Yu Qingge was always like this—she’d suddenly pull out a move that would catch you off guard and stir your heart. Some things she said were deliberate, but most of them came out naturally, spoken from the heart. Perhaps even she didn’t realize the impact of her words.
Only someone like He Li, with strong resistance, could withstand it. If it had been any other man, he would’ve already fallen head over heels for her by now.
“I’m not that petty. Besides, even though you’re full of little tricks, you’ve been good to me. It’s not like I could hate you.” He Li replied as he reached out and gently patted Yu Qingge’s head.
Hearing that, Yu Qingge lifted her head and smiled shyly. “Thank you for being so tolerant of my unreasonable behavior.”
“Hmm, I’ve decided. I need to reward you!”
“Reward?” He Li was caught off guard.
He instinctively glanced down at Yu Qingge’s long, slender legs.
Noticing where his eyes went, her face flushed slightly. “What are you doing?”
“Want to touch my legs again? Wait till we get in the car, I’ll let you.”
“But the reward I meant isn’t that, don’t get any ideas!”
“Oh.” He Li blinked, then nodded.
Yu Qingge didn’t say anything else. She just took his hand and walked quickly into the bustling Century Mall.
The mall was huge—dozens of floors, separated into low, middle, and high-end shopping zones. Most people only shopped below the tenth floor, picking up day-to-day items.
It wasn’t that you couldn’t go above the tenth.
It’s just that everything beyond that was outrageously expensive.
Following Yu Qingge upstairs, He Li saw that the lavish stores on both sides were filled with luxury items priced in the tens of thousands or even hundreds of thousands—no wonder regular folks stayed away.
After all, even browsing up here could damage your self-esteem.
But He Li, having lived two lives, stayed calm. In his past life, he’d seen things worth hundreds of thousands—even millions—plenty of times.
As for Yu Qingge, stepping into this high-end zone was like walking through a night market. She was so calm it looked like she was back home.
As she led him deeper inside, He Li finally asked, “So what exactly are you trying to buy?”
“Weren’t those stores back there already selling clothes and jewelry?”
“Those were for women!” Yu Qingge rolled her eyes.
He Li replied instinctively, “You’re a woman. If you’re not buying women’s clothes, are you going to buy men’s—”
Mid-sentence, he stopped, realizing something.
Yu Qingge smiled. “Figured it out?”
“That’s right. I want to buy some clothes for you.”
“This is the reward you were talking about?” He Li asked, now understanding.
Seeing her nod, he shook his head. “Forget it.”
“If you really want to treat me, I’d rather you take me to another good meal. As for clothes—if they’re wearable, that’s good enough. No need to spend a fortune.”
“No way!” Yu Qingge said firmly.
She frowned slightly. “Did you forget what happened at the restaurant?”
Restaurant? He Li thought for a moment—Smoke and Clouds Restaurant.
Yu Qingge continued, “Those people at Smoke and Clouds thought you were my driver and looked down on you. Wasn’t it because of how you were dressed?”
Those words—”I don’t want you to be looked down on again”—tugged at He Li’s heart.
“You’ve had this planned for a while, haven’t you?”
“Calling it a reward was just a clever excuse, right?” he asked.
Yu Qingge giggled and nodded. “Yes, I’d planned it for a while. But since I played a sneaky trick earlier with Aunt Wang, I wanted to make it up to you.”
“So, I’m buying you clothes, and you have to accept them!”
Not giving him a chance to argue, she pulled him straight into a high-end clothing store.
He Li caught a glimpse of the price tags inside…
All of them were five figures!
Fortunately, the staff here weren’t snobbish. Though He Li was dressed plainly, he had a distinct air about him. Not to mention, Yu Qingge’s aura as a rich heiress made it clear she wasn’t someone to mess with.
Luxury store clerks usually had sharp eyes. They could tell Yu Qingge was loaded. Even if she wasn’t, they wouldn’t dare drive her away—that’s basic professionalism.
As the two walked in, a clerk approached them.
“Good afternoon, sir, ma’am. Can I help you with anything today?”
“I want to pick out some clothes for my boyfriend,” Yu Qingge replied as she scanned the racks.
Hearing her words, the clerks looked visibly envious.
In this day and age, were there really girls who proactively bought clothes for their boyfriends?
And not just any girl—Yu Qingge was stunning, elegant, and clearly wealthy. What kind of man got lucky enough to have her as a girlfriend?
Jealousy aside, for the sake of commission, the clerks worked hard to recommend outfits.
He Li knew he couldn’t say no to Yu Qingge, so he simply went along and even gave a few opinions. He picked a few outfits that looked good and felt comfortable.
As they were still choosing, a video call suddenly came through…
Ding-ling-ling!!!
The ringtone and vibration made He Li glance at his phone.
His mom?
Seeing her name on the screen, and then glancing at Yu Qingge beside him, He Li instantly understood—Aunt Wang must’ve already blabbed to his mom about what she’d seen earlier. Otherwise, there was no way his mom would call him this quickly.
“See? I knew Aunt Wang would spread it.”
“It’s only been a short while, and my mom’s already calling.”
As he spoke, Yu Qingge stuck out her tongue mischievously.
He Li flicked her forehead, and she pouted and held it dramatically.
With his mom’s call persistently ringing, he had no choice but to answer.
“Hello…” he began, but before he could even say “Mom,” her excited voice burst out.
“You brat! I thought you were just joking when you said you had a girlfriend, but it’s actually true!”
“Your Aunt Wang told me everything!”
“She said your little girlfriend is gorgeous and super polite…”
“Aren’t you two together right now? Let me see my future daughter-in-law!”
He Li glanced at the giggling Yu Qingge beside him. He was planning to clear things up with his mom.
“Mom, don’t listen to Aunt Wang. Actually—”
“Actually, I’m not that pretty!” a soft voice chimed in, interrupting him.
Yu Qingge suddenly leaned in, hugging He Li’s waist and resting her cheek on his shoulder.
From that angle, his mom could clearly see her face—and their intimate pose.
Seeing Yu Qingge’s stunning looks and her affectionate behavior toward He Li, his mom’s smile stretched ear to ear.
Yu Qingge was beautiful, elegant, and way better than any of the blind date candidates she’d arranged before.
His mom was thrilled, but He Li definitely wasn’t.
He’d wanted to explain, but Yu Qingge had ambushed him and deepened the misunderstanding. He had no doubt—his mom probably already saw Yu Qingge as her future daughter-in-law.
“Come on, quit messing around!” He Li shook the clingy Yu Qingge off.
But in doing so, he accidentally felt her softness press against his back. His thoughts started to drift, and Yu Qingge blushed faintly too.
From his mom’s perspective, though, the two were just being sweet and lovey-dovey.
She chuckled. “Alright, alright!”
“Seeing you two so close, I feel at ease.”
“By the way, I haven’t even asked her name yet!”
“Auntie, I’m Yu Qingge!” she responded with a bright smile.
Her sweet expression even left a few of the store clerks mesmerized.
His mom, overjoyed, asked, “Little Yu, tell Auntie—how did you and our Li Zi end up together?”
“Is he treating you well?”
“Has he bullied you?”
“Don’t be shy. Now that I know about you two, you’ve got my full support.”
She even shot a glare at He Li, as if to say, If I find out you mistreated her, you’re dead.
He Li was speechless, while Yu Qingge jumped in happily.
“It’s fate, really!” she hugged him shyly. “We met during a street event.”
“It was love at first sight!”
“He treats me really well. He’s never bullied me.”
“Well, sometimes he does…” Her voice trailed off as her face turned red, a sly glint in her eyes suggesting something more.
That look made his mom’s thoughts run wild.
In her mind, Yu Qingge’s bashful, hesitant expression meant one thing—they’d already taken things to the next level.
Well then, this daughter-in-law was pretty much confirmed!
The two women chatted happily.
Meanwhile, He Li stood there in silent chaos, overwhelmed by it all…