Girl, are you going to see a boyfriend dressed so beautifully?" Kan Qingzi teased.

Jing Tian ignored her.

"Are you coming back tonight?" Zhang Qianru asked with a grin.

Jing Tian didn't even look up: "Depends, if it's too late, I won't come back."

"Oh~ in such a rush?" Shuangzi said meaningfully.

Jing Tian looked at her with some confusion: "Don't you know I have a place off-campus?"

Shuangzi was shocked upon hearing this: "Really? In which district?"

Jing Tian: "Which one are you asking about?"

Shuangzi: "..."

Jing Tian: "?"

Hotel.

Qi Hui put on a grey-white Zhongshan suit, buttoned the four buttons on the front one by one, and finally fastened the button on the closed stand-up collar.

"No wonder Chu Yunfei likes the American-style small lapel..." Qi Hui twisted his neck and muttered.

The collar of the Zhongshan suit was indeed a bit tight.

After getting dressed, he slicked his hair back.

He stiffened his expression and studied himself in the mirror for a moment; Qi Hui frowned—dignified and steady, with the "sexual-repulsion" factor maxed out.

No matter who saw him, they wouldn't have any ideas; this should be enough to keep Yang Mi in check.

But the only downside was that it was too imposing, making people feel uneasy and uncomfortable.

Jing Tian might not have a very good time on the side.

After thinking for a moment, he took out a pair of non-prescription glasses and put them on.

"Hmm... this works." Qi Hui nodded, looking like a progressive student.

Seven o'clock in the evening.

Qi Hui drove a black Hongqi Mingshi to the gate of the Beijing Film Academy.

This was an '01 model old-style Hongqi, angular and somewhat similar to a Santana.

Of course, the car was rented.

He couldn't just take a taxi again, could he?

"Uh... hello, Senior brother." Jing Tian sat in the car and said somewhat unnaturally.

Qi Hui's getup put a bit of pressure on her.

It was solemn and imposing, while her own attire was very lively and not serious at all.

Standing together, she felt like she was Qi Hui's daughter, or perhaps his granddaughter.

It was too strange!

At this very moment, Jing Tian could be one hundred percent sure that Qi Hui inviting her to dinner was definitely not to hit on her.

Which man would wear clothes like this to hit on a girl?

"Haha... *ahem*, forgive me, Junior sister." Qi Hui couldn't help but smile at her reaction, then hurriedly began to explain.

He told her the whole story from beginning to end.

"Oh... so that's how it is." Upon hearing this, Jing Tian suddenly understood; it was all because of Yang Mi.

No wonder he told me to bring others along... Jing Tian's thoughts were complex; she was a little happy, yet a little unhappy.

"Thank you for your trouble," Qi Hui said somewhat sheepishly. "If you ever need anything from your Senior brother in the future, just say the word. I guarantee I'll get the job done."

"Really?" Jing Tian said with delight. "Then it's a deal."

Oh no, I forgot about that girl's terrible movies... Qi Hui hurriedly added: "Of course it's real, but I'm quite busy sometimes, so please bear with me."

"Don't worry, I won't put you in a difficult position." Jing Tian smiled happily, her eyes curving into little crescents; she was truly adorable.

While they were talking, Qi Hui drove to their destination.

A very luxurious Western restaurant.

Looking through the floor-to-ceiling glass windows, it was full of young couples dressed in exquisite attire.

This was clearly a restaurant for lovers, it just wasn't written on the sign.

"Choosing this kind of place for a class reunion?" Jing Tian muttered.

Sure enough, the senior sister was not coming with good intentions!

The two walked over side-by-side; Jing Tian chuckled and lightly brushed against Qi Hui's arm, keeping a distance that was neither too far nor too close.

However, they were stopped by a waiter as soon as they reached the entrance.

"Sorry sir, please enter in formal attire!" The other party spoke with a London accent, the very authentic kind.

Qi Hui raised an eyebrow, but before he could speak, Jing Tian spoke first.

"Speak Chinese!" Jing Tian huffed. "What kind of bird language are you spouting? Do you believe I'll beat you to death!"

She used the Shaanxi dialect directly.

Qi Hui couldn't help but laugh; it was worthy of being the "Elegant Sounds of the Great Tang," it was satisfying to hear!

The waiter felt awkward; she was a very beautiful girl, but after that mouthful of dialect, he lost all those feelings.

Wasn't this just a girl from the Northwest wearing a floral jacket and waving a waist drum?

Where was the beauty?

"*Ahem*... I'm sorry sir, please enter wearing formal attire." The waiter ignored Jing Tian and looked at Qi Hui.

Qi Hui wasn't angry either, and said with a smile: "Comrade, do you not recognize the clothes I'm wearing?"

As he spoke, he took off his glasses and slowly looked him over.

The waiter immediately broke into a cold sweat; an imposing and solemn aura washed over him, and he had the urge to bow.

"Let me educate you a bit," Qi Hui continued. "This is called a Zhongshan suit. The four pockets on the front represent Propriety, Righteousness, Integrity, and Shame."

"The five buttons on the placket represent the Legislative, Judicial, Executive, Examination, and Control branches—this is called the Separation of Five Powers."

"And the three buttons on the cuffs represent Equality, Liberty, and Fraternity."

"Tell me, is this not formal attire?"

"I... I'm sorry!" The waiter apologized hurriedly. "It was my worship of foreign things, it was my fault. I apologize to you!"

He suddenly felt deeply ashamed; his previous thoughts of envying others for wearing high-end Western suits and wishing he could replace them vanished into thin air at this moment.

"I don't blame you," Qi Hui accepted the apology with a smile and said, "Foreign countries are developed, and it's normal to yearn for them; that's human nature."

"But I still firmly believe that the purpose of receiving an education is to help one's hometown escape poverty, not to escape one's impoverished hometown."

"Let us encourage each other."

After saying this, he patted the waiter on the shoulder and walked inside.

Unlike more than a decade later, the current Heavenly Dynasty had no ten-thousand-ton destroyers, no aircraft carriers, and certainly no fifth-generation or sixth-generation fighters.

Military enthusiasts more than a decade later were all discussing which of the two types of sixth-generation fighters was better for crushing fifth-generation fighters.

But current military enthusiasts could only discuss what tactics second-generation fighters could use to defeat fifth-generation fighters.

People are always drawn to strength; it's normal to admire foreign countries in certain aspects, as long as one isn't mindlessly fawning over them.

Being able to apologize meant he was still worth saving.

The waiter watched Qi Hui go, his eyes shining with light, his heart surging with emotion.

"Senior brother, you're really amazing." Jing Tian was all smiles; if it had been her, she would have long since started cursing and berating the other party until they were drenched in shame.

"Junior Sister, you flatter me," Qi Hui chuckled.

……

The two of them were chatting and laughing over there, while Yang Mi, sitting before an exquisite dining table, was somewhat dumbfounded.

Why was Qi Hui dressed like that?

And... why did he bring a girl along with him?

Damn it!