“It won’t be too late to go shopping after the movie,” Nangong Wan suggested.
“Let’s just go shopping. A movie takes too long, and I can’t stay out for a long time.”
“Alright then, let’s go shopping.”
Nangong Wan felt a little disappointed. She had wanted to watch a sweet movie with Ye Jin, but she hadn’t expected the little fellow to refuse.
However, she didn’t really consider it a rejection. If she had suggested the movie first, the little fellow probably would have agreed. It was a pity she had mentioned shopping from the start.
Since there was no other choice, she could only go shopping. She hadn’t decided what to buy yet, so she could only browse and see if anything caught her eye.
Su Ling’s pace wasn’t as fast as hers, and his physical exhaustion hadn’t vanished. Instead, his head felt a bit dizzy. Seeing her walking ahead without stopping, he realized the distance between them would only grow.
He felt anxious and couldn’t help but trot a few steps to reach her side. He asked cautiously, “Can you slow down a bit? You’re walking too fast, and I’m having trouble keeping up.”
“Ah, I see. Sorry, I didn’t think about that.” She paused. “How about this? Hold onto me, and I’ll lead you. That way, you can walk faster and it won’t be as tiring. What do you think?”
After speaking, Nangong Wan looked at the little fellow expectantly. She had done that on purpose just now, even speeding up slightly, specifically to make Ye Jin take the initiative!
Ideally, she wanted him to hold her hand, but that was probably impossible. At most, he would just grab her clothes or something, right?
Su Ling thought about it and couldn’t help but remember when his Elder Sister would lead him. She would hold his hand, and at those times, he hardly felt tired and could keep up with her pace.
Thinking of this, he nodded and reached out to grab the hem of her clothes. “Is this okay?”
“It’s fine.”
Nangong Wan smiled at the little fellow and continued walking. Soon, the two of them stopped in front of a clothing store.
“Are you buying clothes?”
“Yeah, the Lunar New Year is coming up soon. I want to buy some new clothes to wear then.”
“Lunar New Year?”
Su Ling was visibly stunned when he heard those words because he had no idea the Lunar New Year was approaching!
Ever since his Confinement by his Elder Sister, he had completely lost track of time. Even after he got a Mobile Phone, he never paid attention to the date.
He hadn’t expected the Lunar New Year to arrive so soon!
He couldn’t help but recall the past. Every year during the holidays, his parents would give him plenty of delicious food and new clothes to wear.
But those things no longer belonged to him. He wondered how his Elder Sister would spend the holiday. He remembered that his Elder Sister used to go home in previous years; would she go back this year too?
If so, would he have to go with her?
His thoughts drifted far away for a moment. By the time he snapped out of it, a set of clothes had been placed against him.
“What are you thinking about? I’ve been calling you for a while, but you didn’t respond.”
“Go try this on. What do you think of this shirt? I feel like you’ll look great in it.”
Still dazed, Su Ling was pulled along by her. Looking at the light blue shirt in his hands, he felt a bit lost.
Wasn’t she here to buy things for herself? Why was she buying things for him?
He had many questions, but he couldn’t ask them all at once. He stared blankly at the shirt in his hand. After a moment of hesitation, he took off his top and put it on.
After putting it on, he carefully checked himself in the mirror. He had a Cream-white Duck Tongue Cap on his head, and since he was just trying on a shirt, he didn’t need to take off his pants. There was no risk of his Animal Ears or Tail being exposed. Once he confirmed everything was fine, he cautiously pushed the door open.
At this time, Nangong Wan had already changed into a set of brand-new clothes and had been waiting for a long time!
She wore a black inner layer with a black leather jacket over it, paired with loose jeans. She looked cool and handsome!
Su Ling thought she looked very good in that outfit. Then he looked at himself. He wore loose gray pants, the shirt he had just changed into, and the Cream-white Duck Tongue Cap on his head.
It looked a bit strange, especially the hat, but the Cream-white Duck Tongue Cap was a necessity. If he didn’t wear it, his Animal Ears would be exposed.
“You look very good.”
“You… you too. You look very good as well.”
“Tsk, but it’ll be a bit cold wearing just a shirt. Wear this for now!”
Nangong Wan thought for a moment, then took the jacket she had just taken off and draped it over the little fellow.
Before Su Ling could refuse, the jacket was already on him. The oversized jacket carried an unfamiliar fragrance.
“No, I can’t wear this…”
Su Ling said as he tried to take it off. Besides, he had his own clothes, and he didn’t want this shirt either.
Nangong Wan frowned and reached out to press down on the little fellow’s hands.
“Don’t keep refusing, okay?”
“I’m just giving you some gifts out of a friend’s goodwill. If you can’t even accept this, I’ll be very sad!”
Nangong Wan looked at him seriously.
“But, I… I haven’t given you anything.”
“Don’t you have no money right now? Just give me something when you have money. When you do, I’ll definitely accept it without a second thought instead of refusing like you.”
“Do you know that every time you refuse, I feel terrible? I feel like your rejection is because you look down on the things I give you!”
Su Ling felt like what she said made sense, but he also felt like something was wrong. No matter how much he thought about it, he couldn’t figure it out. He could only respond with silence.
“Alright, just accept it. When you give me something in the future, I’ll accept it just the same!”
“Let’s go!”
She reached out to take Ye Jin’s hand, intending to lead him further to buy more things.
Just as Su Ling was about to say he didn’t need to hold hands, he felt a wave of dizziness hit his head. Since leaving the restaurant, he had felt lightheaded.
Now, the dizziness was worse. His body felt unstable, and his mind went blank. The exhaustion became overwhelming, causing his eyelids to slowly close as his body collapsed backward with a heavy thud!
Although Nangong Wan was startled, she was quick-witted. She lunged forward and caught the little fellow in her arms.
“Ye Jin, what’s wrong with you!”
Suppressing the panic in her heart, Nangong Wan pulled out her Mobile Phone and immediately called her Assistant. Then, without a second thought, she picked up Ye Jin and rushed out of the Mall!
***
When Su Ling woke up again, he was in the hospital. The strong smell of disinfectant made him frown. He looked at the unfamiliar surroundings in a daze.
An IV bottle was hanging over his left hand, and the medicine was dripping slowly into his body.
“You’re awake?”
Nangong Wan sat by the bed, rubbing her brow with an exhausted expression.
“What happened to me?”
“It’s nothing. The Doctor said you had a bout of Hypoglycemia, which is why you fainted.”
“How long have I been asleep?”
“About five or six hours. It’s almost evening now.”
“Five… six… hours?”
Su Ling’s voice trembled, and the daze in his eyes gradually turned into terror.
“I… I have to go back!”
Without a second thought, he pulled the needle from his hand. He scrambled out of bed in a panic, grabbed the jacket beside him, and immediately ran outside!
Nangong Wan didn’t react at all. By the time she did, Ye Jin had already run quite a distance.
“Wait! You can’t just run off right now!”