“Sorry, I was just wandering around. I happened to see you, so I thought I’d come in and say hello. Is this a bad time? I’m sorry to interrupt.”
“No, no…”
Yu Fei had been about to answer on reflex, but when he heard Xia Feifei earnestly explain herself, he panicked. “Sister-in-law, you’re not interrupting at all. We were just helping you—”
“Helping a friend pick out a bag.”
Seeing Yu Fei about to give the game away, Ji Yanli—still trying to figure out how to keep his own identity from being exposed—hurriedly cut in.
After shooting Yu Fei a warning glance, he turned to Xia Feifei and said, feigning composure, “Ms. Xia, you’ve come at just the right time. We’re preparing to apologize to a friend by giving her a bag. What do you think?”
“Oh…”
Caught off guard by the question, Xia Feifei didn’t quite understand, but out of politeness, she played along. “Sure. Mm, that sounds nice. Very nice.”
“Could I trouble you to help us choose which of these bags would be the most suitable?”
At Ji Yanli’s pointed glance, Xia Feifei finally noticed the small trays not far away, each displaying an exquisite bag.
They came in different sizes and styles.
But instead of admiring their beautiful designs, Xia Feifei—who rarely went to stores to pick out bags herself—found her attention drawn to the price tags tucked into the corners of the trays.
After all, her maternal uncle had always had people replace everything she needed to eat and wear each quarter, well in advance.
So she honestly had no idea how much any of the bags she carried cost.
This one was actually only 9,999.
And this one had the nerve to cost 999,999.
As Xia Feifei was engrossed in looking, Ji Yanli’s deep, reassuring voice suddenly sounded beside her.
“It’s fine, Ms. Xia. Don’t worry about the price. Just pick whichever style you like.”
That rich, huh?
Xia Feifei turned to look at him, and heard him add, “Oh, Yu Fei has their VIP card. He can pay with it.”
Hearing the pointed hint from his boss, Yu Fei immediately chimed in.
“Oh! Yes, that’s right, Sister-in-law. A friend gave me an unlimited VIP card, so don’t worry about the price. Just choose the style you like.”
A friend?
Xia Feifei thought “sugar daddy” was a better description. These two men were both living off someone else while acting so high and mighty—and somehow they could say it with such confidence.
“Fine, then. I’ll take another look and give you my opinion.”
There were some things Xia Feifei chose to see through without calling out. After all, she and Ji Yanli were still legally married, and for the time being they’d have to see each other every day. If she said it aloud, things would get awkward whenever they met.
“Then I’ll have to trouble you, Ms. Xia,” Ji Yanli said politely.
As he spoke, Xia Feifei turned back to the bags and continued helping them choose.
After looking them over, her eye was first caught by a little bag with an irregular shape and long fur.
She picked it up and examined it from every angle. No matter how she looked at it, it was hideous—not a hint of beauty from any angle.
Feeling mischievous, she deliberately held it up and waved it toward the two men nearby. “What about this one? Is it pretty?”
“P-pretty, I guess? Ji… Ji Yanli, what do you think?”
Yu Fei had no idea how Xia Feifei’s taste worked, so he hurriedly passed the hot potato to his boss.
It didn’t matter what the couple thought of each other, but as a subordinate, he didn’t dare offend either of them.
“Mm. It’s certainly unusual.”
Ji Yanli didn’t particularly appreciate it, but if the person receiving the gift liked it, what could he say?
Still, given his own taste, he offered a well-meant suggestion. “Ms. Xia, I don’t think this bag would be easy to match with clothes. Why don’t you take another look, or choose another one that goes with more outfits?”
“Hard to match?”
Xia Feifei looked at the ugly bag in her hands again. She had to admit that it wasn’t merely hard to match—it was downright impossible to carry in public!
But what did that have to do with her?
She was only helping them choose. Besides, of all the bags there, this was the only one that cost three digits.
You couldn’t have your cake and eat it too. They might not mind buying an expensive bag with someone else’s card, but she’d feel embarrassed choosing one.
“Fine. I trust your judgment, Ms. Xia.”
As he spoke, Ji Yanli raised a hand to call over a sales assistant and have the bag wrapped.
“Then, Mr. Ji, take your time looking around. I’m meeting a friend, so I’ll be going.”
Having finished what she came to do, Xia Feifei turned to leave.
The moment she lifted her foot, someone suddenly tugged at her wrist. She turned, and their eyes met. Ji Yanli quickly let go.
“S-sorry, Ms. Xia. I just wanted to ask what time you’ll be home tonight, and what you’re planning for dinner.”
What did he mean by that?
Was he planning to cook for me? Or did he want me to cook for him?
Since Xia Feifei couldn’t cook, she decided to get straight to the point. “Mr. Ji, I don’t know what you mean, but I want to make one thing clear.”
“I agreed to provide you with a place to live and living expenses. That doesn’t include cooking, doing laundry, or any other services.”
“Let’s be clear about our respective roles. Don’t push your luck.”
With that, Xia Feifei turned and left. Her decisive strides gave Ji Yanli no chance to explain himself again.
Ji Yanli was already baffled by the turn of events, and now he was even more confused. He thought it over for a long time, but still couldn’t understand. All he’d wanted to ask was what time she’d be home so he could finish work early and go to the supermarket with her to buy a few household necessities.
After all, the place they were living in looked like a show home, and it was missing many basic household items.
Since they were likely to be living together for a year, it would be very inconvenient not to buy those things.
“Yu Fei, did I say something wrong?”
As the old saying went, bystanders saw clearly what those involved could not. Unable to figure it out, Ji Yanli immediately turned to ask the onlooker beside him.
“You probably weren’t clear enough, so Sister-in-law misunderstood.”
Yu Fei was three parts guessing and seven parts completely at a loss; he had no confidence in his answer at all.
After all, he hadn’t heard anything wrong with what Young Master Ji had said.
But Young Master Ji had asked him. If he said there was nothing wrong, wouldn’t that amount to saying Sister-in-law was making a fuss for no reason?
He’d better not go looking for trouble.
“Looks like I’ll have to find a chance to sit down and talk things through with Xia Feifei.”
Ji Yanli’s remark made it clear to Yu Fei that he’d made the right call with his flattery, so he hurried to agree again.
“Young Master Ji, that’s a great idea. You’re newlyweds, and you don’t know each other very well yet. You’re still adjusting to one another, so misunderstandings are perfectly normal. You just need to talk more. Don’t take it too much to heart.”