I'm A Baller

He sent a (watchingyou.jpg). That was a code between him and Miss Liu Li.

Wang Yan had lots of free time at his disposal, but Liu Li was incredibly busy. Sometimes, when he sought her out at 10 p.m., she would still be practicing her moves in the studio.

Not that day though, since she replied quickly. “Did you miss me, Wangwang? I just finished washing up.”

Wang Yan pouted. “Humph. By telling me that, are you hinting that you’re free now and looking pretty?” he thought.

“I’ve seen through you a long time ago!”

He happily sent a request for a video call.

The moment the call was connected, he saw a bun and a face covered in gray-colored clay.

“Argh! My eyes!”

Wang Yan let out an exaggerated cry.

“Ho, ho, ho!”

San Wang didn’t dare laugh out loud, so she let out a low chuckle instead, her big eyes filling with light.

Wang Yan knew she was at the dorm, since he could see the white walls and the flower print blanket, so he teased her, “I don’t want to look at you anymore. Flip your phone camera around and let me take a look around your bedroom. Give me a close-up of whoever’s wearing the least clothes.”

Liu Li’s eyes hardened, and the tension in the air was palpable.

After half a second, she suddenly turned around and shouted at her roommates, “Wangwang wants to watch you girls changing!”

Wangwang’s smile froze on his face.

Damn!

Who would do this to their boyfriend?!

He hadn’t even figured out how he would handle this when he heard Nawu say in the background, “What’s the point of seeing it through the screen? Let him come over right now. He can watch as much as he likes, and there’ll be other perks!”

Other perks?!

What could those possibly be?

Just as he was starting to have scandalous thoughts, he heard someone laugh mockingly.

“Come on! Get him to come over now! My name’s not Lu if I don’t do something about that lecher today!”

The girls were all guffawing at her remark, but Wang Yan was too embarrassed to join in their laughter.

He threatened Liu Li huffily, “San Wang! You did me dirty! Just you wait!”

Liu Li was out of breath from laughing. She pursed her lips and sent him a kiss through the camera.

“Mua— Silly Wang, sleep well and have sweet dreams!”

Even after the screen had gone black, Wang Yan’s head was still filled with the echoes of their tinkling laugher.

Aw, why was she so cute?!

He wished he could…

Recently, having chatted about anything and everything, the girl was being more and more open with him. She was as vivacious as a flower in full bloom, which made her super attractive.

Wang Yan had no difficulty before, but after modifying his attributes that day, his body seemed to…

He couldn’t fall asleep.

Damn. Was a body with excellent attributes that were worth 79 points this uncoordinated?

After tossing and turning late into the night, he finally fell asleep in a daze.

…

In the morning, after getting out of bed with much difficulty, Wang Yan took a look at his face in the mirror while washing up and suddenly fell in love with himself.

“Wow! How, how could I be so good-looking?!” he asked in his head.

“Why are you staring in the mirror when you should be washing your face and brushing your teeth? You have a hair appointment to get to.”

Wang Xiufang was annoyed by how her son was hogging the bathroom but not doing what he was supposed to do.

Wang Yan shrugged and washed his face and head defeatedly.

The day was August 8th, and it was finally his turn to host a graduation party.

The graduation party had less to do with the person graduating and more to do with the parents.

As the host in name, however, Wang Yan still had to get cleaned up. Looking clean and tidy were basic prerequisites, but it was best to look as handsome as possible so that he could do his parents proud by charming all the aunties present.

Wang Yan killed tens of thousands of brain cells trying to decide what to wear that day.

Hermès was definitely out of question, and so were his cheap clothes from before, so he had to purchase something moderately priced yet presentable.

Next on the agenda was his hairstyle.

In order to cover his eyebrows, Wang Yan hadn’t been getting his hair cut. Now that his fringe was already covering his eyes, he found it especially uncomfortable in the summer heat.

Since he was done with his stall, it was a good time for him to change his image.

There were two things he had to get done before the banquet at noon.

Wang Yan was about to head out after breakfast, but his mother called out to him, “Hey, what’s the rush? Let me pass you some money! Buy some proper clothes so that you won’t have to worry while you’re in college…”

Being nagged at made Wang Yan feel warm inside.

There was no way he would take the money, though. It wasn’t as if his family was rich.

“Mom, I have plenty of money, or at least enough to buy clothes with.”

“Isn’t that money for your school fees? How much did you earn? Pass me the excess, and I’ll help you save up!”

“Not that much… I’m heading out now!”

Wang Yan gave a vague answer and scurried out of the house.

There was no way he could justify having all that money. The fifty thousand he had remaining would be enough to give everyone a shock if they found out about it. If he had told her that her son was capable of earning fifty thousand a day, he would be nagged to death.

It would be better after he was in college, away from the watchful eyes of his parents. He wouldn’t have to worry about being called out, since it would be easy to give them some placating excuse.

He hailed a cab and headed straight to the mall, where he managed to find, after much effort, a 100 percent cotton t-shirt and a very comfortable pair of cropped pants.

They cost 350 altogether, and although not a luxury brand, the quality was pretty decent.

There was a boutique hair salon downstairs with a cool name, “Lisa,” that looked pretty good.

As soon as Wang Yan stepped into the salon, he saw the profiles of their stylists, the one with the most seniority being the creative director. He couldn’t be bothered to listen to the sales spiel, so he pointed to the one named Hanisen, and said, “I’m here for a haircut. I want Hanisen.”

“Ah?”

The receptionist was momentarily stunned. Taking a look at Wang Yan’s messy hair, she asked cautiously, “Are you sure? Hanisen charges 40 for men’s haircuts.”

Spending less than 150 dollars was inconsequential these days for Wang Yan.

Even so, he wasn’t thinking about how cheap this was.

It was literally a matter of taking a few breaths.

Was there any difference between 40 and 140?

No.

So Wang Yan nodded and replied, “Yup, I’m sure. Can I do it now?”

“Yes, certainly!” The girl quickly brought him inside. “Please come with me.”

Although the price didn’t make any difference to him, the service did. There was a marked difference in the service received.

Just getting his hair washed took almost twenty minutes. The girl was extremely good at it, able to apply just the right amount of pressure as she ran her fingers over his scalp. He even got a head and neck massage in the process.

When he was seated, Wang Yan realized the difference between a hairstylist who charged twenty and one who charged three hundred as soon as Hanisen opened his mouth.

After ascertaining the condition of his hair, Hanisen suggested, “Your features are soft, but you’re not fair. Luckily, the quality of your hair isn’t too bad. I’m thinking of giving you an edgier look. A sharp and defined hairstyle and shaped brows would highlight your calm demeanor, bringing out your best qualities.”

Hanisen had a way with words; he managed to explain everything succinctly and was spot-on with his assessment. It was evident that he knew what he was talking about.

“Sure, let’s go with what you’ve suggested.”

Wang Yan spoke to him politely and formally.

He had respect for competent people, and that would never change, no matter how much money he had.

Hanisen started working on Wang Yan’s hair.

While doing so, he spoke softly to Wang Yan.

“People who don’t work in the creative industry might find it hard to fully comprehend the more abstract elements of design and graphics. Allow me to explain it simply. For example—

“We all find the 3:7 part from twenty years ago unfashionable and outdated, right?”

Hanisen reminded Wang Yan of Huang Bo in his earlier days, so he could barely hold in his laughter.

Hanisen continued, “But Beckham’s classic mohawk from ten years ago would still look good, even by today’s standards. If we add an undercut, it would still suit most faces.”

“Why?”

“That’s because the design has been perfected.

“The classic mohawk was already perfect for such face shapes, so successors could only modify it according to the customer’s features, or add elements from the latest trends.

“Like right now…”

Hanisen adjusted Wang Yan’s head and gestured toward the mirror.