“Ah, look at this, it’s so cute!” Jiang Ru tugged on Luo Chenxuan’s sleeve, her face filled with excitement.
Luo Chenxuan responded half-heartedly. They had been walking for almost two hours now, and he couldn’t figure out where Jiang Ru got all that energy. She hadn’t taken a single break yet was still excited as ever. His calves were sore, and he just wanted to find a place to sit and rest, but Jiang Ru was gripping his arm tightly, not giving him even a second to slip away.
From the toy store to the clothing shops, she dragged him into every place they passed.
“You call this shopping for event essentials? You’re clearly just window shopping,” Luo Chenxuan no longer had the energy to complain.
“You don’t get it. You just browse wherever you go. Sooner or later, you’ll end up finding something useful.”
“If I drop dead from exhaustion, I won’t be able to attend the event, let alone find anything useful.”
Jiang Ru patted him on the back. “You’re a man, and your stamina’s worse than mine?”
Luo Chenxuan lifted his heavy eyelids. He hadn’t slept the night before and now felt completely drained. He pulled out the mint candies he had just bought and shoved one into Jiang Ru’s mouth. “Just shut up already. Who knows where you get all this strength from.”
“Okay, okay, let’s go in here then!” Jiang Ru pointed at a women’s clothing store that had a resting area inside.
“Thank you for your great kindness and mercy.”
Luo Chenxuan sat down and finally felt his legs get some relief. Jiang Ru, meanwhile, was energetically picking out clothes. Being with her didn’t feel like spending time with a new classmate. Instead, there was a strange sense of familiarity, as if something in the dusty corners of his memory was slowly resurfacing.
Bored, Luo Chenxuan looked around at the crowds flowing in and out. “There are so many people in the mall today.” He casually pulled out a wrinkled flyer he’d received at the entrance and started reading.
“Rose Festival?” After reading for a bit, he finally understood why the crowd was twice the usual size. The Rose Festival was a marketing strategy by the mall. Young couples these days demanded a sense of ritual for every holiday, and this event was designed just for them. The mall had added couple-friendly facilities, games, and tons of discounted rose-themed items.
But the mall wasn’t taking a loss. Even if the games and facilities seemed cheap, the volume of people using them would lead to massive profits.
As he marveled at the mindset of capitalists, Luo Chenxuan looked up and saw Jiang Ru still chatting happily with a store clerk, practically trading compliments with her. From the corner of his eye, he caught sight of a figure and turned slightly—Lie Quan. He’d only seen him once through the peephole, and later with a mask on, but the threat he exuded was something instinctual.
Lie Quan was also scanning the area. The mall crowd was dense, and in the blink of an eye, he had lost sight of Luo Chenxuan. He could only hurry forward to search again.
Luo Chenxuan immediately realized he was being followed. He scanned the area for a place to hide. His gaze landed on the fitting room. Shaking his head, he knew he had no better option—if he was discovered, it’d be over. So he dashed over, gently pulled the door, found it empty, and slipped inside.
Jiang Ru, holding a few clothes, saw him run into the fitting room. She walked over and tugged at the door. “Why’d you go in there?” she asked.
Luo Chenxuan opened a small gap and whispered, “Shh…”
Jiang Ru looked at him, confused. Just as Luo Chenxuan was about to close the door again, Jiang Ru grabbed the handle. Luo Chenxuan looked at her, startled, and tried to shut the door with force. Jiang Ru, sensing his resistance, gripped the handle tightly with both hands.
“Say. It. Clearly.” Jiang Ru clenched her teeth, pulling hard.
Lie Quan, who was just outside, noticed the noise too. Through the gap, Luo Chenxuan saw Lie Quan looking over and immediately let go. Jiang Ru, still tugging, lost her balance and fell backward. Luo Chenxuan quickly grabbed her and pulled her inside, shutting the door.
Luo Chenxuan lowered his voice angrily, “What are you doing?!”
Jiang Ru lowered her head, her eyes red. “Do you not want to be with me?”
Luo Chenxuan looked at her—like a hurt kitten. “You’ve been ignoring me ever since you got back from the student council. I’ve really enjoyed being with you today. I kept dragging you along because I was afraid you’d run away, but you still ended up hiding. I know you probably hate me for it… but I…”
The more Jiang Ru spoke, the more choked up she became, her voice trembling with hurt.
Luo Chenxuan gently patted her head. Jiang Ru looked up, surprised.
“I wasn’t hiding from you. I was avoiding someone dangerous,” Luo Chenxuan said, turning his face slightly as he blushed.
“Then… you don’t hate me?” Jiang Ru looked up at him with wide, glistening eyes.
“No… I don’t.”
Jiang Ru broke into a smile and threw herself into his arms. “I really thought you hated me.”
Luo Chenxuan didn’t push her away and let her hold him. In that moment, an overwhelming sense of familiarity hit him—as if this had all happened before. Reality and memory began to blur. The girl in front of him slowly began to overlap with someone from his past. As his thoughts drifted, Jiang Ru looked up at him with satisfaction.
“You said… someone dangerous?”
Luo Chenxuan snapped back to reality. “Yeah… it’s a long story. I’ll explain everything later.”
Just then, there was a knock at the door. “Classmate? Are you alright? I thought I saw you…”
“We’re fine! Sorry to trouble you. The lock was stuck, so it took some effort to get it open,” Jiang Ru quickly replied.
Luo Chenxuan looked at the quick-witted girl in front of him, emotions stirring inside.
Just as he was about to speak, Jiang Ru turned around and started taking off her coat. Luo Chenxuan stepped back instinctively, not daring to move closer. He noticed her ears had turned red, and she reached back to continue undressing.
Jiang Ru’s embarrassed voice came, “Isn’t this a fitting room? I’m changing clothes.”
“Then wait until I leave!”
“If I walk out without changing, won’t it look suspicious?”
“Well, I guess that’s true…”
“Besides… I wanted you to be the first to see.”
Luo Chenxuan wished he could sink into the floor. His heart was pounding in the cramped, dark space. The sound of fabric rustling mixed with his racing heartbeat.
Outside was noisy, but inside the fitting room, it felt like a tiny world belonging only to them. The only sounds were the rhythm of two beating hearts.
No one knew how much time passed before Jiang Ru spoke softly, “Okay… done.”
Luo Chenxuan, face burning, slowly turned around. She was wearing a light blue dress that made her look like a dream—so dazzling that anyone who saw her would think of a first love.
“Well… does it look good?”
Luo Chenxuan was stunned, unable to respond. But Jiang Ru saw the look in his eyes and smiled gently.
“Then I’ll take this one,” she said, her cheerfulness returning.
Luo Chenxuan snapped out of it and tried to act normal. “It’s… it’s pretty nice. Alright, that guy should be gone by now. Let’s head out.”
He stepped past her and was about to open the door when he felt a strong pull on his arm. Losing his balance, he fell to the floor of the fitting room.
“What… what are you doing? That hurt!”
Jiang Ru didn’t answer. Luo Chenxuan couldn’t see her expression, only that she was kneeling beside him, her hand pressed against the wall behind his head.
Before he could react, he felt something soft and sweet on his lips—cool and tender, like a mint candy… but much softer and warmer. What was this sensation?
Luo Chenxuan’s thoughts drifted into the clouds.
Jiang Ru kissed him.
And the kiss only deepened.