"Why don't you find a proper boyfriend to introduce to your mom?" Ai Le fretted as she walked into a minimally decorated yet upscale store.
Gu Xiaoer, flipping through clothes, replied, "Isn't there a rented one?"
"Hey, don't tell me you're still in touch with that rental boyfriend?" Ai Le squeezed next to Gu Xiaoer, lowering her voice and biting her words.
Feeling guilty, Gu Xiaoer quickly denied, "Ah, the lease isn't up yet! It's cheaper by the month!" She turned and picked up a little black dress. "This one looks really nice!"
"Go try it on!" Ai Le nodded in agreement, the design of the little black dress was indeed delicate, very much suited for Gu Xiaoer's sweet, good-girl demeanor. The color, however...
Ai Le felt a pang of sadness in her heart. Everyone else's birthday was celebrated with reds and greens, only Gu Xiaoer, every year at this time, wore nothing but black.
At just five years old, she had faced the twin blows of her mother's death and her father's remarriage.
