Similar to other large complexes, the interior atrium of SMF was designed like a runway, offering a panoramic view of the lower floors from the top level.
Ample indoor orange lighting, softly soothing background music, bright and clean corridors, and warm, comfortable retail shops created a first-rate leisure and shopping experience.
Jiang Yu sat on a high-legged barstool right next to the glass railing, leaning against a small table with wireless charging capabilities. Before him stood a simple glass of iced lemonade, its outer surface covered with a thin layer of condensation.
Before long, Mang also brought over a cup of peach yogurt with sticky rice cake blocks, sitting down one seat away. She slouched sideways, drawing the ill-intentioned, desirous gazes of quite a few passersby, though the man sitting right next to her remained completely indifferent.
Despite being a weekday, the surrounding pedestrian traffic was still heavy, and the vast majority of people were well-dressed, stylish men and women, as if the upscale shops where a single shirt easily cost four figures were open exclusively for them.
The fourth floor within view was the premium menswear level, featuring brands like Septwolves, Lilanz, Romon, and Jiumowang, alongside high-end labels like Gucci, Prada, and Armani.
"Are you almost there?" Jiang Yu took out his phone. The first class of the afternoon had just begun ringing its bell, and he wondered if Gu He was about to lose his temper again upon seeing his empty seat.
"Mm," Mang scooped a dollop of thick yogurt paired with a pale pink peach chunk from her cup, tossed it into her mouth with an "Aowu" sound, and then let out an "oh" moan.
Jiang Yu glanced sideways slightly, causing the latter to rein herself in just a bit.
"Do you want to hear his profile?" Mang asked casually while holding the spoon in her mouth.
Jiang Yu shot her a fatal glare. "Say one more word."
"OK, OK," Mang sat up a bit straighter as if surrendering, focusing on tackling the peach bits swimming in her yogurt.
A soothing light melody drifted through the air, making one feel drowsy right in the middle of the day. After polishing off an entire cup of zero-calorie, zero-sugar yogurt, Mang simply opened a music app and played a pop song out loud—on the condition, of course, that the volume hovered just right between the two of them.
"Water splashes can only bloom on rainy days;"
"Fireworks must blossom in the dark night;"
"Snowflakes are so reluctant to leave winter;"
"Just like I am reluctant to say goodbye to you..."
Mang hummed along with the beat while holding the spoon in her mouth like a little puppy. Within her field of vision was a "younger brother" nearly five years younger than herself, while love songs played in her ears. The temperature was just right; all that was missing was getting a little closer, preferably holding hands...
Yet the next second, she pressed pause. Mang tapped the table, and Jiang Yu looked up toward the escalator moving from the third floor upward, where a man's figure slowly came into view.
Standing under one meter seventy tall, he wore an off-the-rack gray Jack Jones jacket on his upper body, a black T-shirt underneath, a pair of somewhat washed-out jeans, and Nike casual sneakers of the kind that went on sale during every promotional event.
His facial features... from a bit too far away, they weren't very clear. If facial appearance were scored out of nine points, he'd be around a four or five; the penalty points came from his hairstyle, eyes, and chin, along with a slightly protruding belly.
He looked to be around twenty-six or seven. Faced with a row of luxuriously decorated shops, his demeanor was somewhat reserved. Being rather cautious, he didn't walk straight in; instead, he slowly walked past, his gaze fixed on whether there were any discount or promotional notices at the entrance.
"He has an interview tomorrow. The one you arranged at Weilan Technology—you know it's not easy to get someone worked in there; at the very least, they only recruit postgraduate graduates from Project 985 and Project 211 universities," she said, pouting her lips. "He's just an undergraduate, so they wouldn't want him at all."
"So?" Mubiao walked into a blind spot on the lower floor, and Jiang Yu followed up on Mang's remark.
"It's a subsidiary," Mang curled her lip. "Just hanging up a shingle. Uncle pulled some strings to secure a floor of Grade A office space and transferred his own team in, while Old Man got Weilan's senior management to hand over the credentials of a subsidiary scheduled for deregistration. So, anyway, the guy has his interview tomorrow."
"You guys move pretty fast," Jiang Yu watched as Mubiao reappeared in their field of vision. "Did you make the call pretending to be the receptionist?"
"It's impossible to let Tyre make that call." Mang's gaze also followed the reappearing Mubiao. "No matter how complicated I make it sound, actually all it took was preparing an interview office. As for the setting, you know Uncle has a way with that."
"Hmm," Jiang Yu saw that Mubiao, after hesitating for a long time, finally walked into a store—HLA, a brand where every man supposedly lacks a piece of clothing in his wardrobe, though heaven knew how many men actually had a wardrobe of their own. "So is he here to pick out clothes to wear for tomorrow's interview?"
It seemed the fun part was over, and Mang began to lose interest. "Yeah, I issued the interview invitation over the phone and confirmed the time and location with him. His voice was trembling while he answered."
"After all, it's Weilan," Jiang Yu's interest was piqued instead. "Are there tests downstairs?"
"There are," Mang pointed. "See? Right in front of him are K-Boxing, GXG, and further back, Uniqlo, with a store clerk arranged at each to receive him."
"What is being tested?" Jiang Yu asked again.
"Personality variables under an anxious environment," Mang suddenly grew interested. "Want to make a bet?"
"What are we betting on?" Jiang Yu was more interested in the test itself. "And what's the stake?"
"We'll bet on whether the threshold of his behavioral variables will exceed the upper limit of his psychological archetype." Finding it fun, Mang sat down in the adjacent chair. "Three stores—if he buys clothes in any of these three stores, do I win?"
"Even without seeing his personality profile, I can guess eight or nine out of ten," Jiang Yu didn't take the bait. "You can only pick one of the three stores, and I'll pick one. If it's the third store or any other outcome, it's a tie."
"..." Mang feigned deep thought. "OK, just as you say. If I win, I want you to accompany me to a fashion week."
"Have you forgotten I'm a high school student?" Jiang Yu cast a sideways glance at her.
"Then let's go to the seaside to watch the sunrise?" Mang said with a faint smile.
Jiang Yu raised a hand to interrupt her. "Even the nearest beach from here requires an hour and a half flight."
"This won't do, that won't do either..." Mang put on a wronged expression. "Watching a movie should be fine, right?"
Jiang Yu let out a soft breath. "Saturday only. Other days I have to go home on time."
"Alright," Mang's eyes lit up immediately, her head tilting as she smiled into crescent shapes. "I want to watch a horror movie, though."
"End by eleven," Jiang Yu added. "I'll pick Uniqlo."
"Then I'll pick... K-Boxing," Mang seemed to pick one at random, adding, "No going back on your word if you lose, oh."
"What if I win?" Jiang Yu countered.
"Uh," it was Mang's turn not to have thought of a penalty for losing. She immediately struck a pose of total surrender, saying, "Little brother, whatever you want is fine."
"If I win—" Jiang Yu shifted one seat over, "go home early and sleep."