After resolving her feelings, Qiao Xiaoqing's mood visibly brightened, and she resumed her antics of picking out clothes for Kaguya. However, this time it was even more over-the-top since they were in the lingerie section, meaning all the garments she picked were lingerie.
If it were just regular lingerie, that would be one thing, but the problem was—what exactly were these things she was picking?
Some of them were nothing but a few scraps of fabric, and they had the audacity to sell them for 3,888 yuan. Seriously, it felt like daylight robbery. Even robbery didn't work this fast!
And what about those things that were just a few strings? Could those really be considered lingerie? Were they even capable of providing any coverage?
Not to mention, what was the deal with the one that had a hole in the middle?
Faced with this absurdity, Kaguya couldn't help but feel a sense of awe, giving a thumbs up as she thought to herself, City folks sure know how to have fun.
"Come on, try them on!" Qiao Xiaoqing clung to Kaguya's arm, her voice sweet and playful, practically begging.
"No way," Kaguya said, her face dead serious. "You're playing with fire, young lady."
"Finally ready to make a move on your little sister, huh?" Qiao Xiaoqing teased, pretending to act shy. "As expected, you're a total pervert."
"And who was it that kissed me first, again?" Kaguya's mouth twitched.
"Did I?" Qiao Xiaoqing tilted her head and tapped her temple as if deep in thought, then feigned confusion. "I seem to have forgotten."
"Need me to help you remember?" Kaguya extended her hands, a mischievous glint in her eyes.
"No need!" Qiao Xiaoqing quickly released Kaguya's arm, hopping away like a startled rabbit, laughing as she said, "Since you're about to turn into a big bad wolf, I think I'll keep my distance."
"Alright, let's stop messing around. We should go. It's getting late." Kaguya glanced at the large clock in the mall's main hall and said.
"Okay." Qiao Xiaoqing dashed back, wrapping her fair arms naturally around Kaguya's again.
"Aren't you afraid I might actually eat you up?" Kaguya teased, looking down at her.
Standing at just over 170 cm, Kaguya was fairly tall for a woman, while Qiao Xiaoqing was only a few centimeters shorter. The height difference wasn't large, but because Qiao Xiaoqing liked to lean against Kaguya, it made her seem shorter.
"Afraid of what?" Qiao Xiaoqing huffed, her tone bold. "If you even try, it's basically incest."
"But we aren't blood-related," Kaguya said with a laugh, gently patting her head. "And you were the one who said it."
"So what?" Qiao Xiaoqing's cheeks flushed slightly. She turned her head and whispered, "It's not like you have the necessary equipment to commit the crime."
"Can you not say such ridiculous things?" Kaguya let out a small sigh, feeling a bit embarrassed. "You've really gone wild, saying things like that."
"Well, who taught me?" Qiao Xiaoqing retorted.
"I definitely didn't teach you any of that."
By the time they left the mall, it was already the afternoon. Since neither of them had eaten lunch, their stomachs were growling with hunger.
They decided to grab a bite to eat, but just as they were about to head out, Kaguya suddenly stopped, a strange, familiar sensation washing over her. She looked around, her brows furrowing.
"What's wrong?" Qiao Xiaoqing asked, noticing Kaguya's sudden change.
"It's nothing," Kaguya smiled, shaking her head. "Just thinking about something."
"Something? Or someone?" Qiao Xiaoqing tightened her hold on Kaguya's arm, her voice teasing. "I bet it's some pretty girl, right?"
"Yeah, a real beauty," Kaguya chuckled. "She's absolutely stunning."
"Who on earth would be unlucky enough to fall for someone like you?" Qiao Xiaoqing pretended to sigh dramatically, "What a misfortune."
"Yeah, what a—" Kaguya started to reply, but then her gaze shifted to the distance, and her expression grew serious.
"What's wrong?" Qiao Xiaoqing asked, her curiosity piqued.
"Let's go check it out," Kaguya said, grabbing Qiao Xiaoqing's hand and leading her briskly toward the source of her interest.
"Hey!"
When they reached the spot, they found it was a street stall, manned by an old man who appeared to be a fortune-teller.
The man had spread out a cloth on the ground, upon which was drawn a crude version of the I Ching's Eight Trigrams. The cloth was of such poor quality it looked like it could crumble any second. The characters and symbols on it were lopsided, and there were even ink smudges all over it. It looked less like a fortune-telling chart and more like a child's random scribbling.
The fortune-teller himself was no better. He wore a worn-out black jacket, tattered jeans, and sneakers that had clearly seen better days. At the moment, he was sitting on a small stool, leisurely cracking sunflower seeds, utterly nonchalant about his supposed trade.
Kaguya felt an overwhelming urge to complain.
Where's the professionalism? Shouldn't a fortune-teller at least look the part? Even if he didn't have the otherworldly look of a sage, shouldn't he at least wear a black robe or something? What's with this sloppy, disheveled appearance?
Suddenly, Kaguya's gaze fell upon the Eight Trigrams chart, and her expression turned serious.
She finally realized where that strange feeling was coming from—it was the inconspicuous green stone placed on the chart. It was faintly glowing with a dim light. Most people wouldn't notice it, but Kaguya could feel it clearly. The space around the stone was subtly distorted by an invisible force.
A stone capable of distorting space like this? It was unbelievable. While everything in the world had its gravitational pull, causing such a noticeable spatial distortion was exceedingly rare.
The old man noticed potential customers approaching and quickly set his feet down from where they were propped, hastily pocketing his bag of seeds. He slapped the dust off his clothes, straightened up, and put on a more serious facade. "Looking for a fortune reading?"
Kaguya's mouth twitched.
It's a bit late to start acting professional now. I've already seen you lounging around. Do you take me for an idiot?
"I want that stone," Kaguya said, pointing directly at the green rock on the Eight Trigrams chart, getting straight to the point.
"It's not for sale," the fortune-teller immediately refused.
"Name your price," Kaguya frowned, not in the mood for a lengthy argument.
"I said, it's not for sale," the old man grumbled impatiently. "If you're not here for a fortune reading, move along. Don't disturb my business."
What business? There's no one here!
Kaguya's mouth twitched in irritation. "I'll give you this much," she said, holding up one finger.
"One million?" The old man's eyes went wide, nearly toppling off his stool in shock.
"No, one hundred yuan."