Shopping Notes

Under the setting sun,

A young boy pushed his bicycle along at a leisurely pace, while beside him walked a girl with long, straight black hair, holding a satchel in both hands, her expression as calm as still water, matching the boy’s unhurried steps.

The evening sunlight bathed her figure, making her appear even more slender. Her skin was pale as snow, her delicate features refined and elegant, and her waterfall-like hair swayed gently in the breeze.

Soon, the two stopped in front of a grocery store.

Su Cheng parked his bicycle in a spot near the entrance and looked at the storefront. "Let’s buy some ingredients here," he said.

Normally, when shopping alone, he wouldn’t hesitate to join the aunties in scrambling for discounted items. But today, with Li Guanqi by his side, such behavior would be far too unbecoming.

Besides, she had already waited so long for him after the club activities earlier.

Though she hadn’t shown any anger, he still pulled out a piece of candy and handed it to her as an apology.

Li Guanqi didn’t refuse and accepted it quietly.

"Our fridge at home needs a lot of things. Let’s go in," Su Cheng said, stepping into the supermarket.

Li Guanqi followed behind him without a word.

Once inside, they began their shopping.

Since their fridge was practically empty, they needed to stock up on a variety of items, so they wandered through the vegetable, meat, and seafood sections.

Su Cheng walked ahead, picking out fresh ingredients while Li Guanqi trailed behind, silently observing his careful selection.

After a while, her attention was drawn by the noisy commotion in the discount section nearby.

She glanced over and noticed that some of the discounted items were identical to what Su Cheng was currently choosing. She picked up one of the products beside her, examined it briefly, then set it down and headed straight for the crowded bargain area.

Using her slender frame to her advantage, she squeezed through the crowd of aunties and grabbed the same product, scrutinizing it closely.

After comparing, she realized the discounted items were identical in size, appearance, and quality to the regular-priced ones—only a few dollars cheaper.

After a moment of thought, she understood it was just a marketing tactic to boost sales and create hype.

……………………

Su Cheng was bent over, picking out items one by one, when he suddenly felt a warm breath brush against his ear.

Startled, he straightened up and saw Li Guanqi standing beside him, removing items from their shopping cart.

Confused by her actions, he blinked.

"This," she said, placing all the items back on the shelves before holding up a large plastic bag she had brought over. She pointed toward a section and explained, "These are cheaper."

Then, she began transferring the contents of her bag—box after box of ingredients—into the cart.

Su Cheng followed her finger and saw she was pointing at the discount section. He looked down at the boxes in her hands, each marked with a sale sticker, and noticed her hair was slightly disheveled.

A strange emotion welled up inside him.

He had wanted to avoid any unflattering behavior in front of Li Guanqi—like fighting with aunties over bargains—to maintain his cool, sunny, and dignified image.

Yet here was Li Guanqi, a young lady from a wealthy family, diving into the fray and coming out with an armful of discounted goods.

But he also knew he shouldn’t have pretended in the first place. If he had just been himself, this wouldn’t have happened.

As he watched her profile, her focused expression as she meticulously arranged the "looted" ingredients into the cart made him chuckle.

Li Guanqi seemed to sense his gaze and looked up, meeting his eyes.

Su Cheng reached out and gently smoothed her slightly messy hair. "Your hair’s a bit tousled," he said.

"Thank you," she replied with a nod before returning to her task.

Once they finished shopping, they wheeled their cart to the checkout counter and joined the queue.

"Huh? I grabbed fewer items than usual today," one of the aunties ahead of them suddenly exclaimed while counting the goods in her cart, sounding genuinely surprised.

Her outburst drew the attention of the other aunties nearby.

"You must’ve been slow today. I actually got more than usual," another auntie chimed in proudly, preparing to count her own haul.

But when she did, her face twisted in shock. "What? I’m missing three items!"

And not just any items—the most expensive cuts of meat.

How was that possible?!

She rubbed her eyes in disbelief, then rubbed them again harder.

But the result remained the same.

Three items—gone!

"What’s going on? I definitely grabbed six! How did three just disappear?!" she muttered, baffled.

Listening to the loud conversation between the two aunties ahead, Su Cheng turned to glance at Li Guanqi behind him, his expression odd.

It turned out that she remained as calm as still water, as if none of this concerned her—as if she knew nothing and had done nothing.

This was evident from her act of snatching food from the mouths of housewives.

Thinking this, he discreetly used vegetables to cover the meat in his cart.

"It seems we’ve got quite the opponent here."

The auntie ahead glanced around warily, scrutinizing the shopping carts of everyone behind her. Fortunately, Su Cheng had concealed his haul, and she noticed nothing unusual.

"Yeah, let’s tell the group chat later so everyone can be on guard. We’ll have to come earlier next time."

The auntie in front spoke up.

"Mhm, I wonder who she is?"

Another auntie behind Su Cheng peeked out from the line and chimed in.

"Probably not someone simple. Must’ve just moved here recently."

"Whoever she is, we can’t afford to lose out from now on. Otherwise, we won’t be able to hold our ground."

The auntie behind added in agreement.

……………………

After checking out, the two walked out carrying bags of groceries.

"Follow me."

Su Cheng led the way to a secluded corner, his arms full of shopping bags.

Li Guanqi followed closely behind.

Once they entered a narrow alley, Su Cheng stored everything in his system space.

Though Li Guanqi had witnessed this miraculous act many times, it never failed to amaze her.

"Here, hand me your stuff."

Now empty-handed, Su Cheng reached out to Li Guanqi.

Li Guanqi nodded and passed over her shopping bags, then stood aside and watched as he swiftly stored everything away.

Next, the two headed to a nearby tea shop, where Su Cheng planned to buy some high-quality tea for guests.

Inside, they took a seat.

Soon, a salesperson approached and politely asked, "Sir, will this be for personal enjoyment or as a gift?"

Dressed in the Flame City Private Academy uniform, Su Cheng was someone the shop couldn’t afford to slight. Before the salesperson could finish speaking, a middle-aged man—presumably the owner—personally brought over a tea set and prepared a cup for Su Cheng, warmly saying, "Sir, this is our new batch of Longjing. Please give it a try."

At the same time, the owner subtly signaled to the salesperson, who promptly took the hint and left.

"We’re here to buy some tea for hosting guests."

Su Cheng deliberately emphasized "we," referring to both of them.

The owner froze, then quickly glanced around and noticed Li Guanqi sitting beside Su Cheng. He slapped his thigh in apology. "Oh dear, my eyes must be failing me! I didn’t see this young lady earlier—my sincerest apologies!"

With that, he hastily prepared a cup of tea for Li Guanqi as well, presenting it with both hands.

"Please, enjoy!"

"Thank you."

Li Guanqi nodded politely.

Su Cheng took a small sip and found the flavor inferior to the tea served by Ji Qingyi or Gu Ruoxue—only slightly better than his own brew.

The owner, however, noticed that despite Su Cheng’s elegant tea-drinking posture, he clearly lacked refined taste.

"So, sir, how do you find it?" the owner asked eagerly.

"Not bad," Su Cheng replied courteously.

Just as the owner was about to recommend the tea, he noticed Li Guanqi take a sip but not swallow immediately. Instead, she closed her eyes, savoring the flavor in her mouth. After a long pause, she opened her eyes and silently examined the tea leaves at the bottom of her cup.

Seeing this, the owner immediately called out, "Pack two taels of the new Longjing, and bring some pastries as well!"

"Right away," a server outside responded.

"Huh?"

Su Cheng blinked in confusion, glancing between the owner and the silent Li Guanqi.

"If you like it, why not take some home to enjoy?" the owner pressed enthusiastically.

Su Cheng shook his head. "No, charge me the proper price. There’s no need for gifts—I’m not short on money."

The owner quickly clarified, "Sir, you misunderstand! This tea is our own production, my personal daily drink. It’s not for sale. I simply wish to share it with friends."

What a hassle.

Su Cheng suddenly felt exasperated. Coming to a high-end tea shop was nothing but a minefield of social niceties, and it grated on him.

Accepting free tea meant owing a favor—something he absolutely despised.

So he stood up and cut straight to the point. "Sorry, but I’m here to buy tea, not take handouts. Please just show me your best offerings for hosting guests. If I like it, I’ll return."

Then, his heart bled a little.

After purchasing 500 grams of tea, he’d just spent nearly ten grand!

Though the price was steep, at least he’d have something presentable for future guests.

"By the way, do you have any more… ordinary tea?" Su Cheng asked after a moment’s thought.

He figured he might as well pick some up for himself.

When Su Cheng said this, the shopkeeper was momentarily taken aback before responding with a smile, "Sir, how did you find the Longjing tea you just tasted?"

"How much?"

"199 for 50 grams."

Su Cheng was startled—how could it be so expensive? There was no way he’d splurge on that.

So he retorted, "Didn’t you say it wasn’t for sale?"

"Ah, well..." The shopkeeper looked awkward.

"Just the kind of tea used for roadside tea eggs would do."

"Sir, you must be joking. We don’t carry such low-grade tea here."

"Then forget it. Thanks anyway. I have other things to attend to, so I’ll take my leave."

"Let me see you out."

The shopkeeper beamed with an overly bright smile.

Meanwhile, Li Guanqi, who had been standing nearby, witnessed the entire exchange. She followed behind Su Cheng, lost in thought.

Soon, the three of them arrived at a roadside tea stall.

The stall was crowded with vendors selling various packaged teas.

Su Cheng bought a few cheap, ordinary tea packets from an elderly woman. But just as he was paying, Li Guanqi accidentally bumped into a sign at the neighboring stall belonging to a fortune-teller.

The sign read: "Liu Banxian."

Beneath it were the words: "Palmistry, Face Reading, Aura Analysis, Physiognomy, Spirit Divination, Fortune-Telling, Character Divination."

It was hard to believe that in this day and age, such a charlatan still existed—even calling himself a "Half-Immortal."

The commotion caught the fortune-teller’s attention. When he saw Li Guanqi, he jolted upright, adjusted his sunglasses with his middle finger, and after a careful look, suddenly exclaimed excitedly, "Young lady, your facial features are truly once in a century! A rounded forehead, lustrous hair, red lips, white teeth, a distinct philtrum, a broad jawline, pale ears with prominent inner ridges, a full and noble forehead—your aura is extraordinary!"

His words drew the attention of both Su Cheng and Li Guanqi.

Li Guanqi, however, ignored him and instead glanced at Su Cheng.

"Don’t mind him. This old man’s always spouting nonsense," the elderly woman packing Su Cheng’s tea grumbled, shooting the fortune-teller a glare before resuming her work.

Unfazed, Liu Banxian continued, "Young lady, could you give me a smile?"

"That’s enough," Su Cheng cut in, displeased. Given that Li Guanqi couldn’t smile even if she wanted to, the request felt like an insult, even if the old man didn’t know.

But Liu Banxian pressed on, "If your smile reveals ‘sleeping silkworms’ under your eyes, it would signify the destiny of an empress."

Li Guanqi’s eyes flickered at his words.

"Empress destiny?"

Su Cheng couldn’t help but laugh and pointed at himself. "How about you read my fortune instead? Do I have the destiny of an emperor?"

Back when he read power-fantasy novels, he’d often come across stories where charlatans tried to predict a transmigrator’s fate only to suffer backlash. Now, he was curious to see if this would play out.

Still, Su Cheng was only joking around.

He never believed in such things.

If gods really existed, they’d have to show him some respect!

But the next second, his expression froze—

"You’re doomed to die young..."