Chapter 28

Xu Yan led Zhu Youxiang, strolling through the mall. Although Xu Yan spoke with grandeur, he wasn't really out of his mind. Whenever Zhu Youxiang approached the doors of some luxury brand stores, Xu Yan would quickly try to divert her attention: "Come, come, the one opposite looks nice, let's go check it out!" —— After all, Zhu Youxiang didn't understand the brand levels on Earth, so Xu Yan wasn't worried about her noticing any discrepancies.

But Xu Yan didn't expect that after Zhu Youxiang visited over ten clothing stores, she couldn't find any suitable clothes, and would just shake her head and come out. Eventually, Xu Yan got tired of shopping and asked, "Xuan Yun, what's wrong with these clothes? Tell me your preferences, and I'll help you decide."

Zhu Youxiang blushed and looked at Xu Yan with a slightly reproachful gaze. She leaned close to his ear and whispered, "Xu Gongzi, these clothes have too little fabric, and the material is so thin... I'm afraid they won't be suitable."

"Too little fabric—" Xu Yan was taken aback but then understood. Zhu Youxiang was dissatisfied with how revealing these clothes were.

No wonder she looked at him that way. She might even think that Xu Yan had ulterior motives and deliberately brought her to buy these sexy, revealing clothes!

Xu Yan felt very wronged: "Heaven above, I really didn't mean it! I just brought you here because these are the highest-end clothes, but I didn't expect this—sister, if the clothes are so expensive, why not use more fabric?"

There was no way to explain this, so Xu Yan could only awkwardly smile, "I see, then let's go to the casual wear section, the clothes there are also nice."

Zhu Youxiang, with a flushed face, dared not look at anyone, "I am shallow and ignorant, I don't understand anything. I trouble you, Gongzi."

The two walked around, moving from the A area to the B area of the clothing city. There were many women's casual wear brand stores in the B area, and Zhu Youxiang immediately fell in love with them. She happily told Xu Yan, "Xu Gongzi, the clothes here are much better than before!"

"Oh, why?"

"The clothes here have much more fabric!"

Xu Yan rolled his eyes—If the world's female fashion designers, fashion experts, and women's clothing brand experts heard this, they would probably fight to the death!

Zhu Youxiang excitedly rushed into a women's casual wear store called "Gofia," and Xu Yan followed listlessly. As they entered, he heard a female clerk sweetly say, "Welcome to Gofia, good afternoon, sir and madam. May I help you with anything..."

The greeting suddenly stopped, and Xu Yan was startled. He looked up and was even more shocked: the female clerk in a gray professional dress suit was none other than the beautiful classmate he had just met today, Gong Xueting!

The two looked at each other, both stunned. They stared at each other for a while.

After a moment, Xu Yan reacted first, "Hello, Xueting classmate, what a coincidence..." He scratched his head, not knowing what to say, and laughed awkwardly.

Seeing Xu Yan's awkward smile, Gong Xueting also relaxed—Although the school didn't prohibit working part-time, and she didn't feel ashamed about being self-reliant, it was still a bit embarrassing to be seen by a classmate, especially one she had a good impression of. Xu Yan's smile made her feel more at ease, and she smiled warmly, "Yes, Xu Yan classmate, what a coincidence. We just had class this morning, and now we meet again in the afternoon."

Xu Yan smiled and nodded, "This is called fate, Xueting classmate. It seems we have a lot of fate!" ——In class, Xu Yan couldn't think of such ambiguous words, but here, he naturally said such slightly teasing words. It seems the environment has a significant impact on people.

Gong Xueting wasn't angry. She crossed her hands in front of her stomach, looking very professional and capable, and smiled, "Yes, fate. Being a customer is also a kind of fate. Feel free to browse, Xu Yan classmate..."

She looked at Zhu Youxiang, her eyes flickering, and smiled, "Are you here to buy clothes for your girlfriend? Your girlfriend is very pretty!"

Xu Yan smiled bitterly and said awkwardly, "She's a female friend, not my girlfriend. Don't misunderstand, Xueting classmate."

Gong Xueting looked at Zhu Youxiang and then at Xu Yan, and her expression changed, "Oh~~ I understand!"

"Huh? I don't even understand, what do you understand?"

Gong Xueting smiled ambiguously and lowered her voice, "Xu Yan classmate, you're pursuing this pretty girl, right?" She playfully raised a fist and smiled with youthful energy, "Xu Yan classmate, work hard! I believe in you, you will definitely succeed!"

Xu Yan's mouth twitched, "We're not in a drama, you don't have to be like that... I already said we're not in that kind of relationship... Uh, never mind, think what you want."

"Come, Xu Yan classmate, sit on the sofa and rest. I'll get you a glass of water—"

"Thank you, Xueting classmate, how can I let you do that?"

"Ah, it's no problem. You are our customer, it's my duty to serve you well." Gong Xueting got Xu Yan a glass of water and smiled, "Xu Yan classmate, I won't keep you company. Wait here for a moment, I'll go see if your friend needs anything."

"Thank you."

"You're welcome." Gong Xueting turned to leave but stopped, winking at Xu Yan, "Xu Yan, be patient. Girls take a long time to choose clothes, you might have to wait a while."

Gong Xueting went over to Zhu Youxiang, and the two pretty girls started chatting. Xu Yan felt like he wanted to die: one was the girl he secretly liked, and the other—seemed to be the girl he secretly liked as well. With a population of nearly 20 million in Jincheng, they just happened to meet together. Wasn't this just fate playing a trick on him?

Xu Yan felt that in the two days since he met Zhu Youxiang, his luck had been terrible. He had been hit by a scammer on the street, had burglars break into his house, and now he was seen by a girl he liked while shopping with another girl.

"Just missing a madman with a knife to start slashing people!" Xu Yan thought, gritting his teeth.

Xu Yan sat on the sofa for a while, and then saw Zhu Youxiang and Gong Xueting walking towards him. Gong Xueting was holding several pieces of clothing. Xu Yan stood up and greeted them, "How is it? Did you pick out the clothes?"

Zhu Youxiang said seriously, "Xu Gongzi, you should have introduced me to this young lady earlier. She is your classmate at the academy, and I didn't know, so I was quite rude to her."

She bowed to Gong Xueting, who was startled and quickly bowed back, smiling, "Xu Yan classmate, your friend is too polite. It's just a small matter, and she has already apologized twice, which is too formal."

Xu Yan forced a smile, "I was negligent earlier. Let me introduce you. This is my friend, Zhu Youxiang; this is my classmate, Gong Xueting."

Zhu Youxiang bowed again to Gong Xueting, "Miss Gong, hello. These days, I have been under Xu Gongzi's care and have benefited greatly. Since you are Xu Gongzi's classmate, you are like family. If you don't mind, you can call me Xuan Yun."

Gong Xueting opened her mouth, eyes wide, and looked at Xu Yan in surprise. Xu Yan made several gestures to her, and she finally came to her senses, "Ah, hello, Xuan Yun, right? I'm Gong Xueting, Xu Yan's classmate."

"Miss Gong, it's a pleasure. However, I have a question. Since you are Xu Gongzi's classmate, you should also be a student at the academy, right?"

"Academy? Oh, you mean Sichuan University, right? Yes, I'm a sophomore, in the same year as Xu Yan."

Zhu Youxiang said seriously, "Miss Gong, since you are Xu Gongzi's classmate, why don't you focus on your studies and work hard to improve yourself, but instead engage in this kind of commercial activity?"

As soon as Zhu Youxiang said this, Xu Yan's face changed. He quickly rushed over, covered her mouth, and dragged her behind him, then smiled apologetically at Gong Xueting, "She's just a little girl, she doesn't know what she's saying. Don't take it to heart, I apologize for her."

Gong Xueting wasn't angry. She smiled, "Xu Yan classmate, there's nothing to take to heart. Many of my classmates know I work part-time. I work a legitimate job to earn some living expenses, and I don't feel ashamed about it."

Zhu Youxiang came out from behind Xu Yan, as if she wanted to say something more, but Xu Yan was afraid of her unfiltered words and quickly pulled her back. He laughed, "Yes, working to earn a living is nothing to be ashamed of. Xueting classmate, I'll tell you, last summer I worked part-time selling beer. It was much harder than this. I had to ride a bicycle with a few cases of beer for several kilometers, and by the time I got there, I was drenched in sweat and almost exhausted. Compared to that, working here with air conditioning and breaks is much better—Hey, Xueting classmate, does your store hire male clerks? Can you talk to your boss for me? How do I look? Am I handsome enough?"

Gong Xueting laughed, "Xu Yan classmate, you're barely handsome enough... But this is a women's clothing store, how could they hire a male clerk?"

"Ah, they don't hire males? Isn't that gender discrimination! I have to protest to your boss. How can they discriminate against men!"

Seeing Xu Yan's passionate outburst, Gong Xueting smiled faintly, feeling a warm current in her heart.

She knew that Xu Yan's part-time job selling beer was different from her working in a store—Xu Yan's part-time job was just for fun and didn't make him feel ashamed, and boys just saw it as a social experience and a fun story. Her part-time job, however, was out of necessity to earn living expenses, which was a completely different situation.

Gong Xueting didn't feel ashamed about being self-reliant, but Xu Yan, to avoid making her feel awkward, took the initiative to joke about his own embarrassing experience to help her out. This consideration and thoughtfulness made Gong Xueting feel very comfortable.

This boy looked rough, but he was actually a very kind and considerate person. Nowadays, boys often act as if they are above everything and only know how to be cool, but Xu Yan, who could put himself in others' shoes and help them, was rare.

The two girls chatted for a while and then returned to Xu Yan. Gong Xueting told him, "Xu Yan classmate, Zhu Youxiang picked out a few pieces of clothing, but I think for her age, these casual styles are a bit too mature. We brought the clothes over to hear your opinion."

Xu Yan was a complete novice when it came to women's clothing. But looking at the clothes Zhu Youxiang had picked, he understood why Gong Xueting thought they were too mature: they were all long-sleeved shirts in dark or pure white, which were suitable for working women but too heavy for a girl in her teens like Zhu Youxiang.

But Xu Yan knew Zhu Youxiang's situation and nodded, "Since Xuan Yun likes them, let's buy them. But Xueting classmate, could you help her pick out some more conservative casual clothes—"

"Not a problem, but what do you mean by more conservative?"

Xu Yan pulled Gong Xueting aside and whispered, "More fabric, less exposure. The style can be a bit old-fashioned."

Gong Xueting exclaimed, "Xu Yan classmate, really? It's already modern times, and you still have such feudal thoughts? Actually, it's fine for girls to dress up nicely. It's human nature to love beauty. If you're too strict with your girlfriend, it might backfire."

Xu Yan shrugged, "This isn't my problem, it's hers—Again, she's not my girlfriend, don't misunderstand!"

"Alright, I'll look for some—If Zhu Youxiang doesn't like them, don't blame me!"

Following Xu Yan's request, Gong Xueting quickly found a few sets of casual clothes, all long-sleeved and long-legged, with a more conservative style. She was prepared for Zhu Youxiang to reject them, but to her surprise, Zhu Youxiang was very happy and agreed, saying, "Good, I'll take them all!"

Gong Xueting looked at Xu Yan in surprise, but he just shrugged, looking helpless.

In the end, Zhu Youxiang picked out eight sets of clothes, which were stacked in a thick pile. The total cost was 13,500 yuan. Gong Xueting went to the store manager to apply for a discount, and they got an 88% discount, making the total 12,000 yuan.

Xu Yan took out a thick wad of cash to pay, which surprised Gong Xueting—For such a large purchase, people usually use credit cards, and few carry so much cash around.

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