Shuangling: Braving the Rapids

As dusk crept into the small window of the Liu family home, Liu Qing stood like a wooden stake in front of the dressing mirror. The person in the mirror had red and swollen eyes, and the small black mole at the corner of her eye had become even more prominent. However, it was precisely because of this highly recognizable "tear stain mole" that her cool and aloof face gained a touch of charm.

The only flaw was the few wispy tufts sticking up at the back of her head; this hairstyle simply didn't suit the girl's proud demeanor!

The girl had already realized this, and now she was furiously scraping her scalp with a peach wood comb, but no matter how she combed, she couldn't hide the stubble that looked like it had been chewed by a dog. Liu Qing's heart was breaking, but she dared not cry out loud, for fear of disturbing her mother next door who was drinking calming soup.

If Liu Qing came from a poor family and didn't care about her quality of life, she might have been able to endure this blow. But she was born into a wealthy family and was at an age where she cared about her appearance. How could she possibly show herself to others?

After thinking it over and over, and crying it over and over again, Liu Qing gritted her teeth and ran to the front of a high-end hair salon near her neighborhood. She and her mother used to frequent this shop, but now, the girl hesitated for a long time and still didn't dare to take a single step inside.

Liu Qing was extremely conflicted. She had forty-five yuan in her pocket, but she didn't dare to go in and spend it openly. After a while, she decided to go to a cheaper hair salon. As she turned to leave, she unexpectedly heard a crisp "click-clack" sound.

Turning my head, I saw a graceful young woman walking towards me with elegant cat-like steps, wearing high heels. She wore a maroon suit jacket over a black turtleneck sweater, and a jade necklace dangled from her neck, gleaming with a green luster. This outfit made her look extremely noble.

When their eyes met, the young woman couldn't help but exclaim in surprise, "Liu Qing? Is that you?"

The young woman clearly recognized the girl, but hesitated. Without a doubt, it was the hairstyle that caused the problem!

"Sister Juan, I..."

Upon seeing a familiar face, Liu Qing's tears welled up instantly. The young woman leaned close to the girl and asked in surprise, "Qing'er? Where...where did your long hair go?"

Coincidentally, the "Sister Juan" that Liu Qing mentioned was Xiao Hongjuan, a key member of Lao Chengxi's team. She knew Liu Qing's mother when she was the manager of this hair salon. Because of her excellent skills, the mother and daughter would always ask her to do their hair when they came.

Seeing that the girl remained silent, only covering her hair and crying, Xiao Hongjuan frowned. "Who the hell cut this hair for you? Come on! I'll take you to settle the score with her!"

Although Xiao Hongjuan had long since stopped working at the shop, the hairdressers there were basically her apprentices. Seeing her old customer being treated so badly by her apprentices, she was furious and determined to get justice for Liu Qing.

After sobbing for a while, Liu Qing finally explained, "Sister Juan...it's not the shop's fault, it's...it's my own fault for selling my hair..."

Hearing this, Xiao Hongjuan was stunned. Judging from the spending habits of the mother and daughter in the past, the Liu family was undoubtedly a wealthy and powerful family. How could they have fallen so low as to sell their hair after only a few months?

Xiao Hongjuan couldn't understand it, so she simply pulled Liu Qing aside and asked her what was going on. Liu Qing had been holding it in for too long, so she spilled the beans and told her everything about the changes in her family.

As she listened, Xiao Hongjuan's eyes began to sting. Despite being the general manager of Xia Shang Restaurant, she, like the girl in front of her, had an unhappy family background. Since they had met, she naturally had to lend a helping hand.

The young woman took out a tissue to wipe the girl's face, then gently comforted her, "Qing'er, don't cry. I'll get you a new haircut. No matter how hard life is, we women have to stand up for ourselves!"

After saying that, he pulled Liu Qing into the hair salon.

"Ah Xiang!" As soon as she stepped into the shop, Xiao Hongjuan waved to a fair-skinned female technician, "Please wash my sister's hair, and remember to use the best shampoo!"

Ah Xiang responded and warmly led Liu Qing to the inner room. Meanwhile, Xiao Hongjuan quickly tied up her hair and pulled out her old hair styling tools. Wow! She was actually going to personally do the girl's hair.

Once Liu Qing sat down with her wet hair, Xiao Hongjuan picked up the scissors and started cutting. Although she had changed careers for a while, her skills were still excellent. With a series of smooth and skillful cuts, she transformed the young girl into a completely different person.

"Qing'er, are you satisfied with this hairstyle? If it needs fixing, just tell me!" Xiao Hongjuan gently smoothed the girl's sideburns with her delicate fingers, her eyes full of smiles. It seemed that she was quite satisfied with her "work".

Before Liu Qing could speak, Ah Xiang clapped her hands and exclaimed, "Sister Juan! Is this your younger sister? Those eyebrows, that figure, she's practically a carbon copy of you! Tsk tsk tsk! And with that new hairstyle, she's so pretty! So beautiful!"

Ah Xiang started it, and the other technicians couldn't help but chime in. In an instant, everyone's attention was focused on the two "sister flowers".

Liu Qing lowered her eyes and smiled gently. Her delicate and refined face, paired with her Republic of China-style student hairstyle with bangs, made even Xiao Hongjuan behind her a little confused.

Just as Liu Qing was about to get up to thank her, Xiao Hongjuan pressed down on her shoulder: "What's the rush?"

After speaking, Xiao Hongjuan grabbed a razor and quickly swept her eyebrows twice, then took out an eyebrow pencil and began to draw. In just a few minutes, a faint mole appeared at the corner of her eye, and her willow-leaf eyebrows curved into her hair—a truly stunning face! She was like a combination of Lin Daiyu and Wang Xifeng, breathtakingly beautiful! Her beauty was beyond compare!

"Sister Juan, thank you for helping me... this money!" Liu Qing was about to hand over the forty-five yuan in her pocket when Xiao Hongjuan slapped her hand back.

"Qing'er, are you being too formal with your older sister?" Xiao Hongjuan put her arm around the girl's waist and walked towards the door. "From now on, you're my own sister. Don't hesitate to ask if you need anything."

The young woman spoke softly and was sincere, a stark contrast to the pretentious nightclub socialite she had been before!

It was meant as a polite remark, but Liu Qing took it seriously. She suddenly grabbed Xiao Hongjuan's sleeve and pleaded, "Sister, teach me how to cut hair. I can earn money, and I can also do your eyebrows and makeup. Is that alright?"

Xiao Hongjuan hadn't expected the girl to be so direct. She giggled, cupped the girl's pretty face, and said, "You shouldn't be in such a rush to make a decision. Just focus on your studies!"

"Evenings are all self-study periods, I can use that time to work! You know my family's situation, if I don't earn money, I definitely won't be able to continue my studies, sister, please help me one more time!"

The moment Xiao Hongjuan led Liu Qing into the hair salon, this idea popped into her head. Her persistent pleading was simply to learn a skill to make a living.

"I'm afraid that won't work. I don't work at this shop anymore. Besides, at your age, being an apprentice, let alone earning money, you'll have a hard time even making ends meet." Seeing the girl pouting and looking dejected, Xiao Hongjuan chuckled and said, "Look at you like that. I mean, you can come with me to work at the Xia Shang Restaurant. They provide food and drink, it's just a bit hard work..."

Xiao Hongjuan hadn't originally planned to take Liu Qing to the restaurant, but she couldn't bear to see him worry about money. Since she was destined to meet the girl, she might as well go all the way and be a good person.

Before the other person could finish speaking, Liu Qing pouted and said, "I'm not afraid of hardship. I'll do anything to get my dad treated!"

Liu Qing's words came from the bottom of her heart. Her father cherished her dearly, and as his daughter, she naturally had to stand up and do something. However, the girl did not know that it was precisely this filial piety that completely moved him.

At that moment, Xiao Hongjuan felt a tremor in her heart, and a certain soft spot was instantly activated. Yes, she truly saw her own reflection in Liu Qing. Once, she was also a beautiful and innocent little girl, but she fell into prostitution to help her family. This was the pain of her life, a stain she could never wash away.

Seeing Xiao Hongjuan nod in agreement, Liu Qing suddenly grabbed her arm and bowed deeply. "Sister, I will definitely repay you in the future for helping me so much!"

The girl's serious expression made Xiao Hongjuan smile again. "Alright, I'll remember what you said. It's getting late, let me take you home!"

More than ten minutes later, the yellow taxi dropped Liu Qing off at the entrance of her apartment building. The girl said goodbye to her godmother with reluctance. Where was Xiao Hongjuan? She rolled down the car window and watched Liu Qing go upstairs before letting the driver drive away.

The car had just started moving when the pager in her handbag went off. Xiao Hongjuan pulled it out and saw it was indeed a text message from Lao Chengxi, with a line of ambiguous text:

"A dinner party at 8 PM, ten women, all exceptionally beautiful!"