Lu Shicheng couldn’t find a second handkerchief on short notice, and had no choice but to use his own sleeve to wipe her tears.

Soon his shirt cuff was soaked with her tears, and a small patch of his suit sleeve was wet too. He simply switched to using the back of his hand to keep wiping her tears away.

This wordless tolerance was, to Wen Tingli in this moment, an even greater comfort—her tears fell all the more uncontrollably.

It was less crying now than release; she didn’t know how long she cried. Her heart finally felt somewhat unburdened, the sound of her crying growing smaller and smaller, gradually turning into sniffles, until finally, after a long interval, only a small, quiet sob escaped.

At last, she’d finished crying.

But one of her hands was still gripping Lu Shicheng’s sleeve and wouldn’t let go. After crying so hard, she now felt utterly drained, not wanting to move, even less wanting to speak—not until Lu Shicheng tried gently tugging his sleeve back did she come back to herself.

Having been gripped this whole time, his entire arm had gone numb.

More critically, his cuff was so wet it needed wringing out.

Wen Tingli’s tears turned to laughter, and she hurriedly lifted her head from his shoulder. She hadn’t known a single person could produce so many tears. She glanced, a little sheepishly, at his profile—the sight of him so solemnly wringing out his sleeve was inexplicably funny, but she didn’t want to be crying one moment and laughing the next, so she only silently watched him.

Once Lu Shicheng finished sorting out his cuff, he turned back to meet Wen Tingli’s gaze straight on. Her eyes still held the shine of tears, her expression looking indescribably wronged.

She was in pain, and he wasn’t faring much better either. He gazed at her for a long moment, then leaned in again.

Wen Tingli’s heart gave a little tremor—she thought of that mortifying scene in the stairwell earlier tonight, but this time Lu Shicheng wasn’t picking a fake leaf off her head. Instead, with unusual care, he stroked the crown of her hair.

Then, carefully, he tucked a few strands of damp hair that had fallen against her cheek back behind her ear.

His gaze was gentler even than the moonlight outside.

Wen Tingli’s chest gave a sudden lurch—so he had noticed her little bit of wishful thinking after all.

Unfortunately her hair wasn’t very obedient; it had only just been tucked behind her ear when it slipped loose again. Lu Shicheng, who had probably never done anything like this before, seemed a little at a loss. He glanced up at her and reached out again to carefully fix it—but this time, his fingertip nearly grazed her cheek.

He froze there. In that impossibly short distance, she could almost feel the warmth of his fingertip; his gaze was so dark it made her ears burn and her heart race. For a moment she thought he might kiss her—but perhaps she looked too nervous, making him think she wasn’t ready yet, or perhaps he simply didn’t want to kiss her while she was still upset and sad. In the end, he restrained himself, withdrew his hand, and sat back straight.

She glanced at him out of the corner of her eye. His breathing was a little quick; he turned to look out the window, and only after a good while did he calm down and turn back to face her.

[Do you still want to go anywhere else tonight? You’re this tired—why don’t I take you home?]

That night, Wen Tingli spent the whole time berating herself for being so slow to catch on.

After Lu Shicheng dropped her off at home, worried, he stood by the roadside watching her go up the steps.

As she climbed the stairs, she kept turning back to look at him, reluctant to tear her eyes away.

Lu Shicheng stood beneath a streetlamp, the light making his outfit look impossibly elegant and handsome.

How slow-witted she must have been, not to have realized that Lu Shicheng had dressed so formally precisely for this date—this had been their first real date together in the true sense.

What a pity she’d gotten his clothes in such a state.

She wanted to laugh a little, but felt more relief than anything.

This crying jag seemed to have washed away whatever unspoken obstacles had lingered between them. Throughout it all, he hadn’t expressed anything in words, and yet his actions had given her countless moments of warm comfort.

Thinking this, she could hardly wait for their next date. Fortunately, tomorrow was Sunday, and neither of them had anything on—he’d promised to come find her first thing in the morning.

The moment Lu Shicheng got home, the head steward came out to greet him. “Mr. Kuang and a few doctors are waiting for you in the study.”

Lu Shicheng nodded, initially meaning to go straight to the study, but glancing down at his damp sleeve, he changed course and went back to his room to change his jacket instead.

But the moment he entered his bedroom, he collapsed face-first onto the bed.

His mood still hadn’t fully settled even now. When he’d seen that Meng Qiguang business card in her bag, his heart had turned sour to the point of aching.

But when she’d voluntarily told him the whole story herself, his heart had felt as if it were steeped in the sweetness of melted chocolate.

How could there be such a lovely girl in this world—her every smile, her every expression, her warmth and sincerity, all of it left him utterly enchanted, powerless to break free.

He’d only been apart from her for half an hour, and already he was missing her again. Her clear, pleasant voice lingered in his ears, making him smile unconsciously with his eyes closed.

The moment he opened his eyes, even her silhouette seemed to be projected onto the white ceiling above.

Those eyes of hers, gleaming with light, seemed to gaze back at him from above.

He simply spread both arms out flat on the bed, eyes fixed steadily on the ceiling. He was rarely this irrational, but right now, he only wanted to indulge himself, sinking into this state of mind—until he heard Steward Xu’s voice outside: “Young Master Cheng, the guests have all arrived.”

Lu Shicheng’s brow furrowed slightly, and only after a good while did he reluctantly get up and change clothes. Downstairs, entering the study, he found Kuang Zhilin chatting idly with the guests.

Louis was the one who knew Lu Shicheng best, and quickly stood to introduce everyone. “This is Mr. Lu Shicheng. This is Director Xie, our throat specialist, and this is Dr. Kelly—she specializes in psychology, just back from Hong Kong.”

Lu Shicheng went around shaking hands with each of them.

Dr. Kelly and Director Xie were both scholars of considerable personality, ordinarily unwilling to make house calls for the rich and powerful. This time, it was only out of consideration for the Lu family’s longstanding support of medical and charitable causes that they’d made an exception and agreed to come for this private consultation.

Being summoned to the Lu residence so late at night, Dr. Kelly had privately been rather dismissive about it—though Lu Shicheng’s only request had been simple.

[I want to be able to speak.]

And yet, after just this one meeting, Dr. Kelly set aside her prejudice entirely. This young master of the Lu family was unusually refined and composed, and she found herself favorably impressed at first sight.

Once seated, Dr. Kelly spoke seriously: “These past two days we’ve all been discussing your condition. According to Dr. Louis, last time you spoke while unconscious, and your pronunciation was quite clear. Both Director Xie’s and Dr. Louis’s examinations also confirm that your vocal organs show no organic damage—so we’re inclined to believe your loss of speech is psychogenic, and treatment likely needs to start from the psychological angle.”

Dr. Louis asked Lu Shicheng from the side, “Since your recovery, have you never once been able to speak again—not even in moments of extreme joy, anger, or sorrow?”

Lu Shicheng lowered his eyes to look at his cuff. He’d experienced every one of those emotions tonight—the sensation of Wen Tingli’s tears still lingered on the skin of his wrist even now. But—no matter how deep the emotional bond, none of it had let him get out a single word.

He admitted to himself he felt disheartened, and shook his head with a self-deprecating air.

“Perhaps the stimulus wasn’t strong enough,” Dr. Kelly said. “Or rather, the sense of crisis wasn’t intense enough.”

[Crisis?] Lu Shicheng looked somewhat curious.

“Your sudden loss of speech happened right at the time your parents met with disaster. And the last time, you suddenly spoke in your sleep while unconscious. Looking at these two instances, I see one common factor: crisis. Perhaps it’s only in truly urgent moments that your instincts can be triggered. You should know that you’ve always had the ability to speak—it’s just that this ability has currently been ‘locked.'”

She paused, then added, “Last time, the ‘lock’ opened under a coincidental circumstance. If this time we could deliberately induce another such ‘unlocking,’ it might just help you overcome this psychological barrier for good.”

Kuang Zhilin said, worried, “But surely we can’t have Mr. Lu go through another dangerous experience just to treat this.”

Director Xie waved a hand and laughed. “It doesn’t necessarily have to be the same kind of experience. The meaning of ‘crisis’ is quite broad—it’s not limited to physical danger, but can also refer to major upheavals or challenges encountered mentally. Broadening it further, it’s not even limited to Mr. Lu himself—it could also refer to someone Mr. Lu cares about. As we Chinese say, ‘concern breeds confusion’—for someone deeply affectionate and loyal, danger befalling someone close to him can also produce an extreme stimulus.”

Kuang Zhilin’s expression turned thoughtful. Lu Shicheng shot him a sidelong glance, then wrote a line on his notepad and slid it over to Dr. Kelly.

[I’m not afraid of danger, and I’m not afraid of pain, either—as long as it lets me speak, I’ll try any strange method. But I have one requirement: all treatment measures may only be used on me alone. I don’t want anyone around me getting drawn into my treatment.]

A flash of guilt crossed Kuang Zhilin’s eyes, and he quickly covered it by taking a sip of tea.

Dr. Kelly and Director Xie exchanged a glance, and said, energized, “With Mr. Lu being this cooperative, nothing could be better. But this kind of case is genuinely quite rare, and treatment will be extremely difficult. We’ll consult with several disciplines first before drawing up a specific treatment plan for you.”

Wen Tingli didn’t wake until past eight.

She’d slept unusually soundly last night, and woke feeling refreshed and clear-headed. Getting up to check the mirror, sure enough, her lips were red, her teeth white.

After washing up, she couldn’t be bothered with breakfast, and eagerly threw open her wardrobe to pick out an outfit—sifting through this and that, she finally settled on a bud-yellow, long-sleeved qipao. This dress had been made last year by her father using the shop’s only bolt of French Chantilly lace paired with real silk—it counted as her most expensive garment.

Seeing the weather outside looked a bit chilly, she picked out a pearl-white knit sweater to go with it, planning to pair it below with pearl-white leather shoes.

Next, she sat down at her desk and opened her precious pink enamel box, putting on the necklace inside.

Just as she was admiring herself in the mirror from every angle, Xiao Taozi came bounding in, wearing a tiny crossbody bag, hopping about like a fat little frog.

“Where’s Zhou Sao?” Wen Tingli asked casually.

“Buying veggies. Ooh ooh, Sister’s going to take Xiao Taozi out to play!” Xiao Taozi clapped her hands, spinning excitedly around the room.

Wen Tingli’s face flushed. She pulled Xiao Taozi over to her knees to negotiate.

“Sister has something to do today—why don’t you let Zhou Sao take you out to play instead?”

Xiao Taozi froze, then immediately shook her head.

Wen Tingli bit her lip, at a loss. Sunday was what Xiao Taozi looked forward to most, because it was the only day she got to spend extra time with her sister.

But last night, Wen Tingli hadn’t finished up until so late that she’d only managed just over two hours with Lu Shicheng in the end. Perhaps for the two of them, Sunday was the only day they could properly go on a date.

And crucially, they’d already made plans for today.

She pointed at the locked leather suitcase under the bed, trying to tempt Xiao Taozi. “How about this—Sister will open the treasure chest and give Xiao Taozi some money-money, and let Zhou Sao take you to buy new toys, okay?”

In the past, Xiao Taozi had always seen her putting money into this particular case, so she’d taught Xiao Taozi a new phrase for it—”treasure chest.”

Today, though, Xiao Taozi showed no interest whatsoever in the treasure chest, her little head shaking like a rattle-drum.

Wen Tingli was at her wit’s end. Just then, Zhou Sao returned carrying her vegetable basket, and the moment she walked in, said with a smile, “Miss, Mr. Lu is downstairs.”

Wen Tingli tried once more, carefully negotiating with Xiao Taozi: “Sister really does have something today—next Sunday, next Sunday Sister promises to spend the whole day playing with Xiao Taozi, okay?”

“Waaah!” Xiao Taozi twisted her body and burst into loud sobs.

Lu Shicheng had just parked his car when he heard a child’s crying coming from the building. From the sound of it, it was coming from exactly the window Wen Tingli’s room had been that night.

Curious, he looked up—the child’s crying was earth-shattering, and showed no sign of stopping even after a long while.

Before long, he saw Wen Tingli come out leading Xiao Taozi by the hand. Xiao Taozi’s nose was still red, her left hand gripping her sister’s tightly.

Zhou Sao followed behind the two sisters.

Wen Tingli walked straight up to Lu Shicheng, glancing up at him, her expression somewhere between amused and helpless, as if to say: “No use, couldn’t coax her out of it.”

Zhou Sao, too, was torn between laughing and crying. “Do forgive us, Mr. Lu—Xiao Taozi insisted on tagging along with her sister. But it’s fine, children calm down once you coax them a bit. Go ahead and enjoy your outing, I’ll carry her back upstairs in a moment.”

Xiao Taozi glared at Lu Shicheng, full of hostility.

Wen Tingli, helpless, bent down to gently scold her little sister. “Xiao Taozi, that’s very rude. Have you forgotten? Mr. Lu taught you your letters last time.”

Lu Shicheng showed not the slightest hint of displeasure, only crouching down curiously to study Xiao Taozi. Xiao Taozi’s gaze tracked his every movement.

After they’d stared at each other for a moment, Lu Shicheng looked up at Wen Tingli with a smile—he hadn’t known a child’s eyes could hold so much wariness and displeasure.

He stood and opened the car door, inviting Xiao Taozi in without hesitation.

Xiao Taozi’s eyes lit up, and she immediately looked up at her sister in excitement.

Wen Tingli was already all smiles. Lowering her eyes, she took her little sister’s hand and got into the car.

Zhou Sao was overjoyed, hurrying to hand in Xiao Taozi’s little crossbody bag from outside the car. “Listen to your sister while you’re out, don’t be rude to Mr. Lu like you were just now.”

Once the car door was closed properly, Lu Shicheng and Wen Tingli looked at each other.

With Xiao Taozi along, the movie was off the table—and as for what places children liked to go, Lu Shicheng had absolutely no experience whatsoever. He studied Xiao Taozi carefully for a moment, then looked at Wen Tingli with a questioning gaze.

[Where should we go now?]

Wen Tingli said, a little sheepishly, “Why don’t we go to the Great World amusement park?”

The moment Xiao Taozi heard “Great World,” she got so excited she was practically bouncing in her seat. Wen Tingli hastily shot her a look to stop her, but Lu Shicheng only smiled and nodded at Xiao Taozi, steering the car away from the little lane where the Wen family lived. Thoroughly encouraged, Xiao Taozi clapped her little hands. “Let’s go, Great World, let’s go!”

Wen Tingli only laughed.

They soon arrived at Great World. Getting out of the car, the sun was blindingly bright—autumn had set in some time ago, yet the weather was still a bit stuffy. Lu Shicheng parked the car, bought two ice cream cones at the entrance, and handed one to Xiao Taozi.

Xiao Taozi was so delighted she patted her own belly.

“You haven’t said thank you yet,” Wen Tingli reminded her sister.

“Thank you, Mr. Lu.” Xiao Taozi no longer had a trace of hostility toward Lu Shicheng.

Lu Shicheng handed the other ice cream to Wen Tingli. Her heart felt sweet, but she didn’t dare take a big bite—afraid of smudging her cherry-red lipstick.

The three of them walked in together, side by side.

“There’ll be more and more people soon. Why don’t you and Xiao Taozi wait under that tree over there for a bit, and I’ll go get in line to buy tickets first,” Wen Tingli said, pointing ahead to Lu Shicheng. She’d often brought Xiao Taozi here to play in the past, and knew the whole layout of the park quite well by now.

She turned to go, but Lu Shicheng stopped her, glancing at the burly, rough-looking men mixed in with the ticket line.

[You wait here with Xiao Taozi. I’ll go buy the tickets.]

Wen Tingli was startled, then smiled and hummed in agreement.

But after waiting in place for a long while with no sign of Lu Shicheng returning, Wen Tingli began to feel a bit regretful—she should have just gone with him. He’d probably never been to Great World before; just navigating the various ticket lines could leave a person completely bewildered.

As the sun grew stronger, Wen Tingli finally led Xiao Taozi off to a nearby kiosk to buy soda, when she suddenly spotted a group of people coming down the path behind the kiosk.

Several men who looked like managers were fussing over Lu Shicheng.

“If we’d known Young Master Lu was coming today, we would have made arrangements in advance…”

Since they were rather far away, the voices came through in fragments.

Lu Shicheng listened politely as he walked this way; the men hastily tried to follow along, but Lu Shicheng politely waved them off, at which the managers stopped in their tracks.

By the time he reached her, Lu Shicheng was holding several brightly colored tickets in his hand.

Wen Tingli’s eyes went wide—they were Great World’s long-term passes (translator’s note), passes that allowed free entry year-round and let holders skip the line for many attractions. In the first years after Great World opened, several of Wen Tingli’s better-off classmates at Xiude had tried every connection they had to get their hands on these passes, but in the end had managed to get very few.

Lu Shicheng didn’t explain where he’d gotten them, simply handing the passes to Wen Tingli.

Wen Tingli, at a loss for words, glanced up and noticed sweat on Lu Shicheng’s forehead. She quickly held out her own cold soda to him.

“It’s so hot, drink this first to cool off.”

Lu Shicheng took the soda and drank it down in one go, tilting his head back. Lowering his gaze, he noticed Xiao Taozi looking a bit impatient, and pointed toward the carousel over there.

[Let’s go.]

Before Wen Tingli could even respond, Xiao Taozi had already shot off like an arrow.

At the entrance, Wen Tingli gripped her sister’s hand tightly and walked in—but she knew perfectly well that Lu Shicheng would have no interest whatsoever in this kind of ride. Turning back, sure enough, she found Lu Shicheng standing well off to the side as a matter of course. She could only bite back a laugh and tell him, “Wait for us out here a bit.”

After two rounds on the carousel, Xiao Taozi had had her fill of excitement and eagerly headed off to ride the bumper cars. Lu Shicheng, as expected, had no intention of joining in—but Xiao Taozi suddenly ran back and tugged at him.

“Together, Sister, let’s bring Mr. Lu with us.”

“Mr. Lu doesn’t like this kind of thing.”

Xiao Taozi’s eyes went wide—how could anyone not like bumper cars? She looked up at Lu Shicheng, clenching her little fist to encourage him. “Don’t be scared, cars are fun.”

Lu Shicheng was startled; the people around them were all looking their way, some suppressing laughter, others murmuring good-naturedly among themselves.

“Xiao Taozi!” Wen Tingli didn’t know whether to laugh or cry.

But Lu Shicheng had already crouched down, bumping his fist against Xiao Taozi’s little one.

[Alright, I’m not scared.]

And so, Wen Tingli rode one bumper car with Xiao Taozi, while Lu Shicheng took another.

Wen Tingli kept glancing back at Lu Shicheng from time to time.

Lu Shicheng turned the wheel with an air of utter boredom, bumping here, turning there.

This was the first time Wen Tingli had ever seen the word “bored” on Lu Shicheng’s face.

She struggled to hold back her laughter, and stuck her tongue out at him.

Lu Shicheng raised an eyebrow, and noticing Xiao Taozi kept turning to look his way, suddenly swerved the car, driving straight at the sisters’ car.

Xiao Taozi, sure enough, shrieked with delight: “Sister, run, run!”

“Running, running, running.” Wen Tingli made a show of looking very anxious and swerved to the left.

“He’s coming!” Xiao Taozi watched behind them, her little face flushed with urgency. “Sister, this way, go!”

Wen Tingli hurriedly swerved the other way, laughing as she turned.

Lu Shicheng turned out to be quite good at this. After dodging him a few times, Wen Tingli genuinely started to feel the thrill of it. Several times, just when they’d clearly dodged, Lu Shicheng’s car would suddenly come in sideways and bump them anyway—every time this happened, not only would Xiao Taozi bounce up like a little frog, Wen Tingli herself would shriek happily too.

She made up her mind to ram Lu Shicheng’s car for once, suddenly turning to aim her car’s front at the side of his, Xiao Taozi’s little fist clenched tight again with anticipation. “Sister, go for it!”

But Lu Shicheng simply pulled back, and the car slid nimbly away sideways.

Wen Tingli laughed, slapping the steering wheel. “Don’t run, don’t run.”

Xiao Taozi copied her sister, slapping the wheel too. “Don’t run.”

Lu Shicheng laughed and let go of the wheel, lazily raising both hands in the air. Wen Tingli’s car finally managed to ram into his, and Xiao Taozi bounced up on her seat again in excitement.

This went on for nearly two hours. Wen Tingli laughed the entire time, and by the time they got out, her face was still flushed pink.

Lu Shicheng bought them jam sandwiches and milk from a Western restaurant for lunch, and the three of them decided to go try some other attractions.

Passing by the bumper car area again, Lu Shicheng suddenly glanced inside, seemingly lost in thought. Wen Tingli followed his gaze and saw a short-haired woman in a qipao sitting in one of the bumper cars.

Wen Tingli couldn’t help but study her—first, because it was rare to see a woman riding bumper cars alone, and riding with such carefree gusto at that.

Second, because the woman looked familiar somehow.

Most critically of all, this middle-aged woman was also watching her back with keen interest.

After a few more glances, Wen Tingli suddenly remembered—she’d seen this woman before, at Lu Shicheng’s birthday party that night.

[Do you know her?] Lu Shicheng turned to ask Wen Tingli with his eyes.

“No, do you know her? She was at the Lu family dinner that night.”

Lu Shicheng considered this. [I’ll look into it when we get back.]

“It’s fine, I’ll ask Sister Huang when I get back.” Wen Tingli could tell the woman seemed quite amiable, and didn’t think much of it. “That night I saw her talking with Sister Huang, so Sister Huang must know her.”

They tried a number of other attractions in the afternoon, the most thrilling being a game called water guns, where players shot water at each other.

Lu Shicheng had good aim, and Wen Tingli’s wasn’t bad either—not that she usually got this wild, but today the two of them played like children. Lu Shicheng got hit by Wen Tingli and Xiao Taozi’s water guns many times over, and Wen Tingli’s skirt hem got soaked through in a large patch. Xiao Taozi, meanwhile, since both Lu Shicheng and Wen Tingli had shielded her, barely got wet at all.

Coming out, Wen Tingli was laughing so hard she could barely catch her breath. Looking up, she saw Lu Shicheng’s hair and eyebrows were both soaked. She teased him with a smile, “Just how many shots did I land on you, anyway?”

Lu Shicheng laughed, shaking water droplets off his forehead hair, then fished out a handkerchief to wipe his face. Wen Tingli took out her own handkerchief, wanting to help wipe him down too—but just then, two children came whirling past, hurling mud at each other, about to crash straight into Wen Tingli’s back.

Lu Shicheng, quick-eyed and quick-handed, pulled Wen Tingli behind him—but this still didn’t stop the mud from splattering onto her skirt hem.

A brand-new bud-yellow qipao was instantly stained with a large patch of dirt.

Wen Tingli cried out in dismay. The two children, realizing they’d caused trouble, fled in a flash.

Wen Tingli was both furious and anxious—the very first time she’d worn it, and it had ended up like this.

Lu Shicheng pulled Wen Tingli in front of him to look her over; Wen Tingli bent down, hastily wiping at it with her handkerchief, but the more she wiped, the dirtier it got.

“What am I going to do about this?” From a distance it looked like a big blob of something unspeakable stuck to her.

Lu Shicheng thought it over calmly for a moment, then suddenly pointed ahead.

[Wait for me over there, I’ll bring the car around right away.]

Once in the car, Wen Tingli couldn’t help but feel a bit dejected—she’d made up her mind that she was going to have dinner with Lu Shicheng today, but how could she possibly go out in public looking like this now? Lu Shicheng was probably planning to take her straight home—it was only just past four—

They’d had such a wonderful time today; she didn’t want the date to end so early.

Just then Xiao Taozi pointed out the window. “Dolly.”

Looking outside, they’d somehow wound up near the Bund, on a quiet street lined with many foreign shops lit with crystal chandeliers. Xiao Taozi was pointing at a porcelain doll in the window display of a high-end foreign clothing shop.

How had they ended up around here?

Lu Shicheng pulled the car over at the street corner and got out to open the door for Wen Tingli.

Wen Tingli got out with Xiao Taozi in a daze. The shop clerk had apparently taken one look and recognized Lu Shicheng as a man of wealth, and unusually, took the initiative to push open the glass door and come out herself.

“Sir, miss, our shop carries genuine Paris goods, please, come in and sit.”

Lu Shicheng looked at Wen Tingli questioningly.

[Why don’t we get you out of these dirty clothes first.]

Wen Tingli just stood there, dazed.

Lu Shicheng glanced at the clothes in the window display, thinking it over briefly.

[Don’t like this shop? We can try another one.]

Wen Tingli shook her head, saying with a smile, “I can’t afford the clothes here.”

Lu Shicheng glanced down at her, then took out the fountain pen Wen Tingli had given him from his jacket pocket and wrote a line, handing it to her.

[This came up suddenly—let me cover it for you today, and you can treat me to a meal some other time to make up for it, all right?]

Wen Tingli felt as if a feather had lightly brushed against her heart.

So gentle, so dignified.

“I—”

“Wen Tingli!” A modern young woman dressed head to toe in red suddenly came running out of the shop. “It really is you! Ha ha ha ha, what a coincidence! Come in, I can’t decide which one to buy!”

It was Gao Xiaowen.

She came over and pinched Xiao Taozi’s cheek.

“Ooh, who’s this little one? Why, it’s our Xiao Taozi—come give big sister a kiss.”

Finally, she turned to Lu Shicheng and greeted him with reserved courtesy: “Mr. Lu.”

Anyone in front of Lu Shicheng couldn’t help but turn ladylike, and Gao Xiaowen was no exception.

Lu Shicheng had no choice but to nod back at Gao Xiaowen, who, without further ado, dragged Wen Tingli and Xiao Taozi into the shop.

There was another familiar face inside too—Dong Qinfang, eldest daughter of Xinxin Department Store.

“Sister Qinfang!” Wen Tingli was overjoyed.

Dong Qinfang glanced at Lu Shicheng, then winked at Wen Tingli. “Out for some fun?”

She’d deliberately dropped the subject at the start of the sentence, which somehow made it sound even more suggestive. Wen Tingli gave a light cough. “Mm.”

Gao Xiaowen suddenly let out a strange yelp. “What happened to your outfit? It looks like you rolled around in a mud pit! Watch out, you’ll get our dresses dirty too—go change out of that right now!”

Lu Shicheng shot a keen glance at the shop clerk who’d been trailing him this whole time, and the clerk, catching his meaning, quickly ushered Wen Tingli over to the rows of clothing.

“Miss, tell me your size, I’ll bring the clothes to the fitting room for you.”

Wen Tingli was still feeling a bit shy—she hadn’t decided yet whether to accept Lu Shicheng’s gesture.

But Gao Xiaowen brazenly pushed her along inside. “What are you standing around for, want everyone to admire the mud on your qipao? I think this dress would really suit you, hurry up and try it on—and while you’re at it, help me pick out this one too.”

The clerk brought in a dozen or so outfits for Wen Tingli one after another—some skirts, some autumn dresses.

Every time Wen Tingli came out in a new outfit, Gao Xiaowen and Dong Qinfang showered her with praise—no matter the style, everything looked stunning on her.

Lu Shicheng waited with Xiao Taozi by the shop window, glancing back from time to time—sometimes just a brief glance, but more often, his gaze would linger on her for a while.

Wen Tingli had already made up her mind. After trying on the whole lot, she finally settled on a particularly striking lily-colored dress to wear out.

She came out ready to pay, only to see the clerk packing up all the outfits she’d tried on into a bag, one by one.

Wen Tingli quickly said, “None of these need to be wrapped up, I only need the one I’m wearing.”

The clerk said with a smile, “But Young Master Lu has already paid for all of it.”

Dong Qinfang chimed in beside her, “Gao Xiaowen originally said she’d pay for that beige dress—she said it looked best on you—but Mr. Lu just went ahead and bought the whole lot.”

Gao Xiaowen teased Wen Tingli in a low voice, “Did you really think he’d let you pay for anything yourself? As if the great Lu Shicheng would ever do such a thing?”

Wen Tingli’s face flushed crimson—now she had no idea how many extravagant feasts’ worth of meals she’d owe Lu Shicheng.

She glanced around sheepishly, and suddenly noticed that Lu Shicheng and Xiao Taozi were both gone from the shop.

“Where’s Xiao Taozi?” she asked hurriedly.

The clerk said, “The little one said she was hungry just now, Young Master Lu probably took her across the street to get something to eat.”

Before the words had even finished, Xiao Taozi came bouncing in, tugging Lu Shicheng along by the hand.

She had a huge armful of snacks, and her little crossbody bag was stuffed full too.

Lu Shicheng was carrying a large box of chocolates for her as well.

“Sister, eat, eat.” Xiao Taozi ran toward Wen Tingli.

Wen Tingli, embarrassed, pulled Xiao Taozi into her arms—no need to ask, all of this had obviously been bought by Lu Shicheng.

Gao Xiaowen deliberately teased Xiao Taozi. “You bought this much food? We want some too—will Xiao Taozi share?”

This time, Xiao Taozi didn’t just look at her sister—she also glanced at Lu Shicheng, who’d just paid for everything. Once granted permission, she generously handed out chocolates from her crossbody bag to Gao Xiaowen and Dong Qinfang.

While the three of them laughed and carried on over there, Wen Tingli looked up at Lu Shicheng, who was studying her new outfit intently. She asked him, “Does it look good?” Lu Shicheng nodded at her, and Wen Tingli pressed her lips together, delighted.

A little while later, they parted ways with Gao Xiaowen and Dong Qinfang outside the foreign clothing shop.

Once in the car, Wen Tingli naturally suggested they go eat at Kangle Restaurant.

“It’s not far from here anyway,” she told Lu Shicheng. “My treat.”

While he hadn’t yet started the car, she lowered her eyes and asked him softly, “Are you free tomorrow evening?”