Pan An already parked his car in the parking lot of the big mall where they are going to have their grocery.
The moment both of them already walked out of the car, Shu Xian widened her eyes to see one guard approach them and get Pan An's keys, making her turn her head to look at the man beside him.
"Pan An…" she trailed off, narrowing her eyes at him as she made an assumption. "Don't tell me that this mall is actually your family's?" she added and asked, Pan An, nodding to answer her question with a smile.
"Yes, this is ours. This is why I chose this place because I have no problems with our image being compromised here if ever we are seen together. Other than that, no one ever goes here—students at that, since it's very far away and you would also need access to this mall."
"Access to this mall?" Shu Xian's eyes were wide still. "What do you mean access to this mall? Like, membership and the like?"
Pan An couldn't help but chuckle. With him nodding, however, it gave Shu Xian the answer that she needed, both of them stopping in front of the elevator. The moment it opened, the employee immediately recognized him, giving both of them a small bow before they entered.
"Membership… hmm… something like that," Pan An said, the doors of the elevator already closing. "I only go grocery shopping here. I don't like the attention of many people," he said, already talking to the employee who is in charge of the elevator. "The floor where the grocery is, please."
"Yes, Mr. Pan An," she immediately answered, already clicking the fourth floor, Shu Xian, now shy that they are not alone as she doesn't know how to speak to Pan An already.
With her being this shy, Shu Xian blinked her eyes a few times, looking down on their feet as she fidgeted. Seeing this, Pan An already knew that she was feeling uneasy, making him sigh as he surprised her when he put his hand over his shoulder.
"Don't be this quiet, Love," he said, Shu Xian, immediately snapping her head to look at Pan An. "We're just going grocery shopping. But I understand why you're shy, Love. It's the first time you visited our family's mall."
With being called "love" twice in a sentence, Shu Xian really blushed so hard—she was beet red! Pan An then gave her a wink, now Shu Xian remembering that this is an act because it is their mall and that the employees might inform Cai Li, further strengthening their alibi.
"I'm sorry, Love," Shu Xian shook herself from her thoughts, still blushing as she tried her best to act along with Pan An. "I will get used to this soon, I hope."
With that, the elevator doors opened. With the employee also smiling at them as she also has a small blush on her face with how Pan An was acting with Shu Xian, she gave another bow to say goodbye, the elevator doors now closing.
The moment Shu Xian realized that they were no longer in their presence, she sighed, looking at Pan An with furrowed brows.
"You didn't even tell me in the car about what we're supposed to do! I was so surprised!"
Pan An chuckled, shaking his head as he felt slightly guilty of not informing Shu Xian. Further surprising her, he then held her hand, his fingers locked with hers, making the young lady's heart beat erratically in her chest.
"I'm sorry," he apologized, kissing the back of her hand as he raised it with his hand that held hers. "Shall we go, Love?"
Shu Xian could not answer immediately. With her unable to avoid his gaze, Shu Xian couldn't help but feel that Pan An's acting is something so natural—like they are in a relationship, really!
He was so natural—it actually made Shu Xian feel that both of them are in a relationship even though she knows fully well that this is just an act to keep his mother at bay.
"Love?"
"Hmm?"
Pan An cocked his head to the side, furrowing his brows in wonder as Shu Xian was in a daze.
"Are you alright?"
With this question asked, Shu Xian couldn't help but narrow her eyes at him and answered his question without hesitations at all!
"No. I'm surprised by this shenanigan!"
Laughing at her whispered answer, Pan An bit his bottom lip to stifle his laughter, already walking towards the grocery for their shopping.
"I'm sorry. With the talk that we had a while ago in the car, I didn't know what to say—how to insert this," he said, Shu Xian's focus on their front, noticing that there are not a lot of people around the mall.
With this in thought, Shu Xian ignored what Pan An had said, already looking up at him and asked him a question.
"Not a lot of people are in your grocery? At this time?"
"Oh!"
With Shu Xian noticing this, Pan An further discussed where most of their patrons are at this moment.
"Most of them are either in the furniture stores, or maybe having their meals in the rare but known restaurants that we have in the mall."
"Oh, I see!"
"Yup," Pan An nodded, "Only a few rich families do grocery shopping. Since you know, they're rich, most of them ask their helpers to do it for them. But us, we beg to differ. Both of us will shop for ourselves, further letting my mother believe that she doesn't need to match me with other gals, no?"
With Pan An saying this with a wink as well, Shu Xian playfully rolled her eyes at him, nodding as she now understood why he wanted to do this at their mall.
"Alright. I'm just here to help, Pan An. Whatever you say."
Both of them then entered the grocery of the mall. With Pan An getting a large push cart, Shu Xian linked her arm with his, both of them browsing the things they need for the kitchen and of course, for the house.
People's attentions were on them as they see them not only as a simple couple… but like a newlywed couple.