Chapter 99 - 92: A Clear-headed Qiu Yuru

Chapter 99: Chapter 92: A Clear-headed Qiu Yuru

With a burst of courage, she grabbed Xiao Ran’s arm and stepped onto the escalator.

Her small hand was pale and slender. The moment she grabbed his arm, his heart couldn’t help but flutter.

It made Xiao Ran a little flustered.

Standing on the escalator, the two of them looked just like a young couple.

"You can let go. I’m not going to run off."

With so many people around, it wouldn’t look good.

At his words, the girl instantly grew embarrassed. Her cheeks flushed as she muttered, "What’s there to be afraid of? I’m your sister. It’s not just okay to link arms, even... even holding hands should be fine, right?"

After the talk with Auntie last night, the girl wasn’t so naive anymore.

’As long as I don’t confess my feelings,’ she thought, ’there won’t be a problem!’

The "little sister" identity was the perfect excuse to cling to him. After all, what sister doesn’t hang on to her brother’s arm?

This relationship was the most natural and also the safest.

Her plan was to act under the guise of being his sister while doing all the things a girlfriend should!

’Auntie was right. Once I’ve done everything a girlfriend does, he’ll have to be my boyfriend whether he wants to or not!’

In truth, Xiao Ran hoped she had feelings for him, too. But when she said that, the romantic ambiguity between them suddenly felt... uncertain.

This left Xiao Ran feeling inexplicably frustrated.

’Sister?’

’Is that really how she thinks of us?’

...

The third floor was almost entirely menswear. As soon as they got off the escalator, the girl pulled Xiao Ran straight into a clothing store.

She didn’t stop until she spotted a T-shirt that would be perfect for Xiao Ran. It was a simple, basic, white short-sleeved tee.

The look on her face as she saw the shirt was one of intense focus—far more serious than when she was browsing for women’s clothes.

She walked over, her expression serious as she studied the rows of clothes.

Seeing a customer, a saleswoman approached with a warm smile. "Hi there. Picking out something for your boyfriend?"

Hearing this, the girl instinctively glanced at Xiao Ran, her face a mask of embarrassment.

To be honest, after being mistaken for a couple so many times, Xiao Ran had lost all will to correct anyone.

’It was just too much of a hassle.’

He simply chose to ignore it. ’Whatever. As long as they’re happy, they can say what they want.’

’I’ve got no objections.’

The girl, in a silent understanding, didn’t say anything either. ’Since I can’t be his girlfriend openly, letting others think I am actually feels pretty good,’ she mused.

She didn’t mind one bit.

The girl picked up the shirt, examined it, and, satisfied, held it up for Xiao Ran to see. "Brother Xiao Ran, what do you think of this one?"

Xiao Ran nodded. To be honest, the girl had good taste.

Xiao Ran thought it was great.

Without a second thought, he started walking toward the counter. Seeing this, the girl rushed over. "I’ll get it! I’ll get it!"

’This is to replace the one I ruined, so of course I have to be the one to pay.’

There was no way Xiao Ran was going to let her pay, especially since he knew she didn’t have much money.

He immediately pulled her behind him. She wasn’t strong, so with one tug, she found herself standing behind him. But she wasn’t about to give up. ’If force won’t work, then I’ll have to be clever.’

’I can’t beat him in strength, so I’ll use technique.’

She ducked right under Xiao Ran’s arm and presented the QR code she had already pulled up on her phone.

The moment her body pressed against his again.

It was no exaggeration to say that Xiao Ran’s brain completely short-circuited.

’What kind of move is this?’ He really couldn’t take much more of this.

’Come on, is this really something a "sister" is supposed to do?’

’She’s going to be the death of me, all in the name of being my sister!’

Just then, Qiu Yuru reached the store entrance and happened to witness this juicy scene, causing her to stop in her tracks.

A thought quietly surfaced in her mind...

’What exactly is going on with these two?’

’A moment ago, Xiao Ran was adamant about not letting the girl wear anything too revealing, and now this?’

’Is Yan Xici now fighting him to pay the bill?’

’And more importantly, that move was way too intimate.’

’This doesn’t look anything like a brother and sister. It’s obviously just a front for the two of them!’

Qiu Yuru had been around the block; she saw what was really going on in a single glance.

’Nope. I definitely need to find some time to have a good talk with my son.’

’A very, very serious talk!’

The girl, having successfully snatched the opportunity to pay, turned her head to give Xiao Ran a bright, radiant smile.

She was ecstatic. ’Now it really feels like I’ve replaced his shirt for him!’

Xiao Ran looked down at her.

The bright store lights shone on her fair, delicate face, casting a soft shadow beneath her eyelids. His own face was clearly reflected in her pupils.

The adorable girl before him had eyes—and a heart—only for him.

His heart hammered so hard that the tips of his ears began to turn red.

’Honestly, an offensive like this... it would be hard for anyone to resist.’

Xiao Ran suppressed the thumping in his chest and pretended to be casual. "Fine, fine. You win."

"Oh, by the way, ma’am," the saleswoman said with a smile after scanning Yan Xici’s WeChat payment code. "The shirt isn’t on sale, but we can give you two free hot spring tickets. Our boss just opened this place, so it’s a grand opening promotion."

Hearing about the free gift, the girl felt like she’d hit the jackpot. A smile lit up her entire face, reaching the corners of her eyes.

"Really? For real?"

’This is the first time I’ve ever heard of getting free hot spring tickets for buying clothes!’

"It’s true. They’re for a place in Xujiahui, not far from here. And the water quality is exceptionally clean," the friendly saleswoman said, smiling at the pretty girl in front of her.

"Um, could you maybe give me one more?" the girl asked in a small, sheepish voice.

’I know I’m being a little greedy,’ she thought.

’But there are three of us, so two tickets aren’t enough.’

To be honest, she was only supposed to give out one ticket. But seeing such a good-looking couple, and with the girl’s genuine and straightforward personality, she really took a liking to them.

That’s why she had taken it upon herself to give them two.

If she gave away another one and her boss found out, she’d be in serious trouble.

The saleswoman looked at her apologetically. "Sorry, I can’t do that."

"Oh, okay."

The girl looked a little disappointed.

She took the two tickets, then tilted her head and gave Xiao Ran a sweet smile.

"Brother Xiao Ran, let’s take Auntie to the hot springs tonight!"

’It’s not often Auntie comes to visit, so it would be a shame for her to leave just like that.’

’I want Brother Xiao Ran to take Auntie for a nice, relaxing soak in a hot spring!’

Now that the two of them were finally acting normal, Qiu Yuru felt it was okay to go in.

She cleared her throat and walked in through the glass door, pretending she hadn’t seen a thing.

"All done?"

"Yep, all done! Brother Xiao Ran looks good in anything," Yan Xici said with a grin.

Xiao Ran nodded along. "Xici bought it for me."

Upon hearing that, Qiu Yuru didn’t hesitate to reach out with her slightly chubby hand and give Xiao Ran’s arm a hard smack.

"You brat! You’re buying clothes and you let a girl pay for them!"

’I really don’t know what’s wrong with this kid’s brain.’

’With that kind of awareness, how does he ever expect to win a girl over?’

’I have no idea what Yan Xici sees in him!’

Seeing Xiao Ran get whacked by his mother.

The girl instinctively shielded Xiao Ran. "Auntie, no, it’s not like that! I ruined one of Brother Xiao Ran’s shirts last time, so I’m paying him back."

Her tone was incredibly earnest, and her expression had even turned serious.

It made Qiu Yuru feel a bit awkward.

’Is this really my son?’

’I was clearly hitting my own son, so why do I feel so guilty?’

’It feels like I just hit her husband or something.’

She blinked. "Oh, child. It’s not like I was going to really hurt him. Besides, no matter the reason, he shouldn’t be letting you buy him clothes!"

Qiu Yuru was the kind of person who couldn’t stand stingy men. So from a young age, she had taught her son to be generous. "We don’t have to be suckers," she’d say, "but we must never take advantage of others, especially not girls."

And Xiao Ran had always followed that advice. Even with female colleagues, he would always offer to pay.

Today was truly an exception.

"Oh, Auntie, I really wanted to buy this for Xiao Ran. It’s not his fault. If you’re going to scold someone, scold me!"

She had already made up her mind. She wasn’t just going to buy something for Xiao Ran, but for Auntie, too!