Seeing that Xia Yuqing wanted to recommend a place for him to buy clothes, An Wuyang directly refused.
That was because their spending habits were different, and so were their preferences in clothing.
If An Wuyang let Xia Yuqing make a recommendation, then went there only to say it was unsuitable and unsatisfactory before choosing another place according to his own spending habits, it would definitely hurt Xia Yuqing.
After briefly interacting with Xia Yuqing, An Wuyang had already realized that she desperately lacked love and was extremely sensitive inside.
Even though Xia Yuqing seemed cheerful on the surface, and her apparent personality was quite pleasant, it was actually a false persona—the typical mask worn by someone starved of affection.
That was why An Wuyang had rejected Xia Yuqing's recommendation from the very beginning, avoiding hurting her later.
After all, although being rejected at the beginning could cause disappointment, it was like having no hope meant having no disappointment.
"Since there's a need for formalwear at our company, I need to buy a suit. I already have a suit brand I like." An Wuyang rejected Xia Yuqing's kind offer as tactfully as he could.
An Wuyang added, "You can help me choose the color and style later. I'll treat you to milk tea."
An Wuyang deliberately brought up treating Xia Yuqing to milk tea to lessen the disappointment caused by rejecting her recommendation.
Xia Yuqing had already mentioned that she was controlling her weight. Once he offered to buy her milk tea, she would certainly have something to say, and it might even directly divert the topic.
And that was exactly what happened!
"I can't drink milk tea. I have to control my weight," Xia Yuqing said with a coquettish hum.
"It's only one cup of milk tea. You can just exercise for another hour afterward?" An Wuyang joked.
Xia Yuqing rolled her eyes at An Wuyang. "Do you know how exhausting dance practice is?"
"Honestly, I don't," An Wuyang said with a mischievous grin.
"You..." Xia Yuqing was helpless.
An Wuyang continued, "Milk tea comes in sugar-free options, and you can also choose freshly brewed tea."
"But is that still milk tea?" Xia Yuqing countered.
"That does seem to make sense!" An Wuyang pretended to realize. "Then why don't you indulge a little?"
"We've already eaten. We might as well have some milk tea too and go all out today!" An Wuyang tempted her like a devil.
Xia Yuqing was somewhat tempted, but she ultimately shook her head.
"No, no. I have to report my weight tomorrow morning. I absolutely have to control myself today." Xia Yuqing struggled to maintain her self-discipline.
An Wuyang did not say anything more. "Then shall we go?"
"Okay." Xia Yuqing followed An Wuyang to his feet and left.
The two returned to the car. This time, Xia Yuqing fastened her own seat belt, and after successfully doing so, she even flashed An Wuyang a victory sign.
Xia Yuqing's adorable behavior filled An Wuyang with emotion. After all, where in his social circle could one find such a candid and innocent girl?
Was this perhaps what made a simple white gardenia so appealing?
About half an hour later, An Wuyang drove to the commercial center of North River District. It was Shengqing's largest commercial district, containing several different shopping centers, including Darong City, Tianjie, and Starlight Plaza.
Together, these different shopping centers formed the largest commercial center in northwestern Xia Kingdom.
The Bixihui-gray BMW M3 with its huge pig-nose grille stopped in the underground parking garage of Starlight Plaza. An Wuyang's shopping destination was Starlight Plaza, and he really was planning to buy a suit.
An Huchun had decided to put An Wuyang in charge of the sales business of Wugengtian Pharmaceutical Group. An Wuyang therefore planned to buy a suit and comb his hair into a more mature style. By then, he would probably look like the young and promising Domineering CEO from those television dramas, right?
Didn't the head of sales at Wugengtian Pharmaceutical Group count as a CEO too?
An Wuyang took Xia Yuqing into the elevator and went inside Starlight Plaza. He noticed that Xia Yuqing seemed somewhat ill at ease.
That was actually normal. Starlight Plaza was filled with boutiques for various luxury brands, and most ordinary people would indeed feel constrained when facing such stores.
Xia Yuqing recognized these high-end luxury brands. That did not mean she was vain; it was simply that it was already 2021, and the mobile internet was far too advanced!
Shengqing had long ranked among the top three new first-tier cities. Xia Yuqing had also taken the arts-student route, and with educational content about brands on apps like Little Red Book and Doule, what was strange about her knowing the major luxury brands?
As the ancients said: Even if you haven't eaten pork, you've seen pigs run!
If she could not afford luxury brands, was she not allowed to recognize them?
At the very least, knowing the luxury brands could help her avoid certain embarrassing situations.
For example, when buying hair clips, she absolutely had to avoid brands like MinMin.
The copying was done by the manufacturer, but the embarrassment of buying MinMin hair clips was borne by the consumer. Who could blame them when the MinMin manufacturer had practically replicated MiuMiu hair clips one-to-one?
Following beside An Wuyang, Xia Yuqing cautiously surveyed the luxury-brand boutiques around them and asked in a lowered voice, "Student An, do you want to buy a suit here?"
An Wuyang replied firmly, "Mm."
"Our family hasn't gone bankrupt, and our company is doing fine too. You can listen to rumors, but you can't believe everything you hear." An Wuyang took the initiative to explain.
"Huh?" Xia Yuqing was slightly taken aback, and then she unexpectedly revealed a faintly disappointed expression.
If An Wuyang's family had not gone bankrupt and his family's company had no problems either, how far apart were she and An Wuyang?
She had originally thought that An Wuyang had fallen from the clouds into the mortal world, and that she could finally get a little closer to him.
Who would have thought the rumors were actually false?
This...
Xia Yuqing's feelings were complicated, which was why she felt faintly disappointed.
An Wuyang noticed Xia Yuqing's disappointed expression, but he did not know how to deal with it because he had more or less guessed the reason.
Yet such matters were truly difficult to handle. After all, they involved the human heart.
And the human heart was complicated!
For example, could a rich girl and a poor boy be together?
The answer was yes!
And then?
Fast-forward to marriage?
That was where the problems appeared!
Dating was sweet, but marriage was not.
Marriage was the merging of two families. It also involved the redistribution of the assets of both families, as well as possible issues of betrayal.
That was why there were more and more reports of powerful families joining forces, such as the marriage between the second son of the famous Seven Wolves clothing brand and the young heiress of X Step. It was a perfect example.
From the perspective of love, the two of them being together was certainly not the best outcome.
But from the perspective of marriage, their being together was the best possible outcome!
That was precisely why, although An Wuyang had noticed the faint disappointment on Xia Yuqing's face, he did not know what to say, much less how to comfort her.
After all, under such circumstances, whatever he said or whatever comfort he offered would be wrong.
As Buddha said: It cannot be spoken, it cannot be spoken. The moment it is spoken, it is wrong.
In fact, An Wuyang had already shown the greatest sincerity he could. He had honestly explained his family's situation. At the very least, he had not pretended that his family was bankrupt and deceived Xia Yuqing in order to win the girl's affection!
Before you continue