Chapter 214: Chapter 211 Stop Fooling Around
Lin Wan deliberately walked up to Zhang Hao with a seductive gait.
"You men, why do you always think with your lower half? Besides, she’s my friend, and it wouldn’t be appropriate for you to go."
Zhang Hao didn’t care about the presence of the shop assistant and embraced Lin Wan, his hand resting on her waist.
"What if I insist on going? Your friend will be busy with her wedding, and we can find a secluded spot to do something naughty," he said with a low, alluring tone that was intensely attractive.
Lin Wan removed his hand, "You better behave yourself. I don’t want to fall out with my friend."
Escaping from Zhang Hao’s embrace, Lin Wan returned to the changing room and took off the bridesmaid dress she was wearing.
"Please wrap this dress up for me."
The dress Lin Wan had chosen was versatile enough to be a bridesmaid dress and suitable for everyday wear.
"Madam, that’ll be 499 yuan. How would you like to pay?"
Having exactly the right amount in cash, Lin Wan pulled out five red bills from her wallet and didn’t bother to ask for the change from the extra yuan.
She just casually picked up two pieces of inexpensive candy from the cash register.
"I’ll take you home first," Zhang Hao offered.
Lin Wan declined, "No need, I’m going to look at shoes elsewhere in a bit. I don’t want to take up your time."
"It’s not far from where you live. Go back early and have some cozy time with your beauty."
Zhang Hao couldn’t help himself, "What beauty? Tell me where you’re heading; I might as well see you all the way there."
Seeing Zhang Hao’s insistence, Lin Wan coyly bumped into his arms.
"It’s not far, just a regular shoe store across from the mall. I need to get heels to match this dress."
"But you know how picky I am when it comes to buying shoes; it might take a long time."
Zhang Hao glanced at the time—it was only 7:15, "Isn’t two hours enough for you?"
Two hours was indeed enough since it was just across the street, separated only by a two-way road.
So, the two of them held hands and crossed the pedestrian walkway.
Upon arrival, Lin Wan headed straight for the shoe store. Being a regular customer, the staff recognized her at once, "Miss Lin, it’s been a long time since we’ve seen you. What type of shoes are you looking for today?"
Lin Wan looked around and voiced her uncertainty.
"I’m going to be a bridesmaid in a few days. I’ve bought a champagne-colored dress and think a pair of light-colored heels would look nice with it, right?"
The shoe store staff visualized the style of Lin Wan’s dress in their minds, then promptly picked several pairs of shoes from the shelves. They had different styles but similar color tones.
"Miss Lin, please try these on. The new batch of shoes we’ve got recently are comfortable, and the workmanship is very fine. As for the price, it’s the same old rate."
After Lin Wan sat down, Zhang Hao came over as well.
Looking at the beautiful, but pointy heels, Zhang Hao found he couldn’t take to them.
He did not have a particular fetish for high heels.
"Do you need to wear such high heels? I hear bridesmaids have to bustle about all day. Can your feet handle that?" he asked.
Since he had known Lin Wan, he had rarely seen her wear high heels; she always wore flats or shoes with very short heels.
"I’m not sure myself, but now that you mention it, I’m a bit worried I won’t last. My feet will ache. Maybe you could help me find a couple of pairs with lower heels."
The shop assistant didn’t mind the extra work. However, the shoes already brought out were set aside.
They went back to the shelves and found several more pairs for her and brought them over.
After trying on several pairs, Lin Wan finally chose a pair of flesh-toned suede high-heeled shoes.
Her calves were naturally slender, and her feet pale to the point where even the blue veins were visible.
With the addition of the flesh-toned backdrop, they looked quite appealing.
Zhang Hao crouched down, lifting her leg to take a closer look.
This gesture was tinged with ambiguity. Lin Wan wanted to pull her foot back, but after a few attempts, she wasn’t successful.
She then urged Zhang Hao in a lowered voice, "What are you doing?"
"I’m checking to see if these shoes fit you," he replied.
Lin Wan, with a twirl of her eyes, smiled and said, "The shoes are on my feet, so of course I know if they fit. What’s the use of you looking over and over?"
Taking advantage of Zhang Hao’s distraction, Lin Wan quickly withdrew her foot from his grasp.
But just then, the high-heeled shoe slipped off.
It clattered onto the floor, the sound wasn’t grating, but it still drew the attention of those around.
"See, I told you these shoes don’t fit. Do you have a smaller size?"
The clerk said somewhat sheepishly, "I thought since Miss Lin would be standing all day, I chose a size larger so as not to weary her feet, but I’ll go find a size smaller now."
The clerk quickly brought over the same style of shoes in a smaller size.
This time, Lin Wan felt a significant difference when she put them on, and no matter how much Zhang Hao tugged at her ankle, the shoes stayed on.
However, this made Lin Wan feel somewhat uneasy.
With so many people in the store watching, she dared not make too much of a commotion.
She whispered in Zhang Hao’s ear, "Stop it, if you keep at it, I’ll start losing control again, and we are in public. Don’t make me look too bad."
Zhang Hao gave a slight smile and let go of Lin Wan’s foot without delay.
"This is the pair, then. How much are they?" Zhang Hao asked.
"These shoes are a new arrival, but since Miss Lin is a regular, we can offer a 20% discount, which makes them 799 after discount," the clerk said.
At hearing the price, Zhang Hao was quite astonished, "One pair of shoes costs more than a piece of clothing for you. That 799 could cover a month of my meal expenses. Use my card."
Lin Wan hastily stood up, blocking Zhang Hao, "No need. Use mine."
Both of them took out their bank cards at the same time, which somewhat puzzled the clerk.
"Miss Lin, whose card should I take?"
"Take mine. He’s just a friend, not my boyfriend. There’s no reason for him to pay for me."
At crucial times, the nature of their relationship was quite important. As the saying goes, one should not accept rewards without merit, and one should pay for one’s own treasured possessions.
The clerk took Lin Wan’s bank card, swiped it on the machine, entered the password, and signed before finally handing over the shoes.
Emerging from the store, they realized that almost an hour had passed.
"Let’s find a place to grab a bite first. I’m hungry after shopping with you for over an hour," Zhang Hao said.
They casually picked a restaurant and sat down.
"The city’s exchange competition starts tomorrow. How do you plan to perform?" Lin Wan asked.
"I don’t know. I’ll play it by ear. However, I haven’t seen Lin Zhen this time. Maybe their city hospital doesn’t have a suitable candidate for the competition," Zhang Hao speculated.
The waiter conveniently served up their meal just then.
"That’s unlikely. Maybe he knew the competition wasn’t going to be interesting and decided not to participate. That does sound like something he would do," Lin Wan speculated.
Zhang Hao’s eyes roamed, and with a wave of his hand, it seemed like he dispelled the fog hanging over his thoughts.
