Why Am I the One Being Won Over?

Bai Jun, in high spirits, walked out of the changing room in his new clothes and asked the Foxkin woman fiddling with her nails beside the rack. She seemed to have been spacing out, only barely reacting when Bai Jun asked a second time.

But when she shifted her gaze from her carefully manicured nails to Bai Jun, her bored eyes instantly went wide. Especially when she saw his handsome face, her soft fox tail perked up with vigor. "C-c-c-customer... what can I do for you?!"

"Uh, could you please lower your voice?"

The Foxkin woman's shrill voice ringing beside his ear had already made Bai Jun somewhat displeased. Once he noticed the burning, faintly greedy look in her eyes, that displeasure gradually turned into disgust.

The Foxkin woman was trying her best to stay rational. Otherwise, she would have turned into some lovestruck fool and dropped to her knees to propose... Though she really wanted to do that right now.

Even so, her body kept trembling slightly. She had long reached the age to discuss marriage. Despite her pretty appearance and gentle temperament making her thrive in the service industry, she still had not managed to get married.

The Foxkin men of her own kind were fickle and unreliable, Vidyadhara men had an inexplicably damp, clammy feel to them, and the Xianzhou people's lifespans differed far too greatly from those of the Foxkin. She had weighed her options for a long time without reaching a decision.

In truth, she had seen plenty of handsome boys. Many good-looking boys had pursued her during arranged dates, but she had never taken any of them to heart, because until now, she had never met someone who made her heart skip a beat.

But now, that had changed!

She had never expected to meet a man today who hit every single one of her preferences!

And even though he had merely changed into a different outfit, his entire aura had undergone a complete transformation. If he had been a stoic, girl-next-door childhood-friend-type pretty boy before, then now he was absolutely a cold, aloof ice-queen CEO type!

One was like a green plum freshly formed on a branch, tart yet carrying an indescribable sweetness; the other was like a stream flowing down from a snowy mountain peak, carrying shards of ice—freezing to the bone, yet sweet and thirst-quenching...

Thinking of that, she felt both nervous and excited, nearly unable to stop herself from letting out a soft moan.

"Um, excuse me, could I add your..." The Foxkin woman took out her Jade Omen and nodded shyly, staring without blinking in a way that felt almost deliberate.

"Sorry. Don't block my way."

Bai Jun shot her an irritated glance, the disdain and disgust between his brows impossible to miss.

"Y-yes, yes, yes!" The Foxkin woman's face turned crimson under that contemptuous glance. Her entire body trembled with numb pleasure as she hurriedly stepped aside to clear the way, and there was even a faint look of bliss on her face.

Bai Jun could not be bothered with her. He walked straight to the display cabinet near the counter and packed his old clothes into a shopping bag.

Thud...

Hearing the sound of clothes falling to the floor, Bai Jun turned around and saw Hanya covering her mouth and staring straight at him.

"You're here. What do you think? Give me a review?" Bai Jun curved his lips into a gentle smile and asked the muttering Hanya.

"V-very, very, very... quite handsome. N-no, it's alright..."

Hanya tried her best to keep her tone calm. Covering her nose, she quietly looked away, though a raging storm had already risen in her heart.

Ah, why is he so handsome? Why is he so handsome... I knew he was good-looking long ago, but I really didn't expect changing clothes to make him this devastating. And his aura is completely different too. Compared to how blankly adorable he used to look, he feels much more aggressive now. Damn it, he's so handsome, so handsome, so handsome...

"Were your eyes even on me? Even if you're just going through the motions, at least look at me before you say that."

While Hanya was fighting a battle within herself, Bai Jun had already walked over to her. Seeing how perfunctory she was being, he cupped her cheek with one hand and forcibly turned her gaze back toward him.

Their eyes met. Hanya's dazed expression was reflected in Bai Jun's clear azure eyes. Very quickly, a flush spread across her usually bloodless face, while ripples stirred in her beautiful lead-gray eyes from excessive shock.

"So... handsome..."

"That's good, then." Having gotten the answer he wanted, Bai Jun released Hanya's cheek in satisfaction.

Once she was free, Hanya lowered her head, gasping heavily as she swiftly picked up the clothes on the floor and ran to the counter to pay.

"Bag everything!"

"Miss? Are you alright..." Seeing Hanya's red face and how she kept panting, the clerk could not help asking worriedly.

"BAG. EVERYTHING. UP—!"

Carrying the bagged clothes, Hanya rested at the counter for a while. Only after the crimson flush on her face had mostly faded did she slowly return.

"How much was it? I'll pay you." Bai Jun looked as though he had made an extremely difficult decision as he tremblingly pulled out his wallet and asked tentatively.

"Consider it payment for last night."

Hanya casually handed the bagged clothes to Bai Jun. Though she repeatedly reminded herself not to be tempted, she still could not help sneaking a glance at him every now and then.

"Oh my, how could I possibly accept that..."

Though he said he should refuse, Bai Jun's body honestly accepted the clothes. He knew there was no need to stand on ceremony, but something ingrained in his bones told him he ought to do so.

Hanya pulled a small notebook from who knew where, crossed off the first item on her itinerary, then confirmed their next destination. She turned sideways and grabbed Bai Jun by the wrist. "Let's go. To the next place."

"How many more are there? This feels like such a hassle..."

Bai Jun complained as he followed Hanya out of the store.

They headed north along the clean, orderly streets, crossed several intersections, and entered an even busier shopping district.

It was the busiest time of the morning. Students who had just finished classes could be seen wandering around in groups of two and three, their lively, sunny smiles making anyone who saw them sigh over how wonderful youth was.

But Bai Jun was not feeling particularly good right now. He could sense countless gazes fixed tightly on him from different angles, as though he were some rare and exotic beast.

And ever since they left the store, Hanya had not spoken to him. Whenever their gazes met, she would immediately look away, as if deliberately avoiding him.

Just as Bai Jun was about to ask what was going on, Hanya, who had been walking ahead on her own, suddenly lifted her eyes from the notebook in her hand and looked toward the platform across the road. Several vendor stalls stood by the railing, displaying plump, fresh oranges.

"You stay here. Don't wander off. I'll buy you an orange."

With that, Hanya put the notebook back into her pocket and ran toward the platform in relief, leaving Bai Jun standing there in a daze.

"Was she taking advantage of me?"

Bai Jun thought about it. The Xianzhou probably did not have that saying, so he found a bench, sat down, and quietly waited.

Having finally finished coordinating the Tianbo Division and Interstellar Peace Company's Skyglow Ore dealings over the past two days, Tingyun had gained a few days of leisure. Carrying a box of Meizhan Pavilion's newly released cream dumplings, she walked briskly down the street.

The gentle swaying of her carefully groomed, fluffy fox tail and the smile on her face made it obvious that she was in a very good mood.

"I finally managed to get the dumplings my benefactor wanted to eat. I'll go give him a surprise!"

At the thought of Bai Jun, whose mouth said no but whose body was honest, greedily accepting the dumplings from her hands while pretending otherwise, her heart felt as sweet as honey.

As she murmured to herself about how to create a romantic yet elegant surprise, the keen sense of smell unique to the Foxkin told her that Bai Jun was nearby.

A delighted smile immediately appeared on her face, and her gaze swiftly found his figure among the crowd.

After noticing Bai Jun's change today, Tingyun's eyes gradually widened in astonishment. At the end of her gaze stood Bai Jun with his short hair tied into a small ponytail, handsome and aloof. His seemingly ordinary but clearly high-end new outfit made his already cool and striking face even more captivating.

One hundred points! Absolutely one hundred points! Who could possibly resist letting out a soft moan at this?

Tingyun's gaze grew increasingly unfocused, and her breathing gradually deepened. Her upright fox ears quietly drooped in shy embarrassment, while her long, fair legs could not help rubbing lightly together.

Just as she could no longer resist the urge to hug her benefactor from behind and bury her face in his clothes to rub against them to her heart's content, a lively girl beat her to the spot.

"?"

Tingyun's expression instantly froze.

The passing pedestrians inexplicably felt a chill and instinctively pulled their clothes tighter.

The Season of White Album Had Come Again

Bai Jun sat on the bench for a while in boredom, wondering why Hanya was taking so long just to buy an orange.

Suddenly, he remembered that Hanya had given him a diary earlier, saying it was for when he had nothing to talk about with Xue Yi tomorrow. Since he had nothing better to do, he took it out and casually flipped through a few pages.

'February 1st. Is there any difference between today's batch of files and yesterday's? I think there is, but is there a big difference? Maybe not. Is there really? If there is, then perhaps...'

'February 5th. The time I spent with my sister today also passed as quickly as lightning and sparks, as fleeting as an epiphyllum bloom, as brief as a startled glimpse, too beautiful to last, gone in an instant, vanishing in the blink of an eye.'

'February 6th. Recently, there has been so much work. Whenever I think of going back to the Ten Lords Bureau's Hall of Karma to sift through mountains of criminal records, I want to quit.'

Rather than a diary recording fleeting fragments of beauty in life, this was more like a trash can office workers used to vent their emotions, wasn't it?

Bai Jun did not find it funny at all. It felt like he was looking into a mirror.

'February 7th. The button over my chest popped open today. It seems I need to wear looser clothes when I have free time too. Ah, I'm so jealous of my sister.'

Was he really allowed to see this?

Bai Jun sucked in a cold breath. Just as he hesitated over whether to keep reading, someone gave his shoulder a hard slap, and a lively, crisp girl's voice entered his ears.

"Bai Jun! What are you looking at?"

"Ah, I didn't see anything—!"

Bai Jun jolted in fright and snapped the diary shut. But when he saw the energetic twin ponytails of the girl before him, he immediately sighed helplessly. "Don't suddenly appear behind me like that, Sushang. You'll scare someone to death..."

Unlike when they first met, Sushang had now changed into a neat, dashing Cloud Cavalry uniform. Combined with her naturally outstanding looks and temperament, she seemed completely refreshed. However, the clear, untainted stupidity in her eyes had not changed at all.

"Sorry, sorry, I didn't mean to... Huh?"

Sushang held a box in one hand and was just about to apologize, but after seeing Bai Jun's transformation, her small mouth fell open in shock. She did not even notice the box falling to the ground.

"H-h-h... so handsome! Bai Jun, you look so handsome today!"

Her face flushing red, the girl frankly expressed her feelings. Then, in great excitement, she leaned closer, curiously pinching Bai Jun's cheeks and tugging at his collar from time to time, wondering how someone's aura could change so much.

"Thank you for the compliment, but aren't you being a little too enthusiastic?"

Bai Jun helplessly brushed away Sushang's fingers causing trouble on his cheeks, then shifted farther down the bench and gestured for her to sit beside him.

"But you really are so handsome today?"

Sushang did not think about anything else at all. She naturally sat down beside him, her gaze never leaving Bai Jun's face throughout the entire process, and she seemed inclined to move even closer.

Bai Jun knew very well that he needed to be extremely patient with Sushang, so he calmly changed the subject. "Congratulations on joining the Cloud Cavalry, Sushang. I didn't expect you to succeed so quickly."

Sure enough, Sushang's attention was very easily diverted, and she puffed out her chest with an extremely proud little expression. "Of course! This young lady has long been capable of holding her own. Joining the Cloud Cavalry was a piece of cake!"

"You mean standing on your own... You make so many mistakes with words, Sushang. Read more books when you have time. And the phrase is 'as easy as taking something from a bag,' not 'taking it in hand.'"

"Is that so? Ahaha, don't be so picky about things like that." Sushang gave an awkward laugh and scratched her head, quietly shifting her gaze aside.

"You're bound to suffer for that someday." Seeing her like this, Bai Jun could not bring himself to say much more. He shrugged helplessly and turned his attention to the box she had been carrying. "By the way, what were you doing with that box?"

"Oh, this? I saw the owner of a shop in Aurum Alley about to carry it to the Starcruiser Sea Hub to submit a report. I figured I was heading back that way anyway, so I brought it along."

Sushang's smile was warm and brilliant, as though she was simply proud of helping others for its own sake. She was pure, just like the protagonist of some hot-blooded youth manga.

Bai Jun seriously looked at Sushang. The breeze stirred her chestnut hair. Her clear eyes gazing up at the sky held a trace of innocence, but something even purer than innocence. Under the sunlight, they seemed to shine brilliantly. With a clear conscience, she could always hold her head high without guilt.

So foolish. She's really going to suffer for this someday...

Bai Jun silently sighed in his heart, but his gaze remained fixed on Sushang's smile.

No matter who it was, that steadfast, warm smile was so captivating that the advice on Bai Jun's lips ultimately became a quiet compliment. "That's good. Your mother will definitely be proud of you too."

"Huh? I've already become good enough for Mom to be proud of me? Hehehe..."

She could not stay cool for even three seconds. Sushang returned to her silly, airheaded self, happily imagining her strict mother praising her.

This time, Bai Jun did not spoil her mood. He merely sat quietly beside her until Sushang suddenly remembered something. "Ah! Oh no, it's almost time! I need to hurry back and check in! Otherwise, the captain will scold me again!"

She hurriedly picked up the box and ran toward the Starcruiser Sea Hub. Before leaving, she did not forget to turn around and wave to Bai Jun. "Sorry, Bai Jun, I'm heading back first! I'll treat you to a meal next time!"

"Take care. Remember to read more when you have time."

On the other side of the street, Tingyun had unwittingly watched all of those interactions.

Her face was so dark it seemed ready to drip water, and the handkerchief between her teeth had been torn apart by her fury.

Watching the intimate interaction between the two, Tingyun, provoked by the spirit of jealousy, was nearly losing her mind. The fur on her fox tail stood on end one strand at a time along with her emotions, while the black aura emanating from her body was nearly solid enough to take form. It frightened the surrounding pedestrians into taking detours around her.

Tingyun had originally held a rather favorable impression of Sushang, the newcomer. After all, Sushang often appeared at the Tianbo Division to help the pilots, and she had helped Tingyun plenty of times as well. But that favorable impression had now completely ended!

Damn Sushang. She's just a newcomer, she arrived later, she's just a little girl, and she still dared to do that, that to my benefactor!

Just as Tingyun was preparing to go drive Sushang away herself, who would have thought that Sushang would pick up the box on her own and hurriedly leave?

Whether or not Sushang had sensed Tingyun's surging killing intent, Tingyun felt much better. Yet the next scene completely cast her heart into the abyss.

At the end of her gaze, a tall beauty with long silver hair and an even better figure than her own appeared!

"Who were you saying goodbye to?"

As Bai Jun waved farewell to Sushang's retreating figure, he heard Hanya's voice. The soft smile in his eyes instantly turned helpless as his gaze shifted from the distance to her face. "You finally came back. Why did it take so long to buy an orange? And you paid at the counter earlier too..."

Hanya did not say anything. She silently took out an orange from the bag, one whose white strings had already been carefully removed, and completely silenced all of Bai Jun's complaints.

"I'm sorry, I was wrong. Please forgive me, Lady Hanya!" Bai Jun immediately adjusted his attitude, feeling deeply apologetic for his earlier discourtesy.

"I forgive you."

Hanya sat down beside Bai Jun on the bench, split the orange in half, and handed one half to him. At the same time, she asked, "Who was that just now?"

"A friend."