The bustling crowds and pedestrians coming and going interwove into a vibrant scene of everyday life.
Belle: (￢_￢)
Oh no, why is everyone on the street staring at us?!
Belle didn't dare relax. Clutching Lu Yingheng's sleeve in her little hand, she all but dragged him deep into a secluded alley beside the square.
The alley shut out the noise outside, leaving only the faint rustling of the wind.
Belle leaned against the cold wall and turned to look at the quiet young man beside her. Her eyes were full of envy as she grumbled under her breath:
"Honestly, Lu Yingheng, it's just not fair for you to look like that."
The girl's voice was soft and sweet, tinged with exasperation that left her not knowing whether to laugh or cry, along with a hint of envy she couldn't hide.
"Everyone on the street turned to look at you as we walked here. Every single one of them.
Other people go out shopping to see the sights. You go out shopping, and everyone on the street comes to see you."
She really was at her wits' end.
She had deliberately chosen a route with relatively few people, but the moment Lu Yingheng stepped into the sunlight, his striking, sharply defined face drew far too much attention.
Hearing her, Lu Yingheng tilted his head slightly, as if he hadn't understood her teasing or exasperation at all.
Lu Yingheng: Watch me put on an act for her!
The clueless, silly protagonist is way too easy to fool!
He was currently pretending to be an innocent amnesiac, so he acted as though he knew nothing at all.
He made his eyelashes flutter twice, then slowly lowered his head and drew his straight shoulders inward.
He said nothing and offered no defense. He simply hung his head in silence, as if he had mistakenly thought he'd done something wrong, quietly dejected and silently apologizing to her.
His slender figure radiated an innocent sense of grievance, and he looked so well-behaved that it melted the heart.
Lu Yingheng's thoughts: (◕ˇ∀ˇ◕)
Belle caught sight of his cautious expression out of the corner of her eye. Her heart instantly softened, and a burning blush spread across her cheeks.
Oh no, I can't be stern with him at all. Even her exasperation vanished in an instant.
She hurriedly pulled off her own light-colored jacket and swiftly draped it over Lu Yingheng's head, hiding his all-too-conspicuous face.
The soft fabric carried the girl's faint fragrance, completely blocking all prying eyes from outside.
"Hey, hey, don't go getting all emo!"
Belle hurried to explain, her voice quick and cute, with a flustered edge. "I didn't mean to blame you. Really, not at all!"
She puffed out her cheeks and quietly told him the truth:
"My brother specifically told me that your identity must never be exposed.
We can't let anyone notice anything unusual about you. That's why I'm so nervous. It has nothing to do with you."
With that, she playfully stuck out the tip of her pink tongue at Lu Yingheng. Her eyes curved, and her earlier exasperation vanished in an instant, leaving her lively and animated.
"All right, no more moping. Let's go!"
Belle took hold of his wrist again, gripping it firmly as she pulled the goofy-looking young man, his head covered by her jacket, out of the narrow alley and back into the bustling Lumina Square.
Bright lights shone in the center of the square, and shops lined the area. Belle confidently led Lu Yingheng straight into a clean, stylishly decorated fashion store.
Lu Yingheng was still wearing the casual clothes Wise had given him earlier. They were clearly too small, stretched tight around his body.
The cuffs barely reached his elbows, and the hem was too short as well. He looked cramped and distinctly awkward all over.
As soon as they entered the store, a gentle, lively young saleswoman hurried over to greet them.
Her gaze immediately fell on Lu Yingheng, whose face was hidden beneath the jacket over his head.
The saleswoman's thoughts: Where did this jacket-wearing abnormal come from?
Looking puzzled, she turned to the pretty Belle beside him and asked politely, "Hello, which of you would like to pick out and try on some clothes?"
Belle looked at the young man standing obediently with the jacket over his head and couldn't help laughing. She reached out and briskly pulled it off.
The clean light instantly fell across Lu Yingheng's face, revealing his dazzlingly handsome features. His clear, refined looks were so stunning that it was hard to look away.
Belle looked up at the young man beside her and explained openly and playfully, with a hint of pride:
"He's my boyfriend. He's so good-looking that everyone turns to stare when he walks down the street. He draws way too much attention.
I had to cover him with a jacket so people wouldn't keep staring at him."
Lu Yingheng: ???
Since when did I become your boyfriend?
Hearing this, the saleswoman instinctively grumbled to herself, Just how stunning would someone have to be to need that kind of cover?
But the moment her gaze landed on Lu Yingheng's face, the rest of her unspoken thoughts caught in her throat and vanished without a trace.
Drop-dead gorgeous.
Those were the only words left crashing around in the saleswoman's mind as her heart rate soared.
The saleswoman lost herself for two seconds before hurriedly composing herself. Her cheeks slightly flushed, she quickly turned and went to pick out suitable clothes, her steps rather hasty.
As she carefully selected and matched the clothes, she couldn't help muttering under her breath:
"Where did this breathtaking beauty come from? He's practically like a succubus that sneaked out. He's way too good-looking...
That girl is so lucky. She really got him far too easily."
The store was quiet. Belle looked at Lu Yingheng standing cluelessly beside her and sighed helplessly once more, though her eyes were full of affection.
She raised a hand and gently rubbed her forehead, murmuring:
"Honestly, how can anyone in this world be as good-looking as you? It's just unreasonable."
Lu Yingheng, who had been obedient the whole time, slowly raised a slender finger at her remark and clumsily touched his cheek.
He looked steadily at Belle, his thin lips parting as he struggled to utter a single word: "Huh?"
It was just one simple sound, clear and pleasant to hear, but Belle's pupils shook and her eyes flew wide.
She leaned half a step closer and stared at him in disbelief, her voice full of astonishment:
"Y-you can talk all of a sudden?!"
On the way there, he had been quiet and silent, without making a sound. Hearing him make one now gave her quite a fright.
Just as Belle, her heart full of shock and her head full of questions, was about to ask more, the saleswoman returned with several sets of clothes with suitable cuts and fresh styles. She smiled as she held them out.
Seeing the new clothes offered to her, Belle could only set aside all her questions and put away her surprise for the moment.
She took the soft clothes and casually stuffed them into Lu Yingheng's arms, her eyes lively and her voice playfully urging him on:
"Stop spacing out. Hurry up and change out of those ill-fitting clothes and try the new ones."
Holding the soft new clothes in his arms, Lu Yingheng looked down at them and nodded cluelessly, his expression serious and obedient.
Before Belle could react, he raised a hand without the slightest trace of embarrassment or reservation and simply lifted the hem of his tight old shirt, looking ready to change on the spot.
The air in the store froze.
Belle's pupils contracted and her cheeks turned scarlet. She instantly bristled, and her shrill, mortified shout rang out in the quiet clothing store:
"I meant for you to change in the fitting room!!"
Lu Yingheng's thoughts: When it comes to seduction...
You actually dared to claim you were my girlfriend?
If I don't make your nose bleed today, my surname isn't Lu!