Chapter 349: Don’t Try to Save My Money

At Lin Xiaoxiao’s words, Su Yuqing flushed bright red, but her eyes were filled with sweetness.

Chen Mo just smiled, calmly accepting their good-natured teasing.

The hot pot meal lasted a long time, from noon until well after two in the afternoon.

They talked about their studies, interesting anecdotes, and their hopes for their future university lives.

While their previous get-together had been more superficial, this time their conversation went much deeper.

Stepping out of the hot pot restaurant, the sun was shining perfectly. The autumn sky was high and the air was crisp.

"It doesn’t look like there’s anything official scheduled for this afternoon, right?" Lin Xiaoxiao asked.

"Yeah, each class might have a short meeting tonight, but the day is free," Li Zhe said, checking the freshman orientation schedule on his phone.

"Then let’s go walk around off-campus! It was too hot and humid yesterday, so we didn’t get a chance to go out and see anything!" Zhou Yue immediately suggested, earning unanimous agreement from the other girls.

Wang Lan and Li Zhe said they were going back to the dorm to catch up on sleep, while Shen Xinghe mentioned he had to handle an online work call.

Chen Mo looked at Su Yuqing, who nodded slightly. So Chen Mo said to his roommates, "I’ll go with them, then."

"Tch, ditching your buddies for a girl," Wang Lan pretended to complain, wiggling his eyebrows suggestively.

Chen Mo laughed and gave him a light punch on the arm, then naturally walked over to Su Yuqing’s side.

The two groups split up at the intersection. The guys headed back to Xingyuan Apartments, while the girls chattered excitedly as they walked off campus.

Chen Mo walked alongside them, listening to their cheerful conversation and watching Su Yuqing’s relaxed, happy profile. His mood was as bright and warm as the autumn sun.

His gaze fell on Su Yuqing, who was doubled over laughing at something Zhou Yue had said.

’With her here, the world is a beautiful place.’

The commercial street outside the university wasn’t far, only about a ten-minute walk.

Compared to the commercial area on campus, this street was packed with even more shops and drew a much larger crowd of shoppers.

Besides the usual clothing boutiques, accessory shops, milk tea places, and snack stands, there were also many specialty shops targeting university students, like murder mystery parlors, DIY workshops, and cat cafes.

"Wow! The clothes in this store look great!" Lin Xiaoxiao’s eyes were immediately drawn to a women’s clothing store with a very artsy decor.

"Let’s go, let’s go, let’s check it out!" Ever the woman of action, Zhou Yue pulled Lin Xiaoxiao and Zhao Ya inside.

Su Yuqing’s gaze was also captured by a light purple dress in the window display, and she hesitated for a moment.

Chen Mo noticed her looking and said softly, "If you like it, you should go try it on."

Su Yuqing glanced at him, a little embarrassed, and whispered, "It looks pretty expensive."

"Money is just a material thing. Besides, your boyfriend is here, so when would it ever be your turn to pay? I’m a very generous person, so don’t you worry about saving my money. Isn’t shopping about finding what you want and getting it? Don’t sweat the details," Chen Mo said with a laugh, gently pushing her by the shoulders to catch up with the group.

Su Yuqing knew what Chen Mo was thinking, and she knew he didn’t care how she spent his money.

But she still felt a little self-conscious about it.

Inside the store, the girls had already entered "battle mode."

Zhou Yue had a sharp eye and picked out clothes with lightning speed. In no time, she was holding a pile of several items.

Lin Xiaoxiao, whose style was more vibrant, preferred brightly colored pieces, while Zhao Ya leaned toward simpler, more basic styles. But when they saw the prices on the tags, they all instantly recoiled.

"You don’t have to look at the prices on the tags. They’re fake. Everything in here is a knockoff. The real price is only about a tenth of what’s listed," Zhou Yue said with a cheerful laugh.

Hearing this, the others were all stunned. They had only noticed that the clothes were stylish and seemed quite well-made; they really couldn’t tell that they were knockoffs.

At that, Chen Mo couldn’t help but shoot Zhou Yue a look. He suddenly realized why she had so unhesitatingly pulled them all inside.

Although he hadn’t known Zhou Yue for very long, Chen Mo had gained insight into her character early on.

She seemed carefree and boisterous, but she was actually very thoughtful and considerate of others.

As a young lady from a wealthy family, she didn’t care about prices, but her other dorm mates came from more ordinary backgrounds. If they actually went to a luxury brand store, they really might not be able to afford anything. Logically, Zhou Yue should have deliberately avoided such places.

The fact that she had pulled them in without a second thought this time clearly meant she had seen from the start that everything inside was a knockoff.

Just then, the shop owner also looked at Zhou Yue with a smile and said, "Young lady, you’ve got a sharp eye. The knockoffs I sell here are considered high-end replicas, yet you still saw right through them."

"That’s because my family has dozens of authentic sets from this brand," Zhou Yue said with a casual smile, then disappeared into the fitting room with the clothes she’d picked.

When Su Yuqing heard that the knockoffs were only a tenth of the price, she no longer felt bad about wanting the light purple dress.

"Yuqing, that dress will definitely look good on you!" Seeing that Su Yuqing was just looking and not taking action, Chen Mo had a clerk grab the dress in her size and pushed it into her hands. "Go on, try it!"

Pushed along by them, Su Yuqing went into the fitting room.

Chen Mo found a chair in a quiet corner to sit and wait patiently.

He watched the girls excitedly picking out clothes, holding them up, and occasionally whispering opinions to each other. The feeling was novel—a simple, warm moment that he had almost never experienced in his past life.

The fitting room curtain was pulled aside, and Su Yuqing walked out, looking a little shy.

The light purple dress seemed as if it were tailor-made for her. It made her skin look even fairer, the waistline was perfectly cinched, and the knee-length hem gave her a fresh yet gentle elegance.

She lowered her head slightly, her cheeks flushed, and asked in a small voice, "...How does it look?"

"It’s gorgeous!" Zhou Yue was the first to exclaim.

"Oh my god, it’s like a goddess descended from heaven!" Lin Xiaoxiao was as dramatic as ever.

Zhao Ya smiled and nodded. "It really suits you."

Even the shop clerk couldn’t help but praise her. "Miss, that color and style really bring out your elegance."

Su Yuqing subconsciously looked toward Chen Mo, her eyes filled with a hint of expectation and inquiry.

Chen Mo stood up and walked over to her. His gaze was gentle and focused as he carefully looked her over. Just as Su Yuqing was growing more and more anxious, he finally gave a serious, smiling nod. "It’s beautiful."

His affirmation made Su Yuqing happier than all the other compliments combined. The smile on her face blossomed completely, like a flower in full bloom.

With everyone’s encouragement and Chen Mo’s support, Su Yuqing bought the dress.

Zhou Yue and Lin Xiaoxiao also had their own successful finds, while Zhao Ya only bought a pair of simple, small stud earrings.

After leaving the clothing store, the group browsed some accessory shops, adding a few small trinkets to their collection. When they passed a milk tea shop, it was, of course, mandatory for everyone to get a cup.

Su Yuqing wasn’t originally planning to get one, afraid she’d gain weight, but Chen Mo smiled and said, "Drinking milk tea all the time isn’t good for you, but having it once in a while doesn’t matter. Besides, something sweet will put you in an even better mood."