Spending a pleasant noon on the grass, taking a rest, the four of them boarded a tour bus and left the forest, heading to the next destination.
It seemed that Wan Yue adapted well to strangers and didn’t exhibit any extreme behaviour.
So, Ning Xin decided to raise the difficulty level a bit by going to a place with more people and more interaction – the shopping mall.
“Let’s make it clear, this time I won’t be responsible for purchasing. Everyone buys what they need. I’ll distribute cash to each person later, then we’ll split into two groups. Wan Yue and I, Lang Xiao and Nie Ran, will take care of each other. After buying things, we’ll meet at the entrance of the mall.”
She explained this to everyone on the bus.
Nie Ran didn’t mind buying his own things, but when he heard about the personnel allocation, he became unhappy.
However, the kiss at noon felt nice to him, so he didn’t show any displeasure, just silently planning something.
After arriving at the destination, Ning Xin went to the bank and withdrew forty thousand yuan.
Forty thousand! Without any major items to purchase, taking out so much money as pocket money at once, in the past, she would have felt heartbroken enough to end up in the ICU.
Checking the balance in her account after withdrawing today, there was no excitement at all.
She even thought that if it wasn’t enough, she could come back later to withdraw some more.
Tsk tsk, the feeling of having money is really great.
After dividing the money, ten thousand each, Ning Xin took Wan Yue and entered the mall.
“What do you want to buy? Do you need any clothes?”
He looks so good, it’s a waste not to buy a few outfits with that face.
Before Wan Yue could answer, Ning Xin caught sight of two figures lurking behind them out of the corner of her eye.
Turning around, she saw it was Nie Ran and Lang Xiao.
“Wait for me.”
She instructed Wan Yue and walked up to them.
“Weren’t we supposed to split up?” she questioned.
Nie Ran justified himself, “Who said you can walk this path but we can’t?”
Ning Xin glanced at the signs on the road. She was heading towards the men’s clothing section, and they would also need to go there if they were buying clothes. It indeed made sense to walk the same path.
Alright, let him off the hook.
She returned to Wan Yue’s side and pulled him forward.
Nie Ran and Lang Xiao seemed like two shadows following closely behind, about ten meters away.
“Hey, how about those clothes in that store?” Ning Xin saw a storefront, her eyes brightened, and she took Wan Yue inside.
Nie Ran also wanted to follow, but Lang Xiao hesitated, “Isn’t this not good? The dean will be angry.”
After some thought, he walked into the opposite men’s clothing store. Instead of looking at clothes, he just stood at the entrance watching people.
Wan Yue tried on an outfit, stunning everyone with its effect.
Ning Xin took out her wallet ready to pay, but he said, “Let me try it on.”
She was surprised, “Are you sure?”
Although the salespersons were enthusiastic and easy to deal with, thinking about what he did in purgatory…
Ning Xin swallowed nervously, not daring to be so bold.
Wan Yue said, “This is the most basic survival skill. If I can’t even do this, how can I talk about starting over?”
“Alright, then pay attention yourself. If anything’s wrong, come find me.”
Of course, if she noticed anything suspicious, she would immediately call Nie Ran, who seemed like a greeter in the opposite store, to come and deal with him.
Wan Yue took the cash and walked towards the cashier.
Ning Xin watched him from afar. Although she couldn’t hear their conversation, she could tell from the atmosphere that it seemed quite harmonious.
Wan Yue returned to her side with the change and the packaged clothes.
“Alright, let’s go,” she said.
She noticed he had a handwritten note in his hand. “What’s this?” she asked.
“It’s the WeChat IDs of those two girls. They asked me to add them. Do you know what WeChat is? And do you know what ‘add’ means?” he inquired.
Ning Xin: “…”
Was this the power of good looks???
Heaven was unfair. Why hadn’t she ever enjoyed this kind of treatment?!
She awkwardly explained the meanings of both to him, and immediately he asked, “Can I use this money to buy a phone?”
“Uh… sure.”
The clothes only cost a little over a thousand, leaving over eight thousand in cash, which was enough to buy a phone.
“Then let’s go now.”
As if opening the door to a new world, Wan Yue took the lead and pulled her forward.
A few hours later, he had everything: a phone, a baseball cap, and sneakers.
“Sis, what’s this?” He pointed to a billboard and asked.
Ning Xin calculated the money he had left in her mind and absentmindedly replied, “It’s men’s skincare products.”
“Skincare products?”
“Yeah, don’t you use stuff like snow cream? But that’s for women. This one is for men’s skin and works better.”
“Can I…”
He stopped halfway and shook his head. “Forget it, I’ve probably spent enough of my money already. Let’s go.”
Ning Xin calculated the balance. After buying so many things, the cash left for him was only enough to buy a bowl of spicy and sour noodles.
But since they rarely went out, and his state and performance were so good, coupled with the fact that he had already bought everything he wanted before, ten thousand yuan definitely wouldn’t be spent, so she said:
“It’s okay, let’s go in. Consider it a gift from me to you.”
“Sis.”
Wan Yue looked at her deeply, his eyes like two gentle pools of water. “You’re really kind.”
Ning Xin smiled awkwardly and followed him into the store.
The salesperson enthusiastically promoted the products, and Wan Yue himself was interested in such things, so he gathered a whole set while experiencing them.
Ning Xin, on the other hand, became idle, wandering around and only bought two sets of basic products before waving them over to the store entrance.
“You two, come here.”
Nie Ran turned around, pretending to look at the products.
She said speechlessly, “What are you pretending for? You’ve been following us all along. Do you think I don’t know? Come here, I bought something for you two.”
Lang Xiao cheered and ran over, while Nie Ran stuffed his hands in his pockets and strolled over, looking indifferent, but his eyes kept glancing at the bags.
“Dean, what’s this?” Lang Xiao held up a bottle of facial cleanser and asked.
“It’s for washing your face. When your face gets dirty, just use this.”
“But don’t we have soap?”
“This cleans better.”
“Really?”
Lang Xiao looked at it affectionately.
Ning Xin handed the other set to Nie Ran. “Here, take this to take care of your rugged face.”
“Rugged face?”
“Yeah, your ruggedly handsome face, okay?”
Nie Ran couldn’t help but chuckle, taking the bag and glancing inside before looking back into the store.
“Did you buy the same thing for Wan Yue?”
“Um… he’s still choosing…”
Ning Xin brushed it off.
Nie Ran saw through her, “You’ve spent all your money on him, haven’t you?”
She forced a laugh, “After all, it’s his first time here. He’s bound to want more things to buy, and ten thousand yuan isn’t enough.”
“I don’t have enough to spend either.”
“…What did you buy then?”
Empty-handed, not even a lollipop bought, and it’s not enough to spend?
“Never mind what I bought. Anyway, either you give money, or he won’t let me overspend.”
“…”
Ning Xin impatiently handed over her bank card. “Take it, take it. If you’re capable, spend it all. Otherwise, we’ll go back and eat potatoes.”
“Thanks.”
Nie Ran placed the bank card against his lips, blew her a kiss, and then finally left her sight by hooking Lang Xiao’s shoulder.
Rolling her eyes, Ning Xin couldn’t help but smirk. Back in the store, she found that Wan Yue had already befriended the salespersons, calling them ‘sisters’ one after another.
When they left the skincare store, they had two extra bags: one bought skincare products and the other contained free samples.
Wan Yue sincerely said, “Sis, you were right. The people here are very nice and friendly.”
Ning Xin, who had never experienced such treatment before, silently shed tears.
As the sky gradually darkened, Lang Xiao couldn’t stay outside at night, so the four of them met at the entrance and took a taxi home.
Throughout the journey, Wan Yue’s phone kept buzzing non-stop with messages from the new friends he had made today, each inviting him to dinner.
He replied to each one effortlessly, handling it with ease.
It was only now that Ning Xin realized that despite his seemingly helpless appearance, he was actually a well-deserved master of time management.
Nie Ran and Lang Xiao each held a few bags as well, but she was too tired from the day of shopping to ask. She leaned back in her chair and closed her eyes for a nap.
As they neared home, Nie Ran ordered takeout.
Shortly after they arrived home, the takeout arrived too. They ate, drank, took showers, and went to bed.
Wan Yue was still in the living room chatting on his phone, while Ning Xin, wiping her hair, walked into the bedroom. Addressing Nie Ran, who was sitting on the bed with his back to her, seemingly preoccupied, she said:
“I was worried he wouldn’t adapt well, but now it seems like he’s more at ease than I, a person from the 21st century.”
Nie Ran didn’t respond, still preoccupied.
Unable to resist, she walked over to see. “What are you doing?”
He suddenly turned around, hiding whatever he was holding behind his back.
“Nothing,” he replied.
“It’s impossible. What are you holding? Let me see,” Ning Xin demanded, reaching out to grab it, but she was no match for Nie Ran.
With just one hand, he easily subdued her, pressing her down on the bed, rendering her unable to move.
Their faces were extremely close, almost able to feel each other’s breath.
She remembered the kiss on the grass during the day, and her heart began to race.
However, Nie Ran didn’t proceed further. Instead, he released her.
“Stop fussing. I have something for you,” he said.
“What is it?” she asked.
“Close your eyes.”
“Tsk, being all mysterious,” Ning Xin grumbled, but she obediently closed her eyes.
She heard the faint sound of metal clinking. After a few seconds, Nie Ran said, “You can open them now.”
She looked up and saw a whole set of gold jewellery laid out on the bedsheet in front of her.
Bracelets, rings, earrings, necklaces… all shining brightly with golden brilliance, dazzling and magnificent.
She picked up a bracelet. Not only was it finely crafted and aesthetically pleasing, but it also felt weighty in her hand, indicating its high quality.
“Did you… buy these?” she asked.
“Yeah.”
“Pure gold?”
“Yeah.”
“Why did you buy them?”
“You liked them last time, didn’t you? Besides, after we get married, you should have some decent jewellery,” he said.
“Mar-married?” Ning Xin was startled. “What are you talking about?”
Nie Ran’s expression turned cold. “Don’t you want to marry me?”
“I didn’t say that.”
“Fine.” He smiled, his eyes narrowing. “Let’s look at the calendar and pick an auspicious date to get married.”
“…Are you crazy???”
Nie Ran’s expression became serious.
“Do you or do you not want to? Just tell me plainly, don’t play games with me.”
“I’m not playing games with you, I just think… Isn’t it a bit too fast to talk about this now?”
They hadn’t known each other for half a year, and they had officially been in a relationship for less than a week. Despite the rapid progress they had made, the fact remained that they had spent very little time together.
“It’s not too fast. When I asked if you would accept me, I had already made up my mind to marry you.”
Ning Xin’s mouth twitched. “…Well, thanks for your appreciation.”
“What are your intentions then? Be clear about it now.”
She frowned and covered her head, collapsing onto the bed.
“I don’t know. Of course, I want to spend my life with you forever, but who knows with feelings, right? What if we argue in the future? What if we meet someone more suitable? What then…”
“You’ll like someone else in the future?”
Nie Ran thought of a new term he learned, “You’re such a scumbag.”
Pfft—
Ning Xin nearly spat blood and died.
Nie Ran picked up the necklace and put it around her neck. “I don’t care. I’ve decided on you. If it were in the past, I’d have dragged you to the palace. But now, I’ve decided to respect your opinion. We’ll choose a wedding date when you agree.”
Ning Xin found herself adorned with the entire set of jewellery and pushed toward the mirror.
Despite wearing simple pyjamas, the jewellery added an unprecedented touch of elegance to her.
She touched the delicate patterns on the necklace and asked, “How much is this set?”
“180,000.”
“What?!”
Nie Ran stood behind her, laughing, and kissed her on the head.
“On our wedding day, I’ll buy you a set worth 1.8 million.”
In the living room, there was a knock on the door.
Lang Xiao, who was lying in the plastic box, glanced at the door, while Wan Yue pocketed his phone and stood up to open it a crack.
Several girls stood outside, excitedly asking, “Are we going? We’ve reserved spots at the bar.”
“Let’s go.”
Wan Yue glanced back at the living room, closed the door, and followed them out of the neighbourhood.
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