This was the first time Ji Han Zhuo had seen Jiang Xizhi acting so shameless. After a moment of contemplation, he bent down and planted a kiss on her cheek before quickly pulling away.
His voice deepened slightly, “If you don’t leave now, I’ll kiss you on the lips. You know I have plenty of ways to make you.”
Jiang Xizhi’s face flushed bright red. They were on the street, after all—how could this man be so shameless? She glared at him with wide, accusing eyes and said, “You… aren’t you ashamed?”
As soon as she finished speaking, she quickly looked around, and what she saw startled her.
A crowd had already gathered around them, with some even pulling out their phones to take pictures while exclaiming:
“Wow, so sweet! The way that handsome guy bent down to kiss his girlfriend just now was absolutely stunning. His girlfriend is so lucky!”
“That man looks like he walked straight out of a painting. Look at that impossibly handsome face and his perfect proportions—he’s absolutely flawless! I want to climb over the wall for him. I wish I could swap places with the girl beside him!”
“And the girl is so pretty too! I just want to reach out and pinch her cheeks. A little fairy paired with a male god—it’s perfect! If there’s a vote for the best-looking couple of the year, I’d definitely cast my vote for them.”
“I’m totally shipping them! I could admire their looks forever…”
“…”
At that moment, Jiang Xizhi didn’t know whether to laugh or cry. But just as she was caught in this dilemma, the scene suddenly shifted.
Out of nowhere, a group of people in black suits rushed out, dispersing the surrounding crowd and encircling the two of them. Some even stepped forward to restrain the passersby who were taking photos, negotiating with them to buy the pictures on their phones at a high price.
Up until now, no photos of Ji Han Zhuo had ever been leaked, so the pictures in their hands couldn’t be allowed to circulate either.
The whole scene was somewhat chaotic, and aside from Ji Han Zhuo, everyone present was utterly bewildered.
But when Jiang Xizhi noticed the black emblem on the suits of the people in black, she understood—they were Ji Han Zhuo’s security team.
By then, Ji Han Zhuo had already pulled her away from the crowd and led her into a low-key black luxury car parked by the roadside—different from the one they had taken when they left earlier.
As soon as she got into the car, Jiang Xizhi’s mood sank a little. She tugged at Ji Han Zhuo’s sleeve and asked, “Ji Han Zhuo, did I cause trouble for you?”
It had only just occurred to her that someone like Ji Han Zhuo probably shouldn’t appear casually in public, as it could easily lead to unnecessary complications.
Ji Han Zhuo patted her head reassuringly and said, “No, I just don’t like being photographed by others. I promised to spend the day with you today, and I intend to keep that promise.”
“Oh,” Jiang Xizhi responded softly.
The whole incident had dampened her mood for the day.
Just as Jiang Xizhi was feeling down, the car window was tapped. Chen Zhan handed in a box of takoyaki and said, “Mr. Ji, here’s the original flavor you asked for.”
Ji Han Zhuo passed it to Jiang Xizhi and said, “Don’t even think about the sweet and spicy flavor. This is all there is.”
Sweet and spicy takoyaki was Jiang Xizhi’s favorite.
Jiang Xizhi was touched. It seemed Ji Han Zhuo was always attentive to her emotions. She whispered softly, “Thank you, Ji Han Zhuo.”
But reason told her she couldn’t let herself be swayed.
Ji Han Zhuo pinched her cheek gently, his eyes softening slightly. “No need to thank me. Hurry up and eat. After you finish, I’ll take you to buy the bracelet.”
As long as she remained obedient and well-behaved, he could pamper her for a lifetime.
Jiang Xizhi suddenly felt that the original-flavored takoyaki wasn’t so bad after all.
Before getting out of the car, Jiang Xizhi put a mask on Ji Han Zhuo. Having grown up in Beijing, Father Jiang had never been stingy with her, so she was very familiar with the city’s shopping malls. However, she also knew which places were suitable to visit and which were not—different social classes naturally frequented different locations.
Considering today’s plan, Jiang Xizhi took Ji Han Zhuo to the affordable section on the first floor of the mall. After buying the bracelet, she would seize the opportunity to go to the women’s clothing section on the second floor to pick out a couple of outfits.
Jiang Xizhi led Ji Han Zhuo to the accessories area first, carefully selecting affordable bracelets from the display counter. Ji Han Zhuo stood by, letting her choose, watching as she asked the sales assistant to take out several silver bracelets of mediocre quality for inspection, mentally noting each one.
In the end, she presented Ji Han Zhuo with two bracelets: one with small white beads on a chain and another with butterfly-shaped beads.
“Which one do you think looks better?” Jiang Xizhi asked, her eyes sparkling as she looked at the man before her.
The two bracelets she had chosen were both affordable, priced in the double digits. Even if she and Ji Han Zhuo were to part ways in the future, she could afford to pay him back, ensuring neither owed the other anything.
Ji Han Zhuo glanced at the bracelets and then at their price tags, his brow furrowing tightly. Though he didn’t know much about jewelry, he could tell these weren’t of good quality.
With so many accessories in the jewelry room at home, why did she have to take a liking to these?
After a moment of thought, he concluded: This girl’s taste really needs some improvement. Later, he would instruct Chen Zhan to find her a fashion tutor. Actually, forget that—he’d just order a new batch of jewelry and accessories.
Once he had made up his mind, Ji Han Zhuo’s brow relaxed slightly. “Take both,” he said.
Then, pointing to a few other bracelets in the display case, he added, “And this one, this one, and this one—I’ll take all of these.”
These were priced in the four-digit range, the three most expensive bracelets in the entire accessories section.
Upon closer inspection, one would notice that these three bracelets were exactly the ones Jiang Xizhi had looked at earlier, but Ji Han Zhuo had remembered them all.
He then took out a globally limited-edition black-gold card and placed it on the counter.
The previously indifferent sales assistant’s eyes widened in disbelief. A black-gold card? In all her time working here, this was the first time she had seen one. Truly, appearances could be deceiving.
As the sales assistant happily went to process the payment, Jiang Xizhi felt her heart bleeding. That was three months’ worth of her living expenses! She really shouldn’t have brought Ji Han Zhuo shopping—what a spendthrift.
With a heavy heart, Jiang Xizhi made her way to the clothing section on the second floor. Along the way, Ji Han Zhuo asked her, “What’s wrong? Don’t you like the items?”
Jiang Xizhi didn’t dare say yes, so she immediately put on a cheerful smile. “No, I’m just so happy I’m speechless. You’re too good to me.”
Ji Han Zhuo seemed encouraged by her words and thought to himself: Later, I’ll have Chen Zhan buy everything from that store. Then you’ll be even happier.
“As long as you understand. Behave, and I’ll treat you even better.”
So, in the end, Jiang Xizhi’s shopping trip with Ji Han Zhuo resulted in n bracelets and countless overpriced accessories that would soon be delivered to the estate.
Though Jiang Xizhi was feeling down, she still needed to buy clothes. Pointing to a spot, she said to Ji Han Zhuo, “Wait here. I’m going to the restroom and will be right back.”
She didn’t dare take Ji Han Zhuo clothes shopping again.
Ji Han Zhuo agreed, not because he was at ease, but because the moment she showed any intention of escaping, the bodyguards in the shadows would immediately apprehend her.