The three of them arrived on the fourth floor, and Emily Lopez checked out each shop one by one. This young lady chose trendy, youthful clothes, trying them on one after another, which exhausted Gina Lopez, while James Brown watched with great enthusiasm. For him, watching a beauty change outfits for his enjoyment was a treat, something he would never tire of.
"Brother-in-law, how do you like this outfit?" Feeling that discussing with her sister was dull, Emily Lopez tried on a set of clothes and went straight to James Brown. She spun around and asked with an expectant face, "Brother-in-law, does it look good?"
James Brown nodded continuously and said, "Not bad, Emily, these kinds of clothes suit you best and really bring out your vitality."
That morning, James Brown hadn't truly appreciated Emily Lopez's figure, but now, as she tried on clothes, he gained a deeper understanding of her physique. From appearances alone, Emily's figure was not a bit different from her sister's, both slender-waisted and with long legs.
However, Emily studied dance, so her flexibility was even stronger. Each movement she made was filled with grace, especially when she spun around in front of James while trying on clothes, dazzling onlookers to the point where passing customers stopped and stared.
"Only brother-in-law knows how to speak nicely. Then I'll try on some other things." Emily Lopez didn't decide to buy the outfit right away, but instead wanted to try others. For her, trying on clothes was joy, a delight, whereas buying them was of secondary importance.
"Will you two ever be done?" At this point, Gina Lopez was getting impatient. She was completely different from Emily; she tried on clothes with the intention to buy. Without the intent to purchase, she wouldn't bother trying anything on, considering it a waste of effort. The most direct approach to achieve the fastest result was her way.
Emily Lopez pouted and said, "What's the rush? It's just past ten now, we just have to go back before twelve o'clock."
"Then go ahead and shop, I can't bear this anymore, I'll go drink something on the first floor and wait for you." After saying that, Gina Lopez turned and walked away decisively.
"Gina!" James Brown called out half-heartedly.
Emily Lopez then tugged at James Brown's arm and said, "Don't mind her, she's always like this. Every time she comes out with me, she ends up going to drink something. Brother-in-law, you keep me company."
"But your sister..." James Brown seemed a bit distressed.
Emily Lopez pouted again and said, "Hmph, she's your girlfriend, and I'm your little niece, right? So, if your little niece makes a small request, is it possible for you, as the brother-in-law, to refuse?"
"That... okay! Then I'll agree to it, and at worst, I'll just get scolded by your sister later." James Brown was just putting on an act, as accompanying this little niece was far more interesting and relaxing than being with Gina Lopez.
"Hehe, that won't happen, my sister might be hot-tempered, but at home, she'll still give you face. Let's go..." Emily Lopez happily tugged at James Brown's arm and moved on to the next fashion store.
The pair continued to visit shop after shop, with Emily Lopez trying on clothes from time to time, always showing them off to James Brown.
"Emily, you're like a clothes hanger. Whatever you wear looks so good on you; it all has a special kind of beauty," James Brown said sincerely. "If I were rich, I'd buy you all the clothes and have you wear something different every day. Seeing you in various outfits would make me feel joyful."
"Brother-in-law, if my sister heard that, she'd surely scold you."
"Hehe, I'm just speaking the truth. It's just a pity that your brother-in-law is poor and can only afford to buy you one set; and it can't be over a thousand, or else your brother-in-law will be left to the mercy of the winds from the N Region next month."
Emily Lopez stood with her hands behind her back, facing James Brown. She was half a head shorter than him and now looked up at him with squinted eyes, saying, "Brother-in-law, my sister is wealthy. Aren't you going to ask her for it?"
"A man should not rely on a woman financially; though we are together, we are still economically independent. That's why I only have this much financial capacity; you shouldn't bankrupt your brother-in-law."
Emily Lopez suddenly patted James Brown's shoulder and said, "Good, just for not pretending to be richer than you are, I approve of you."
"Hehe, just because you approve of me that much, I will surely treat your sister well."
"That's well said, then I won't bully you anymore, I'd rather bully my sister since she's the one with money."
"No, that won't do. This is a token of my affection; it's different from what your sister would buy for you."
Emily Lopez glanced at James Brown again, then her smile blossomed like a summer flower and said, "Then I won't stand on ceremony. What I'm most looking forward to right now is for my brother-in-law to make a fortune soon. When I come to shop from you, you definitely won't be stingy."
"Of course not, how can I not spoil such an adorable younger auntie? If I did, I'd be a total failure."
Although they had only spent a little over two hours together, they were now chatting as comfortably as old friends.
Finally, following James Brown's suggestion, Emily Lopez bought a long cashmere sweater and a pair of light blue skinny jeans. As for knee-high boots, Emily had some already, so she didn't buy another pair.
Receiving James Brown's gift made Emily quite happy; she was even happier than when Gina Lopez bought her something. It wasn't about getting a bargain, but rather, shopping with James was truly enjoyable. Shopping with her sister was just about getting clothes and having to listen to Gina's complaints.
However, as the saying goes, extreme joy begets sorrow. The two were so engrossed in their conversation that they didn't watch their step, and Emily, not paying attention, stepped on a banana peel.
Normally, such an incident wouldn't occur in a shopping mall, as the cleaning staff would promptly take care of it. Perhaps due to the New Year crowds, the cleaners hadn't managed to clean up in time, and Emily just happened to be the unlucky one.
"Ah!" Emily let out a cry of alarm as her body started to fall backward. James, with his quick reflexes, immediately extended his arm and caught Emily by the waist, then he pulled her up with a strong tug.
Instinctively, and also out of inertia, Emily threw herself into James's arms and clung tightly to his waist.
This completely took James by surprise. To suddenly have such a soft, warm embrace was an unexpected delight, and he couldn't have been more comfortable, but with many people around, it wasn't appropriate to continue indulging in the moment. Not to mention, if Gina happened to come by at that time, there would be no way to explain himself out of it.
He gently patted Emily on the shoulder and softly said, "Emily, are you okay?"
By this time, Emily had somewhat regained her composure and realized she was holding onto James. She quickly felt embarrassed and let go to stand up straight, but she stumbled a little and let out a low cry. She grabbed James's arm to steady herself once more.
"What's wrong?" James felt something was amiss and quickly asked.
"My foot hurts; it seems like I twisted it just now," Emily said with a frown, pain etched across her face.
James looked around and said, "There's a chair over there. Let me help you to it and check on your foot."
"Okay." With James's support, Emily hobbled over to the chair, wincing and grimacing as she sat down.
"Don't move, let me check." James knelt beside Emily and rested her twisted left leg on his knee. He rolled up her pant leg and carefully inspected the injury.
James moved her ankle around and asked, "Does this hurt?"
Emily immediately nodded and said, "It hurts."
"How about this?"
"This is a bit better."
"And this?"
"That doesn't hurt."
After a few tries, James concluded, "It's not a big deal, just a mild sprain. Rest for a couple of days, and you'll be fine."
"Ah, two days? But it's New Year's, and I still want to go out and have fun," Emily pouted right away.