Jiang Ruoqiao was speechless.

She was also helpless. She always felt that Lu Yicheng had been sent by the heavens to keep her in check — otherwise, why was it that so many times he’d left her completely stumped, unable to get a word of complaint out, yet she never got angry? The two of them stared at each other, and it was Lu Yicheng who came to his senses first. He couldn’t help feeling annoyed with himself: he had misheard her — she hadn’t meant to buy another one at all.

Jiang Ruoqiao was helpless, but then again, so was Lu Yicheng.

He too often felt that whenever he was around her, his reactions weren’t as sharp as usual, his thoughts weren’t as clear, and his whole mind seemed to have slowed down considerably.

“I’m sorry.” Lu Yicheng apologetically spoke first out of habit.

Jiang Ruoqiao wanted to sigh, but in the end found she had no breath left for it. This person really had been sent to keep her in line. She had no choice but to forcefully rip the tag off the jacket.

Lu Siyan: “Wow~”

Mommy was just as bold and swift when she tore open packages too.

Jiang Ruoqiao put on the pale pink jacket. It really did suit her, and the size fit perfectly — not too big, not too small, the sleeves just right. After putting it on, she felt warm all over, and her expression relaxed. She looked over at Lu Yicheng, ready to transfer the money to him.

Lu Yicheng seemed to already know what she was about to say. He shook his head. “You don’t need to pay me.”

He had intended to buy it for her, and she didn’t even know. There was no reason to take her money.

Jiang Ruoqiao: “……”

This blockhead was genuinely stubborn when he dug his heels in. She could already tell that even if she sent him a WeChat transfer, he probably wouldn’t accept it. For the sake of a little over four hundred yuan, it really wasn’t worth making a big deal of. She looked him over from head to toe.

Lu Yicheng instinctively stood up straighter, his nerves tightening.

Today Lu Yicheng was wearing a dark grey hoodie, paired with casual trousers and sneakers.

His wardrobe seemed to consist entirely of black, white, and grey.

To say his fashion sense was good would be a blatant lie. She suspected he had no idea how to put outfits together and simply wore whatever was comfortable. Fortunately, his looks and his height and build spoke for themselves — even if his combinations weren’t quite right, he was still more than pleasant to look at.

Lu Yicheng knew she was sizing him up.

He even felt the urge to look down at himself to check if something was off today — had his clothes gotten dirty, or his shoes?

Jiang Ruoqiao had made up her mind. “Alright then. One good turn deserves another. You bought me a jacket worth four hundred and fifty-eight yuan, so I’ll buy you a jacket worth four hundred and fifty-eight yuan. There seems to be a shopping centre nearby. We can go shopping, get you something to wear, and then go for dinner.”

Perfect~

Lu Yicheng was taken aback, then started shaking his head repeatedly. “No, no, I have plenty of clothes.”

Jiang Ruoqiao: “Plenty??”

Where exactly? She barely knew what the word ‘plenty’ meant anymore…

Seeing that Lu Yicheng was still about to hem and haw, she said directly: “Either you accept a transfer from me, or I take you to buy a piece of clothing. Your choice. Pick one — you can’t pick neither.”

Money or clothes?

Before Lu Yicheng could answer, Lu Siyan tugged at him and answered on his behalf: “Buy Daddy clothes!”

Jiang Ruoqiao’s eyes curved into a smile. “Then it’s settled.”

Lu Yicheng: “……”

He really did have clothes to wear. The words reached the tip of his tongue but he swallowed them back down. He didn’t want her money, and he didn’t want her to buy him clothes either — it was too much of an expense. But seeing how enthusiastic both she and Siyan were, he couldn’t bring himself to say anything that might dampen the mood.

Though they were supposedly going to buy Lu Yicheng clothes, Jiang Ruoqiao made a beeline for the third floor.

That wasn’t her fault, either. She murmured her rationale: “That’s how shopping centres are set up — women’s clothing on the second and third floors, men’s on the fourth. You have to pass through the third floor to get to the fourth.”

Lu Siyan said: “No need to explain. I’m used to it.”

He turned to glance at his father, who was one step below them on the escalator. “Daddy will get used to it too.”

Lu Yicheng: “……”

Jiang Ruoqiao ruffled Lu Siyan’s curls and said with mock reproach: “You know me too well. But don’t worry, I’m just browsing. It won’t take long.”

Lu Siyan turned back to tell Lu Yicheng: “It won’t take long. Roughly about an hour. Daddy, please be mentally prepared.”

Jiang Ruoqiao burst out laughing. “You little menace.”

In truth, there wasn’t anything she particularly needed to buy, but so many new arrivals had come out recently — might as well have a look. Boosting foot traffic for brick-and-mortar stores could be counted as a good deed.

She said “I’m not buying anything,” but in practice, Jiang Ruoqiao bought a cushion brush, scented candles, a pair of fluffy slippers, and finally started browsing hats. Standing in front of the display rack, she was stumped — she couldn’t decide which one to pick. She turned around and looked at the two Lus.

She picked one up and tried it on. “Does this look good?”

Lu Yicheng and Lu Siyan: “It looks good.”

They’d said “it looks good” so many times today they were thoroughly tired of it, but clearly, they’d have to say it many more times yet.

Jiang Ruoqiao nodded, then swapped it for another one. “What about this one? Does it look good?”

“It looks good.”

Since she didn’t want to buy two, she asked: “Which one looks better?”

Lu Siyan: “……”

He’d rather go home and do the craft homework his teacher had assigned!

Lu Yicheng: “.”

This was genuinely difficult. They had to say something, yet father and son both agreed unanimously that these two hats looked… exactly the same. They couldn’t see any difference whatsoever. How on earth were they supposed to answer?

Jiang Ruoqiao rolled her eyes at them. “Hopeless.”

Such a simple question, and they were acting as though it were a matter of life and death.

Boring. Useless.

Just then, a young woman with curly hair walked over and said to Jiang Ruoqiao: “I think this one looks better — it flatters both the shape of your head and the shape of your face. You have an oval face, which suits everything, but this one is more fitting. It also goes well with your hair colour, and it’s better suited for autumn and winter.”

Jiang Ruoqiao’s eyes lit up. “You’re absolutely right! Thank you so much.”

The curly-haired woman smiled softly. “I’m just telling the truth.”

Jiang Ruoqiao went to the register feeling very pleased with herself.

Lu Yicheng: “……”

Jiang Ruoqiao finally left the third floor in a state of complete satisfaction, bringing Lu Yicheng and Lu Siyan up to the fourth floor.

The third and fourth floors were a study in contrast. The women’s section had been bustling with shoppers; the men’s section comparatively had far fewer customers.

It was the first time Lu Yicheng had ever set foot in a shop like this to buy clothes.

Jiang Ruoqiao didn’t know much about men’s clothing either. She had quickly looked up reviews online, and brought Lu Yicheng directly to a store better suited for young people, with a brand that was considerably more affordable than the others. Lu Yicheng was visibly ill at ease, Lu Siyan was obliviously content, and Jiang Ruoqiao stepped naturally into the role of leader. She walked into the store without needing any help from the sales staff and headed straight to a section. She stood there sorting through the rack, eyes focused. The store lighting was bright and clear. Lu Siyan settled himself onto a nearby sofa — he was exhausted and desperately needed to sit and rest.

Lu Yicheng stood a short distance away, watching Jiang Ruoqiao’s focused expression as she selected clothes for him.

How to describe what he was feeling at this moment?

He couldn’t quite say.

He only felt… happiness.

In truth, it had been a very long time — a very, very long time — since he had experienced anything that could be called happiness. He had always felt that such feelings were far too extravagant for him. Yet in this very minute, this very second, the first word that surfaced in his mind was exactly that.

In the end, Jiang Ruoqiao picked out two pieces of clothing and thrust them at him. “Go try these on.”

Lu Yicheng still hadn’t quite come back to himself.

Jiang Ruoqiao assumed he was put off by the price. With the sales clerk standing right there, she could only lower her voice: “Trying them on is free. Go ahead and try them first.”

Lu Yicheng: “Okay.”

A few minutes later, Lu Yicheng came out. The piece Jiang Ruoqiao had chosen for him was a knit sweater that could be worn as outerwear.

Under the store lighting, he cut a tall, lean silhouette. A sweater of that texture genuinely suited him.

Jiang Ruoqiao gave an approving nod. “I also picked out a trench coat for you. You can put it on directly and see how it looks.”

“Sure.” Lu Yicheng changed into the trench coat.

If she hadn’t been telling herself to hold back, Jiang Ruoqiao would have been tempted to whistle.

So this was what it meant for clothes to make the man. She’d seen it with her own eyes today.

With the knit sweater and the trench coat on together, Lu Yicheng’s looks jumped up several notches in an instant! Even the sales clerk beside them couldn’t stop gushing: “You look incredible in this, sir! You look even better than our brand ambassador! You were born to model clothes!”

Jiang Ruoqiao thought so too!

Truly born to model clothes!

He looked so much better than the cardboard standee of the brand ambassador at the door!

Lu Yicheng had a great build and was at the prime age of twenty, with clean, handsome features on top of that. With the knit sweater and trench coat on today, he was at the level of being approached by talent scouts on the street, at the level of being filmed and posted online if he walked through a city centre.

Lu Yicheng went back into the fitting room and changed out of the clothes. As he stepped out, he overheard the sales clerk pitching to Jiang Ruoqiao: “He really looks amazing in the whole outfit. We have a special promotion on today — buy two pieces, and you get two pairs of socks as a gift~”

“Great, I’ll take them!” said Jiang Ruoqiao.

Lu Yicheng opened his mouth, then closed it again.

He had secretly glanced at the price tags while he was in the fitting room. The trench coat was over eight hundred yuan. The knit sweater was over three hundred…

Together, that was over twelve hundred yuan.

This was unnecessary. Truly unnecessary.

He wanted to say there was no need, but when he saw the look in Jiang Ruoqiao’s eyes, those three words went back down his throat. He gave a slight nod. Alright.

They were already heading toward the register with the clothes when Jiang Ruoqiao remembered something and stopped him. “Wait, go try on these trousers as well.”

Lu Yicheng: Really… there’s no need…

He had trousers. Genuinely several pairs. He didn’t need more.

Jiang Ruoqiao: “Just try them.”

Lu Yicheng looked at her, and still nodded in agreement. “Okay.”

The moment he took the trousers and stepped into the fitting room, Jiang Ruoqiao moved quickly, turning to the sales clerk: “Quick, ring up the sweater and trench coat now! Hurry!”

Come on, show us your professional speed!

The sales clerk understood immediately and relayed the message to the cashier at lightning speed.

The cashier had never moved her hands so fast in her life. Jiang Ruoqiao scanned her payment code, and only then did she let out a complete sigh of relief.

She had been genuinely grateful to Lu Yicheng lately.

He had gone to so much effort for her grandmother’s hospitalisation.

Both out of gratitude and out of basic decency, she shouldn’t just stand by and do nothing. The clothes were only a small gesture of her appreciation.

When Lu Yicheng came out in the new trousers, took one look at Jiang Ruoqiao standing there with a shopping bag in hand, and what more was there to understand?

A diversion tactic?

Lu Yicheng looked at Jiang Ruoqiao helplessly.

Jiang Ruoqiao.

He really wanted to call out her name.

Jiang Ruoqiao, don’t do this.

Quite obviously, the helpless look on his face made her laugh. Looking like she’d won a battle, in a manner that was very uncharacteristic and quite childishly, she tilted her head and threw him a peace sign. Yeah!

She had succeeded~

It was already paid for anyway~

—