Shopping

Chapter 24: Shopping

Not long after, Su Bai had changed his clothes.

A pure black tight-fitting outfit outlined the young man's slender figure, the fabric emitting a dull luster under the lights.

He neatly tied up the hair at the back of his head, then separated a strand of hair on each side, letting them hang down his back like tassels.

(Kakaluo: Piaozi, look... the little blue bottle...)

(Snow Leopard: Roar, roowr)

"Sister Qilin, I'm done."

Hearing his voice, Qilin turned around.

The moment her gaze fell on him, her breath involuntarily paused for a moment.

Usually, Su Bai wore loose, comfortable home clothes, possessing a clean and gentle aura like a boy next door.

But at this moment—

Black clothes, hair tied up, features sharp and clear.

It was still the same face, yet it seemed to have shed a layer of hazy mist, revealing a sharpness she had never seen before.

Especially those eyes.

Still clear, but it seemed like... there was a hint of indescribable depth.

Like a sleeping glacier finally revealing the first ray of dawn.

"What's wrong?" Su Bai tilted his head in confusion when Qilin didn't speak.

This habitual small gesture instantly pulled him back to "that Su Bai."

Qilin snapped back to reality, suppressed the inexplicable flutter in her heart, and smiled:

"It's nothing. I just think... you look really handsome dressed like this."

Su Bai's eyes immediately lit up: "Really?"

"Really." Qilin nodded, walked over, and adjusted his collar. "Let's go out."

"Okay!"

Qilin held Su Bai's hand as they walked out the door. The new look of the young man in black drew frequent glances from passersby.

Especially paired with the elegant and gentle Qilin beside him, a handsome man and a beautiful woman always made people unable to help but stop and stare.

The two arrived at Juxia City's largest mall.

Qilin, holding Su Bai's hand, began to browse through one men's clothing store after another.

"How about this one?" she picked up a dark gray hooded sweatshirt and held it up against Su Bai.

Su Bai stood obediently, letting her do as she pleased. "Whatever Sister Qilin thinks is good is good."

"Then try it on." Qilin handed him the clothes and pointed to the fitting room.

A few minutes later, Su Bai walked out wearing the sweatshirt. The loose cut made his figure appear even more slender. The dark gray contrasted with his fair skin, and his eyes under the hood were so clean they softened the heart.

Qilin's eyes lit up: "It looks good."

She had Su Bai turn around, looked at the back, and then nodded decisively. "This one it is. Now let's try on those pants."

For the next hour, Su Bai was like a human mannequin, dragged by Qilin to try on seven or eight outfits. From casual T-shirts and jeans to slightly more formal shirts and trousers, there was even a tracksuit that Qilin had picked out on a whim.

Su Bai cooperated throughout, and every time he came out in a new outfit, he would look expectantly at Qilin.

And each time, Qilin would nod seriously: "It looks good."

She genuinely thought they looked good.

Perhaps it was because Su Bai had delicate features and looked good in anything. Or perhaps it was because... seeing him wear clothes she chose gave her a sense of inexplicable satisfaction.

It was like dressing up a very large doll.

"Sister Qilin," Su Bai finally couldn't help but ask in a small voice when they were trying on the fifth outfit, "Are we... going to buy this much?"

"Yes." Qilin nodded.

"You only have those two sets of clothes, so naturally, we need to buy more."

"Oh, I see..." Su Bai nodded thoughtfully.

After buying clothes, Qilin took him to buy shoes.

She crouched down and personally tied his shoelaces.

Su Bai looked down at her back as she knelt before him and suddenly felt a warm, soft spot in his heart.

"Sister Qilin," he called softly.

"Hmm?"

"You're so nice."

Qilin's movements paused, then she looked up at him and smiled:

"You're only realizing that now?"

Su Bai also laughed, his eyes curving into crescents:

"Sister Qilin wants to buy new clothes too."

Qilin was taken aback, then the smile in her eyes deepened:

"Okay."

She took Su Bai's hand, and the two walked towards the third floor of the mall.

That was where the colorful world exclusively for women resided.

Upon reaching the third floor, Su Bai suddenly let go of Qilin's hand.

Then, under Qilin's somewhat confused gaze, he said:

"Sister Qilin, you helped me pick earlier, now it's my turn to help you."

Qilin looked at Su Bai's enthusiastic expression and couldn't help but smile:

"Alright, then you help me pick."

"If you pick well and satisfy your sister, I might give Little Bai a 'little reward' too~"

Hearing "little reward," Su Bai immediately thought of the light kiss on his forehead that morning, and his eyes lit up.

He began to weave through the racks, his gaze so serious it was almost reverent. He looked through them one by one, occasionally reaching out to touch the fabric or picking up a collar to examine it closely. His focused expression actually reminded Qilin of a jeweler examining a rough gem.

She stood not far away, watching his busy back, an indescribable softness blooming in her heart.

A few minutes later, Su Bai returned to Qilin's side.

He held the clothes he had chosen for Qilin in his hands, a solemn expression of having completed an important task on his face:

"Sister Qilin, try them on quickly."

Qilin smiled and took them: "Okay."

She turned and walked towards the fitting room, only then having the chance to look down and examine the clothes Su Bai had chosen—

It was a black evening gown with a daring cut, featuring elegant and sexy cutouts on the shoulders and back, while the skirt maintained a smooth, flowing drape.

Beneath the evening gown, he had also paired it with extremely short denim hot pants and a pair of finely textured black stockings.

(Reference Yangyang)

The moment she saw them clearly, Qilin's cheeks flushed uncontrollably.

It could only be said that even with much of her memory lost and her soul injured, Su Bai's underlying code was still working its magic.

Qilin stood before the full-length mirror in the fitting room, clutching the outfit, her heart pounding a little too fast.

Should I really wear this?

This outfit... it's too much...

Her gaze fell on the bold cutout designs, and the temperature of her cheeks rose a few more degrees.

But outside the door, Su Bai's expectant voice came:

"Sister Qilin, are you done changing?"

Qilin took a deep breath.

With somewhat clumsy movements, she put on the evening gown.

The cool, silky fabric clung to her skin, and the emptiness on her shoulders and back felt unaccustomed.

She awkwardly tugged at the hem of the skirt, then put on the hot pants and stockings.

Finally, she looked at the accessories Su Bai had also handed in.

"...He even thought of these?" Qilin muttered softly, but she obediently put them on.

When all the accessories were in place, she looked up at the mirror again—

And froze.

The woman in the mirror was so unfamiliar she almost didn't recognize herself.

The black evening gown accentuated her curves, usually hidden by loose clothing, while the off-the-shoulder and backless design revealed skin she had never shown before, exuding an almost sharp sexiness.

The hot pants and black stockings made her legs appear long and straight, adding a touch of modern boldness.

Sexy and elegant, modern and classic, soft and heroic...

These contradictory qualities achieved a wondrous balance on her.

It was as if she could be a general fighting on the battlefield or a beauty dancing at a banquet.