Gao Hongzhi parked the car steadily at the edge of the parking lot, turned to look at the back seat, and spoke in a warm, affectionate voice.
“Let’s go, son.”
Gu Yebai pushed open the car door.
When his foot stepped onto the mirror-like marble floor, a strange, floating sensation suddenly arose—as if he wasn’t stepping on stone, but on clouds.
Light, airy, not quite real.
This place felt like a celestial palace, and he was just a mortal who had wandered in by mistake.
Just buying clothes.
If Gu Yebai were choosing for himself, he would probably just open Pinduoduo and pick the cheapest few items in the discount section.
What was the essence of clothing?
Just fabric to ward off the cold.
A layer of cloth, that’s all.
But here, every garment displayed in the illuminated cases was plated with an almost sacred added value.
A ten-yuan pure cotton T-shirt from Pinduoduo was clothing; the five-figure priced casual jacket in Burberry’s window was also clothing.
For things with the same function, why could the price differ by hundreds of times?
Gu Yebai couldn’t figure it out.
He just stood there dumbfounded, his eyes darting around, afraid to meet the gaze of the shop assistants who were sizing him up.
Those assistants stood straight, their makeup exquisite.
Their professional smiles carried a hint of distance toward a poor kid, silently reminding him: Hey, kid, you don’t belong here.
“Little Guogu~!”
Bai Xialin’s voice suddenly exploded from the side, like an overly excited puppy.
She unceremoniously linked her arm through Gu Yebai’s, half-dragging, half-pulling him forward, her steps so light she seemed almost ready to fly.
The efficient shop assistants stood straight, their gazes professional and distant, instinctively making Gu Yebai feel timid.
But Bai Xialin and Gao Hongzhi looked completely at ease, already chatting casually about choosing clothes, exchanging anecdotes about various luxury brands.
“Uncle Gao~ This outfit would be so stylish for school! Little Guogu would totally blow away all the girls in school just by wearing it. I can already picture it! They’d scream for him, go absolutely crazy for him!”
Bai Xialin stopped in front of an Off-White store, her eyes sparkling.
This streetwear brand, founded by an American designer in 2013, was known for its industrial style and deconstructive aesthetics.
The fluorescent yellow zipper jacket in the window looked incredibly cool and flashy.
Gao Hongzhi smiled slightly, glanced at the brand, and shook his head gently but firmly.
“Xiao Bai, this is too flashy.”
“St. George’s is a traditional British aristocratic school. The headmaster is a typical gentleman from the foggy city. He values dignified appearance above all else. Let’s start with a classic formal suit as a base. We can buy casual clothes later.”
“Then…”
Bai Xialin immediately switched into cajoling mode, hugging Gu Yebai’s arm and winking at Gao Hongzhi.
“Can I buy this set for him as a gift? Just consider it my enrollment gift to Little Guogu~”
Gao Hongzhi chuckled and nodded.
“Alright, whatever makes you happy. But don’t buy anything too outrageous, or Hongyi will come back and settle the score with me.”
Gu Yebai followed behind, having absolutely no say in anything.
He couldn’t even pronounce the names of many stores properly.
Trailing at the back, he felt like a dress-up doll—manipulated, examined, packaged, with the only thing he could do being not to disappoint anyone.
Even though this was the first formal meeting and interaction between Gao Hongzhi and Bai Xialin, they inexplicably had a friendly, almost casual rapport.
Gao Hongzhi, despite being the chairman of a listed company, had no trace of arrogance; Bai Xialin was youthful, energetic, sincere, and straightforward.
She showed no awe toward Gao Hongzhi, spoke her mind freely, and never hid anything.
Suddenly, an absurd but oddly apt metaphor surfaced in Gu Yebai’s mind.
His father was like a capture point in a war game.
Gao Hongyi and Bai Xialin were the red and blue teams, both trying to fully occupy this central point—Gao Hongzhi.
Once they succeeded in capturing it, they would control the entire battlefield and seize the final victory.
And Gu Yebai was that victory itself…
The main suit was finally decided on Ermenegildo Zegna.
The fabric was top-grade, the tailoring impeccable, and Gao Hongzhi liked it very much.
Bai Xialin quietly protested that it was “too old-fashioned,” but Gao Hongzhi stuck to his opinion.
“Back in the day, my first suit was custom-made at Zegna. Come on, son. I believe when you put it on, it will fit you perfectly!”
Several shop assistants quickly surrounded Gu Yebai.
They held soft measuring tapes and booklets, recording his body measurements one by one.
“Shoulder width: 44.8 centimeters.”
Gu Yebai instinctively shrank his neck.
“Chest circumference: 92.5 centimeters.”
“Sir, your chest muscles are very defined. Do you usually work out?”
“N-no…”
“Waist circumference: 74.2 centimeters. Very standard.”
She looked up at him, her gaze professional but carrying a hint of appreciation.
“Sir, your body proportions are excellent—long legs, slim waist. You’ll look very refined in a suit.”
Gu Yebai nodded woodenly, occasionally casting pleading glances toward Gao Hongzhi and Bai Xialin.
But what he got in return was Gao Hongzhi’s satisfied look and Bai Xialin’s slightly lovesick smile.
Later, when he heard the price was about 100,000 RMB, Gu Yebai felt dizzy.
But Gao Hongzhi and Bai Xialin seemed long accustomed to such prices, even a little numb to them.
Many families barely earned that much in a year.
He wanted to say that 100,000 yuan could do so many things, but seeing Gao Hongzhi and Bai Xialin’s enthusiastic expressions, Gu Yebai couldn’t bring himself to speak.
Besides the custom suit, they also went to Tom Ford, which Bai Xialin strongly recommended.
Since the custom suit wouldn’t be ready immediately, they bought a few off-the-rack suits for the time being.
Looking at himself in the mirror, Gu Yebai couldn’t help feeling he looked a bit like a fake…
“Sir, would you like to buy insurance?”
Gu Yebai lowered his voice so that Gao Hongzhi and Bai Xialin couldn’t hear.
Otherwise, it would absolutely kill the mood.
“This property is sure to appreciate in the future—unlimited potential. Buying now is definitely getting in at the bottom.”
Yes, after putting on the suit, Gu Yebai had immersed himself in his own little world of art.
In Gu Yebai’s understanding, suits were associated with insurance agents and real estate salespeople.
Just then, someone gently poked him from behind.
“Hey, Little Guogu~”
“Xiao Lin?”
“Where did you go just now?”
Bai Xialin was holding a shopping bag in her hand.
She had been gone for a while earlier, apparently to buy whatever was in her hand.
“And where’s my dad?”
“Your dad went to the restroom, I think.”
Bai Xialin lightly teased Gu Yebai’s chest with her fingertip, her voice soft as melted sugar.
“Little Guogu, you know what?”
“I’m super excited today~”
“I love watching you get all dressed up… like the most beautiful present, waiting to be unwrapped.”
“Hongyi probably thought the same, right?”
“It’s just that she prefers to tear the wrapping paper straight off, while I’ll unwrap it very slowly, layer by layer, until you completely belong to me.”
“And here, take this. It’s a gift from me.”
Bai Xialin pushed the shopping bag into Gu Yebai’s hand.
He glanced inside.
It was a pair of blue men’s ice silk underwear.
“A gift for you. Try them on when you get home, and send me a photo~”
“I’ll be very, very excited to see it!”
Gu Yebai froze on the spot, his fingers gripping the handles of the shopping bag like he was holding a live grenade about to explode.
“Wait…”
“I’ll be waiting for you to send me that photo~”
Bai Xialin’s voice was still soft, but carried a cloying sweetness that brooked no refusal.
“How could I possibly send you a photo like that?!”
“A group photo~”
“We took one together in the car.”
She paused, her fingertip circling lightly around the bag’s handle.
“Who should I send it to, I wonder?”
“If I accidentally slip and send it to Hongyi, that would be terrible…”
“You wouldn’t want your wife to see the group photo we took together, would you?”
“Heh heh heh.”
Bai Xialin tilted her head, the corners of her mouth curving into a perfect arc, her voice dropping to a whisper—like a secret, like a threat.
“If I really sent it out, what would happen?”
Gu Yebai’s Adam’s apple bobbed violently.
A chill ran down his spine.
He opened his mouth, but couldn’t squeeze out a single word.
Bai Xialin suddenly let out a soft laugh, her shoulders trembling slightly, as if genuinely amused by her own joke.
“Hahaha, just kidding~”
She stepped closer, almost pressing against Gu Yebai’s chest.
“It’s fine if you don’t take photos. I won’t threaten you.”
“As long as you occasionally wear the undergarments I bought for you, I’ll be satisfied~”
Her fingertip tapped lightly on his chest—once, twice—as if measuring the frequency of his heartbeat.
“On the day you finally become my boyfriend, after you take off all the hard armor that separates us…”
Bai Xialin’s voice grew softer and softer, almost melting into the air, yet every word was clear, like a thin thread silently winding around him.
“I hope that the last layer of armor is this pair of underwear I bought for you.”
With that, she gently shoved the shopping bag into Gu Yebai’s hand.
While he was still dazed, she lightly kissed his cheek.
Then she ran off.
Like a rabbit.