Shopping Mall.
Third floor, Women’s Clothing Section.
Strolling passersby found themselves drawn to a rather unusual pair.
The petite, adorable girl kept her head lowered, seemingly lost in thought.
The young man beside her was tall and handsome, his steps deliberately measured, as if he’d intentionally slowed his pace for the girl at his side.
Walking side by side, they made a beautiful sight.
But if anyone looked closely, they’d notice that the seemingly composed young man had cold sweat continuously beading at his temples.
Lin Xiangyi stole a glance at Shen Ye beside him.
The girl kept her head down, soft dark strands of hair cascading from her ears, obscuring half her face, revealing only a fair, delicate chin and slightly pursed lips.
From his angle, he couldn’t read her expression at all, and panic began to spread in his heart.
Sss…
I messed up.
Lin Xiangyi silently punched himself in the heart.
Before heading out, he’d told her to stay close to him.
But as it turned out, he was the one who’d had the problem.
Doesn’t this make me look totally unreliable?
How do I bring it up… How do I bring it up…
Lost in thought, Lin Xiangyi stumbled over his own feet.
Damn, almost started walking like a clumsy goose.
Shen Ye stopped in her tracks as well.
“Uh.”
Realizing the atmosphere couldn’t stay this awkward any longer, Lin Xiangyi steeled himself and broke the silence first.
“He… didn’t do anything to you, did he?”
“Hm?”
Hearing this, Shen Ye looked up at Lin Xiangyi, her gaze dazed and adorable, as if she’d just been yanked out of some train of thought.
Looking into those eyes, Lin Xiangyi became even more at a loss.
He averted his gaze and spoke up:
“Um, I noticed you seemed distracted. That guy earlier… he didn’t try anything, right?”
“Ah, it’s nothing.”
Shen Ye shook her head, her voice soft.
Something’s definitely off.
Lin Xiangyi sighed inwardly.
Seeing that Shen Ye didn’t seem to want to talk much, he let it go and continued forward.
Looks like that really scared her.
Senior Brother trusts me so much, and I couldn’t even take good care of her.
What a sin.
While Lin Xiangyi was lost in self-reproach, Shen Ye, who had resumed walking beside him without his notice, was unconsciously closing the distance between them.
Shen Ye walked steadily, keeping pace at Lin Xiangyi’s side.
Perhaps it was because she’d genuinely been startled earlier, or maybe it was some instinct she herself didn’t understand.
Her body unconsciously gravitated toward Lin Xiangyi, her shoulder nearly brushing against his arm.
A strange sense of reassurance washed over her as the distance between them shrank.
At least Xiangyi came.
She silently felt grateful.
Shen Ye wasn’t entirely opposed to interacting with people.
Back when she was an Executor, most conversations had been purely surface-level, work-related.
But as for personal advances like that, she’d always turned them down.
Except before, the ones who approached her had all been women.
She recalled the way that man had tried to get close to her.
Unlike the politeness and respect people usually carried in their eyes upon a first meeting.
That man had made no effort to hide the desire in his heart, laying his possessiveness and greed completely bare, and it filled her with disgust.
…
She’d thought she could avoid such things with a simple verbal rejection.
But in reality, she hadn’t been able to.
Back when she was still male, a single curt refusal was enough to ward off most trouble.
Now, stripped of her male identity and Spiritual Power, she had no way to deal with someone who refused to let go.
Not to mention, that man had even attempted to use Spiritual Power on her.
Shen Ye’s fists clenched, then released.
Punishing people who abused Spiritual Power to run wild was supposed to be her duty.
But if Lin Xiangyi hadn’t arrived in time just now, who knows what might have happened.
She laughed at herself inwardly.
Since when did I need my Junior Brother to protect me?
No, I need to find a chance to recover some strength.
At the very least, I can’t keep relying on him like this.
“Still thinking about what happened earlier?”
Lin Xiangyi’s voice came from beside her ear, carrying a steady, reassuring calm.
“Don’t dwell on it. We’re here.”
Shen Ye snapped back to attention.
She looked up and found herself standing in front of a clothing store.
The storefront was exquisitely decorated, and the display window showcased all kinds of women’s clothing she couldn’t make sense of, vibrant and colorful, so flashy it was almost dizzying.
“This is…?”
Shen Ye blinked, sensing something was off.
“Uh, weren’t we supposed to buy clothes?” Lin Xiangyi scratched his head. “My sister’s favorite stores are all around here.”
Shen Ye looked at the clothes.
So cute.
So pretty.
Am I supposed to wear something like this?
Her cheeks flushed red instantly.
These are clearly clothes for young girls! No way, no way, I can’t wear these, I absolutely can’t!
She instinctively took a step back, turning to bolt.
“Miss! Welcome!”
The sales assistant at the entrance lit up, having spotted this prime target from early on, eagerly waiting for Shen Ye to step through the door.
Seeing the little cat she’d set her sights on trying to escape, she darted forward in a single bound, blocking Shen Ye’s retreat.
“Miss, is this your first time at our store? You have such great taste. We just got a new shipment in, and it’s perfect for a pretty young lady like you.”
The sales assistant’s eyes sparkled as she stared intently at Shen Ye, making her deeply uncomfortable.
“I, I’m just passing by with a friend.”
Shen Ye’s voice was as faint as a mosquito’s buzz.
Unlike Zhao Lin’s ill-intentioned approach, what she was least equipped to handle was this kind of innocent enthusiasm.
“Friend?”
The sales assistant blinked, glanced at Lin Xiangyi beside her, and broke into an even brighter smile.
“If you’re here with your boyfriend, then you definitely have to try our clothes. I guarantee you’ll be satisfied!”
“Ah, no, that’s… he’s not…”
Faced with such fervor, Shen Ye was at a complete loss. She could neither refuse nor accept, like an ant on a hot pan, frantically spinning in circles.
On the verge of tears, she shot a desperate pleading look at Lin Xiangyi.
Junior Brother, save me (แแฃแ)
“Ahaha…”
Lin Xiangyi let out an awkward laugh, scratching his cheek without responding to Shen Ye’s plea.
“Just try them on. The clothes here are pretty nice.”
Bringing Shen Ye to this clothing store, he’d actually harbored a tiny bit of selfish motive.
Yeah, just a tiny bit.
You’re not even helping your Senior Brother!
Shen Ye screamed silently in her heart.
With the “boyfriend’s” tacit approval, the sales assistant became even more enthusiastic.
“Come on, miss. Our clothes definitely won’t disappoint you!”
And so, under Shen Ye’s resentful gaze, she was “invited” into the store by the sales assistant, half-pushed and half-persuaded, like a cat being dragged to a bath by its owner.
“Miss, look at this one, and this one. This one suits you tooโ”
The sales assistant’s voice grew increasingly distant, mingling with Shen Ye’s faint, reluctant murmurs, and vanished among the layers of clothing racks.
Lin Xiangyi sat in the waiting area outside the store, glancing at the mannequins in the display section wearing the season’s new arrivals, imagining what Shen Ye would look like in those clothes.
He smiled.
He was actually quite looking forward to it.
This is going to be really embarrassing when he finds out the truth.