Chapter Twenty-Two

  "Mom, can we pay more social insurance? The more the better." Before school started, Chen Huai-sheng found his mother alone and persuaded her, "When Dad retires, he will have a pension of 3,000 to 4,000 yuan, but you will only have a few hundred. Isn't that hard to bear?"

  Chen Hui Sheng was good at hitting weak spots. His mother had never thought about the issue of retirement, and she wasn't too keen on handing over a portion of her social security benefits. But after hearing just one sentence from her "daughter", she immediately changed her mind. "Will it make that much of a difference?"

  "Agreed." Chen Huan Xiong was clear about it, so he only gave a one-word reply.

  Mom nodded thoughtfully and said, "Then I'll go find an accountant."

  Carrying luggage, Chen Haosheng refused his parents' farewell. He took the bus and train, then transferred to the subway after arriving at the station. After throwing down his luggage bag, he had just enough time for lunch.

  "I brought some snacks, help yourself." Every time Chen Huai-sheng comes back home, he brings some food. This is a habit from his previous life, whenever he goes out, he always brings some local specialties to eat in the office, and they are all very popular - especially at around 4-5 pm when everyone's stomach starts to feel empty, both men and women become hungry ghosts.

  "Oh, I want to eat cloud cake. Hua Mei wants some too!" Xu Li Bing loved eating but was tall and slender.

  "Bring me some pine nut candies." Xiang 'Yu' was the kind of person who would easily gain weight if she wasn't careful, so her life was quite difficult.

  Huang Lingyun was quietly reading the new book, without even lifting her head. She didn't eat snacks or drink anything other than plain water, and it was... easy to take care of herself. By the way, during the final exams, her scores surpassed Chen Huaicheng's, and she received a second-class scholarship based on her overall score.

  Xu Lijing sent back a small box of instant coffee, still the three-in-one kind.

  The 'jade' that Lian Xiang brought back is actually dried plum vegetables from her family's property, which goes well with rice, porridge and steamed buns.

  "Chen Haoteng, do you want to take a minor?"

  "I want."

  "Why don't you minor in philosophy too."

  "I won't be able to attend philosophy class with you," Chen Huasheng quickly tidied up his clothes, and began to organize his books, notebooks, manuscript paper, and loose-leaf papers. "I'm a minor in English."

  Huang Lingyun looked up at her, but then lowered his head again.

  "Right, your high school English score was quite high too—"

  "So will you still choose a second foreign language?"

  "No. How about you? Are you going to minor in something?"

  "I majored in international trade." Lian Xiang 'Yu' was also determined. Her college entrance exam scores were not high, and philosophy was her backup choice.

  "I'm not happy with supplementary studies. Anyway, I'll study all the way to a Ph.D." Xu Lijing had already eaten dinner and now she's devouring a lot of snacks again.

  "Hey, Dr. Xu, you want to be a dinosaur?!" teased Lian Xiangyu.

  "Pshaw! Is there a dinosaur as beautiful as me?" Xu Lijing adjusted her somewhat unimpressive bust.

  "Want it to be even prettier?" Chen Huai suddenly blurted out.

  The other three 'girls' suddenly all looked at her, waiting for what came next.

  Oh, looks like it's a woman's fate!

  Chen Hua Sheng was serious, she tilted her head and took a closer look at Xu Li Bing, then walked closer, lifted up the other's chin and studied it, "You should use 'precise' oil to massage your 'breasts' every day; pay attention to exercise, usually suck in your belly, don't let your little belly stick out in front of your 'breasts'. You've gotten a bit dark, from now on, no matter summer or winter, as long as there's sunlight or lamplight, you must prevent sunburn; there are quite a few 'color' spots, don't use things to remove freckles, remember to save up money to get laser treatment to remove them; your eyelids, so eyeliner and eye makeup are very important, if not, you can have a small surgery to cut open your eyelids a little bit, then your eyes will be bigger; your 'pores' aren't obvious, you don't need to do a skin peel; remember to whiten your teeth at least once a year. Your nose can be augmented, but every eight to ten years you'll have to replace the silicone, it's quite troublesome, you can just draw some 'shading' to create the illusion of a more 'upright' nose bridge......hmm, that's about it, like this, and then pay attention to your clothes, and you'll be a beautiful woman, no need to go get your cheekbones and chin shaved, that's a bit dangerous."

  Xu Lijing's eyes widened into a "chicken" shape, and her mouth was agape.

  "Wow, what a hassle!" Lian Xiang 'Yu' was also stunned. "Uh, Chen Hua Sheng, did you apply sunscreen today?"

  "Yes, but with a lower SPF than in summer, only SPF 20, however it lasts long, PA+++"

  Xu Lijing let out a sharp cry, "I'll go buy some too! What kind are you using? Show me the ones for winter and summer... what brand..."

  Lian Xiang 'Yu' also rushed over, similarly asking to watch.

  Huang Lingyun has gone to bed, she is on the upper bunk of Chen Huicheng's bed, pulls up the simple bed curtain, turns on her own bedside lamp, and becomes a self-contained unit.

  Chen Huaixing put his index finger on his lips, indicating not to shout, then took out his own canvas bag that had been simplified to the point of being impossible to simplify further.

  "Or I'll make a list for you." Chen Huan said softly, and asked the two of them about their skin types, writing down a list for each, noting what was required and what was optional. Hmm, these were things that students like them in this era could still afford, with a good price-to-performance ratio.

  "Are eyeliner pens all black? There are also brown ones!" asked Lianxiang Yu.

  "It's all right. Eye makeup is something you have to explore and learn by yourself. Once you start, you'll need to do it every day. If you're sure about it, then go buy some, but if not, don't waste your money. However, since you're still students, if your parents don't understand, just forget about it. Using less makeup is better for your skin and body anyway."

  "...". The two little girls fell silent. This is a way of life, and they have been studying and taking exams all the way, but in fact, they are still very "lost" about their future lives.

  "Chen Haicheng, can you put on makeup? I mean, will you wear makeup to class?"

  "No." But she will take care of herself as much as possible. "I'm still a student and haven't started working to earn money yet. Even if I do part-time jobs, it's just enough for living expenses, makeup is too expensive, I don't want to 'spend' my parents' hard-earned money on dressing myself up - I also don't want to find a boyfriend now, no need."

  "Then I won't put on makeup either."

  "I'm out of here too!"

  Two female students from the philosophy department of a prestigious university simultaneously let out a sigh of relief.

  "But learning a bit can't be wrong. There are always occasions where you want to make yourself look good."

  "We... don't need to be teachers or anything like that!" Jian Xiang 'Yu' belongs to the type of person who has no grasp on their future prospects.

  "When dating, can't always be like a country bumpkin, right? At least gotta have some artistic temperament." Hmm, just don't be too 2B.

  Mix aloe vera water with about 40% glycerin that has dissolved vitamin E, non-greasy, non-drying, and non-irritating. Although cheap, the effect is quite good.

  Jian Xiang 'Yu' and Xu Li Bing asked for the first time about the contents of this inconspicuous glycerin bottle.

  Chen Haosheng said.

  "Oh, I don't believe in the advertisements of skincare products." Chen Huai said roughly about several commonly used ingredients. "...To be honest, moisturizers are just glycerin, and adding some vitamin E makes it anti-oxidizing and anti-aging. Even vitamin B5 is rarely used, and even if it's labeled as shark liver oil, it's all artificially synthesized. The stuff in the bottles and jars, the production cost is generally only 5% to 10% of the retail price, and beauty salons are even lower, 1% to 5%. Of course, it can't be denied that branded products sold on the market have been tested, preservatives are relatively reliable, and if there's a problem, you can find someone responsible. At most, you might not win a lawsuit or get compensation... It's just that the actual effect is far from what's advertised."