Chapter 24: That Shopping Trip
What is “liking” someone?
Liking is a feeling that comes from inside, not something you urgently need, but something beyond just surviving, wanting to have and keep something.
More than that, it comes from emotional attachment and satisfaction.
It is wonderful in a way that is hard to explain, but it can also hurt deeply.
Liking is the lightest form of love, and love is the deepest form of liking.
Ah, what a powerful feeling…
When Mu Le started to think about that possibility, that she might like the man beside her, her mind suddenly stopped working.
Her head filled with all kinds of “life advice” quotes she had read before.
If this were shown in a manga, her head would probably be steaming by now.
But in reality, it wasn’t that exaggerated. The girl simply turned her face away, with a slight blush on her cheeks.
Xiao Yuze was focused on driving, so he didn’t notice her small reaction.
“What’s wrong?”
But her long silence finally caught his attention. He raised an eyebrow and said, “Did what I said affect you? If you don’t know what to do, then don’t think about it for now. Things will work out eventually, so don’t overthink.”
“…Okay.” After a short silence, Mu Le nodded slightly.
Xiao Yuze found her reaction a bit strange, but he just thought he had said too much and ruined the nice mood from before.
“Oh right, after we buy clothes, I’ll take you to a new cold drink shop nearby. It just opened, and its drinks are very popular. You should like it.”
“Huh? A new one?”
His words clearly distracted Mu Le. In this kind of hot weather, you can never have enough ice cream.
Seeing her mood brighten instantly, a small smile appears on his lips.
No matter how big the problem is, for someone who loves food, it can’t beat the attraction of something delicious.
And the girl beside him is a perfect example.
Even though Mu Le is usually so lazy, once there is food, she becomes very active.
For dealing with her, food is clearly a very effective method.
“But even if you like it, don’t eat too much later. If you eat too much, your stomach will hurt.”
“Hmph… got it, got it. You talk too much, Comrade Xiao. Just focus on driving.”
Mu Le crosses her arms, looking like she’s annoyed.
Seeing her cute reaction, Xiao Yuze can only shake his head helplessly.
After becoming a girl, Mu Le’s personality seems to have become a bit more childish.
Whether this change is good or bad for her, he doesn’t know. But to him, it just feels very cute.
Hmm… it almost feels like taking care of a big pet.
Although, to be fair, Mu Le isn’t that easy to take care of.
But as long as both of them feel happy, isn’t that enough?
………………………
“Hey, why are there so many clothes? Are you trying to play dress-up? And what is this…?!”
Looking at the pile of long skirts, short skirts, mini skirts, tops, bottoms, and even sandals in front of her, Mu Le’s mouth twitches slightly.
She picks up a piece of underwear from the pile, her face turning red as she shouts at the man, whether from anger or embarrassment, it’s hard to tell.
“Hm?” Xiao Yuze touched his chin, then showed a nice smile. “Didn’t you ask me to choose? I think you would look good in all of these, so…”
“Don’t think I’ll fall for that just because you say it. Your flirting skills don’t work on me at all.”
The girl pouted and snorted lightly.
Xiao Yuze just smiled without arguing. Her reaction clearly amused him.
“And what’s with this kind of underwear? Are you imagining some weird things?” Mu Le crossed her arms and looked at him like he was a pervert.
“Weird things?” Xiao Yuze tilted his head, then suddenly leaned closer to her. “You mean you wearing these clothes, and then…”
Huh?
His low voice, mixed with a pleasant scent, made Mu Le freeze for a moment.
Then, as a writer, combined with some things she had read before, her imagination started running wild.
“H-Hey… pervert!”
As the scene in her mind got more and more out of control, Mu Le quickly shook her head to stop those thoughts.
“Alright, alright, I’m a pervert.” Xiao Yuze laughed softly and reached out to pat her head. “Hurry and pick your clothes. Didn’t you want to go to the cold drink shop?”
“…Okay.”
Nearby, a store clerk watching all this showed a deeply pained expression.
I’ll just accept this “sweet couple moment”…
Although Mu Le still wasn’t used to wearing girls’ clothes, she had to admit that light summer outfits were actually very comfortable. Well… maybe cute boys should try it too sometime.
Alright, enough nonsense. Even though they walked around the mall for a long time, Mu Le actually liked only a few things.
In the end, Xiao Yuze ignored her hesitation and decisively bought all the clothes she could accept.
Of course, there were also some items Mu Le firmly refused to wear, but he still bought them anyway.
Because most of the time was spent choosing clothes, even with air conditioning inside, both of them still ended up sweating a bit.
“Cold drinks… I need cold drinks… or I’m going to die…”
The moment they stepped out of the mall into the sunlight, Mu Le visibly lost energy.
It was the hottest time of the day, and there wasn’t even a breeze.
Xiao Yuze frowned slightly. The weather really was getting hotter and hotter.
“Get in the car first. Don’t get heatstroke.”
As he spoke, he handed her a handkerchief.
After just a short time outside, her forehead was already covered in sweat, and her face was slightly red.
Mu Le nodded, took the handkerchief, wiped herself a bit, and quickly jumped into the car after he opened the door.
Only after turning on the air conditioner did she finally let out a small sigh of relief, fanning herself with her hand.
“Ah… it feels so good to be alive…”
Thinking about it, her current body seemed sensitive to both heat and cold. Maybe she really should exercise a bit?
This thought appeared briefly in her slightly dizzy mind…
…but disappeared just as quickly the next second.
“Is it really that serious?” After putting the shopping bags away, Xiao Yuze got into the car and heard her words, showing a helpless expression. “Alright, just hold on a bit longer. We’ll reach the cold drink shop soon.”
“Oh! Cold drinks!”
Those two words instantly revived Mu Le. Her eyes sparkled again.
She looked like someone in the desert who had just found water, making Xiao Yuze both amused and helpless.
“Let’s go, Aze. My stomach is ready~”
“…Put your seatbelt on first.”