Chapter 23: Cute Nerd.

"My dear nephew why are you not here to see your uncle?"Ai Jia whined sounding offended.

"Don't worry I'll come tomorrow,"a young male voice answered from the other end of the line.

"Why don't you come today? Are you that busy that you can't visit your lovely uncle today?"

"It's already afternoon. I'd like us to have a full day to ourselves. I'd also like to upgrade my wardrobe,"Gu Shan informed him.

"Thank God you've decide to let go of those baggy sweatpants and hoodies you always wear. "

"Are you saying I don't look good in my usual clothes?"

"You look good...but it's not enough."

"Then tomorrow I'll let you choose new clothes for me."

"Can't wait Hehe!,"Ai Jia squealed like a kid.

*****

As promised the uncle and nephew duo went out for shopping the following day. Under his uncle's guidance,he bought a whole new look for his closet- cargo pants,denim jackets ,leather pants and jackets,graphic T-shirts ,croptops and everything that seemed to suit the street style. He had decided to let go of his nerdy look. The clothes looked pretty good on his body especially the leather pants that hugged his round firm ass outlining it in the best way possible. He had never dressed so boldly before so it was going to be a pretty new experience for him. He was eager to see how his colleagues would react to his new look.

"Since you've changed your clothes' style you should change your hairstyle too,"Ai Jia recommended.

"What style should I go for?"

"Mullet or something else more attractive. Let's go to the salon we'll decide when we reach there."

They stuffed the shopping bags in the car's trunk before they headed to the salon.

*****

Even when Gu Shan sat in the salon he still couldn't believe he was doing that. He felt excited and nervous at the same time. He was unable to picture how he would look like but he was certain he wouldn't look the same as before. He just hoped he would not look weird.

"It's done,"the hairdresser said after doing the final touches," You look more handsome,"she complimented him flashing a flirty smile at him.

Gu Shan looked at himself at the mirror to inspect his new look. He was surprisingly amazed by what he saw. His dark hair had been modified into a dark medium-length ,wavy hairstyle with loose curls. It had a natural, slightly tousled look with some of the curls falling over the forehead and around the ears. The style gave a relaxed and stylish appearance ,perfect for a casual yet fashionable look.

"Now that's my boy,"his uncle complimented him with a big smile.

After the salon they were quite famished so they passed by a restaurant and had lunch together.

*****

On their way back Gu Shan and his uncle passed by a convenience store where his uncle wanted to buy whatever necessities he was in need of.

When they walked out of the store,Ai Jia caught a glimpse of a familiar silhouette from the corner of his eye. It was a slim lady dressed in a simple plain white dress and her hair was tied up into a small bun. The lady's movements were slightly uncoordinated like she was troubled by something. As they approached her the more familiar she became in Ai Jia's eyes. The lady as if sensing the approaching footsteps, turned around to face them. Ai Jia suddenly stopped in his tracks as a wave of nervousness washed over him when his eyes met with the lady's.

"Doctor Ai,"the lady greeted and bowed respectfully.

"Miss Zhu,"Ai Jia greeted back ,his voice barely above a whisper. The lady was more beautiful from the front. The beautiful smile painting her face complemented her beauty. From her mannerisms and features she was probably in her late twenties or early thirties. Gu Shan studied his uncle and the lady for a while. His always composed uncle was now flustered - something Gu Shan had never witnessed before. He looked like a young teenager suddenly encountering his crush. The lady's gaze never left his uncle's face but unlike Ai Jia she was composed making it difficult to tell whether the man she was staring at affected her in some special kind of way.

"Hello,"Gu Shan greeted snapping them out of their trance.

"Oh hello,"Miss Zhu smiled awkwardly shifting her gaze to the boy beside Ai Jia.

"Introduce me,"Gu Shan nudged his uncle whose soul seemed to have left his body.

Ai Jia cleared his throat and introduced them to each other.

"Uh... Doctor Ai... Can I borrow your phone? I booked a cab a few minutes ago but the driver called and said the car broke down and before I could respond my phone suddenly died,"She explained.

"I can give you a ride instead ,"Ai Jia offered.

"I don't want to trouble you,"She denied politely.

"It's not a problem,"Ai Jia insisted and the lady finally accepted his offer.

Gu Shan had already assessed the situation and he deduced a certified conclusion. Miss Zhu worked as a nurse at the hospice. Gu Shan had only seen her from a distance a few times before and he was sure his uncle had a thing for her. His lips curved into a mischievous smile imagining how he would tease his uncle about it later. Gu Shan trying to play matchmaker subtly, he occupied the backseat and let Miss Zhu sit in the front beside his uncle. He only prayed his uncle wouldn't cause an accident in case they started their staring session again. The ride was filled awkward conversations between the two adults in the front. Gu Shan could only smile at their behaviour. Thinking of it,he never behaved like that with Su Liang because he wasn't the one who fell first. But from what he had heard from others ,his uncle was definitely having butterflies in his stomach.

When they dropped Miss Zhu,Ai Jia proceeded to the campus to drop off his nephew.

"Uncle,is she your crush?"Gu Shan asked with a playful smile seizing the opportunity to tease his uncle.

"No she's not,"Ai Jia denied.

"You're lying. I saw you behaving like a teenager in love."

"Since when are you this experienced with love?"

"I watch a lot of teen dramas so I have my own experience."

"I like her like you said,"Ai Jia finally admitted.

"Why don't you pursue her? Don't tell you're afraid of getting rejected?"

"It's not that. I'm usually busy at the hospice so I don't think I have time for dating."

"I remember grandma said she'll curse you to be single forever if you don't marry by next year,"Gu Shan said teasingly.

"Don't remind me of that wicked woman,"Ai Jia snorted.

"But I think grandma is pretty open-minded. She said you can also marry a man if you like,"Gu Shan continued joking.

"You seem to be enjoying teasing me. Should I call your mother and tell him you moved into a shabby apartment?"Ai Jia threatened.

"No! No ! Please don't. I'm sorry for teasing you,"Gu Shan pleaded.

Ai Jia's lips curved into a victorious smile seeing his nephew submit under his threat.

Ai Jia's mom, Ai Mi,was also an open-minded person but one thing she wouldn't tolerate was to see her son living under poor conditions. If she ever found out Gu Shan was living in such a place she would even drag his ass to Shenzhen and give him a lecture about the places he should and should not live.

*****

"Whoa!"Liu Daxun yelped in surprise seeing his friend's new look,"You look very handsome."

Gu Shan was dressed in a pair of cargo pants and one of the graphic T-shirts from his new collection.

Coincidentally when they walked out of the apartment,Xiao Hui and Li Yunxi were also heading out for their first ever lecture in the spring semester. As expected Xiao Hui didn't miss to compliment his new look. Li Yunxi on the other hand was silently absorbing the magnificent sight of the boy in front of him. He moistened his lips as he reluctantly tore his gaze away from the boy to suppress his desires. Everyday his desires for the boy were growing that he became afraid of himself. The four of them went to campus together riding their bicycles.

*****

The moment Gu Shan stepped inside the auditorium all the eyes fell on him. Girls nudged each other and gawked at him like some prey. He didn't like the attention he was receiving,he wanted to go back and change his outfit but he was already there so there was nothing he could do.

"Don't worry they will get used to it and forget about your look,"Liu Daxun encouraged him when he noticed his friend's uneasiness.

"Isn't that the...cute nerd? He looks different now,"one of the girls complimented.

"He's a pretty hot stuff,' another girl added.

Gu Shan was quite popular but he was only known as the class' cutest nerd. Very few people dared to approach him before because it was a natural thing for other students to despise nerds like him no matter how pretty his face was.