Chapter 29

After settling the bill, another small incident occurred: Gong Xueting suggested that Zhu Youxiang try on the clothes to avoid the trouble of returning them if the sizes didn't fit. However, when Zhu Youxiang heard that she would have to change in the fitting room, her face turned bright red: "How can I do this? In public, such an indecent act... How can I possibly do it?"

Gong Xueting and several female store clerks tried to persuade her, assuring her that the fitting room was very safe and no one could peek inside. But Zhu Youxiang shook her head vigorously: "I absolutely cannot agree... This is absolutely out of the question!"

Seeing Zhu Youxiang's firm attitude, Xu Yan thought of something. He pulled Gong Xueting aside and whispered: "Xueting, I have one more thing to ask for your help... But... this..."

"Xu Yan, why are you so hesitant? It's fine, just say it."

"Uh, alright."

Xu Yan leaned close to Gong Xueting's ear and whispered a few words. Then, a blush spread across Gong Xueting's face. She widened her eyes in surprise and said, "Xu Yan, are you joking with me? You mean, Miss Zhu doesn't have... those clothes?"

Xu Yan looked down at the floor and said, "This is just a guess. I suspect she doesn't have those clothes and doesn't know how to wear them, which is why she's so resistant to trying them on."

Gong Xueting glanced at Zhu Youxiang again, shook her head, and said in disbelief, "How is that possible? Miss Zhu looks to be about sixteen or seventeen, right? Girls enter puberty at twelve, so surely her family must have told her about these things?"

Xu Yan shrugged, "You're asking me, but who should I ask? Should I ask her?"

"That's true... So, Xu Yan, what do you need from me?"

"I don't know how to buy those things, and I suspect she doesn't either. Xueting, could you please help her with some guidance?"

Gong Xueting hesitated for a moment, then smiled, "Alright, but our specialty store doesn't sell underwear. We need to go to Area C for that. I'll have to ask the store manager for leave—Xu Yan, this means you owe me a meal."

Xu Yan laughed, "No problem! As long as the beautiful lady is willing, I'll treat you to as many meals as you want, even for the rest of my life!"

"You, you're being slick. It seems you're not very sincere," Gong Xueting smiled and went to ask the store manager for leave, saying she needed to accompany a classmate to pick out clothes.

Today, Zhu Youxiang bought eight sets of clothes, spending over ten thousand yuan, making her a significant and high-quality customer. The store manager knew that these two young people had bought so many clothes because Gong Xueting was their classmate, so he readily agreed to her request: "I'll give you leave. Take good care of your classmate. But remember to bring your classmate back to shop again next time!"

Before Gong Xueting could respond, Xu Yan had already agreed, "Don't worry, Manager, we'll definitely come back next time!"

"Hehe, great, welcome back, sir!"

When they entered the store, there were two people, but when they left, there were three—more accurately, two people plus a mountain of clothes. Xu Yan was carrying eight large bags of clothes, almost buried under the weight, and could barely see the ground.

Seeing Gong Xueting follow them out, Zhu Youxiang was a bit confused: "Miss Gong, what are you doing..."

"Come, Xuan Yun, let's talk over there."

Gong Xueting took Zhu Youxiang's hand and led her to a secluded corner. The two girls whispered to each other for a while. Whatever Gong Xueting said, Xu Yan saw Zhu Youxiang's face turn red, and she nodded shyly.

Xu Yan's curiosity was piqued, and he tried to listen to what they were saying. As he took a step closer, the two girls looked at him with a murderous glare. With a crisp sound, a small section of the black longsword at Zhu Youxiang's waist was drawn.

"Xu~ Gong~zi~ What~ are~ you~ doing~"

Xu Yan laughed awkwardly and took a step back, "Nothing, I was just walking around, hehe! You talk, I'll go for a walk over there."

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"The great proletarian revolutionary and thinker, Xu Yan Toluofuski, once told us: 'If there is anything worse than accompanying a girl shopping for clothes, it is accompanying a girl shopping for underwear. If there is anything worse than accompanying one girl shopping for underwear, it is accompanying two girls shopping for underwear.'"

Xu Yan didn't want to recall the specific process of buying underwear with Zhu Youxiang and Gong Xueting. The only thing he remembered was sitting on a bench outside the underwear store, surrounded by other men waiting for their female companions. The gloomy looks on the men's faces reminded Xu Yan of the Jews in Auschwitz concentration camp.

Xu Yan had decided to bury this experience deep in his memory, planning to recall it only when he was sitting under a tree, smoking a pipe while watching the sunset. By then, he believed he would have enough mental strength to bear this pain.

Newton discovered the laws of physics, stating that the kinetic energy in the world is constant, and for every forward force, there must be a backward force to counteract it. Now, Xu Yan Toluofuski had also discovered a law: happiness in the world is constant. If one person is happy, another must be unhappy. Similarly, the more Xu Yan suffered, the happier Zhu Youxiang and Gong Xueting would be.

When Zhu Youxiang came out of the underwear store, Xu Yan's mouth opened wide enough to fit an egg.

Zhu Youxiang was wearing black long pants, a red long-sleeved casual shirt, and light-colored casual sandals. Her long hair, which had been hanging over her shoulders, was now tied into a ponytail. She looked graceful and slender, her style having transformed from the elegance of ancient attire to the youthful vitality of a modern girl. If it weren't for the black longsword still on her back, Xu Yan wouldn't have recognized the vibrant young girl as the classical girl in ancient attire from that morning.

Seeing Xu Yan's eyes staring at her so openly, Zhu Youxiang couldn't help but lower her head, covering her chest with her hand and saying in a low, red-faced voice, "Xu Gongzi, this is very impolite."

"Oh, oh!" Xu Yan realized and quickly averted his gaze, only to see Gong Xueting standing behind Zhu Youxiang, looking at him with a smile that seemed to mock his awkwardness.

Both were very beautiful women. Zhu Youxiang had an extraordinary and refined气质, while Gong Xueting was charming and graceful. The two beauties walked hand in hand, like peonies and roses blooming together, attracting many admiring glances from men. In comparison, the man following behind them, Xu Yan, seemed—Who is Xu Yan? That walking clothes rack?

The three of them walked and chatted their way to the second floor. Along the way, Gong Xueting gave Xu Yan a meaningful look and slowed her pace. Xu Yan understood and deliberately fell back two steps, moving closer to her.

Gong Xueting whispered seriously, "Xu Yan, I might be making a fuss over nothing, but I feel... your friend Miss Zhu seems a bit different from us."

Xu Yan feigned ignorance, "Is that so? Hehe, why do you say that?"

"Well, how to put it? She doesn't understand things that we girls usually know, like how to wear and use underwear. And when I mentioned some skincare products and basic skincare knowledge, she didn't know anything about it..."

"Is that so? I don't know much about girls' things either. Maybe it's because of her family. She hasn't learned these things."

Gong Xueting frowned, "Maybe that's it. There's one more thing I need to tell you: after I helped her try on the clothes, Miss Zhu was very happy and wanted to give me a gold ingot as a thank you. Of course, I said it was too valuable and I couldn't accept it."

Xu Yan thought Zhu Youxiang's old habit had resurfaced—giving a gold ingot to anyone she liked. He chuckled, "That probably isn't real gold. It's likely just a craft item, not worth much. Just a keepsake, don't take it seriously."

Gong Xueting shook her head seriously, "It's real gold."

"Ah?"

"I used to work in a gold and silver jewelry store and received training. I knew the ingot Zhu Youxiang gave me was pure gold as soon as I held it."

Gong Xueting frowned and said to Xu Yan, "Xu Yan, maybe I'm being meddlesome, but I feel that even if Miss Zhu's family is wealthy, it's a bit excessive for her to give gold so casually. Also, she speaks strangely and seems very immature, lacking many basic knowledge. Her... mind..."

Gong Xueting pointed to her head, "Uh, is there something wrong with it? Miss Zhu is so beautiful and carries such valuable items. You should tell her family, and someone should accompany her. If she encounters bad people, losing the items is one thing, but her safety could be at risk."

Xu Yan smiled bitterly: If only I knew where Zhu Youxiang's family was. As for the danger—indeed, it's very dangerous, but I don't know who is in danger. Those who dared to have ideas about this human-type tyrannosaurus are now all stars in the sky.

He said vaguely, "I'll contact her family, don't worry. By the way, if Miss Zhu gives you a gold ingot again, you should accept it. Her family is very wealthy, and it's not a big deal for her. There's no need to be so polite."

Gong Xueting was taken aback. She looked at Xu Yan and smiled, her smile like a blooming flower, "Xu Yan, I refused because of my own principles, which have nothing to do with whether Miss Zhu's family is wealthy. You might think I'm being pretentious, but I believe that living in this world, one should have some principles to stick to."

Xu Yan wanted to explain that he didn't mean to belittle her, but Gong Xueting quickly said, "Xu Yan, come, Miss Zhu is waiting for us. Let's go over there."

After helping Zhu Youxiang select a batch of clothes, Gong Xueting mentioned that she had to leave because she had things to do at the store. She politely said goodbye. Both Xu Yan and Zhu Youxiang invited her to have lunch with them, but she playfully waved her hand and said, "Next time—don't disturb your two-person world. Next time, I'll definitely take you both out for a big meal."

Watching Gong Xueting walk away, Zhu Youxiang turned to Xu Yan, looking puzzled, "Sir, what is a 'two-person world'?"

Xu Yan rolled his eyes and looked at the ceiling of the mall, pretending not to hear.

Xu Yan and Zhu Youxiang didn't have lunch, and after shopping for half a day, they were both a bit hungry. Fortunately, the second floor of the mall was the food center, featuring various famous cuisines from around the world. Seeing the numerous and diverse food shops and the bustling crowd, Zhu Youxiang let out an enthusiastic and delighted exclamation, "Sir Xu, there are so many delicious things! Which one should we choose?"

Xu Yan didn't care and let Zhu Youxiang decide. This caused a problem. Zhu Youxiang thought the Japanese cuisine looked delicious, then saw the Italian pizza and thought it looked good too. Turning around, she was attracted by the smell of Korean barbecue. Looking up, she saw that the environment of the Western restaurant seemed elegant. Finally, she was drawn to the sign of Cantonese cuisine—Zhu Youxiang darted from one shop to another, her movements so quick that it was like she had countless clones. Xu Yan couldn't keep up with her, and just watching her made him dizzy.

Passersby who saw this scene were amazed and commented, "This girl runs so fast!"

"Yes, she has a rare talent. She should be sent to the national team to train and win medals for the country at the Olympics."

Xu Yan smirked: What a joke? If she were to represent the country at the Olympics, she should compete in weightlifting. With her ability to casually throw several people over 200 meters last night, even the combined efforts of the Olympic weightlifting champions, runners-up, and third-place winners might not match her.

Xu Yan quickly called Zhu Youxiang back, "Xuan Yun, if you keep darting around like this, we won't choose a place in an hour. I'll decide for you—let's go to this Cantonese beef restaurant. Let's go in and try it."

Zhu Youxiang was delighted, "Okay, this place smells good too!"

The two walked toward the restaurant. Just as they were about to enter, something strange happened: Xu Yan heard a "buzz" sound, as if it came from nearby. He looked around in surprise and realized the sound was coming from Zhu Youxiang—pointing to the black sword at her waist, he said in surprise, "Xuan Yun, your sword is making a sound on its own!"

Before Xu Yan could finish speaking, the sword vibrated and made a second sound: "buzz~"

Xu Yan was puzzled, but Zhu Youxiang suddenly became tense. She quickly backed up to the wall, leaned against it, and gripped the hilt of the sword with her hand, slightly bending her body, ready to draw the sword at any moment. She looked around alertly, her gaze sharp like a knife, and her entire body was like a drawn sword.

"Xuan Yun, what's happening?"

"Spring Cicada Sword is a spiritual object. It can sense evil and impure energy within ten meters. The warning sound is so urgent, which means there must be a monster nearby!"

Zhu Youxiang said, looking very tense, "Xu Gongzi, no matter what happens next, do not leave my side. Otherwise, I may not be able to protect you."