The Riyueguang Shopping Mall is a well-known shopping complex in Tianhai City, consisting of several buildings interconnected by multi-level skywalks, offering a one-stop experience for shopping, dining, entertainment, and even themed hotels for couples.
To minimize the crowd exposure for his sister, Lu Qing brought her to this upscale location, hoping to filter out some of the foot traffic.
Unfortunately, he underestimated the purchasing power of the locals in Tianhai City during the weekend.
Even in such a large mall, the dense crowds were headache-inducing. Popular restaurants required reservations, and walk-ins could face hours of waiting.
Looking around, the only difference between here and the outdoor pedestrian street was the gentle lighting, built-in air purifiers, and comfortable temperature; otherwise, it was identical.
"Brother, there's no need to look elsewhere. Let's start here," Su Ling said, noticing Lu Qing's hesitation.
She didn't want to make things difficult for him by searching for less crowded shopping spots due to her illness. After all, good shops naturally attract crowds, which contradicted their needs.
"Are you sure it's okay?"
"Yes. Don't worry," she nodded, giving him a sweet smile.
Thus, they began their day's itinerary from the first floor with high efficiency.
According to Lu Qing's plan, they would first buy Su Ling some fitting clothes, including autumn coats, home dresses, sleepwear, everyday outfits, and anything else she liked;
Then, they would have lunch at an Italian restaurant, although he had never been there before, the high prices and good reputation should make it decent;
Next would be afternoon tea time—a bit of skincare and daily necessities shopping, followed by a coffee break, which would not only pass the lovely afternoon but also help Su Ling relax;
Finally, if she was willing, they would watch a movie before dinner, making the day complete.
Su Ling didn't know how he arranged everything, just blindly following her brother's steps.
For her, as long as her brother was by her side, it was enough. No matter where they went or what they did, as long as he held her hand, everything was fine.
"Oh, what a lovely girl. To find such a beautiful girlfriend, you're really a lucky guy," the milk tea shop owner said as he handed over the bag.
"With such a figure and condition, she'd look good in anything, even meeting the requirements for a model. Truly enviable," the shop manager at the campus-style women's clothing store praised.
Sir, would you like to experience our Gothic-themed couples' hotel? 3D large screen, surround sound, and various tools in the room. Wouldn't you like to try it with your girlfriend?" the flyer guy said with a flattering smile.
"……"
It seemed wherever they went, Su Ling became the center of attention.
Lu Qing, carrying several shopping bags, glanced at her who was silently clinging to his side.
If Su Ling at home was like a black cat that had finally found a warm nest, then outside, she was like a easily startled bird, any sound or approach would make her tense and at a loss.
She spoke very little, even not at all, in front of strangers.
So, she couldn't smoothly refuse others.
After all, she was soft-hearted and extremely socially anxious, unable to communicate normally with anyone other than him under her symptoms of depression and anxiety.
Therefore, protecting her and solving all her problems became Lu Qing's necessary duty.
He couldn't help but think about that night when his sister braved the heavy rain to find him, how much effort did she put in...?
What kind of determination did she have to make to go to a place she had never been to, to see someone she had never met, despite her illness?
"Ah."
Out of the corner of his eye, she was still trying to avoid the noise from the outside world, still lowering her head, pretending to be a normal person who could go out with family, an activity that shouldn't be considered difficult.
Thinking of this, Lu Qing felt a sudden pang of pain in his heart.
With complex emotions, he accompanied Su Ling to finish shopping at all the stores, buying various clothes she needed recently.
Except for a bit of awkwardness in the lingerie store, everything else went smoothly.
When selecting stockings, she quietly picked up two different textures, black in her left hand, white in her right, and then turned to Lu Qing, asking her brother's opinion with a serious face.
The moment all the shop assistants' eyes focused on them, Lu Qing felt like he was standing on pins and needles.
But he couldn't pretend not to see, nor could he avoid answering, so he raised his hand, extending two fingers...
"Both are nice."
This was what he wanted to express to his sister.
"I want both."
This was what outsiders thought he wanted to express.
Finally, Su Ling obediently put the carefully selected black and white stockings into the shopping cart, and then picked a few more according to her brother's taste, in case of future needs.
"……"
Her "understanding" was also unexpectedly worrying.
Lu Qing shook his head, not knowing how to respond.
After the interlude, they arrived at the last British-style lolita dress store.
Su Ling was originally more interested in Japanese campus and sweet girl styles, specifically choosing a few cute dresses and everyday clothes that completely met Lu Qing's aesthetic.
When they reached this British-style store and saw the exquisite long dresses hanging on the model racks, she couldn't help but stop again.
"What? Do you want it?"
Noticing his sister's hesitation, Lu Qing casually asked.
Looking around, the price tags of each dress in this store named "Maidolia" were no less than 1500 RMB, and the best-selling items in the center under the spotlight were even more exorbitant, heading towards 7-8 thousand.
He roughly understood that his sister was worried about his financial situation, so even if she liked it, she wouldn't go in and buy it as carefreely as before.
Sure enough, Su Ling shook her head and pulled his arm, wanting to continue walking.
"Wait."
Lu Qing stood still, pointing to the most eye-catching British-style gothic lolita long dress in the store, "You were looking at that one, right?"
"……No, I wasn't. Brother, I'm hungry. Let's go eat," Su Ling turned her face away, unwilling to admit.
Obviously, this lame excuse couldn't fool Lu Qing.
He looked thoughtful, imagining his sister wearing it.
"If it were something else, it would be fine, but since you like the orthodox high-end maid dress..."
As he spoke, his body unconsciously moved towards the store—
"Hello, how much is this Lolita dress? I want to buy one for my sister."
……
……
+【Epic Battles!】 "Your Highness, they say Linxi Temple is miraculous. Won’t you make a wish?" "A wish? It should be making wishes to me." "That may be so, but since you’re already here..." "..." "Fine. Then grant this princess a consort to play with." "He must be obedient, devoted, and utterly infatuated with my body—so much so that he’d kneel and kiss my feet." "Your Highness, that’s not a consort. That’s a dog." "Then add clever, witty, heroic, ambitious yet pragmatic..." "Hmm, that’s enough for now. I’ll add more later." After tossing out these words half in jest, Princess Anle departed the temple—only to catch a fleeting glimpse of the Bodhisattva statue smiling at her. Meanwhile, Yang An, fresh out of university, was having a very bad day. Good news: He’d transmigrated into another world with a cheat granting tenfold combat power. Bad news: He’d immediately fallen into the clutches of a certain villainess. Good news: Said villainess possessed peerless beauty and royal status. Bad news: She was absolutely monstrous!!! In the frozen wilderness, Yang An knelt beneath Qin Guo’er’s feet, drenched in sweat despite the cold. Desperately clutching her porcelain-perfect foot—the very one poised to crush his throat—he could only think: How do I survive this?! Need answers NOW!
mance] After transmigrating for eighteen years, Lin Qi lived as an utterly ordinary herbalist in the countryside. One day, he kindly brought home a sickly, beautiful girl covered in blood. They married in a flash and began their blissful, intimate life together. Right then, his long-delayed system finally activated. [Warning! Host detected in contact with the "Crimson Calamity," the world-ending witch!] Lin Qi looked at the adorable wife currently curled in his arms, who couldn't even open a jar lid and trembled at the sight of a mouse. Lin Qi: "System, are you insane? This is clearly just a weak and delicate sickly girl!" Thus, Lin Qi treated the system as a "Contrast System," where taking care of his wife made him stronger. Combing his wife's hair rewarded him with [Free Attribute Points]. Taking his wife out for sunshine rewarded him with [Forbidden Spell: Arcane Explosion]. Lin Qi: "This soft life tastes so good!" ... Yet, in the eyes of outsiders: The strongest Beastkin Assassin: "That man dissected a Beast King with a common skinning knife! That was a show of force towards the powerful!" The Holy Son of the Radiant Church: "I infiltrated his home as a tutor, but he had me babysit the children... He must have seen through my disguise!" The World-Ending Witch, Felucia: "I hid all the way in the countryside. How is it that the husband I married on a whim is stronger than I was at my peak?"
't think I'm that capable, I'm just trying my best to stay alive. I've been kind all my life, never did anything bad, yet worldly suffering spared me not one bit. The human world is a nice place, but I won't come back in my next life. A kind young man, who wanted to just get by singing, but through repeated deceits and betrayals, has gone down an irredeemable path.
grated, and just when he finally managed to get into an elite academy, he discovered that he actually had a system, and the way to earn rewards was extremely ridiculous. So for the sake of rewards, he had no choice but to start acting ridiculous as well. Su Cheng: "It's nothing but system quests after all." But later, what confused Su Cheng was that while he was already quite ridiculous, he never expected those serious characters to gradually become ridiculous too. And the way they looked at him became increasingly strange... (This synopsis doesn't do it justice, please read the full story)
