Buying clothes with the opposite sex can easily become ambiguously intimate.
What's more, Zhao Yu had come so close to Ji Sui when straightening up his collar. It was an act only people familiar with each other did.
But she made no other moves.
Throughout the process, her focus was simply on whether the clothes looked good or not, and the expressions she wore were also typical of the excitement and sincerity in preparing a gift for her boyfriend.
Moreover, after choosing the clothes, she kept a safe distance from Ji Sui. The action of crossing into his personal space seemed purely accidental and innocent.
She didn't think he would doubt she had other intentions.
When they returned to the drink area, Shi Yu saw the happy smile on her face and joked again: "The lives of people in love are so different. I didn't know buying a gift for your boyfriend can make you this happy."
"Who's happy?" Zhao Yu pretended to be embarrassed. Then she couldn't help but look down at the bag in her hand, her smile bittersweet, "Actually I don't know if he will like it, after all, he has never worn such cheap clothes. But I can't afford the expensive ones…"
As if realizing she shouldn't have said this, she hurriedly shut her mouth again and changed the topic with a smile. "Let's go, let's choose a gift for Xiaoxiao."
Qu Sixiao was learning to paint and the school was taking them to the suburbs next month to sketch from reality. Shi Yu wants to buy him a better easel and consult a semi-professional person like Zhao Yu for suggestions.
Qu Sixiao was very satisfied with the multifunctional easel recommended by Zhao Yu. Shi Yu and Ji Sui both rushed to pay the bill, while Zhao Yu carefully selected and bought two picture books for Qu Sixiao's birthday gift.
The album was not expensive, only around tens of yuan1 each, which is very reasonable for someone of Zhao Yu's standing. After all, she was not particularly close to the mother and son. If the gift was too expensive, it will easily be a cause for suspicion.
Ji Sui had to put the easel in the car first before continuing and it just so happened that Zhao Yu also needed to put the clothes she bought for Xue Ziang in her car. Naturally, the two went to the underground parking lot alone again.
When waiting for the elevator, Zhao Yu's phone rang. It was Xue Ziang. She rushed to pick up, and said softly, "What's the matter? Is something wrong?"
The happiness and sweetness unique to girls in love clear on her face.
Xue Ziang knew that she was going to celebrate the birthday of the deaf and mute boy she met while volunteering, so he called just to confirm her current ongoings. Since Ji Sui was with her, Zhao Yu deliberately brought up the topic of the gift.
"I saw a nice coat just now. I thought it suited you well. I bought it on impulse, but it's only about 3,000 from an ordinary brand made in China. Would you normally wear such cheap clothes? Should I return it?"
Her tone full of hesitance, probing, humble and cautious, both for Ji Sui and Xue Ziang to listen to.
"Bought me a gift?" Xue Ziang's voice was obviously smiling, "What kind of clothes do you think I usually wear? Could all of them be worth six figures? What's wrong with it being 3000 yuan? Maybe it'll be better to wear and more comfortable."
Zhao Yu couldn't help but lifted the corners of his lips and secretly laughed. "That means, you like it?"
"Isn't this the reason why the gift I gave was not returned?" Xue Ziang said in a serious tone on purpose, "I will come to you tomorrow to get the gift, and you are not allowed to return it."
"Okay, wait for you to get it."
After changing his previous worries, after hanging up the phone, Zhao Yu smiled sweetly, very contented, and hugged the bag in her hand as if she was holding a baby.
Ji Sui, who was standing next to her, listened silently, watched, and said nothing.
But Zhao Yu guessed that the current her, who was so humble in front of her lover, should be able to gain his empathy.
After all, Ji Sui with his years of silent love for Zhuang Yiqing, was just as humble.
At Qu Sixiao's birthday dinner, Shi Yu and Zhao Yu both drank some of the store's signature fruit wine.
——Shi Yu didn't drive, so she could naturally drink wine, but Zhao Yu took advantage of everyone's good mood and had two drinks with Shi Yu on the grounds that her boyfriend would come to pick her up.
The fruit wine did not have a high alcohol content and was not intoxicating, but you couldn't drive after drinking it.
After dinner, everyone went to the parking lot together. Shi Yu saw Zhao Yu staring at the phone and asked, "Have your boyfriend arrived yet?"
Zhao Yu smiled. "Something important might have come up, it doesn't matter, you go first, I'll call a cab."
It was already dark out and the underground parking lot was not very safe so of course, Shi Yu refused. She thought for a while and said, "Why don't you come with us? Pick up the car tomorrow. Anyway, we are headed in the same direction. After Ji Sui drops off me and Xiaoxiao, he can drop you off on the way home."
Zhao Yu politely declined a few times before following them into the car.
Shi Yu took Qu Sixiao to sit in the back and Zhao Yu was left in the front seat. Although she smiled and chatted with Shi Yu, occasionally she would look at the phone obviously absent-minded.
Realizing that she was a little down emotionally, Shi Yu felt bad and tried to find happy topics to talk about.
When Shi Yu and Qu Sixiao got out of the car, only Zhao Yu and Ji Sui were left in the car, and the small space was quiet.
After a while, Ji Sui broke the awkwardness and smiled. "Xiaoxiao kept telling me that he was very happy today, I want to thank you on his behalf."
Zhao Yu also smiled. "You and his mother have thanked me a lot. No need to be so polite. "
Having said this, she smiled to herself. "In fact, it's not like Shi Yu's praises. How can I be as kind as she describes? Helping Xiaoxiao is just…like helping me from before."
With a bit of drunkenness and disappointment, she seemed to suddenly let down a wall, confiding in him with a wry smile. "Xiaoxiao has no father and I have no father since birth, and later, even my mother was gone.
"Xiaoxiao couldn't communicate with other children and was lonely every day. When I was a child, nobody wanted to play with me either. They called me a bastard without a father. So, when I saw Xiaoxiao, it was like seeing my own past. Nobody paid attention to me then but now, I can keep him company."
Zhao Yu always intended on using the wine as an excuse to confide him, but she did not lie. All her emotions were expressed perfectly. Ji Sui couldn't help staying silent after hearing her confession.
In fact, his childhood was like this too.
His father passed away and his mother was out of the picture. Although he was adopted by the Zhuang family, his last name was not Zhuang, and was not counted as part of the family.
Moreover, when he was a child, he was antisocial and stubborn. He didn't know how to get along with others and didn't say a word when he was bullied.
He has also been called a bastard, been shunned by children of the same age, and knew the bitter taste of wanting to talk to someone but finding no one.
When Zhao Yu saw Qu Sixiao, she was reminded of herself when she was a child. How could it be different when he saw Qu Sixiao?
Having arrived at Zhao Yu's apartment complex, Zhao Yu opened the door and got out of the car, when Ji Sui suddenly stopped her.
Zhao Yu turned around. "What's wrong?"
Ji Sui hesitated for a while, and seemed to swallow what he had originally wanted to say and only let out a: "Thank you."
Zhao Yu laughed: "How many times have you told me?"
Ji Sui also laughed: "I won't say it next time, then… rest early."
"OK, good night."
Note:
1 10 Yuan is roughly equal to 1.5 US Dollars, so Xue Ziang's gift was worth about $900 and her gift in return about $450. RICH INDEED.