Lisa's laughter broke the tense atmosphere between them. Looking at Mingyu, she asked, "What's your sign?"

"I don't know your blood type, either."

Mingyu: "..."

"Cancer... is your birthday next month?"

"Indeed it is. You'd better start preparing your gift right now."

"...I've never seen a guy so confidently expect to be given a gift." Lisa pulled a face. "Do you know what my sign is?"

"November 21st. You're a Scorpio."

Lisa looked at him in surprise. "How on earth did you know? I didn't tell you." She usually filled out her birthdays on social networking sites with random dates.

"I asked Mina the last time we had dinner." Mingyu paused after finishing his sentence, suddenly realizing that they had gone off topic. "Wait, it's not signs we should be talking about."

After his mother confronted him about having a good match, he had consulted several online forums. Indeed, women who had married up confirmed that they were under high pressure after marriage, and that due to having been born into a lower class, they felt less confident in standing up for themselves. Mingyu wanted to spare Lisa from these concerns. He hoped for their marriage to bring her happiness, not stress.

"I think that in a marriage, there are many things more important than one's circumstances. As long as those in the relationship respect each other and communicate well, many problems won't even become problems. So don't put put pressure on yourself. The fit of two souls is the most important thing."

Lisa blinked, wondering when Mr. Kim got so good at philosophy. "Is this what your psychiatrists usually tell you?"

"...I'm being serious here."

"I'm serious too," she said. "You're not quite a psychiatrist, but after hearing what you said, I do feel much better."

Mingyu smiled. "Good." Looking back at Lisa's calligraphy on the table, he asked, "Will you still learn calligraphy?"

"Yes." Lisa answered, very positively. "It's good to engage in self-cultivation and to always improve yourself. This time, I don't want to give up halfway."

Anyway, she'd already paid for the lessons.

Lisa felt a great weight lift off her shoulders after talking with Mingyu. A few days later, Eight Treasures proclaimed to the group that she was returning to A city.

Eight Treasures Congee Female Hero: I'll be on the plane tomorrow morning! Mr. Kim, please prepare dinner! @Asking For Suicide At Eighteen This Year

Asking For Suicide At Eighteen This Year: ... I'll let him know. Jihyo, Mina, when are you two free?

Invincible Little Sweetie: I could do 2pm on Saturday. Jihyo?

Asking For Suicide At Eighteen This Year: She's been so busy with blind dates for two days, I haven't seen very much of her [digs nose]

Not Losing 5kg Not Changing Name: I've been busy with my parents, and putting all my work stuff in order. Ugh, so annoying

Not Losing 5kg Not Changing Name: My parents will have left by tomorrow, though. You figure out the place and I'll meet you there after seeing them off.

Eight Treasures Congee Female Hero: Then we should have dessert in the afternoon! To the dessert shrine!

Invincible Little Sweetie: Are you afraid you won't have room for dinner?

Eight Treasures Congee Female Hero: Not with the portion sizes at Tian Xia Restaurant.

Asking For Suicide At Eighteen This Year: Everyone hold on a little, I'll check with Mingyu to make sure the place isn't full. There may be more people on Saturday.

After sending that, she clicked on Mingyu's message window. "Are you there? Jihyo will be around tomorrow, would you be free for dinner tomorrow night?"

Mingyu: Yup. I'll have the private room reserved.

Lisa: [Great]

Mingyu: What time will you be coming over?

Lisa: We might go out shopping and to the movies that afternoon, so around 6:30.

Mingyu: OK. Should I pick you up?

Lisa: No, just wait for us in Tian Xia Restaurant, and prepare all the tasty things [doge]

Mingyu: OK

Lisa smirked and proceeded to inform her girlfriends of the good news. They made an appointment to meet at 3pm in front of the dessert shrine.

Ever since graduating high school, it was vanishingly rare for all four of them to be able to get together. This meeting would be an epic one. Lisa didn't open the nail salon that day, and began dressing up after walking the dog. Jihyo had left early in the morning, and she didn't know when she would arrive.

The great dessert shrine at Starlight Department Store had always been popular, so much so that one worried about not finding a place to sit in the evening. Lisa left early and was the first to arrive. After checking with everyone in the group, she bought desserts for all and found a place to sit.

Mina and Eight Treasures came together. Lisa saw Minnie and blinked in surprise, "Eight Treasures, did you tan again?"

Minnie was quite hurt by her remark. "You stay at construction sites every day and see if you tan! I paint on three layers of sunscreen!"

Mina comforted, "It's okay, you'll be fair again after staying home for two months."

Lisa nodded. "Then you can go to the next construction project and tan."

Minnie:"......"

She has no such friends.

Sitting down and taking a long draught of her cold drink, Minnie calmed down and finally asked, "When will Jihyo be here?"

Lisa shrugged her shoulders. "She goes home early and comes back late every night, even busier than I am. She might have said that she would have to meet a blind date today."

Minnie sighed. "Jihyo's slim, fair, rich and beautiful, why work so hard!?"

Mina said, "It's her family that's in a hurry. It's probably because she's nearly 30 now."

Lisa immediately retorted: "No way! I'm just eighteen this year."

Mina & Minnie: "..."

As long as you're happy.

The three chatted for a while until Jihyo rushed in. Seeing her, Minnie let out a shout, "Ah, ah, Jihyo! It's you! How've you gotten so beautiful? Is it because you went abroad?!"

Just like the time she saw Lisa for the first time, Jihyo held tight onto Minnie and jumped around. "How on earth did you get so tanned, Eight Treasures? And you've cut your hair so short!"

Eight Treasures Congee Female Hero: "......"

She doesn't know any of these people! None of them see past her skin to her pale, untanned heart!

"There's too much dust on the construction site. Long hair's difficult to take care of, so I just cut it all off." Minnie sat back down in a huff to regain her calm with her cold drink.

After having hugged Minnie, Jihyo went on to embrace Mina. "Mina, you're looking more and more scholarly!"

Mina smiled and asked, "What should I say in reply? Are you getting thinner?"

"Yes!" Jihyo immediately nodded.

Everyone laughed and slowly calmed down. Mina forked up a fruit from her plate and inquired of Jihyo, "I heard from Lisa that you went on a blind date?"

Jihyo snorted. "What blind date! I don't know what blind date you're talking about."

"What happened?"

At the mention of the subject, Jihyo began getting worked up. "The last person they introduced me to was scared of me because I was more well-off than them. So this time my parents found a super-qualified guy. Both his parents work in the government, he has a Ph.D. from Imperial City University, and he's been graduated for two years."

Mina nodded. "Sounds good so far, what went wrong?"

Jihyo bent her mouth in a demented smile and said: "I'm not a member of a party so I didn't qualify politically."

Everyone: "..."

Jihyo wolfed down a few mouthfuls of dessert, voice full of indignation. "I went abroad right after graduating high school! How would I ever join a party?!" Looking at the three people in front of her, she demanded, "Are any of you a party member?"

Lisa blinked: "I'm not, and neither is Eight Treasures, but Mina is."

Jihyo patted Minaan's shoulder. "Congratulations, you have won the opportunity to meet elite men."

Mina: "..."

Lisa couldn't help laughing. "Nowadays blind dates sure have all kinds of weird requests. Before Mr. Kim's blind dates, he always made sure that the other party had never had a boyfriend before, or he would have declined them."

"You got him in the end, didn't you?" Jihyo gave her a look. "Anyway, I don't want to go on blind dates. I don't mind being an unmarried 30-year-old. I see lots of perfectly happy unmarried 30-year-olds around."

Mina sighed: "Thirty's a sly number. After thirty, time goes fast."

"I feel like time's already been going fast." Minnie couldn't help but say.

Mina smiled. "It's true, ten years has gone in a flash. When we were in high school, we often wondered what it would be like in ten years. At that time, I was super confident that after ten years, I would be a shining star of an adult. I'd be mature, have a successful career, a good family... It's just that ten years later I discovered that I'm exactly the same as ten years ago."

Minnie said, "No, no, there are still some differences. Take a good look - the corners of your eyes have fine lines."

Ouch.

Jihyo coughed drily and changed the subject. "Mina, still working overtime every day?"

"Yes, but it's been a bit better recently."

Minnie said, "At least you can be satisfied knowing that you'll be sitting in the office, running the air conditioner when working overtime. I have to bask in the sun. Lisa's got the right idea about being your own boss."

Lisa flattened her lips and muttered: "What's so good about it? People look down on my shabby little shop."

Jihyo frowned, "Didn't you say that you talked it out with Kim Mingyu?"

"I did, but his family hasn't changed their attitude. Luckily he won't be living with them in the future." She believed in Mingyu and had the courage to continue walking alongside him.

Jihyo sighed. "Why do adults have so many things to worry about? Especially women at our age."

"Mmhmm..." Lisa cupped her chin in her hand. Indeed, they faced so many choices and difficulties in work, love, and marriage. The gleaming adulthood she had once dreamed of might actually be further away than before. "Ah, I've had enough! Since we're all here at Starlight Department Store anyway, let's go buy some clothes!"

"Sounds great! Even if I'm over-tanned, at least I'll get to wear a beautiful dress!" That was Minnie' last rebellion.

"Let's go!" Liss picked up her bag and rushed out. Jihyo hurriedly took a bite of dessert and called to her, "Wait a minute, I need another bite!"

.....

Though girls are sometimes more malicious than men, girls also get their own special forms of happiness - like retail therapy.

Apart from eating, what could one of the most enjoyably girlish activities be but to acquire a bounty of lovely items and dress up beautifully! Lisa and co. strolled casually around the Starlight Department Store and came looking brand new from head to toe.

"Whoever said that tan skin can't be beautiful was wrong! Seriously, just look at that. I'm as gorgeous as a fairy!" Minnie stood at the door of the Starlight Department Store, still admiring her new skirt in the full-length mirror. Lisa couldn't help but take a selfie next to her. Her own heels and skirt were also brand new. Even the silk scarves around her neck had been tied by a guide from the dream wardrobe department.

Although troubles and anguish abound in life and society is unfriendly to women, when she looked at her beautiful self Lisa felt like even in the next life, she'd still want to be a girl!

The four indulged in their own beauty for awhile, attracting the eyes of numerous bystanders, and finally walked away with their hands linked. The number of heads they turned along the way was uncountable, and several people almost fell over themselves.

When they were almost at Tian Xia Restaurant, Lisa gave Mingyu a call and he came down to meet them. Although Jihyo owned the apartment above him, it was the first time the two had met in person. "Hello, Mr. Kim. It's nice to finally meet you."

She studied him carefully. He was more handsome in real life than in the photo previously taken by Minnie, and excellent in both temperament and dress. He looked like a man with self-restraint.

Mingyu shook hands with her politely and said with a smile, "Jihyo, isn't it? Thank you for having Lisa in your home." He owed these girlfriends a lot for their roles in bringing him and Lisa together.

"You're welcome. Our Lisa is a girl with many problems, so for you two to have found each other, should we say it's like... two birds of a feather?"

"..." Lisa looked at her, speechless. "Is this what they talk about when you've been abroad so long you can no longer speak Chinese?"

Minnie laughed, "Actually, I thought it was pretty well-said."

Mingyu didn't take their ridicule to heart and invited them all in. Lisa looked at him, puzzled, as he brought them to a different elevator. Curious, she asked, "I didn't know there was an elevator here. It's not the one we usually take."

Mingyu explained, "This is a private entrance for VIPs. There are a few celebrities who come here for dinner. Since there are more people today, our usual private rooms are pretty booked up, and I can only bring you to the VIP sections."

"So that's it!" Lisa nodded. "Which celebrities come here?"

Mingyu thought for a moment, "A lot of the ones you see on TV. There's a production crew here right now for a meal."

"A production crew! Could we peek?" Minnie looked at him hopefully.

Mingyu replied, "I'm afraid not."

Minnie pursed her lips and glanced over at Jihyo, "I've heard that Film Emperor Yoo often comes here to eat."

The corner of Jihyo's mouth twitched. "Yes, yes, I know you went to see his concert, you met him in person, next please!"

"Hmmmm~" Minnie smugly hummed a couple notes.

Upon arriving at the VIP room, they felt like they had stepped into a whole new world. The tiny room they usually ate at suddenly felt so shabby! The waiter was already standing by the door, and when he saw Mingyu leading them over, he quickly began filling the table with dishes. Mingyu handed the menu to them and said, "I've already taken the liberty of putting in an order for some of Tian Xia Restaurant's signature dishes, and there are a few that Lisa loves to eat here as well. If anything else on the menu catches your eye, please feel free."

Minnie blinked her eyes and whispered, "I think the sentence, 'and the dishes Lisa likes to eat', is completely redundant."

Mina and Jihyo laughed at the same time, and Lisa coughed awkwardly.

Mingyu had already ordered a lot of dishes. If Lisa had come to eat alone, she would not have dared to order so much, so they did not add any more dishes. Only Minnie ordered a few more bottles of drinks.

During the dinner, several girls were chatting. Mingyu didn't interrupt them much, but he noticed that Lisa was wearing new clothes, so he asked her in a low voice "Did you buy all your clothes and shoes today?"

Lisa nodded and said, "Well, does it look good?"

Mingyu laughed "It looks good."

"Hey, hey, hey, I say you two stop whispering. Are you trying to irritate us single guys?" Minnie tapped her chopsticks in their direction in dissatisfaction. "We just want to eat. We don't want to eat dog food!"

"Hahaha, that's right, Minnie is right." After Jihyo said this, she deliberately asked  Mingyu, "Lisa bought so many things today, don't you think she's a spendthrift?"

"Is it a waste of money to buy a few clothes? I think her happiness is more important than anything else, and this is her own money."

"Oh——!" As soon as he finished speaking, Minnie and Jihyo both began to sing in a drawn-out tone, "Who said Mr. Kim is a straight man? These words are sweeter than the dessert we had this afternoon."

Lisa coughed again and said, "He wasn't like this when we first met." She deliberately imitated Mingyu's tone and expression, "Do you know the harm of a manicure to the human body?"

"Hahahahahahaha." As soon as she said this, even Mina laughed.

The meal ended with a group of girls chattering. Mingyu thought it was quite interesting to listen to girls chatting. The meal also changed his previous thoughts. Maybe no matter how old a woman is, there is always a girl living in her heart.

After dinner, the girlfriends went out to sing some songs and didn't go home until eleven o'clock. Because Sunshine was still with Mingyu, Lisa went downstairs on the eighteenth floor in advance "Jihyo, you go back first, I'll go and bring Sunshine back."

"Okay." Jihyo had a lot of fun tonight, and her voice was a little hoarse. Lisa walked to the door of 1808 and pressed the doorbell. He wondered if Mingyu was asleep at this time?

Mingyu naturally didn't sleep, he had been waiting for her. Lisa originally wanted to take Sunshine's hand and leave, but she accidentally saw the real estate promotional materials that Mingyu put aside "What is this?"

She picked it up and looked at it. It was a brochure of Kerry International. Miy walked over and said to her, "Didn't you say you wanted to buy another house? I wanted to take you to see it, but because of meeting my parents, I was delayed."

"Oh..." Lisa flipped through the brochure casually and found that the house here was really nice, "There's even a garden."

"Well, this way Sunshine and Tangerine will have more space to play." He looked at Lisa, "How about we go and take a look someday?"

"OK."

Mingyu smiled and asked again "Are you in a hurry to go up now?"

Lisa said "I'm not in a hurry, but will it disturb your rest?"

"No." Mingyu said as he walked to the kitchen and took out a glass jar. "I made strawberry whiskey a few days ago. It's ready to drink today. Do you want to try it?"

"Strawberry whiskey?" Lisa suddenly became excited, "I want to try it!"

Mingyu took out two more glasses, poured some pink whiskey into them, and then added some soda water "Do you want ice?"

"Well, add a few more pieces. I want a strawberry too!"

Mingyu took a strawberry and put it into her cup. Lisa took a sip and leaned back on the sofa comfortably: "Great." It would be even better if there was some soothing music at this