Chapter 29: Shopping
A ride-share car pulled up to a bustling district in the city.
The right door opened, and Wen Yang stepped out first, holding the door for Ning Chu.
"Sigh..."
"Why the long face?"
Wen Yang looked at Ning Chu, who was cautiously scooting her way out of the car, trying to keep her balance.
"What do you think?!"
After stepping out of the car, Ning Chu shot Wen Yang a discontented glance before scanning her surroundings.
It was a weekday afternoon, and although this was a busy shopping district, there weren’t many people on the streets, which allowed Ning Chu to relax a little.
She tugged at her short skirt, feeling like it was still too short.
Wearing a skirt was a completely different experience from wearing pants. While the skirt allowed her legs to move freely, the breeze brushing against her thighs made her feel uneasy.
"Shall we look around a bit first?"
Wen Yang reached out to grab her hand when she wasn’t paying attention, but Ning Chu quickly dodged to the side, like a rabbit darting several meters away.
"..."
"I was ready for you!" Ning Chu glared at him, her face flushed with a soft pink hue, which made her look more cute than intimidating.
Wen Yang was getting bolder and bolder!
He shamelessly suggested in the morning that she help him with... certain things, and now in the afternoon, he wanted to hold her hand while they strolled around like a couple.
As if!
She hadn’t even started giving him a hard time for tricking her into wearing a dress!
Ning Chu hurried ahead, not really interested in shopping, keeping her guard up around Wen Yang.
It was clear that her original plan—to keep Wen Yang’s feelings at a manageable level where he neither liked nor disliked her—had completely fallen apart.
And worse yet, she was starting to act a little strange herself...
After only a few minutes of walking, Ning Chu couldn’t help but glance back over her shoulder.
Seeing Wen Yang still following her, she felt a wave of relief wash over her.
"The movie starts in an hour. In the meantime, see if there’s anything you want to buy," Wen Yang suggested as he met her gaze.
"What movie?"
"Uh... you’ll find out when we get there."
Ning Chu narrowed her eyes, scrutinizing Wen Yang.
This guy was much more forward today than usual. To think she used to tease him about being so shy and timid.
She preferred the shy and timid version of him, at least then she could handle him more easily.
"Probably some romance or horror movie..." Ning Chu muttered.
Wen Yang’s expression stiffened, clearly caught off guard by her guess.
"Heh."
She rolled her eyes at him. Just because she used to be a guy didn’t mean she didn’t know how things worked.
If it was a romance movie, he’d probably try to take advantage of the romantic atmosphere in the theater. If it was a horror movie, he’d expect her to be scared and cling to him.
Dream on!
Feeling a bit insecure in her short skirt, Ning Chu slowed her pace, allowing Wen Yang to catch up and walk beside her.
The few passersby seemed to glance at her, their eyes lingering on her legs or her pretty face. This made her feel uncomfortable, worried that there might be some perverts among them.
"Do you want to buy another outfit you like?" Wen Yang asked, glancing at a nearby women’s clothing store.
"No, no need."
Ning Chu quickly shook her head.
"How about something to eat?"
"Sure."
They stopped at a small snack shop, the kind you could find in any city. Various skewers and snacks were displayed at the counter, and Ning Chu’s eyes were immediately drawn to the food.
Although she had seen shops like this many times, she had never actually tried the food.
Especially the skewers—they looked as long as her forearm, with big chunks of meat that made her mouth water.
"How much for the skewers?" Wen Yang asked as he pulled out his phone to pay. "And a cup of bubble tea."
"It’s already paid for."
But Ning Chu had already spotted the prices and paid before him.
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Wen Yang was momentarily stunned, looking at Ning Chu’s slightly blushing face.
Usually, when going out with a girl, the guy was expected to pay, right? Why was Ning Chu so eager to pay?
"Wen Yang! This skewer is huge!" Ning Chu’s mood brightened as she held up the large skewer like a trophy, showing it off to Wen Yang before taking a big bite.
Then, with a disgusted expression, she shoved the skewer into Wen Yang’s hand. "You eat it."
"Not good?"
"It’s good~ I’m just saving the best for you~"
The tone of her voice made it clear the skewer wasn’t as tasty as it looked.
But Wen Yang, having grown up in a modest household, wasn’t one to be picky or waste food.
"It’s all seasoning, probably made of duck meat, which explains why it’s so cheap..." Ning Chu muttered as she sipped her bubble tea, her attention quickly drawn to a stall selling scallion pancakes. She excitedly ran over to it.
The initial awkwardness of wearing a dress, and her wariness around Wen Yang, gradually faded away as they ate.
"Hey! Meat-filled dumplings! I can’t believe they have these here!"
"Do you want some oyster omelette?"
"Let’s get a slushie!"
Wen Yang had thought that Ning Chu would be interested in clothes, accessories, or bags during their shopping trip, so he had borrowed some money from Zhang Shaoqing just in case.
But it turned out that Ning Chu was only interested in food and drinks, and didn’t even glance at the stores. After half an hour of walking through the shopping district, Wen Yang had only spent thirty yuan on the taxi and two discounted movie tickets, yet he was nearly stuffed to the brim.
"It’s about time to head to the cinema," he said, trying to think of a way to spend the rest of the borrowed money. "The theater is in the mall. We can have dinner afterward."
"Dinner?"
"Yeah."
"But I’m already full..."
"..."
Ning Chu had just finished a strawberry slushie, let out a small burp, and looked towards the nearby mall. "Alright, let’s go watch the movie."
Wen Yang sighed, following her while holding her hand.
When Ning Chu felt him grab her hand again, she looked up in surprise, but this time she was too tired to resist and just muttered, "Is that really necessary?"
She didn’t have the energy to constantly be on guard against Wen Yang’s advances.
With a sigh of resignation, she decided it was time to lay things out clearly. "Wen Yang, I’m not interested in you at all... When I said I was your girlfriend earlier, it was just to help you get rid of those girls."
Wen Yang nodded, but he tightened his grip on her soft hand, as if afraid she might slip away.
"I just see you as a useful little brother." Ning Chu gave him a sideways glance. "You’re obedient, and you’ll pretty much do whatever I ask."
"Yeah, sure."
Wen Yang kept nodding, curious to see how stubborn Ning Chu could be.
"..."
Ning Chu nearly blurted out something about the plot.
In the book, the male lead wasn’t this clingy! He was supposed to treat girls with a casual, playful attitude, rarely getting emotionally involved. Even when he did, he never clung to them like this!
Why was he sticking to her like she was the only one for him?
"Isn’t it normal for a little brother to hold his big brother’s hand?"
"That’s not normal at all!"