Chapter 43 Intimate Date Caught

After leaving the Western restaurant, the two went to the mall. Xu Muzhou said he wanted to buy clothes, but after entering several clothing stores, he only looked around briefly before leaving. The salespeople followed him, talking themselves hoarse, but couldn’t get him to try on even one or two items.

After accompanying him into several brand stores, Fang Chuning finally couldn’t help asking: “Haven’t you found anything suitable after looking at so many?”

Xu Muzhou shook his head slightly. After a moment of silence, he looked at her with pitiful eyes, “Do you find it tiring to go shopping with me?”

“Of course not!” Thinking he was being too sensitive and had misunderstood her meaning, Fang Chuning hurriedly said, “I often go shopping with my dad, I’m long used to it, I don’t find it tiring at all!”

Afraid he wouldn’t believe her, she said seriously: “Let’s look at every store, if you still don’t like anything we’ll go somewhere else to continue looking.”

Xu Muzhou was amused by her “show of loyalty” and couldn’t help covering his mouth to laugh softly, his laughter crisp as silver bells. He tilted his head slightly: “You really won’t get annoyed with me?”

“I won’t!”

The young man smiled sweetly, as if a pair of cat ears had grown on top of his head, with a kind of cuteness that made one want to bully him.

“Fang classmate is so nice,” he said.

At this moment, Fang Chuning’s hands were itching terribly. She really, really wanted to rub his hair, it must feel so good.

They browsed a few more stores. In a shop specializing in men’s loungewear, Fang Chuning’s gaze was drawn to an outfit displayed on a mannequin in the glass window.

“Do you want to try this set?”

Xu Muzhou looked over. It was a pink, slightly fluffy cat-ear hoodie. The hood was large, and the mannequin’s face was a cat-eyed boy with a bright smile. Combined with the deliberately cute pose, it could easily attract the attention of those who liked cute things.

He smiled, turning to the salesperson: “I want to try this one.”

“Certainly, please wait inside, we’ll bring it to you right away.”

Even before he changed into this outfit, Fang Chuning could already imagine how he would look wearing it. But when the young man came out of the fitting room, she felt that the image in her mind had been too poor.

The clothes looked fluffy but were actually thin and soft. Xu Muzhou’s temperament was originally gentle and refined, with a soft personality. Wearing this outfit, his refined air faded a bit, replaced by a few more touches of cuteness and sweetness, looking even more heart-stoppingly adorable.

Fang Chuning helped him put on the connected hood. The triangular cat ears standing upright on top of the hood finally made her lose control. She grabbed one in each hand and kneaded them. The soft, fluffy texture felt even better than her dog Wangcai!

The outfit had a zipper, which Xu Muzhou hadn’t fully zipped up. She only needed to lower her head slightly to see his fair and beautiful collarbones.

Fang Chuning reluctantly withdrew her hands and stepped back to look at him again.

The large hood covered half of the young man’s face. He used fingers almost completely enveloped by the long sleeves to pull the hood back a bit, revealing a pair of beautiful, sparkling eyes. “These clothes are so big.”

Indeed they were big, and it seemed intentionally designed that way. Except for the shorts on the bottom, the top’s sleeves were so long only his slender fingers could peek out.

The salesperson explained from the side: “This style is designed according to the most popular cute anime aesthetic now, focusing on comfort and softness. It’s our store’s most popular loungewear. There are four colors in total, and this color just came in today. It really suits you, sir.”

And it did. Not only was the young man good-looking, but his skin was enviably good too. That face was so flawless it looked like it had been sculpted, like a porcelain doll.

“But… I’ve never worn clothes like this before…”

The young man’s captivating eyes were on the girl the entire time. He seemed a bit uncertain, with a touch of shyness: “Is it strange?”

That loving gaze was irresistible to any woman.

The male salesperson maintained a professional smile on the side. He could already sense the girl’s importance in this boy’s heart. At this point, no matter how much he said would just be a waste of breath. Nothing could compare to a single word from the girl.

“It’s not strange.” How could it be strange? It looked unbelievably good on him. Fang Chuning took a bank card from her wallet and handed it to the male salesperson. “We’ll take this set.”

The male salesperson’s smile brightened a few degrees. They were still wearing school uniforms, but their spending was more generous than most people. With more customers like this, he wouldn’t have to worry about monthly sales targets. “Please wait a moment, customer.”

Actually, Fang Chuning felt a bit regretful. Such cute clothes, but he would only wear them at home. She wouldn’t have a chance to see.

The mall was getting more and more crowded. Fang Chuning held a shopping bag in one hand and kept the other in her pocket, only moving closer to him when there were many people around, to prevent others from bumping into him.

This was the extent of their most intimate contact since the date began.

Xu Muzhou wasn’t sure if she was oblivious or just unwilling to touch him. Seeing couples holding hands as they passed by, he felt a bit annoyed.

“Hey look, they’re selling cotton candy over there. I’ll go buy you some to eat.”

With that, Fang Chuning walked over herself. The cotton candy was being given out as part of a mall promotion, free of charge. She took a pink one, shaped like a flower, bigger than her head.

Seeing it made her mouth water, and she wanted one for herself too, but was told only one per person was allowed.

She walked back to the young man with the cotton candy. “Here you go.”

Xu Muzhou pursed his lips, raised his hand to take the cotton candy, then held it up to her mouth, saying softly: “You eat it.”

“No, I got it for you.” Fang Chuning leaned her head back.

“But I can’t finish it all. Can you help me eat a little?”

Fang Chuning hesitated a bit, unsure whether to use her hand or just bite it directly when sharing one cotton candy between two people. After thinking for a moment, she tore off a small piece with her hand and put it in her mouth. The sweetness that melted instantly on her tongue made her feel happy. “It’s very tasty, you try some too.”

As she said this, she gripped his hand and pushed the cotton candy back to him.

Caught off guard by the warm touch on his hand, Xu Muzhou’s eyes widened slightly.

“What’s wrong?”

Xu Muzhou’s gaze flickered for a moment, his fingertips burning. “Nothing…”

His eyelashes lowered slightly, and under the girl’s expectant gaze, he took a small bite of the pink cotton candy. The sweet taste spread between his teeth, then flowed into his heart.

Fang Chuning watched him eat with great interest. When he took the first bite, she clearly saw his eyes brighten. She was a bit curious: “Have you never eaten this before?”

The young man shook his head. “Dad doesn’t like me eating these things.”

Remembering that the candies he carried were all imported, Fang Chuning understood somewhat. She comforted him: “Your dad probably just wants to make sure you don’t eat anything bad, so he buys only the best for you.”

Xu Muzhou licked away a bit of sugar stuck to the corner of his mouth, his brow indifferent. “Mm, Dad is very good to me.”

Looking at his lips, made even more tempting from eating the candy, Fang Chuning unconsciously swallowed and averted her gaze.

At this hour, the mall’s crowd was at its peak. When they passed by a famous gold jewelry store, everyone couldn’t help but look at the person standing at the entrance.

It was a man, a man whose figure and face could both be considered top-tier. What was most striking was his long hair, like that of a classical beauty. His charming, seductive appearance made it seem as if he was flirting even when just talking seriously to someone.

At this time, Li Yipeng was conducting a regional inspection, or more accurately, just coming to listen in.

He had one hand in his pocket, the other holding a phone to take a photo of the gold store. In his ear, the store manager was explaining to the group manager the reasons for the shop’s sudden drop in sales last month.

“This reason you’ve given can’t really be called a reason. I have reason to doubt whether you’re suitable to be the store manager.” The manager casually dismissed her abilities, while her gaze intentionally or unintentionally drifted towards the man.

Li Yipeng acted as if he hadn’t noticed, looking through the photo album on his phone. The photo he had just taken appeared as soon as he opened it. His finger didn’t pause, swiping past this photo. The photos that followed were some landscape shots. Upon careful observation, one could see that the same person appeared in every landscape photo, and from the photo angles and the person’s expressions, it was clear these photos were all taken secretly.

The man’s smile grew increasingly gentle as he looked at these photos.

Just seeing him smile like that was enough to make one’s legs go weak. The manager gathered her courage and, blushing, invited him: “Secretary Li, if you have time, may I treat you to a meal?”

Li Yipeng put his phone back in his pocket and gently declined: “I’m sorry, I have other matters to attend to later.”

“Then, then next time, when do you have time for us to get together?”

Li Yipeng smiled without speaking. Just as he was about to leave, his eyes inadvertently caught sight of a figure that had been haunting his dreams. His heart stirred, and he walked towards them.

“Secretary Li…” The manager was a bit unwilling, but the man didn’t even give her a glance.

Fang Chuning’s attention was now completely occupied by the young man before her. She hadn’t noticed the person approaching them at all, until the man came up in front of them.

“Miss Fang?”

This voice appearing at this moment was truly a mood killer. Fang Chuning’s eyelid twitched, and she felt her whole mood sour.

Li Yipeng’s gaze swept over the two of them. “You two seem to be in good spirits. So late… Could it be you’re on a date?”

At this moment, Fang Chuning’s mind was filled with thoughts of the consequences if their relationship was discovered. If Secretary Li knew, it was tantamount to Hong Jie knowing. If Hong Jie knew, sooner or later Father Fang would know too. If Father Fang knew, it meant the whole family would know. By then, she’d be annoyed to death. Moreover, Father Fang certainly wouldn’t agree. He was sure to make trouble for her.

“Actually…”

Just as she was about to temporarily dissociate their relationship, Xu Muzhou suddenly gripped her hand, his fingers intertwining with hers, intimately locking their fingers together.

Fang Chuning hadn’t expected him to suddenly make such a move. The words she was about to say got stuck in her throat. Looking at the young man’s pure, adoring gaze, all those messy thoughts suddenly faded away. She suddenly felt confident: “That’s right, it’s exactly as you see.”

Li Yipeng’s eyes fixed on their tightly interlocked hands. His gaze gradually cooled, shedding its gentleness. His bewitching brows and eyes now looked exceptionally cold.