"This one! This one! And this one!"
...
Ziyue's melodious voice, at this moment, sounded to Tao Yi like a demonic tune from the depths of hell. No, it had always been a demonic tune.
Right now, Tao Yi felt like he was playing a Transformer, with both his arms loaded with all the things Ziyue had bought.
All morning, Ziyue had been shopping like a madwoman, not only buying clothes but also a variety of other things. It seemed that as long as she liked something, she would make Tao Yi buy it.
But Tao Yi was also somewhat grateful that he hadn't brought Ziyue to jewelry stores or gold shops. Otherwise, today's expenses would have been even more terrifying.
Even the current situation had already caused Tao Yi to realize that everything he earned this month from his work at Qian Lao's shop would essentially be unpaid labor.
"Miss Yue, let's call it a day. You can live for a long time; why not come back next time? Just spare me, please." Tao Yi's face was filled with grief, and he almost sounded like he was crying.
"Hmm, alright." Ziyue nodded and, seeing Tao Yi's desperate expression, flashed a smile so charming it could steal anyone's heart. Showing her little white teeth, she asked, "Shall we meet again at the same time tomorrow?"
"What do you mean?" Seeing the strange expression on Ziyue's face, Tao Yi felt a surge of inexplicable tension and asked, "Miss Yue, what… what are you planning?"
Ziyue's smile grew even more enchanting. She glanced at the bags hanging from Tao Yi's arms and said, "There are some things in there I don't quite know how to use. You should help me. Also, there are some things in your house you need to teach me how to use when we go back."
God! Tao Yi was startled, his face changing dramatically. This was definitely not good news! This clearly sounded like she intended to stay for a long time!
"Miss… Miss Yue, money is really important in this world. But you see, I, Tao Yi, am just an ordinary person. My financial resources are not very stable and aren't much at all..."
Tao Yi, lacking confidence, still spoke up, even though he knew that no matter what he said, Ziyue wouldn't care about his feelings.
However, once again, the outcome surprised Tao Yi.
"Don't worry. As your master, I won't mistreat myself or my servant. So relax." Ziyue left behind this sentence and began to look around, searching for anything else that might catch her interest.
Tao Yi still couldn't figure out what she meant. She wouldn't mistreat herself, did that mean she was going to earn money? Probably not. In Tao Yi's mind, the only way she could make money was by robbery, given her natural attributes: unreasonable and exceptionally strong.
Ziyue lacked neither.
Although he was concerned, Tao Yi felt that the chances of this happening were not high. After all, Ziyue was indeed very smart. She didn't want to cause trouble for herself. If she did rob people, it would definitely be on a small scale, not in a way that would draw too much attention and cause trouble for herself.
But what did Ziyue mean by that?
While Tao Yi was still pondering this, he suddenly noticed Ziyue had stopped walking, and a burst of shouting reached his ears.
"Knock on every door, find out where that guy is hiding! Knock!"
Following the direction of the shouting, Tao Yi's eyes followed Ziyue's gaze to a small store.
A group of men dressed like thugs were walking toward the fitting rooms of this small shop.
The leader, wearing a black short-sleeved shirt and floral shorts, looked terribly mismatched. He was commanding his men, "Knock on every door for me! See which one that guy is in!"
Upon hearing the leader's order, the gang of thugs started to arrogantly bang on the doors and shout.
Ziyue showed no sign of leaving, so Tao Yi decided to stay and watch for a while because he was quite intrigued by these men.
Perhaps it was due to Zheng Meixuan, but Tao Yi was quite interested in the **criminal underworld** of Xuanwei City. Though he wasn't corrupt himself, it had always been a lingering shadow in his heart. Of course, there was no need to mention that right now.
What piqued Tao Yi's interest was that he felt these men were not simple; they were probably not just common thugs.
This mall was called Huatian Mall, and ordinary thugs would never dare to cause trouble here. Even the real gangsters in Xuanwei City wouldn't easily challenge the powers behind Huatian Mall.
Because this Huatian Mall belonged to a powerful, hidden force behind Xuanwei City! Even though it was just a tiny part of that force's industry, it still exerted a great deal of deterrence.
How could one evaluate that hidden force? Actually, it held considerable weight across the entire province, leading in drug trafficking, smuggling, and gambling.
Of course, it wasn't all about crime. The organization also did some good deeds, though their ultimate motive was always money.
The province's construction, as well as the recent development in Xuanwei City, couldn't have happened without this hidden force.
So, when Tao Yi saw this group of thug-like men arrogantly searching the fitting rooms, and the security personnel merely glanced at them before leaving as if nothing had happened, he was even more convinced that these thugs weren't just ordinary ones.
Tao Yi also wondered who the unfortunate person was that had offended these people.
As he was pondering this, the group finished their search. The thugs looked at their leader, shaking their heads, failing to find what he wanted.
"All of you are useless! Who said they saw that guy come in here? Go on, keep searching!" The leader shouted, and the group began to move toward the other stores in the mall, seemingly ready to search every corner.
Seeing the crowd gradually disperse, Tao Yi lost interest in watching and said to Ziyue, "Let's go, Miss Yue. There's nothing more to see."
He intended to drag Ziyue away, but then he heard Ziyue's disdainful voice, "Hmph, a bunch of idiots. With so many eyes, they still couldn't find those two people."
"Hmm?" Tao Yi's interest was piqued by Ziyue's words. "You found them? But there was clearly no one in the fitting rooms..."
Ziyue glanced at Tao Yi with a look of disdain, then lightly took his arm. Of course, this only appeared as a gentle hold to outsiders, but in truth, Ziyue was forcefully dragging him along.
This pretense was something Ziyue had tried many times before, and Tao Yi was long used to it...
"I never said there was anyone in the fitting rooms," Ziyue said, guiding Tao Yi toward a rack of pants in one of the shops and whispering, "When those people came in, they made a lot of noise, drawing everyone's attention, so no one noticed..."
While speaking, Tao Yi and Ziyue approached the rack. Pretending to pick out pants, they lingered near the spot.
"Go ahead, flip through those pants; they're hiding in that rack," Ziyue whispered, her eyes darting towards the rack full of pants.
"Why me?! Isn't this just asking for trouble?!" Tao Yi also whispered back, but seeing Ziyue's gaze, he reluctantly lowered his head. "…Fine, I'll do it."
Tao Yi pretended to be looking for pants and casually flipped open a layer of trouser legs...
In that instant, Tao Yi froze, and a voice rang in his mind, "Yi-ge, today is destined to be your unlucky day."
"You guys!!"
After glancing inside the rack, Tao Yi almost shouted in surprise, but he quickly controlled his emotions. He then cautiously looked up at the group of thugs, who had already walked far away and were now standing on the escalator, looking around in all directions, still unwilling to give up.
For now, there was no danger. Tao Yi walked over to Ziyue.
Ziyue's eyes were initially filled with satisfaction, as if she had seen through the whole world, but upon seeing Tao Yi's expression, she became puzzled.
Yet Ziyue was indeed clever. Within a moment, she furrowed her brow, "That man and woman in there… you know them, don't you?"
"Smart as always. Okay, Miss Yue, keep quiet, stay calm!" After speaking to Ziyue, Tao Yi pretended to continue looking at pants and moved closer to the rack, then pretended to tie his shoelaces. "Damn, why are you two here? What's going on with those guys?"
A low voice came from within the rack, "It's a mess! Keep your voice down; check if they've gone!"
Tao Yi frowned, reluctantly pulling Ziyue along as they made their way downstairs.
"I don't want any trouble. We'd better leave right now," Ziyue's voice was cold, chillingly so, though it was also kept low.
"Miss Yue, you can go ahead. Here's the key, just insert it and turn it. You're smart; you'll learn in no time…" Tao Yi was helpless, hurriedly hanging all the bags on Ziyue's arms and taking out a key to hand to her.
"No! I can't use it, you have to come with me!" Ziyue refused to take the key, her eyes firm.
This only puzzled Tao Yi more. Clearly, she could learn how to use it, so why was she dragging him along? Was she worried he'd be in danger? That couldn't be it…
He couldn't figure out Ziyue's intentions, but the two had already reached the lower floor. Tao Yi began to look around, while Ziyue, with her arms full of bags, "lightly" wrapped her arm around his, ready to pull him away.
"Hey! Why are you dragging me? My friends have an emergency; let go!" Perhaps because of his anxiety, or perhaps because Ziyue's behavior was so baffling, Tao Yi did not lower his voice, almost shouting instead.
His outburst immediately drew many people's attention.
Seeing the stares from onlookers, Ziyue released Tao Yi's arm, looking like a couple in a quarrel.
"Damn! What kind of guy would yell at such a beautiful girl? Not a man at all..."
...
As expected, some onlookers gathered, standing around with comments, unafraid since they weren't the ones being yelled at. If Tao Yi had really shouted, "Who said that!" probably none would dare to respond.
Of course, seeing the crowd growing, Tao Yi wouldn't let the situation escalate further. He moved closer to Ziyue, ignoring her gaze, "Miss Yue, I'm sorry. Please, help me out. I won't cause trouble, and I won't let you get into trouble either. Whatever your intentions are, now those people are gone. Let me inform my friends, so they can come out first."
Ziyue's expression showed displeasure. "You go yourself! I'm leaving!"
"Alright, then, the key!" Tao Yi said, handing the key to Ziyue, happy to not have to explain this beautiful girl's presence to his best friends...
Ziyue took the key, gritting her teeth as she watched Tao Yi's back hastily retreat, thinking to herself, "Wait till tonight when you come back!"
Having sent Ziyue off, Tao Yi jogged back upstairs, hurriedly pulling apart the rack full of pants, "Quick! Those people are gone."
And so, under the curious and surprised gazes of the onlookers, while some seemed to understand something, a young man and woman emerged from within the rack.
The man was unusually tall; Tao Yi, at 1.8 meters, wasn't short, but this man was a full head taller. He was filled with a heroic spirit, with healthy tan skin.
The young woman emerging with him was also tall, about 1.7 meters like Ziyue, but she looked petite next to the tall man. She was pretty and cute, though not quite as stunning as Ziyue, but enough to rival Zheng Meixuan.
Once the two got out, they wasted no time, rushing downstairs with Tao Yi, turning through several streets, until finally, due to their physical exhaustion, they stopped, gasping for breath.
Seeing the two finally stop, Tao Yi also breathed a sigh of relief.
"Hey, can one of you tell me why we're running?"
Tao Yi's question was spot on and rather classic. It seemed the group they were avoiding had left long ago, so why were they still running like this?
"Lei-ge, I didn't know you and Lin-jie were amateur athletes?!" Tao Yi, leaning on his knees, his face flushed, sweat pouring down his forehead like a waterfall, teased while panting, "In this heat, you guys still run so well. Truly, you epitomize the saying: sprint speed with marathon endurance… phew."
While catching his breath, Tao Yi continued to mock the pair, "Lei-ge, aren't you supposed to be super cool? Damn, they've been gone for a while, and you still ran like this! Shame on you!"
The pair weren't in much better shape than Tao Yi; even though they heard his sarcasm, they were too exhausted to retort, just panting heavily like him.