The boy was far too eye-catching. Wherever he was, crowds would inevitably gather. To prevent this, Xia Miao had no choice but to quickly duck into a nearby store and buy a set of clothes to cover him from head to toe.
Even so, Xia Miao still had to keep a constant eye on him to make sure he didn’t wander off.
"What’s this? It looks delicious!"
"What’s this? It looks so fun!"
"Miao Miao, Miao Miao… I want this! Let’s go play with this!"
He was like a child, wanting to touch and try everything in sight. No—he was worse than a child. After all, what modern kid hadn’t seen or played with more things than him?
Seeing him slip toward the candied hawthorn stall again, Xia Miao quickly yanked him back. But the guy was faster—he’d already grabbed a skewer. Xia Miao hurriedly pulled out her phone to scan the payment, just in time to stop the vendor from thinking she was skipping the bill.
She, the young mistress of the Xia family, being accused of dine-and-dashing? How humiliating would that be?
The boy took a big bite of the candied hawthorn, crunching through the sweet sugar coating before hitting the sour hawthorn berry underneath. He shuddered violently.
Xia Miao stood on her tiptoes to peek at his face under the hood. Sure enough, his expression was all scrunched up, like a grumpy old man. She couldn’t help but burst into laughter.
Suddenly, a candied hawthorn was shoved into her mouth.
Xia Miao instinctively bit down—and her face immediately twisted into that of a granny.
This time, it was the boy who bent down, staring at her face and laughing uncontrollably. "Miao Miao… hahaha… so ugly, Miao Miao!"
Her response was a fist to his face.
Not long after, the now-beaten boy learned his lesson. Like handing over his leash, he obediently let Xia Miao lead him by the hand as they walked forward.
Though he hated the sourness of the hawthorn berries, he loved the sweetness of the sugar coating. So he licked each berry clean before moving on to the next.
Xia Miao dragged him into the men’s clothing store Luo Xiaoluo had recommended. Since she’d called ahead and booked the entire place, the store was empty except for them.
Seeing the sales assistants about to rush over, Xia Miao immediately raised a hand. "We’ll browse on our own. No need for assistance."
Well, rich people probably valued their privacy.
The staff vanished from sight.
The boy finished licking his candied hawthorn skewer and glanced at the array of clothes. Completely unaware of his freeloader status, he declared shamelessly, "I want the nicest, most expensive ones. No cheap stuff."
Xia Miao shot him a look.
He shot one right back, utterly unapologetic.
Fully aware of his own beauty, he even angled what he considered his best side toward her. She liked him so much—surely she wouldn’t refuse.
Xia Miao’s frown deepened.
He leaned in closer and closer, bending down until their foreheads touched. Both kept their eyes wide open, locked in a staring contest, neither willing to back down.
From this angle, Xia Miao thought, even the most handsome face looked ridiculous.
But she refused to lose.
Coincidentally, the boy was also stubbornly widening his dry, tired eyes. He wouldn’t lose either!
Xia Miao resorted to dirty tactics—she suddenly jabbed her fingers toward his eyes.
He blocked with his hands, then swiftly ducked his head to plant a kiss on the corner of her lips. Leaping back to what he deemed a safe distance, he grinned triumphantly.
"I won!"
The next second, one of the girl’s sandals smacked him square in the forehead.
He hadn’t expected her to throw equipment. Just as he was about to angrily accuse her of cheating, he heard her snap:
"Pick it up!"
"Oh," he mumbled, obediently retrieving the sandal and kneeling to slip it back onto her foot.
Xia Miao was somewhat satisfied now. Clearing her throat, she lifted her chin haughtily. "Fine. I’ll buy you the most expensive clothes."
His eyes sparkled, and he immediately dragged her toward the section he liked.
Xia Miao was buying him clothes but hadn’t told him—clearly, she wanted to surprise him.
Fu Lan wasn’t the considerate type, but given how much effort Xia Miao was putting into spoiling him, he decided to play along and pretend he didn’t know about the "surprise."
So Fu Lan wrapped himself up completely, ensuring those annoying pigs wouldn’t crowd around him and ruin Xia Miao’s carefully planned surprise.
Fu Lan’s heart swelled with pride. Xia Miao had been the one to cave after their fight and find ways to appease him. That definitely meant she liked him more in their relationship.
Yes, even without a formal confession, the arrogant Fu Lan had already decided Xia Miao was his girlfriend, and they were now in the throes of passionate love.
Fu Lan walked briskly, following his phone’s navigation toward the location Luo Xiaoluo had mentioned. The closer he got, the lighter his steps became, as if he might float away at any moment.
But the nearer he approached, the more pungent that disgusting scent grew.
The fake stench of an impostor!
Fu Lan quickened his pace, tracking the revolting odor—and his phone’s directions—until he reached a storefront. Pressing his face against the glass, his hooded features squished almost out of shape, he glared at the lively figure inside.
"I want this one!"
"This one too!"
"Miao Miao, don’t I look amazing in this?"
"You wouldn’t deny me pretty clothes, right?"
Dragged from one corner to another, then back again, Xia Miao felt like she’d already walked more today than in an entire week.
"Fine, fine, you look great in everything. Buy it all!"
"Miao Miao, you’re the best!"
The boy cupped the girl’s face and enthusiastically peppered her with kisses.
At the same time, his eyes lifted slightly, deliberately or not, toward the figure plastered against the window outside. The curve of his gaze was full of provocation.
The boy outside was furious!
They shared the same origin, yet after splitting apart, each saw the other as a disgusting fake—only they themselves were the real deal. That was why the desire to kill the other burned so intensely.
And now, the situation was even more dire.
There was only one girlfriend—she couldn’t be shared between two!
