Bai Yao was clearly in a very good mood.
He took a bite of his ice cream scoop every now and then, his eyes curving into crescents filled with mirth.
The coldness had long since vanished from his face, and his lips were slightly upturned in a bright, gentle smile.
His pace was much lighter than usual as he poked his head out from behind Qiu Ye to peer at things.
He stopped to look at every store and stall they passed.
Having shed his usual aloofness, his smile was exceptionally infectious.
He radiated a gentle and bright aura, as if he were glowing, drawing Qiu Ye’s gaze and making him feel Happy.
It felt like the little angel he had first seen in the hospital was back.
Qiu Ye offered to treat him with great generosity.
“Do you want some sushi? My treat.”
“I’m not hungry for that.”
“How about a cup of milk tea?”
“Should I pay?”
“No, I’ll get it.”
Even if he had to use digital credit to act like a big spender, Qiu Ye didn’t feel any sting at all.
As long as he could maintain Bai Yao’s current state, it was worth it.
After finishing and throwing away the ice cream, a cup of green milk tea was stuffed into Bai Yao’s hand.
He took a sip of the sweet tea, feeling quite at ease — Qiu Ye still owed him quite a bit of money, after all! He shouldn’t think he could get away with just milk tea and ice cream.
His gaze shifted toward a shop deeper inside the mall.
Qiu Ye followed his line of sight and noticed the storefront was filled with ACG elements.
Two life-sized cutouts of unfamiliar anime characters stood like greeters on either side of the entrance.
“A merch shop?”
“?” Bai Yao looked at Qiu Ye with confusion.
His almond-shaped eyes seemed to speak for him.
One look was all it took for Qiu Ye to understand.
“It’s a place for anime figures, merchandise, and things like that. Do you not have shops like this where you’re from?”
“I think so?” Bai Yao said uncertainly.
Although he quite liked anime and the 2D world, he really just watched the shows.
He only ever looked at merchandise, conventions, and cosplay online.
Spending money on them was out of the question.
“Come on, let’s go in and look around.”
“I feel like this is a place only for die-hard otakus…”
Bai Yao muttered, but he quickened his pace to catch up with Qiu Ye.
“Aren’t you drinking milk tea?”
“I don’t like it.”
That was nonsense! Before his fracture, Qiu Ye had a cup of milk tea almost every day.
“The doctor won’t let me,” Qiu Ye added, naturally switching to a better excuse.
“Oh.”
Following Qiu Ye into the merch shop — or rather, the anime specialty store — Bai Yao immediately began searching for characters he recognized.
“Qiu Ye! Have you seen Zombie Land Saga? Look at this!”
“Is that a niche show? They actually have stuff for it here?”
“It was the number one show of the year back then, okay! It’s really good. The movie just came out recently, too, though I don’t know when we’ll be able to see it here.”
Qiu Ye watched less anime, so he couldn’t really keep up with Bai Yao’s enthusiasm.
Fortunately, he managed to find a figure of a character he was familiar with.
“Bai Yao, have you ever seen *Dragon Ball*?”
“A little bit?” Bai Yao leaned in.
“That’s a really old anime. It’s older than I am.”
“My dad has the complete Dragon Ball manga set. I practically wore them out flipping through them when I was a kid. I feel like the anime isn’t as interesting as the manga.”
“A complete manga set…”
Sometimes, when Bai Yao saw an anime he liked, he felt the urge to collect the entire manga series, but his financial situation never allowed it.
He said with a look of longing and anticipation, “In the future, I want to have a bookshelf specifically for my manga and game collection — I could even put a few figures in a glass display case — “
“Next time, I’ll bring that *Dragon Ball* set from home.”
“Sure!”
Being in this kind of anime shop for the first time made Bai Yao especially talkative.
In the past, he had always watched anime alone online, at most looking at comments and related discussions.
He had never talked about this topic with anyone in real life.
He took a fancy to several beautiful acrylic stands, eyed a handsome one-fourth scale figure with envy, and looked at the suggestive wall scrolls…
Seeing how happy he was, Qiu Ye felt a sudden urge to buy everything for him.
However, one look at the prices quickly suppressed that impulse.
His family wasn’t poor, and his monthly allowance was 2,000, but he really couldn’t afford high-end figures.
“Want to buy an acrylic stand?”
“Forget it. It wouldn’t be great to keep it in the dorm.”
As much as he liked it, Bai Yao felt it was a bit embarrassing to like anime in real life.
It felt a bit childish, and with someone as annoying as Wang Zuhao in the dorm, he didn’t want to be teased or mocked.
It was only because he was close with Qiu Ye that he showed his genuine interest; otherwise, he would have feigned a lack of interest.
Bai Yao didn’t have the nerve to actually touch the figures he liked.
Instead, he simply leaned over in a semi-squat, resting his hands on his knees to get a closer look at the details.
He marveled, “It looks like they even sculpted the pores?”
Standing behind him, Qiu Ye immediately noticed how Bai Yao’s small rear was emphasized in that position.
It was rounded and impossible to ignore.
He glanced at it and then forced his eyes away.
‘Staring at a man’s butt? That would be a bit perverted.’
Even so, Bai Yao really was like a girl.
Especially now that he was in such a good mood, his movements were less restrained, replaced by cute gestures and vivid expressions.
At times, he would raise his hand to playfully twirl a strand of hair around his finger.
Other times, he would tuck the hair obscuring his vision behind his ear, exuding an unintentionally charming and alluring vibe.
Occasionally, he would flutter between the figures like a butterfly, full of the vitality of a girl next door.
When Bai Yao was happy, he forgot to control his posture, revealing his so-called “feminine side.”
Anyone seeing him now would assume he was a girl.
After browsing for a few laps, Bai Yao finally walked out of the store, still empty-handed.
He liked the items, but he didn’t need to buy them.
Before, Bai Yao had been following Qiu Ye like a little sidekick; now, Qiu Ye followed Bai Yao like a bodyguard.
Stepping out of the shop, Qiu Ye stuffed his hands into his pockets and slowly trailed behind Bai Yao as he wandered around the mall.
His eyes were constantly filled with a deep smile as he watched him.
“Qiu Ye, how does this hat look?” Bai Yao picked up a hat, put it on, and turned around to ask.
“Mm, looks good.”
Qiu Ye, however, looked toward the women’s clothing store next door.
“Want to check out that shop?”
Bai Yao followed his gaze and wrinkled his nose in disgust.
“Don’t even start.”
“What a waste of natural talent.”
Bai Yao stole a few more glances at the women’s clothing store, looking at the outfits on the mannequins.
He had to admit that women’s clothes were indeed much prettier than men’s.
There were so many styles and patterns, unlike men’s clothes, which were just a few colors of T-shirts with different designs on the chest.
Even though it was just a few extra glances, Qiu Ye keenly caught his gaze and continued to tempt him like a devil.
“Are you sure you don’t want to try some on? It doesn’t cost anything to try them.”
“I’m a man, okay? It’s impossible for me to wear women’s clothes in this lifetime.”
Bai Yao’s voice lacked confidence.
He put the hat down and turned to walk away.
During the National Day holiday, he had actually snuck out in women’s clothing… but that was because the system had corrupted him with money! It hadn’t been his intention!
Yet, he couldn’t help but think more about it.
‘Now, wearing women’s clothes would definitely look more appropriate and beautiful on me, right?’
‘Anyway, people have been calling me a sissy since I was a kid…’