"This one’s the bulletproof version," Li Wei said, handing the signed form back to the driver. "What are you doing here?"

"I came to keep you company," Anya said, hopping out of her Mercedes and throwing herself into Li Wei’s arms. "So? Did you miss me?"

"Of course I missed you," Li Wei said. "But don’t you have classes?"

"I’ve already gotten my offer from Yale," Anya said. "So I can skip some of my electives. The professors all understand."

She hugged Li Wei greedily, taking a deep breath. Then, as if suddenly remembering something, she walked over to the bulletproof Cadillac Escalade and began circling it.

"Hmm..." She looked at the car door, which was as thick as her fist, and nodded in satisfaction. "Now Auntie Kaja shouldn’t have anything left to complain about."

"What do you mean, nothing left to complain about?" Li Wei asked, walking over. "Is this about the graduation trip?"

"Yeah," Anya nodded. "We’re going out west, right? To those remote parts of Utah. At first, Auntie Kaja was dead set against it. She wanted us to take an entire squad of armed bodyguards with us, but there was no way I’d agree to that. It’s a graduation trip, for crying out loud, not a tour of duty in Syria."

She slapped the car door hard. "Ouch—" She looked at her red, swollen hand and held it out pitifully to Li Wei. "Blow on it for me~ It hurts."

"Anyway, with this car," she said, watching Li Wei gently massage her little hand, "Auntie Kaja should agree to let the two of us go on our trip alone."

"The worries of the rich, huh. But I also bought this car because my uncle told me to watch out for my safety," Li Wei said. "Are you staying over tonight?"

"I probably shouldn’t," Anya said, her face flushing. "Your uncle and cousin are here. I just came over to keep you company and see how you were doing."

"I’m in a great mood," Li Wei said with a smile. "I just bought a new car, after all. What’s not to be happy about?"

"But so many people are attacking you online," Anya said in surprise. "Does it really not bother you at all? I spent half the day on my alt account getting into flame wars with your haters."

"I try not to pay attention to that stuff anymore," Li Wei said with a shrug. "That’s just how it is when you get famous. Some people will like you, and some will hate you."

’That was a lie. If Li Wei ever leveled up to the point where he could track people through their internet connection, he’d go right down the wire and deal with those little haters in the real world, one by one.’

"What a shame," Anya sighed dramatically. "I was hoping the script would be you, secretly heartbroken, and then I’d come over, play the part of the perfect girlfriend, comfort you tenderly, and then—"

"Comfort doesn’t have to be just talk," Li Wei said, taking her hand. "Come on. Inside."

"Wait!" Anya grabbed a small bag from the back seat of her Mercedes. "I have to get something."

"What’s this?" Li Wei asked curiously. "Let me see?"

"No!" Anya’s face instantly flushed. "This is for later."

Full of curiosity and a different kind of excitement, the two entered Li Wei’s bedroom, where Anya immediately drew the curtains.

She took the contents of the bag out. Li Wei took a closer look and couldn’t help but laugh.

"Isn’t this just a regular cheerleader’s uniform?"

"This is no ordinary cheerleader uniform," Anya said, holding up the outfit. "I thought you might be in a bad mood, so I bought it just for you."

With that, she took the outfit and ducked into the bathroom. When she emerged again, Li Wei finally understood what made this particular cheerleader uniform so special.

The top was a tight, deep blue crop top, but it was incredibly stingy with its fabric.

The neckline plunged into a daring U-shape, trimmed with gold lace, and barely contained her breasts.

The bottom was a matching, ultra-short pleated skirt—though it was less a skirt and more of a wide waistband.

The hemline was incredibly short, just barely covering the top of her buttocks.

With every step she took, her fair thighs and the rounded curve of her rear were on full display. The sides of the skirt were even slit, held together only by a few thin ribbons.

On her long, slender legs she wore a pair of white, over-the-knee athletic socks. The tops, marked with two blue stripes, squeezed tightly against the soft flesh of her thighs, creating a subtle, sensual indentation.

She wore no shoes. Her bare feet pressed into the carpet, toes curling slightly, nails painted a delicate pink.

She held two pom-poms and struck a classic cheerleading pose.

"Put on a song," she said. "I just learned this recently."

As she walked past him, the ultra-short pleated skirt swayed back and forth, and Li Wei couldn’t tear his eyes away.

’Fucking brilliant,’ Li Wei thought.

’The brilliant thing about this skirt was how it just barely covered the top half of her butt. The slightest sway sent it rippling, and as Anya moved, he couldn’t help but wonder if she was wearing anything underneath.’

Then she walked over to Li Wei’s desk and bent straight over at the waist, and Li Wei’s eyes shot wide open.

"Is the song on yet?" he said. "I think any one will be fine."

Anya strutted over to him like a cat on the runway. Li Wei reached out, hooking a finger around one of the precarious-looking ribbons on the side of her skirt.

"Hey," Anya said, slapping his hand away and biting her lip. "Let me finish my dance first."

...

It was Beyoncé’s "Crazy in Love." Anya whipped her hair back and forth to the opening brass fanfare.

The two amateurishly handled pom-poms traced colorful arcs through the air, but that was hardly what Li Wei was focused on.

As Anya jumped to the beat, kicking her legs high, that poor little pleated skirt completely abandoned its duty to conceal.