“Su Qinghe.”
Jiang Che called her name seriously, his tone a little heavy.
Su Qinghe immediately quieted down and looked at him with those pitiful, wronged eyes again.
It left Jiang Che completely without temper. Why was this little girl so stubborn? She had already suffered so much, yet she still insisted on being strong and refused to accept other people’s kindness.
Jiang Che felt helpless. He walked over and crouched in front of her, gently resting his palm on her shoulder.
“Su Qinghe, listen to me.”
His voice softened as he reasoned with her patiently. “If I buy you clothes, you don’t need to feel burdened. Just treat it as a gift between friends.”
“If you really can’t accept it, then consider it a loan. When you have money in the future, you can pay me back.”
Knowing she felt embarrassed, Jiang Che deliberately found an excuse.
“Besides, you can’t keep wearing my shirt forever, right? What if you need to go out? Don’t you think so?”
Su Qinghe kept her head lowered and said nothing. From her expression, it was clear she still had no intention of giving in.
Jiang Che grew a little anxious. Why was this girl still refusing?
“Just accept my help with peace of mind. To me, it’s only a small effort.”
“And since you’re staying at my house, I can’t let you dress in rags. If other people find out, they might think I’m abusing you,” Jiang Che tried persuading her from another angle.
That sentence worked. As soon as he finished speaking, Su Qinghe’s body trembled slightly.
She raised her small face a little, worry filling her eyes. “Really?”
To her, it didn’t matter if she had no clothes to wear, but she absolutely could not cause trouble for Jiang Che.
If people pointed fingers at him because of her, she would feel terrible.
Seeing her finally waver, Jiang Che immediately nodded vigorously, increasing his persuasive effort. “Of course it’s true. When have I ever lied to you?”
Su Qinghe knew she could not and should not cause Jiang Che more trouble.
Yet no matter how much she had tried to refuse, he still insisted on being so kind to her.
She… did not want to reject his kindness anymore.
Su Qinghe thought, just let her be selfish this once.
After a moment, the girl slowly nodded. “Then… thank you.”
Hearing her finally agree, Jiang Che felt the tension he had been holding in his chest finally ease.
“Alright, stop thanking me over and over.”
“Hurry up and finish your milk. We’re getting ready to go out,” he said as he stood up.
Su Qinghe obediently held her cup of milk. “Okay.”
After she finished drinking, Jiang Che had already cleared the table.
“Su Qinghe, wear this first.”
Before heading out, Jiang Che took out an old hoodie and a pair of old sweatpants from his wardrobe and handed them to her to change into.
The hoodie was a smaller size, and since hoodies were naturally loose-fitting, it should not look too oversized on her.
Su Qinghe took the clothes and gently sniffed them. It felt as if the crisp scent of the boy still lingered on them.
“Okay.”
She went into the Guest Room to change while Jiang Che waited in the living room.
After a while, Su Qinghe came out slowly and carefully, as if afraid of dirtying or damaging the clothes.
Jiang Che looked her up and down. The hoodie was still a little big, but overall it fit her much better.
After thinking for a moment, he gave his evaluation. “It looks good. You look especially cute.”
Caught off guard by the compliment, Su Qinghe felt embarrassed. Her cheeks and even the tips of her ears turned slightly pink.
Jiang Che walked over and grabbed her wrist. “Let’s go. To the mall.”
…
After leaving the residential complex, Jiang Che called a ride through an app. The car arrived quickly.
He helped Su Qinghe into the car, confirmed the last digits of his phone number, and the car drove off with the two of them.
In the back seat, Su Qinghe tightly grabbed Jiang Che’s clothes and leaned against his shoulder, as if he were her only support.
Jiang Che could clearly feel her nervousness, so he gently patted the back of her hand and comforted her, “Don’t be afraid. We’ll be there soon.”
Su Qinghe softly said, “Mm,” and cautiously leaned her head against his shoulder.
The moment she touched him, Jiang Che’s arm tensed briefly, but he did not push her away.
Su Qinghe gently pressed her lips together in a small smile. Encouraged, she rested her head fully against his shoulder and even rubbed lightly against him, like a little girlfriend acting coquettish.
Jiang Che’s ears felt a little warm. He could only turn his head and pretend to look at the scenery outside the window.
It was the transition between autumn and winter, and the weather was unpredictable.
Sometimes it was cold enough to drop below zero degrees, and other times it could rise above ten degrees.
Jiang Che calculated silently. Today, he would not only buy Su Qinghe thick clothes, but also a few little dresses for when it got warmer.
Soon, the car arrived at the mall.
It was Saturday, and the mall was crowded. The surrounding noise was loud and chaotic.
From the moment she stepped out of the car, Su Qinghe’s body began trembling uncontrollably. Her small hands clutched Jiang Che’s arm tightly, her large eyes scanning around blankly and helplessly.
The noisy sounds interfered with her judgment. To her, Jiang Che was the only beacon guiding her now.
Jiang Che understood this well. He let her hold onto his arm so it would be easier for them to walk.
He led Su Qinghe into the mall.
The heating inside was strong, making her cheeks slightly red instead of pale, giving her a bit more vitality.
Jiang Che took her straight to the second floor.
The second floor was the women’s clothing area. Near the elevators was the dress section, while deeper inside were the thick winter clothes.
So Jiang Che decided to start with the dress shops and led Su Qinghe into one.
When the sales assistant saw them, she immediately approached enthusiastically. “Welcome. What style would you like to look at?”
Jiang Che stood there and glanced around, scratching his head in difficulty.
As a grown man, he did not know how to choose dresses. And Su Qinghe could not see. How was he supposed to pick?
The sales assistant seemed to notice his dilemma. She walked over, picked up a dress, and handed it to him with a smile. “Sir, this is one of our bestsellers this season. It matches your girlfriend’s temperament very well. Would you like to try it?”
The moment she heard the words “your girlfriend,” Su Qinghe’s heartbeat quickened. Her already flushed face turned even redder.
She nervously waited for Jiang Che’s response.
But Jiang Che did not seem to notice these details. After taking the dress from the sales assistant and looking at it, he placed it into Su Qinghe’s hands.
“Su Qinghe, what do you think of this dress? I feel like the fabric is pretty good.”
Su Qinghe had been immersed in the joy that Jiang Che had not denied she was his girlfriend. Hearing his words, her body trembled suddenly.
She quickly waved her hands. “Maybe not. I don’t like wearing dresses.”
Jiang Che was surprised. She did not like wearing dresses?
He had seen her wear dresses before.
He clearly remembered that at the opening ceremony of their first year of high school at Lincheng No.1 High School, she had worn a beautiful long white formal dress.
Paired with the way she played the piano, she had looked truly elegant.
Was it because she could not see now that she did not like them anymore?
Jiang Che felt puzzled.
“Why don’t you like them?” he asked curiously.
Su Qinghe lowered her head and thought hard for a long moment before coming up with a very clumsy excuse. “I… I don’t look good in dresses.”
None of the three people present believed that statement.
The sales assistant maintained her smile and said, “Miss, you’re being too modest. I’ve worked here for five years, and this is the first time I’ve seen a customer as pretty and well-proportioned as you.”
Jiang Che nodded in agreement. “Yeah, Su Qinghe, you look really good in dresses.”
“For example, at the first-year opening ceremony, the long formal dress you wore was very elegant and suited you perfectly,” Jiang Che said seriously.
Su Qinghe’s small hands nervously grabbed the hem of her clothes. She did not want to reject Jiang Che’s kindness.
He was treating her so well. She could not keep refusing him.
After a moment, she gathered her courage, lifted her head in Jiang Che’s direction, and said softly, “Then… I’ll try.”
Seeing her agree, Jiang Che smiled again.
“Alright, I’ll help you pick a few.”
Under the sales assistant’s guidance, Jiang Che began selecting dresses in the store.
He chose a few simple styles in soft, elegant colors and handed them to Su Qinghe.
“Go try these on.”
Su Qinghe took the clothes, felt the fabric carefully, and then walked cautiously into the fitting room.