Chapter 17: Taste?

Upon returning, Yang Ning overheard A-Li and A-Mei chatting about some exhibition featuring a diamond called the Heart of the Deep Sea. However, Lin Manxuan clearly wasn’t interested, responding half-heartedly with vague murmurs.

Yang Ning chuckled and leaned close to Lin Manxuan’s ear. “Just bumped into Zhou Xuebin in the restroom. Seems he might have a bit of a physical issue. Missed the huge urinal entirely—splashed all over his hands, sleeves, pants, and shoes. Gotta say, though, the volume was impressive.”

Pfft...

Lin Manxuan couldn’t hold back a laugh. Yang Ning was momentarily stunned. Honestly, when this icy woman smiled, she was damn gorgeous!

Zheng Yukang was also taken aback, though his reaction was laced with anger. This brat was getting so close to Lin Manxuan right in front of him—and even managed to make this cold woman laugh?

Forget Zheng Yukang; even A-Mei and A-Li, both women themselves, were momentarily dazed. Though they hated to admit it, compared to Lin Manxuan, they fell short by quite a bit.

“What are you two talking about? Sharing a laugh alone isn’t as fun as sharing it with everyone. Come on, let us in on it,” Zheng Yukang said, barely suppressing his rage with a forced smile.

“Oh, it’s nothing much. Just saw a chubby lady fall into a ditch earlier,” Yang Ning replied with a grin.

“A chubby lady fell into a ditch?” Zheng Yukang blinked, then the corner of his mouth twitched as if he wanted to laugh. But then it hit him—they were on the top floor of Pearl Tower. Even if there were chubby ladies around, where would a ditch come from?

Realizing instantly that Yang Ning was mocking him to his face, Zheng Yukang’s eyes glinted with cold fury.

A-Mei and A-Li had initially wanted to laugh as well, their imaginations not lacking in creativity. But they weren’t fools. They soon caught on to the same conclusion as Zheng Yukang, and their gazes toward Yang Ning turned hostile.

Yang Ning rubbed his nose. People these days were getting smarter—harder to fool. Even Little Loli at home sometimes seemed as sharp as a tack. Could it be that kids from wealthy families matured faster?

Hmm, probably so.

Yang Ning arrived at what he considered a very accurate conclusion.

“Vulgar. Truly tasteless!” A-Mei, being the straightforward type, couldn’t help but snap.

Vulgar? Tasteless?

“What do you mean by vulgar and tasteless?” Yang Ning asked, putting on a humble, eager-to-learn expression.

“Not only are you vulgar and tasteless, but your education level is also abysmal. You can’t even understand plain speech,” A-Mei sneered.

“Did someone say something?” Yang Ning feigned confusion.

“You!” A-Mei fumed. “Say that again if you’ve got the guts!”

“Did I say something?” Yang Ning responded to A-Mei’s challenge with complete indifference.

“You dare say it but not own up to it? Coward,” A-Mei spat.

A-Li pursed her lips with a look of disdain. Due to their connection with Zheng Yukang, they often hovered around Lin Manxuan, but that didn’t mean they wouldn’t give Yang Ning a hard time.

They had been instructed earlier to seize any opportunity to make things difficult for Yang Ning.

Yang Ning narrowed his eyes, a faint smirk on his face. “I’d like to know what counts as not vulgar, as having taste.”

“Whether someone is vulgar or not depends on their character. You’re all slick talk and no substance—clearly lacking a proper education. As for taste, it’s about clothing, speech, and high-quality lifestyle habits,” A-Li said, looking at Yang Ning with contempt.

“For example?”

“Let’s not go far. Look at your outfit. Forget taste—it’s all cheap street stall stuff.”

Seeing Yang Ning remain calm, A-Li and A-Mei curled their lips in disdain. In their eyes, he was just hiding his inner insecurity.

“So wearing branded clothes means having taste. I’ve learned something new,” Yang Ning said, pretending to have an epiphany. “In that case, Zhang Longqiang must be a very tasteful person.”

Cough... cough... cough...

Zheng Yukang nearly choked, inwardly cursing. If Zhang Longqiang was considered tasteful, then he must be royalty!

Who was Zhang Longqiang?

A nouveau riche, that’s who. He flaunted his wealth online every day, bragging about how many branded items he owned—even claiming his underwear was gold-plated. He was quite infamous in China.

Of course, he was mostly criticized and ridiculed by netizens as a negative example.

A-Li and A-Mei obviously knew of Zhang Longqiang, and their faces flushed with embarrassment. That wasn’t what they meant to imply, but their earlier words did carry that undertone. They wanted to argue and clarify, but couldn’t find the right words.

Seeing Yang Ning act smug after getting the upper hand, A-Mei’s anger flared. She sneered, “Some people, no matter how well they dress, can’t hide the vulgarity clinging to them. Ask them to talk about current fashion trends, daily products, or cosmetics, and they probably can’t even spit out a single word.”

“Does what you were just talking about count?” Yang Ning asked curiously.

“Of course,” A-Li and A-Mei replied in unison, their faces openly showing their contempt for Yang Ning.

“These days, just spouting nonsense can make you superior. The world has really changed,” Yang Ning said, bursting into laughter. “Decades ago, bragging like this without paying taxes would’ve gotten you dunked in a pig cage.”

“What do you mean by that!” A-Mei glared at Yang Ning.

“Don’t get it? Looks like your education level isn’t that high either. Can’t even understand plain speech,” Yang Ning shrugged. “I’m saying you’re talking nonsense.”

Anger flashed across A-Mei and A-Li’s faces simultaneously. Zheng Yukang finally seized his chance, his expression darkening. “You’re saying my friends are talking nonsense?” He paused, then added, “Apologize to them right now, or don’t blame me for being unkind!”

Zheng Yukang was a cunning and ruthless man. Lin Manxuan grew worried and snorted coldly, “Zheng Yukang, what are you trying to do!”

Zheng Yukang ignored Lin Manxuan, only staring at Yang Ning with a sinister smile.

Seeing the worry and urgency on Lin Manxuan’s face, Zheng Yukang’s anger surged, deepening his hostility toward Yang Ning.

“Young Master Zheng, you’ve got to stand up for us. This guy openly insulted and slandered us.”

A-Li huffed. Earlier, Zheng Yukang had told them to find a chance to mess with Yang Ning, and they could tell this seventeen- or eighteen-year-old kid had no background. Otherwise, he wouldn’t be wearing such cheap street stall clothes.

Besides, if anything went wrong, wouldn’t Young Master Zheng of Huahai be there to take the fall?

A-Li shouted, “Apologize to us right now!”

“You don’t actually think you’re full of taste and knowledge, do you?”

Yang Ning flashed a peculiar smile. Lin Manxuan, who had been eager to smooth things over, suddenly quieted down.

She wasn’t unfamiliar with this smile of Yang Ning’s—she had experienced it firsthand.

Afterward, she felt that this smile looked like someone watching clowns perform at a circus.

A-Li was just about to speak!

“You said Dior’s next season women’s collection theme is nostalgia, but I don’t think so,” Yang Ning said with a smile.

“Oh, look at that. Didn’t expect you to know about this stuff?”

After A-Li spoke, A-Mei jumped in to play along. “Lili, maybe he really does know. His taste might even be better than ours.” Her sarcastic tone was obvious, dripping with mockery. A-Mei giggled in a cutesy voice, “We’re all ears.”

After that, the two women burst into laughter, and even Zheng Yukang looked on with an expression of amusement, ready to enjoy the show.

Yang Ning ignored their taunts and said calmly, “I think behind the apparent nostalgia, there are hidden elements of fashion and passion. That’s why, despite the main color palette leaning toward dark grays, they’ve used soft, pure cotton fabrics. Pair that with bright accessories, and the effect would be strikingly vivid.”

When it came to fashion, A-Mei and A-Li weren’t amateurs. In fact, they prided themselves on being experts.

But after hearing Yang Ning’s string of remarks, their expressions gradually turned unnatural. They wanted to argue, but couldn’t find a single word to counter him.

They had to admit, Yang Ning’s words carried a lot of weight! And this possibility wasn’t far-fetched—in fact, it was highly likely!

Pausing for a moment, Yang Ning grinned. “So, I think the theme for the next season is blooming passion.”

A-Li and A-Mei exchanged a glance, both seeing the surprise in each other’s eyes.

“Also, didn’t you just say that ultra-short flat bangs will be the trendy hairstyle next season? But if I remember correctly, the celebrities you mentioned all have longer foreheads. Pairing ultra-short flat bangs with their face shapes... why does my mind conjure up the image of a long-haired eggplant?”

Yang Ning pursed his lips, scoffing. “Just thinking about that scene gives me the creeps. Are you sure a hairstyle like that could become popular?”