Luan Xie was astounded when he stepped inside the mall. He had never been to such a big and luxurious place before. Compared to the scorching heat outside, the mall was frigid. There were a lot of people inside, yet the mall was not sweltering with heat.
"I don't have much money. I am just here to see if there is a sale. If clothes are expensive here, we are going to the local market," He Shun said.
Luan Xie pretended to understand, but to be honest, he could not care less. He was just fascinated to see the surroundings. Everything looked amazing and a bit overwhelming. Luan Xie stuck by He Shun's side as they walked deeper into the mall.
He Shun checked the prices of clothes, unlike Luan Xie, who admired the clothes. He Shun looked at Luan Xie's reflection through the store's window. The latter was amused, his eyes showing a slight twinkle that made He Shun let out a soft smile.
However, this was not the time to think of that. He Shun sighed, nearly letting out a 'tsk' sound. He instinctively grabbed Luan Xie's arm as he said, "Too expensive. We are going somewhere else."
Luan Xie did not get to time to even process what was happening, and he already found himself back in the car with his seat belt on. He Shun drove to a nearby local market where clothes were sold. There was no exchange of words between them during the drive there, but it was a comfortable silence. Unknowingly, Luan Xie found himself being more and more comfortable with each passing day beside He Shun.
When they arrived at the local market, Luan Xie froze on his steps. The smell was awful, reeking of fishes and rotten vegetables that were thrown out to the ground. The people here were twice in number than those at the mall, and it was blisteringly hot. He would not enter the market. Not at all.
That was just some wishful thinking. With He Shun around, Luan Xie had no choice.
"If you are not coming, I am leaving you here all by yourself and go back home."
Reluctantly, Luan Xie walked side by side to He Shun. That was difficult to do. With each step, Luan Xie was shoved by the people walking in the opposite direction. It was done unintentionally due to small space and a large group of people, but Luan Xie nearly took the knife from the butcher's hand and stabbed them.
He Shun noticed the discomfort on Luan Xie's face—wrinkles appeared on the forehead, his nose scrunched up, and his lips tightened on one another in an upside down grin. His hands were clenched into fists, about to punch someone soon, which He Shun knew that Luan Xie would not hesitate and they would get in trouble soon.
So, he took matters into his own hands. He Shun grabbed Luan Xie by the shoulders and moved him to the corner where there were fewer chances of being bumped into. It happened all of a sudden that Luan Xie did not get a chance to even ask. His heart felt warmed by the gesture, even though He Shun did it just to avoid trouble.
"You won't have much interaction with people here," He Shun said as he stuck close to Luan Xie, just in case the latter still wanted to throw hands.
Luan Xie nodded at his words. He felt a surge of emotions at the same time. He was not used to someone being nice and thoughtful. He was not used to feeling such an emotion that he could not place a name to, but it felt nice to be around He Shun.
Throughout the whole shopping at the local market, Luan Xie stayed close to He Shun.
Luan Xie noticed the weird glances people were giving him. He did not understand why, but he soon did when he saw his reflection on a dirty mirror. It was his hair that caused so much attention. It was abnormally long, tied up in a ponytail—something that modern people were not used to.
Subconsciously, he moved closer to He Shun to the point where Luan Xie could feel the actor's unintentional faint touches against his arm.
He Shun, despite Luan Xie not uttering a word, understood him. It was one of the rarest moments when He Shun successfully understood what was going on in Luan Xie's mind.
"Don't worry. All shopping has been made. We are going home now," He Shun said as he placed a comforting hand on Luan Xie's shoulder. That action, somehow, made Luan Xie's heart beat slightly faster.
Throughout the way back home, nobody spoke a word. They never did, to begin with. Luan Xie was left alone with his thoughts and conflicted feelings that he had never experienced before, nor was he used to. He did not know what it was that troubled his mind so much, and it frightened him not being able to know.
Everything about He Shun seemed to have an effect on Luan Xie now. All that he did made Luan Xie feel his cheeks heated up and his heart to quicken its pace.
Luan Xie let out a long sigh.
"What has gotten you thinking so much? You have sighed so much in a span of one minute," He Shun spoke up, not being able to hide his curiosity anymore.
Luan Xie was startled. He was hoping that He Shun did not notice. He did not know how to answer the question. Luan Xie was in a dilemma that consisted of He Shun.
"I.. it's nothing."
He Shun did not buy that answer for a bit. Although he kept his eyes on the road, he noticed the way Luan Xie tensed up, but he did not ask any further. Mainly because if Luan Xie were to talk about his feelings, He Shun would have to undergo the trouble of consoling the latter.
He hated consoling others.
But, He Shun did not like that frown on Luan Xie's face. It clenched his heart in an unexplainable way. He wanted nothing but to pull Luan Xie for a comforting hug.
He Shun thought that Luan Xie was looking so tensed because of the bracelet. That was a reasonable worry.
"Don't worry. We will find your mother's bracelet soon," He Shun smiled softly.