Chapter 141 - 120: Come On, Please Feel Free to Play Me, Toy with My Feelings, and Hurt Me Cruelly

"Qianqian, come try this on," Li Xiang said, picking out a sweater for Shen Wenqian.

Shen Wenqian hesitated. "Maybe I shouldn’t?" she said. Sweaters were a hassle since you had to go to a fitting room to change.

"It’s fine. If it doesn’t fit after you try it on, you don’t have to buy it." Li Xiang shot Jiang Cai’Er a look, signaling for her to take his cousin to the fitting room.

"Come on, I’ll go with you." Jiang Cai’Er took the sweater and pulled Shen Wenqian toward the fitting room.

After a long while, Jiang Cai’Er finally came out, pulling a self-conscious Shen Wenqian with her.

Li Xiang praised her, "That looks great on you!"

Jiang Cai’Er said, "See? I told you it looked good, but she kept insisting it wasn’t right for her."

Shen Wenqian bit her lip and whispered in Jiang Cai’Er’s ear, "Isn’t it a bit... too much?"

Jiang Cai’Er whispered back, correcting her, "This is called flattering your figure!"

Shen Wenqian was speechless.

Li Xiang said, "If you don’t like it, we can just try another one."

The salesclerk quickly recommended another style. Shen Wenqian furrowed her brow slightly. ’This is such a hassle,’ she thought.

Jiang Cai’Er took it from the clerk and accompanied Shen Wenqian into the fitting room.

After trying on seven or eight outfits in a row, Shen Wenqian was starting to feel dizzy. She had never shopped for clothes like this before. She stole a glance at the salesclerk; thankfully, the woman maintained a broad smile, not showing the slightest hint of impatience.

In the end, she bought three pieces, all of which were her own choices. It was worth noting that one of them was that first, very figure-flattering sweater.

This store primarily sold women’s apparel. They went on to visit several more shops, including a shoe store where she got a pair of sneakers and a pair of boots. Li Xiang wanted to buy her more, but Shen Wenqian staunchly refused. It was all too expensive. The three clothing items had cost 800, 1,200, and 1,800 yuan, while the shoes were 480 and 880 yuan. The total was already over five thousand.

Her entire life, she had never worn such expensive clothes and shoes. ’My parents are going to lecture me when I get home,’ she thought.

When the time came, her parents would surely say she was being thoughtless, asking her cousin for such expensive gifts. ’But I never asked for any of this!’

Li Xiang knew his aunt and uncle well. Seeing the worried look on Shen Wenqian’s face, he consoled her, "Don’t worry, I’ll explain things to them. What’s wrong with a cousin buying his younger cousin a few outfits and pairs of shoes?"

Jiang Cai’Er chimed in from the side, "Exactly. This is your cousin spoiling you. Besides, he’ll have his own kids someday, and then your parents can return the favor by giving gifts to them."

Li Xiang said sheepishly, "That’s not even on the horizon."

Shen Wenqian, who had a gossipy side, asked, "Brother Xiang, you didn’t meet anyone suitable at your blind date a few days ago?"

Li Xiang shook his head. "It’s hard to say with things like that."

Shen Wenqian suddenly glanced over at Jiang Cai’Er. The look made Jiang Cai’Er’s heart skip a beat. ’Have I been that obvious?’ she wondered.

"Oh, this pair of shoes is nice! They’d be perfect for your little brother!" Jiang Cai’Er quickly changed the subject, pulling Shen Wenqian over to look at them.

So, they all started picking things out for Shen Zimo. In the end, he also got two pairs of shoes and three articles of clothing. But clothes and shoes for boys were relatively cheaper, so the total only came to around 2,900 yuan.

In reality, that was still very expensive, and the younger cousin was also worried about getting an earful from his parents. But then he did a quick mental calculation. His total was far less than his sister’s. ’Well, if the sky falls, the tall person will hold it up. I’m safe,’ he thought.

While Jiang Cai’Er was in the restroom, Shen Wenqian secretly said to Li Xiang, "Brother Xiang, shouldn’t we buy something for Sister Cai’Er, too?"

’Since we all came out together, and Jiang Cai’Er has been running around helping pick clothes and going with me to the fitting room, it doesn’t seem right not to buy her something,’ she thought. ’After all, Li Xiang and I are closer—we’re family, and Jiang Cai’Er is an outsider. I should probably remind Brother Xiang about this.’

Li Xiang nodded. "We’ll help her pick something out together in a bit."

’I’ve bought her things before, but it’s fine to get her a little more,’ he thought. ’We all came out to have fun together; it wouldn’t be right for her to go home empty-handed.’

When Jiang Cai’Er returned, Shen Wenqian pulled her over to look at more clothes. Jiang Cai’Er, assuming Shen Wenqian wanted to buy more for herself, was full of enthusiasm. But as it turned out, Shen Wenqian was picking things out for her.

Jiang Cai’Er quickly refused. "Brother Xiang already brought me clothes when he visited the provincial capital, so I won’t buy anything today. Besides, uh... I’m also worried my parents will nag me. They can be really annoying about that sometimes."

Shen Wenqian blinked, thoroughly surprised. ’Brother Xiang went to the provincial capital and didn’t bring clothes for my brother and me, but he brought some for Jiang Cai’Er? Who’s he closer to, me or Sister Cai’Er?’

As she walked, she kept stealing glances, first at her cousin, then at Jiang Cai’Er. The more she looked, the more she felt something was up with the two of them.

’No way... Sister Cai’Er is only a sophomore in high school. This... this...’ Shen Wenqian suddenly recalled that a few days ago, Brother Xiang had actually taken Jiang Cai’Er with him to his blind date. The whole thing suddenly seemed incredible to her.

’Taking your girlfriend to your own blind date? That’s something only Brother Xiang would do,’ Shen Wenqian muttered to herself. ’If he actually managed to find a match that way, the Sun would rise in the west.’

After shopping all morning, it was already one o’clock in the afternoon. Li Xiang then took them to get a free meal.

"President Li, have you arrived yet?"

"Almost there, almost there! We’ll be there in a bit."

The person treating them today was the owner of the restaurant that had bought the wild boar from him before. He had already called several times to hurry them along, asking where they were. But Li Xiang had been busy shopping with his cousins and wasn’t finished, so they were running a little late.

But it was probably for the best that they were late. He’d heard the restaurant was very popular, and if you went too early, you wouldn’t get a table anyway.

Even so, when they finally arrived, the place was still booming. Chairs had been set up by the entrance, where a crowd of people sat waiting in line.