Rebirth of a Fashionista: This Life Is Soo Last Season

"You’re sober now?"

In the car, Shen Zhining looked at Sheng Jiaoyang with a smile that wasn’t quite a smile.

Sheng Jiaoyang blinked and continued to pretend by raising her hand to support her forehead. "Ouch, I'm still a little dizzy…"

Sheng Jiaoyang’s attempts to win Shen Zhining’s favour seemed to have worked quite well. In the past, Shen Zhining would’ve grown tired of her pretense long ago. But now, not only was he not disgusted by it, a smile was also hidden in the recesses of his eyes.

"There’s no need to continue feigning."

He paused and unhurriedly added, "I know exactly how you behave when you're drunk."

Boom!

Sheng Jiaoyang seemingly heard the sound of her rationality collapsing.

She couldn't help remembering that morning where he’d said, “That was how you bit me yesterday night. Last night you said you liked me and asked me to kiss you. I refused, so you…"

I jumped on him and grazed his lips?

And then?

Sheng Jiaoyang bit her lower lip, and for the first time, she was secretly annoyed at her ‘great memory’. That annoying dream was impossible to get rid of and lingered in her mind.

She secretly turned her head to take a look but, to her surprise, Shen Zhining was also looking at her.

That gaze was as deep as a lake void of ripples, but it was in fact surging violently below the surface.

Sheng Jiaoyang thought that she was thick-skinned, but her cheeks flushed a tint of red anyway. She had to say something to divert her attention. "What do you want to eat for dinner?"

"What can you cook?"

Sheng Jiaoyang thought about it very seriously and solemnly replied, "I can’t cook anything that normal people can cook."

Shen Zhining stared at her for a moment. He’d probably never seen anyone with such poor cooking skills speak in such a righteous manner.

"Well…it's not that I don't want to cook. It’s because I really can't cook. In the past, after Mei Niu ate the food I stir-fried, she went straight to the hospital to have her stomach pumped," Sheng Jiaoyang’s eyes flickered as she spoke. This was the truth, and after that incident, Mei Niu had never let her in the kitchen again.

"I saw the oil painting hanging on the porch, the colours match well,” Shen Zhining suddenly said something completely unrelated.

Sheng Jiaoyang was caught off guard by the praise. She remained in a daze for a few seconds before recovering her senses. "Thank you."

Shen Zhining then added, "The cocktails you make are also very tasty. These things need to be mixed in proportion, otherwise a tiny mistake could affect the whole process. You can do these well, but can't cook a simple, edible dish?"

"Uhh…" Sheng Jiaoyang’s eyes shifted around before she asked, "Can you cook?"

Shen Zhining remained silent.

Seeing him like this, Sheng Jiaoyang knew that he’d never cooked before. "Don't underestimate the word ‘cooking’, there's a lot of philosophy behind it. Mixing drinks and painting are, in my opinion, quite simple. I just need to grasp and master the proportion and composition. But, cooking isn’t the same as no one weighs the amount of salt and seasoning beforehand. Even if you follow a recipe, it only mentions a spoonful, a little, or the approximate amount. How much is a spoonful? How much is a little? How much is the approximate amount? There’s also heat control; how is this measured? Besides, ingredients aren’t handled the same way, and cooking methods are also different. Ingredients cut in small pieces are suitable for stewing, while shredded ones are suitable for stir-frying. There are simply too many aspects to pay attention to!"

"You know a lot about cooking."

"It's no use as knowing all this only made me realise how unfit I am for the kitchen," Sheng Jiaoyang helplessly grumbled.

Sheng Jiaoyang wanted to say something else, but the car suddenly took a sharp turn and she bounced forward, plunging into Shen Zhining's arms.

Screech! The ear-piercing sound of tires grinding against the ground sounded.

The car pulled over. "Boss, are you all right?"

"Man Jun, what's going on?" Shen Zhining asked as he stared at the chauffeur in the driver's seat.

"The truck that was just ahead of us suddenly slammed on the brakes."

Shen Zhining lowered the window as he glanced out, a frown appearing on his face soon after. At the same time, the driver said, "There was a car accident."

Sheng Jiaoyang hurriedly left Shen Zhining's arms and saw the scene of the accident through the glass of the car windows.

The front of a truck had knocked over a tricycle selling fruits, and another car behind it had crashed into the back of the truck. There was also a little boy standing next to the tricycle.

"Mummy, Mummy…" mournful cries resounded in the vicinity.

"Under the car… Brother Zhining, is there someone under that car?" Sheng Jiaoyang asked as she grabbed Shen Zhining's arm.

"Yes."

Without another word, Sheng Jiaoyang opened the car door and ran outside.

Shen Zhining’s throat bobbed as he hurriedly followed her out of the car.

When Sheng Jiaoyang approached the scene, she was shocked at the sight. A streak of blood was left on the area below the truck, and at the end of the bloodtrail, a body with broken bones from the pelvis downwards was visible, while the other half of the body bulged slightly under the wheels. There were fruits scattered all over the place, some of which were crushed to pieces. The tricycle was also completely deformed.

The truck driver stepped down from the carriage and was frantically calling an ambulance on his cell phone. The scene was surrounded by several onlookers, who were taking pictures and recording videos. As for the little boy, he was squatting next to the truck and pulling at the body that was currently laying face down under the wheel.

"Mummy…"

A pair of hands covered Sheng Jiaoyang’s eyes from behind and a muffled sigh travelled to her ears. "Don't look."

Sheng Jiaoyang finally returned to her senses, the child's hoarse and shrill cries continuing. She took a deep breath and raised her hand to move his hands away. She then turned to Shen Zhining and stared into his eyes.

"I'm fine.” Then, she ran towards the little boy and carried him away.

"Mummy…I want my mummy!" the little boy continued to cry as he struggled in Sheng Jiaoyang’s arms. Soon, her clothes were wrinkled and dirty as the bloodstains on his hands spread all over her.

Sheng Jiaoyang embraced the child with more strength and consoled, "Good boy, the ambulance will arrive soon."

"Mummy, Mummy…" the child was still shouting at the top of his lungs. It seemed that the four or five-year-old boy already understood certain things. His voice was laden with grief and despair as he cried.

A man who was recording the video trotted forward with his cell phone and asked in a surprised voice, "Are you Xu Jiaojiao?"

Sheng Jiaoyang frowned and angrily said, "Stop recording! Please leave some last dignity for the child’s mother!"

"Oh…" The man hurriedly put his cell phone away.

After instructing Man Jun to check on the injured woman’s current condition, Shen Zhining walked over to Sheng Jiaoyang and held out his hands. "Give him to me."

It was quite arduous to hold a four or five-year-old child for a long time. After a while, Sheng Jiaoyang's arms were already sore. When Shen Zhining asked for the child, Sheng Jiaoyang wanted to pass the child over to him, but the little boy's hands were unexpectedly clutching her clothes.

"Let’s return to the car first," Shen Zhining decided.

Sheng Jiaoyang walked back to Shen Zhining's car with the little boy in her arms. The driver, Man Jun, had also returned. He shook his head, indicating that the child’s mother could no longer be saved.

"Please don't take pictures." Man Jun’s expression was solemn as he faced the few people who were following along to take pictures.

"Is that person Xu Jiaojiao's boyfriend?"

Man Jun just blocked their way and didn’t answer.

In the car, the little boy laying Sheng Jiaoyang’s arms had already stopped crying, and only pitiful whimpers could be heard.

Shen Zhining silently stared at the battered and exhausted Sheng Jiaoyang with an inexplicable look in his eyes.