Chapter 16: First Time Shopping

Today is the millennium year, September 10th, a weekend.

Weather: Cloudy turning clear.
Temperature: 26°C ~ 33°C.

Very hot.

And very exhausting.

That was Jiang Ning’s most direct feeling after shopping alongside Qi Wen for an hour.

Sure, linking arms with a beauty felt great.

Especially when, from time to time, she could brush against something soft and bouncy.

That sensation was quite thrilling.

But after the thrill lasted long enough, and the so-called “sage time” arrived—

Her legs were sore, her stomach occasionally throbbed with pain.

Oh, right.

Just last night, Jiang Ning experienced, for the first time in both her lifetimes, the arrival of her period.

When she woke up in the morning and saw the bloodstained bedsheet—

Jiang Ning was dumbfounded.

She sat blankly on the bed for a full ten minutes.

In the end, it was Tian Cuilan, who had come in out of curiosity, who saw the scene and pulled the dazed Jiang Ning up from the bed.

While doing so, she even scolded her for not keeping track of her cycle and preparing in advance.

Jiang Ning felt utterly embarrassed.

This was her first time experiencing this in both lifetimes—how was she supposed to know to track dates?

Besides, even though her stomach had been aching slightly the previous day, Jiang Ning had just assumed she had eaten something bad.

Thinking of her mom’s face, brimming with resentment that morning, Jiang Ning still felt a bit guilty.

Maybe…

She should buy a gift to make it up to her?

As she thought about it, Jiang Ning unconsciously began paying attention to the nearby stores.

Just then—

Qi Wen seemed to have spotted some clothes she liked. She excitedly grabbed Jiang Ning’s hand and pulled her into a clothing store.

The moment they entered—

Jiang Ning had yet to recover from the bizarre music playing in the store when she spotted a familiar side profile.

After taking a closer look, she greeted Qi Wen and then sneakily approached the person from behind.

She reached around the person’s waist and gave them a surprise bear hug.

“Hehe, guess who~”

The moment Yao Yao was suddenly hugged, her entire body tensed up, ready to resist. But when she heard that crisp voice—

She relaxed and struggled helplessly.

“Jiang Ning, stop messing around…”

Seeing the beauty in her arms trying to break free, Jiang Ning tightened her grip slightly, leaned close to Yao Yao’s ear, and whispered while blowing against her earlobe:

“Little Yao Yao, don’t struggle. Just surrender obediently~”

Yao Yao had never experienced such teasing before.

Her face instantly turned red, the flush even spreading to her ears.

A tingling sensation ran through her body, making her almost lose her balance and fall.

Fortunately, Jiang Ning was behind her, holding her up.

“You little rascal, where did you learn to be so mischievous?” Yao Yao eventually pushed Jiang Ning away, turning to scold her with a pout.

To be honest, Jiang Ning wasn’t sure why either.

Ever since hugging this shy senior last time, she couldn’t help but want to tease her every time they met.

Yao Yao’s personality was just like a glutinous rice dumpling—

Soft, squishy, and oh-so-cute.

At that moment, a woman suddenly stepped out from a fitting room.

She had an ordinary face, but her presence was strikingly bold and confident. Her makeup was minimal yet elegant, radiating a mature charm.

She was wearing a velvet T-shirt and a patterned denim mini skirt—

Somehow, the combination gave off an exotic appeal.

And this voluptuous, beautiful woman walked straight toward them.

She first gave Jiang Ning a peculiar glance before shifting her gaze to Yao Yao.

“Yao Yao, does this look good?”

“It looks good, but… isn’t the skirt a bit too short…?”

At that moment—

A young girl, who had appeared out of nowhere, spoke in slightly accented Mandarin:

“Miss, this skirt may look short, but it’s really not.”

“There’s a layer of gauze underneath, so you don’t have to worry about it being revealing when going up or down stairs.”

Hearing this, Yao Yao still hesitated, pursing her lips. Clearly, her conservative nature made it difficult for her to accept such an outfit.

The voluptuous woman seemed to understand Yao Yao’s personality and chuckled before waving at a store clerk.

“Go calculate the total for the clothes I picked.”

“I’ll pay in a bit.”

Hearing this, the store clerk happily walked away.

Meanwhile, the woman turned to Jiang Ning, carefully giving her a once-over.

“Yao Yao, is this pretty girl your classmate?”

“She looks quite nice.”

However, before Jiang Ning could respond, Yao Yao suddenly clarified:

“Mingyu-jie, she’s my junior, not my classmate.”

Perhaps sensing the subtle distancing in Yao Yao’s tone, Li Mingyu merely smiled ambiguously before heading toward the cashier.

Once Li Mingyu had left for the front counter, Yao Yao whispered apologetically:

“Sorry, she’s Li Mingwei’s sister, Li Mingyu…”

“I-I-I…”

Yao Yao stammered, unable to explain why she hadn’t wanted to introduce Jiang Ning in front of Li Mingyu.

“Li Mingwei’s sister? So that means she’s the one helping with my renovation…?”

“Should I go say hello? Since we’re asking her for a favor?” Jiang Ning asked hesitantly.

But Yao Yao didn’t seem keen on Jiang Ning making such a bold approach, shaking her head repeatedly.

Alright then. Maybe there was something Jiang Ning wasn’t aware of.

Seeing Yao Yao’s reaction, she decided not to insist.

Instead, she focused on Li Mingyu’s departing figure.

Tsk tsk tsk.

That guy Li’s sister sure had a great figure.

That stunning Xx ratio.

That exaggerated XX curve.

Without superhuman waist strength, a man probably couldn’t handle a woman like her.

Just then—

Qi Wen returned from browsing, her hands full of clothes.

She walked straight up to Jiang Ning and shoved the clothes into her arms.

“Here, I picked these for you. Try them on.”

Huh?

Jiang Ning was stunned.

She looked down at the various dresses in her arms, looking utterly conflicted.

“This… you… isn’t this making things difficult for me?”

At that, Yao Yao burst into laughter.

In contrast, Qi Wen frowned.

“We’re two sisters out shopping, and you’re dressed in a tracksuit, sneakers, and a sports jacket.”

“If someone saw us, they’d think I dragged you out for a jog!”

“No way! Go change!”

Was it a crime to wear sportswear?

Jiang Ning glanced Qi Wen up and down—

Her neatly tied ponytail, form-fitting puff-sleeve knit top, floral midi skirt revealing two fair legs, and light pink canvas shoes.

Alright.

Comparatively, she really was dressed too casually.

But still!!

Jiang Ning pulled out the clothes Qi Wen had handed her.

Dresses—dresses—more dresses—tank top dresses.

Did Qi Wen have some kind of ulterior motive toward her legs?

“Can I just change into something else? I really don’t want to wear a dress.”

But Qi Wen didn’t seem to agree. She stood with her hands on her hips, pouting, looking determined not to back down.

At that moment, Yao Yao suddenly handed something over.

“Try these instead.”

Jiang Ning looked down—shorts?

Oh no, five-inch shorts?

Barely acceptable.

So she took the shorts, picked a vintage princess-collar short-sleeved top, and—

Reluctantly stepped into the fitting room.

A while later—

Just as Li Mingyu returned with two large shopping bags, the fitting room curtain was drawn open…