Such a clingy little thing

Now that they had the new phone, Gu Shang gave it some thought. They rarely came out together; buying nothing but a phone seemed a little stingy.

He glanced at the fair, clean-faced young man beside him, who always dressed so simply and tastefully, and decided he might as well get Ji Mingzhu a few more outfits.

In the spirit of democracy, Gu Shang first asked Ji Mingzhu what he liked. "Sweet... ahem, Ji Mingzhu, are there any clothing brands you like?"

The young man lowered his head and touched the clothes he was wearing, his cheeks turning faintly pink.

He could name very few brands, and the one he was wearing was among them, but... its name was far too indecent. Ji Mingzhu couldn't bring himself to say it.

His husband had picked this outfit for him that morning. He had heard him say the clothes were from something called... Dior? Dick?

Either way, it was terribly indecent.

When Ji Mingzhu had heard it that morning, he had thought his husband was joking, and had secretly been rather shocked. Yet his husband's expression had been perfectly serious. It seemed he had been overthinking things.

How strange. Were people here always this blunt when naming things?

Ji Mingzhu shook his head. "I don't have any particular favorites. Pick for me, darling. Or we can just go to the shop you usually buy from."

The corner of Gu Shang's mouth lifted as he slowly pulled the car away.

He even wanted to buy his clothes from the same place as him. Such a clingy little thing.

Still, having someone cling to him like this felt rather nice, so Gu Shang said nothing.

Gu Shang took him to a shop with very upscale decor. With a wave, he politely declined the sales assistant who came forward to offer recommendations, then led him around himself.

The shop's overall style leaned toward mature businesswear, which didn't really suit Ji Mingzhu, so Gu Shang took him to a section with a slightly more youthful, polished style.

"Pick out whatever you like."

The young man obediently agreed and began browsing.

Ji Mingzhu's sharp eyes caught a snow-white shirt in a European court style. It reminded him a little of what envoys from the Western Regions wore when visiting the imperial court. Curious, he went over and picked it up for a look.

Gu Shang also thought the shirt would suit Ji Mingzhu.

The young man's skin was fair and delicate, perfect for elaborate styles like this. It would make him look like a pampered little prince, innocent and sweet, with a carefree air untouched by the ways of the world.

"If you like it, take it. You can wear it to class." It certainly looked artistic enough.

The man reached out with a powerful arm and scooped up the shirt.

Ji Mingzhu followed obediently behind him, watching him briskly gather one piece after another.

Ji Mingzhu had heard from his nanny that once married, he would have to learn to run a household frugally and keep track of expenses. He couldn't spend too freely, or his husband's family would find fault with him. But since his husband was the one spending freely, surely that wasn't his fault.

Before long, the man had picked out a whole cartful of clothes before finally managing to stop.

"I don't know what you like, so I bought a bit of everything. You can put the outfits together yourself later. If there's nothing else you want, let's head back. Once I've paid, someone will deliver the clothes," Gu Shang said.

Ji Mingzhu looked around curiously and asked, "Darling, don't we need to try them on?"

The last time he had gone shopping with Ji Zhian, he had tried everything on in a fitting room before buying it.

Gu Shang chuckled. "They don't allow that here."

The shop Gu Shang had brought him to was more than ten times as expensive as the one Ji Mingzhu had shopped at before. It was a genuine high-end luxury brand. Truly wealthy people didn't care whether a piece or two fit them. If they liked something, they simply paid for it; they never bothered with trying clothes on in the shop.

Ji Mingzhu looked pained at the expense. Trailing behind Gu Shang, he hesitantly tried to persuade him. "Darling, I have more than enough clothes now. Let's only buy them this once. Let's hurry home."

It was only a few outfits, not even as expensive as the tuition for the classes Ji Mingzhu would soon be taking, yet they were enough to fill the young man's eyes with little flickers of worry.

Gu Shang looked momentarily dazed.

He paid without betraying anything, his jaw tightening slightly. "Is there anything else you want?"

While he was in a good mood, if Ji Mingzhu took the opportunity to ask for jewelry or designer bags, he would agree. Even if he wanted to go to a dealership and pick up a car, that would be fine.

Of course, Gu Shang would pay for all of it. None of it would come out of Ji Mingzhu's allowance; it would be a reward for him.

"Nope. Let's go home~"

The young man took his hand, smiling sweetly.