Inside the clothing store.
The air conditioning was even colder than outside, the chill mixed with a faint fragrance drifting through the air.
Shen Ye followed behind the sales assistant with her arms crossed, looking at the merchandise with a curious yet slightly timid expression.
These are all such pretty clothes. They really suit Xiao Meng’s style. She must look great in them.
But.
She casually grabbed a piece of clothing from a rack and gently lifted the fabric.
The carefully designed pattern gave it a unique textured feel, and she played with it curiously for a while.
This kind of clothing is only meant for cute girls like Xiao Meng, right?
She blinked, her long lashes framing curious eyes.
Did Junior Brother bring me here because he thinks I’d like these clothes?
Do I have to wear them too?
Really?
“Miss, do you like that one?”
The sales assistant’s voice suddenly came from beside her, interrupting her thoughts.
“Ah, no no, I’m just looking.”
Startled, Shen Ye quickly let go of the clothes and waved her hands in a fluster.
The sales assistant narrowed her eyes slightly, seeing through Shen Ye’s shyness.
She glanced at Lin Xiangyi sitting outside waiting, smiled knowingly, leaned closer to Shen Ye, and lowered her voice:
“Don’t you want to dress up pretty and make your boyfriend happy, miss?”
“…”
How could Junior Brother be my boyfriend?
Shen Ye shook her head helplessly and explained:
“He’s really not my boyfriend. We’re just ordinary friends.”
“Alright, alright.”
The sales assistant covered her mouth with a giggle.
With such good-looking people like them, she wouldn’t believe they weren’t a couple.
She changed the subject and said:
“How tall are you, miss?”
“Um… I don’t know.”
Shen Ye froze for a moment. She really didn’t know how tall she was now.
Since becoming this body, she hadn’t measured her height.
It probably… isn’t too short, right?
“Oh, okay. Let’s measure you then.”
The sales assistant pulled out a measuring tape from behind the counter and gestured for Shen Ye to stand over.
Shen Ye swallowed.
Actually, when she’d been looking up at Lin Xiangyi the whole time before, she’d already sensed something was off.
Her height might be lower than she’d imagined.
But please, please don’t let it be too short. I’m begging you.
She walked over and stood up straight obediently.
After a moment, the sales assistant finished the measurement.
“Mhm, 1 meter 54.”
She nodded, her warm little mouth spitting out an icy number.
1 meter 5—
4!
Isn’t that shorter than Xiao Meng!?
Hearing that number, Shen Ye felt like the sky was falling.
She stood there frozen, her pupils trembling uncontrollably. Her face looked calm, but in her mind, a tiny version of herself had been struck by lightning and was slowly cracking in half.
Forget Xiangyi.
If I have to look up at my own junior sister too, how am I supposed to face her?
Am I supposed to let Xiao Meng call a cat girl shorter than her “Senior Brother”?
…
Imagining that scene, Shen Ye’s toes curled with embarrassment.
No! Heaven shouldn’t punish me like this!
I have to change back!
“Um, miss?”
The sales assistant looked at Shen Ye, who had turned into a wooden statue, and spoke with concern.
“Are you okay?”
The voice pulled Shen Ye back to reality.
“Ah, yeah, what’s up?”
“How about we look at some styles first? There are plenty of clothes that fit your figure. We just need to try some on.”
The sales assistant recommended enthusiastically, pulling several pieces from the rack and holding them against Shen Ye with sparkling eyes.
“This one and this one—they’d both look great on you.”
Her voice carried barely concealed excitement, like she’d found a toy she’d been waiting forever to play with.
“Please, you have to try them!”
Shen Ye looked at the pile of colorful clothes and felt her head spin.
“Um… I…”
She wanted to refuse, but the sales assistant’s enthusiasm was hard to turn down. She ended up hugging a pile of clothes and being half-pushed, half-willingly led into the fitting room.
The fitting room wasn’t big. The walls were beige on all sides, and a bright lamp overhead filled the space with light.
Shen Ye stared at herself in the full-length mirror for a couple of seconds, then looked at the clothes in her hands.
She swallowed.
Am I really going to wear these?
Clothes that only girls would wear—cute, flashy outfits.
But this is the store Junior Brother specially brought me to.
For a moment, the resistance of her male mindset and the desire not to waste Junior Brother’s kindness tangled together.
Shen Ye’s thoughts wavered between them.
In her arms, the fabric brushed against her skin, and the fine matte texture of the mesh pattern gently swayed her feelings.
As if possessed, she picked up a beige dress and held it against herself.
Then she looked in the mirror, imagining herself wearing it.
In the mirror, the plainly dressed girl had put on something that seemed tailor-made for her.
A brand new version of herself appeared before her eyes.
She really did look like a young, pretty girl who’d dressed up in her finest clothes, ready to go out and meet someone important.
Shen Ye stared at the mirror for a long time, her gaze slowly growing distant.
Seems like… this is indeed the kind of outfit a guy would like.
The scale tipped at that moment.
The girl bit her lip.
If Junior Brother wants me to wear it…
…
As if making a huge decision, she moved.
Shen Ye took off her thin jacket, then the short-sleeve shirt underneath.
The clothes fell to the floor, blooming like flowers around the girl’s feet.
Picking up the pretty outfit, Shen Ye gently bit her lip.
And then,
she suddenly froze.
Before, she hadn’t paid attention when it was just her and Junior Brother alone.
But now that she was out in public, she realized she’d forgotten something very important.
The sales assistant hummed a little tune as she waited outside.
She hadn’t seen a beauty like this in a long time.
Now that she finally had a chance to put her years of fashion sense to work, she had to seize it tightly.
“Squeak.”
At the sound of the fitting room door opening, the sales assistant turned around with anticipation, only to see the door cracked open just a sliver.
The pretty girl from before poked half her head out, her cheeks flushed crimson.
“Um… do you all sell… underwear here?”
Hearing the question, the sales assistant froze for a moment, then her gaze landed on the girl’s shoulders—where there was nothing.
Her expression went stiff.
This child!
She’s not wearing underwear?!
The sales assistant’s face changed. She quickly stepped forward to block Shen Ye from view and shoved her back into the fitting room.
Then, through the crack in the door, she whispered:
“Miss, where’s your underwear?”
“I… I’m not wearing any…”
The sales assistant’s mouth twitched.
She went out with her boyfriend without wearing underwear?
Could it be some kind of kink her man asked for?
The sales assistant glanced at Shen Ye’s innocent little face and instantly slapped a label on that seemingly proper man outside—
Pervert.
She quickly grabbed Shen Ye by the shoulders and said seriously:
“How can a girl not wear underwear? Even if—”
Her voice paused for a moment, then lowered.
“Even if your boyfriend likes it, you should still have one on you.”
Shen Ye blinked innocently.
Likes it? Have one on me? What does that mean?
I really am not wearing underwear, sis.
The sales assistant looked at the girl’s clear, innocent eyes and felt both helpless and amused.
How can there be a child this adorably clueless.
Wait.
Could it be?
She thought back to Shen Ye’s strange behavior earlier.
The exaggerated, flustered hand-waving, the subtle awkwardness hidden in her expression when she saw pretty clothes, the indifferent “just ordinary friends” when explaining their relationship.
And that heartbreakingly lonely look when she heard her height.
The sales assistant’s brain—seasoned by over a thousand cheesy Korean dramas—began spinning at full speed. In an instant, their relationship was woven into a mature web in her mind.
This child…
Does she think she’s not good enough for that man?
Wah!
A great wail sounded in the sales assistant’s heart, and a wave of tragic emotion nearly capsized the ship of pure love in her chest.
What a good kid.
She’d thought today she’d just run into a rare high-quality customer.
But it turned out she’d met a pitiful girl who humbled herself for love.
She’d even go out without underwear for the man she loved.
This is just…
infuriating.
At this moment, her impression of that handsome man outside had nearly hit rock bottom.
How could a man do this to a girl who likes him?
Especially when she’s this cute!
If it were me, I’d spoil her to the heavens.
“Miss, how about buying a few more outfits? We can throw in some underwear for free.”
Buy more!
Make that bastard shell out!
“Um…”
Shen Ye bit her lip, looking a bit embarrassed.
“Never mind. I’ll just buy the underwear.”
The sales assistant froze again.
This child… is she trying to save her boyfriend money?
Wah!
What a good kid!
That scumbag!
The sales assistant’s teeth itched with anger. She wished she could charge out right now and beat that jerk.
But seeing how embarrassed Shen Ye looked, she had no choice but to let it go.
No, what matters now is this child.
She took a deep breath, trying to steady her voice.
“Alright, let me take your measurements.”
“Okay, thank you.”
Shen Ye agreed with a red face, her voice as soft as a mosquito’s buzz.
Poor jr,