Chapter 539 I’m Naturally Beautiful

"Here you go—want vinegar?" Su An and Zuo Zuying sat facing each other in the narrow shop.

Zuo Zuying casually handed Su An a dipping sauce dish and pointed at the vinegar bottle.

"Of course, and the chili too."

The owner, wearing an apron, brought over four stacked small steamers. Before Zuo Zuying could say anything, Su An quickly took the top two for herself.

"Two per person."

The bite-sized soup dumplings were picked up, dipped in sauce, and tossed whole into their mouths. The tangy-spicy exterior gave way to a gush of rich broth as the soft skin broke between the teeth. Su An let out an involuntary hum of pleasure.

"Mmm~"

Zuo Zuying quickly stuffed one into his mouth. "Mmm, delicious. Good, right?"

Su An ate another. "So good, even better than last time’s barbecue."

The owner placed a bowl of small wontons on the table. Zuo Zuying nudged it toward Su An. "Guess I’ll let you have this one first."

Su An rolled her eyes. "I’m a lady. You’re supposed to offer it to me first." She reached for the bowl.

Zuo Zuying pulled it back. "Nah, not happening. Who says men must yield to women? You’re treating today—I’m the guest. Guests first!"

"You—got zero manners, huh?" Su An glared.

"Chivalry’s for other guys. Not my style." He quickly bent down and took a sip of the soup, then looked up smugly. "Too late. I’ve already had some. It’s got my cooties now. Hahaha~"

Su An sighed. "So immature!"

"By the way, didn’t I ask you to keep an eye on Brother Kang? Any news? Has he been to Limeng lately?"

Zuo Zuying swallowed his food before answering. "Haven’t seen him myself, but my staff say he’s only dropped by occasionally. They didn’t really notice. But I bumped into this other dude who came with him before. I asked him to invite Brother Kang this Saturday, and he agreed."

Su An’s eyes lit up. "Really?"

Zuo Zuying nodded. "You free Saturday afternoon? I’ll pick you up."

"Sure, come get me. Thanks."

"No trouble. I’ve got nothing better to do anyway. Going home’s just Mom’s nagging on loop."

On Saturday, after lunch, Su An parted ways with Jiang Liping and hurried toward the school gate. Sure enough, Zuo Zuying’s car was already parked downstairs.

Her heart skipped, and she jogged over, yanked the door open to reveal the man checking himself out in the mirror.

"Whoa, scared me half to death!" Zuo Zuying nearly dropped the small mirror.

Su An wrinkled her nose. "What’s with the vanity? Gel on that buzz cut? Really? And you’re drowning in cologne."

Zuo Zuying set the mirror down, swept two fingers across his forehead, propped an elbow on the steering wheel, and struck a cheesy pose, flashing her a wink. "Handsome?"

Su An was deadpan. "Not handsome—just flamboyant. Putting drag queens to shame."

Su An suddenly seemed to notice something and quickly leaned in close to Zuo Zuying.

Zuo Zuying tilted his head slightly, staring at the rosy lips just inches away, and stammered nervously, "W-what are you doing so close?"

Su An reached out and touched his well-defined eyebrows. "Damn, you even groomed your brows. Are these drawn on?"

She looked utterly shocked. "You draw your eyebrows??? No wonder they're so dark and thick. Did you put on powder too? Let me check..."

A faint blush spread across Zuo Zuying's face as he swatted her hand away.

"Who draws eyebrows? Who does that? I was just training the staff at Limeng recently and taught them how to groom brows. I used myself as an example and tidied up a few stray hairs. That's all! I'm naturally good-looking, okay?"

"And powder? Who wears powder? Do I even need it? Stop making stuff up about me!"

Su An eyed him skeptically. "Really, no powder?"

"None!!!" Zuo Zuying insisted, his face turning red.

"Then why is your face so pale? Two years ago, you looked like a coal miner."

"I... I..."

"Tell me, or are we not friends anymore?"

"I... put cucumber slices on my face."

Su An's voice rose. "What?"

Zuo Zuying mumbled weakly, "Just... sliced cucumbers, placed them on my face. And the main reason I got fairer is that I barely got any sun last year. I kept myself covered up and my natural complexion came back. I'm naturally fair, I was just tanned before, driving around with Gang Zi in the truck. Last year, I wasn't out in the sun, so I just... got my fair skin back."

"This is called natural beauty. Most people can't even dream of it. And hey, you coming or what? So much chatter."

"Going, going! Gimme a sec, I need to grab my stuff." Seeing Zuo Zuying on the verge of getting flustered, Su An stopped teasing him and dashed upstairs.

Zuo Zuying heaved a sigh of relief as he watched her leave, then absentmindedly picked up the small mirror in the car. But he froze mid-motion and tossed it back into the glove compartment.

By the time they arrived at Limeng Nightclub in Wancheng, it was already dark.

Limeng was open for business, with several cars parked outside. Zuo Zuying parked and led Su An inside. The hosts flanking the entrance stood in unison and called out,

"Hello, Brother Zuo!"

Major boss vibes.

Zuo Zuying gave a nod and walked in, but after two steps, he turned back. "This is Sister An. Say hello to Sister An."

Another unison greeting followed.

"Hello, Sister An."

Su An wasn’t used to such a flashy vibe and tugged at Zuo Zuying’s sleeve. "What’s this about?"

Zuo Zuying guided her inside. "Given how close we are as best buds, you’ll be coming here a lot. Might as well get familiar. No big deal. If I’m not around and something happens, they’ll know you’re one of mine."

"What nonsense are you spouting? Messing with me?" Su An gritted her teeth.

Zuo Zuying quickly clarified, "Come on, don’t get the wrong idea. You came with me, so in Limeng, that means you’re under my wing. I’ve got to look out for you, right?"

"Is that how it works?"

"Exactly, that's how it works. Whoever brings you in, you're their person. You have to respect the person who brought you in. Since I, Zuo Zuying, personally brought you here, should they really be calling you 'Little Xiao Su'...?"

"You're calling me a dog!!!"

Su An's voice suddenly rose sharply, "Zuo Zuying, you're crossing the line!"

"Hey, hey, I was just carried away by the conversation—didn’t mean it that way! Let go, let go! Aaaahhh—let go!!"

"Su An, was all that maturity and composure just an act? Look at you now—where’s your ‘proper lady’ act now? This is a public place, maintain your image!"