Su Yao needed to get some new gear made, and there happened to be a fairly decent mall nearby, so Mu Nanqiu took her there.
They spent the rush hour after work in the park, but even toward the end of that time, the streets were still crawling with stop-and-go traffic.
Downtown was completely gridlocked!
Although the distance wasn’t far, it took more than twice the usual time—from just after seven to past seven forty—wasting more than thirty precious minutes of their lives.
Finally, they arrived at their destination, and Su Yao let out a relieved breath.
Traffic jams were no fun at all; they could even be called torturous.
No matter how expensive your car was, if you didn’t notice the traffic jam ahead in time, you’d be stuck inching forward slowly.
It wasn’t about how fancy your car was—no one was going to make way for you!
When someone cut in line, Mu Nanqiu was already a bit annoyed.
If Su Yao hadn’t been in the car, she might have just bumped them off, not caring whose fault it was.
Just crash and be done with it!
But if they really got into an accident, dealing with the aftermath would waste a lot of time, and then there wouldn’t be much time left tonight.
Who went out shopping for clothes in the middle of the night anyway?
Looking for shrouds?
After finally finding a parking spot and settling the car, Mu Nanqiu exhaled softly.
Seeing Su Yao waiting to open the door next to her, she suddenly said,
“Yao Yao, do you want to learn how to drive?”
“Huh?”
Su Yao was taken aback and turned to Mu Nanqiu, her eyes full of confusion.
Learn to drive? Learn what kind of driving?
The farthest she’d ever been from home was school, or at most the nearby market.
She couldn’t possibly learn to drive and buy a car just to buy some green onions, then drive a tiny thousand-meter round trip every day, right?
Even if she wanted to, she didn’t have the money!
A bicycle was good enough.
Mu Nanqiu looked at Su Yao’s puzzled expression and thought it over herself, realizing this matter could wait.
It could be dealt with later when the chance arose.
After all, as the saying goes, you eat one bite at a time, and handle things step by step.
So she dropped the topic and moved on to the last item on today’s agenda.
“No worries, we’re just buying clothes, and I’ll help you pick.”
“Oh!”
Just thinking about buying clothes made Su Yao a little excited but also somewhat worried.
The clothes in her wardrobe were really old-fashioned and ill-fitting.
Thankfully, it was winter now, so it was okay if things were a bit loose.
But come spring, when the thick clothes came off, she’d have to buy clothes again.
Spring, summer, autumn, and winter—all her clothes needed to be replaced eventually, and that all cost money.
Looking at her dwindling account balance, Su Yao fell into deep thought.
Where would the money come from?
She had now reached the point where she had to seriously consider financial matters.
They entered the mall and didn’t even need to go upstairs.
The entire first floor was packed with women’s clothing stores, with only a few spots selling desserts or providing places to rest.
As soon as Su Yao approached, she was dazzled by the dazzling array of colorful clothes, her eyes wide and mouth slightly open, unable to close it.
If she had to choose on her own, she’d be a little lost.
Thankfully, Mu Nanqiu was there, leading her into a store selling winter clothing.
“For a coat, I’ll just give you one.”
“Wha? …”
Su Yao didn’t really want Mu Nanqiu to spend money on her—otherwise, she wouldn’t have done things like gifting matching lipsticks.
Right, it was normal for girls to exchange cosmetics with each other, wasn’t it?
But was she really one of them?
Su Yao wasn’t sure, though the report left in the car had already confirmed that she was indeed biologically female.
“Yao~ Yao~”
Mu Nanqiu not only lowered her voice but also dragged out the two syllables, clearly expressing dissatisfaction.
Looking into Mu Nanqiu’s determined eyes, Su Yao softened and said quietly,
“Okay then.”
With Su Yao’s consent, Mu Nanqiu’s face brightened.
A sales clerk quickly came over to a corner near them and politely asked Mu Nanqiu,
“What style are you two ladies looking for? I can recommend some.”
“Thanks, no need. We’ll have a look ourselves.”
Mu Nanqiu politely declined.
The clerk glanced at Su Yao, understood the meaning, and, although it made her feel a bit excluded, she still stepped aside to give them room.
She led Su Yao further inside.
Clothes hung on racks without mannequins, so it was hard to tell what they’d look like when worn.
Mu Nanqiu casually picked two pieces she thought suitable and handed them to Su Yao.
“Try them on quickly.”
Taking them, Su Yao placed the clothes on a nearby square sofa seat and then unzipped her outer jacket, revealing the wool sweater underneath.
Seeing Su Yao’s ill-fitting knitwear, Mu Nanqiu’s eyes flickered as she went off to look for more options.
Su Yao glanced over and began trying on the clothes.
Two white coats—one long, one short—with similar styles.
The shorter one was fluffier.
Su Yao tried the long one first and thought it was pretty good, though she worried white might get dirty easily.
Winter coats were hard to clean, and even if washed, they didn’t dry quickly.
Standing in front of the mirror, she looked completely transformed.
At one meter sixty tall, the long coat’s hem fell past her knees, which was quite nice, though her light-colored jeans didn’t quite match.
Mu Nanqiu had returned by then and took a long look at Su Yao, who was already dressed, then gave her opinion.
“No, try the other one.”
“Hmm…”
Actually, Su Yao was a little tempted and hadn’t expected such a blunt rejection from Mu Nanqiu.
Because of the length and how well it wrapped around her, for a girl like Su Yao who didn’t like to show off her figure, this coat was really great.
But since Mu Nanqiu said no, Su Yao unzipped and took it off.
“Try this one.”
She tossed the coat on the sofa, and Mu Nanqiu handed her a wool sweater instead—a bright red one with creamy yellow patterns, featuring a green tree and a reindeer.
It had a lot of elements and looked really good.
Su Yao put it on, and because it was pulled over her head, her hair inevitably became a bit messy.
That messy look combined with the pretty sweater gave off a unique lazy charm that made Su Yao’s heart flutter a little.
“This style’s been around for years, but it looks great and suits you well, Yao Yao.”
“…Really? Thanks~”
Being complimented like that made Su Yao a bit shy.
Mu Nanqiu helped smooth her hair and straighten the sweater’s folds.
Su Yao then tried on another coat, a mid-length one that barely covered half her thighs, with a hood trimmed in fluffy fur.
After deciding, Mu Nanqiu happily went to check out, telling Su Yao to wait outside without revealing the total price for the two items.
They continued browsing, and midway through, Mu Nanqiu suddenly said to Su Yao,
“Yao Yao, buy a few pairs of fleece-lined tights. They’re warm. Also get two pairs of black pants—they’re slimming.”
Su Yao listened carefully to Mu Nanqiu’s suggestions, though she was a little puzzled.
True to her word, Mu Nanqiu took Su Yao into a pants store, and she bought three pairs: one light-colored and two black.
They were all form-fitting styles.
While trying them on, Su Yao felt like Mu Nanqiu’s gaze lingered on her thighs, but when she looked back, Mu Nanqiu was perfectly serious.
From entering to leaving this store, Su Yao had already spent over five hundred yuan.
It didn’t hurt her that much, just made the bags she was carrying feel heavier.
Next, Su Yao visited a few shoe stores, eyeing several pairs she liked.
But Mu Nanqiu held her back, so she only bought three pairs, spending another sixteen hundred.
At checkout, Su Yao’s heart was racing, grateful Mu Nanqiu stopped her in time; otherwise, she would have gone all out on spending.
They walked from the east main entrance to the west, covering about half the stores.
Su Yao had spent nearly all the money she’d recently earned.
Looking at the big and small bags in her hands, Su Yao sighed silently.
“That’s about enough for now. There’s still plenty of time to buy more later. Yao Yao, you look tired from walking.”
Mu Nanqiu looked at Su Yao’s exhausted face and smiled.
Although the route wasn’t long, they’d mostly been standing, only sitting when trying on clothes in stores.
Su Yao gave a slight nod, her drooping eyebrows showing just how drained she felt.
They went back to the car first but didn’t rush home yet.
It was just past ten, still a lively time.
They sat at a cozy little shop by the window, each ordering a drink and a small cake.
After sitting there until eleven, looking out the window, they saw the mall was much emptier than when they’d first arrived.
As time passed, the crowd thinned out.
Mu Nanqiu glanced at the time—eleven fourteen at night—and said it was about time to go.
With a half-hour drive and some fussing, they wouldn’t get to sleep until at least one a.m.
She started the car and dropped Su Yao off at her residential complex gate.
With so many bags, it was a hassle for Su Yao to carry everything alone.
Just as she was struggling, Mu Nanqiu started the car again, parked a bit farther away, and helped Su Yao carry the bags.
Su Yao thought she was handing them to her and reached out to take them, but Mu Nanqiu dodged instead.
“I’ll walk you home.”
“…Okay.”
Su Yao looked at Mu Nanqiu, feeling a warm glow in her heart as they walked side by side.
The residential complex’s security was mostly a formality.
After telling the young Security Guard, he blushed and fumbled as he opened the gate for them.
This time, Su Yao walked in front, with Mu Nanqiu following behind as they climbed the stairs on foot.
They remained silent until they reached the front door of Su Yao’s home.
Only then did Su Yao look back at the woman following her, her heart pounding.
But before she was ready, Mu Nanqiu smiled lightly and said,
“I won’t bother you tonight. We’ll have time later…”