Early on Saturday morning, Ruan Mei scrambled out of bed and began frantically going through her wardrobe.
Wearing something too flashy wouldn’t do, nor would something too plain. Too formal was out, and too frivolous was definitely a no. After looking through everything, she shook her head, holding her head:
“Aaaah, why do I have so few clothes!”
Grandma poked her head in from outside and asked sternly:
“What’s wrong now? You little brat don’t spend your time studying properly, and now you’re thinking about new clothes?”
Ruan Mei pointed at the wardrobe with distress:
“It’s just… I have to go out this afternoon and can’t find anything suitable to wear.”
Grandma took a look, snorted through her nose, and then slowly walked back out.
Ruan Mei rummaged left and right inside the wardrobe, even climbing inside to search, but there were really very few clothes to choose from.
The original owner used to be a “Shamate” (a subculture style), so most of her clothes were cheap, covered in studs and chains, totally unwearable. Since Ruan Mei transmigrated, she mostly just wore her school uniform and hadn’t bought many new clothes.
“Silly girl, look at this.”
Grandma walked in, holding a few pieces of clothing.
Ruan Mei looked up and her eyes immediately lit up. She took the clothes from Grandma’s hand, quickly changed, and showed them to Grandma, asking excitedly:
“Grandma, where did you get these clothes? They are really beautiful, and they even fit my figure!”
Ruan Mei was wearing a pink and white plaid crewneck sweater underneath a creamy white thick wool overcoat. Khaki corduroy pants outlined her long, straight legs, and a pair of small leather boots completed the look, giving her an air of innocent gentleness.
Grandma looked for a while, then chuckled lightly:
“These were your mother’s clothes. Wearing them, you really look like her.”
The smile faded from Ruan Mei’s face, and she could only nod.
After spending the morning choosing clothes, Ruan Mei did some skincare. She didn’t have much money for cosmetics, but she did use some of the original owner’s leftover lipstick and managed to make herself look quite presentable.
She ate a casual lunch at home, then grabbed her big bag and headed out. Inside the bag were the gifts she had prepared in advance. She kept the bag clutched to her chest with both hands the whole time, afraid it would get crushed by people on the bus.
She arrived at the agreed-upon mall half an hour early. Just as Ruan Mei was about to find a place to sit, she suddenly heard a warm greeting:
“Boss, Boss, Boss!”
Ruan Mei turned around and saw Li Namei, who was full of energy and out shopping.
Ruan Mei: [Implied expression of resignation/dismay]
So, when Fang Zhishui arrived fifteen minutes later, she was faced with a helpless looking Ruan Mei and an excitedly chattering, squealing Li Namei.
“Ah, Classmate Fang, I didn’t expect you to actually come! As soon as the Boss told me we were studying together, my little heart went thump-thump-thump! If I could study with you for an entire afternoon today, then my terrible grades would be saved, right? Classmate Fang, can you take me along!”
Fang Zhishui: [Implied expression of surprise/confusion]
She looked at Ruan Mei and showed a confused expression.
Ruan Mei avoided Li Namei and mouthed to Fang Zhishui: It’s a chance encounter, just play along.
Fang Zhishui could only let out a light sigh:
“Sure, come on. What problems are you stuck on? I’ll explain them to you.”
Thus, the originally planned rich two person outing turned into a three person exchange session in a randomly selected coffee shop, with test papers spread out on the table.
Taking advantage of the moment Li Namei went to the restroom, Ruan Mei quietly moved closer to Fang Zhishui and whispered:
“This can’t go on like this! Can you think of a way to get her to leave so I can give you your gift?”
As soon as Ruan Mei said the word “gift,” Fang Zhishui’s eyes instantly lit up. She threw down her pen and immediately started packing up the table.
Ruan Mei: [Implied expression of shock/protest]
“Huh? We haven’t finished this problem yet… Hey, hey, hey!”
Fang Zhishui, catching Ruan Mei off guard, had already packed up all the items belonging to the two of them on the table and even reached out to grab Ruan Mei’s wrist.
“I have a great idea, and that is…”
Fang Zhishui leaned close to Ruan Mei’s ear, her voice sounding like it had little hooks, the last few words being faint and intermittent, causing Ruan Mei to lean forward involuntarily.
“…to run!”
Fang Zhishui suddenly pulled Ruan Mei’s arm, yanked her up from her seat, and rushed out past the quiet, warm coffee shop and the surprised looks of many people!
Ruan Mei only managed to hold onto her large bag tightly, her feet automatically following Fang Zhishui forward. She nearly bumped into chairs a few times but managed to dodge them with her quick reflexes.
In front of her was only Fang Zhishui’s back, the warmth from Fang Zhishui’s arm, and a faint, complex scent in the air besides the coffee aroma.
For a period of time, Ruan Mei’s mind was blank; all she knew was to follow the person forward, her heart pounding, her body gradually growing warm, her cheeks and ears burning hot, and everything in her eyes blurry. The surrounding scenery flashed by like lightning, a misty blur.
When she finally came back to her senses, Ruan Mei realized they had run through the entire mall and ended up in the small park behind it.
“Did we… just run all over the entire mall?”
Ruan Mei’s breathing was slightly ragged. She couldn’t tell if it was from running hard or from something else.
Her cheeks were burning, and she shivered involuntarily as the cold wind hit her face.
“Yes. Are you cold? Let’s go to that pavilion over there.”
Fang Zhishui said, beginning to take off her white down jacket.
Ruan Mei recognized it as the jacket worth a hundred thousand yuan and saw that Fang Zhishui was likely about to take it off for her to wear. She quickly waved her hands:
“I’m fine, didn’t you forget I’m an Alpha? I’m not cold at all. Quickly put your coat back on, you… you are the one who needs to keep warm…”
Ruan Mei forcefully swallowed the “you are an Omega” that was on the tip of her tongue. Her brain twitched, and suddenly, both her hands pressed onto Fang Zhishui’s chest.
Right on that exact spot… soft and warm…
Ruan Mei froze, completely motionless, feeling that the two soft masses under her hands had an overwhelmingly strong presence, and that if she moved even slightly, those two masses might move a little…
The texture was too strange!
Ruan Mei felt like she was about to explode, thinking her hair might start smoking. How could such an awkward thing happen!
What made it even more awkward was that she couldn’t retract her hands immediately because her own sleeve was caught on the zipper of Fang Zhishui’s down jacket!
Fang Zhishui looked at the mess on her chest, started to undo the down jacket’s zipper, and couldn’t suppress a laugh.
“What… what are you laughing at…”
Ruan Mei curled her hands inward, trying not to touch those two soft masses, but when she curled her hands, it looked as if she were trying to punch those two soft spots with her fists, making the situation even more confusing…
She could only cautiously maintain the position of her hands, not daring to move, awkwardly waiting for Fang Zhishui to undo the zipper and free her sleeve.
“It’s okay, you can touch them.”
Fang Zhishui placed her slender fingers on the down jacket and skillfully moved them, slowly unfastening the button on Ruan Mei’s sleeve that was caught. She chuckled as she undid it, and after she finished laughing, she still added that line.
Ruan Mei felt humiliated and unable to defend herself, but she didn’t dare move, so she turned her head away and couldn’t help but pout and let out an “Hmph.”
Fang Zhishui let out another burst of cheerful laughter. She finally finished unzipping and took Ruan Mei’s hands out herself.
“Okay, let’s go.”
Ruan Mei’s hands felt stiff, and she secretly breathed a sigh of relief.
She put her hands behind her back, grabbed her right hand with her left, stretched it a couple of times, then switched, grabbing her left with her right, and continued stretching.
The bag slung over her shoulder was about to fall off, but before Ruan Mei could move, Fang Zhishui reached out, pulled the strap back up onto Ruan Mei’s shoulder, and patted it gently.
Ruan Mei felt a blush creep up her face again. To distract herself, she took out her phone and sent a message to Li Namei:
[Something urgent came up for Fang Zhishui and me, we’re leaving now. I’ll explain the rest of the problems to you another time!]
Li Namei replied angrily:
[Hmph! Deserting your follower for a beauty! Leaving your loyal little brother here to go off with the pretty girl is this the way you, Boss, handle things? So angry!]
Ruan Mei was at a loss for words but also amused. She sent a few more messages to appease Li Namei, explaining that she and Fang Zhishui really had an urgent matter and weren’t abandoning her, and it took several back-and-forth messages before the matter was settled.
Fang Zhishui led her to a nearby pavilion. This pavilion was quite secluded, surrounded by water on three sides. The afternoon sun was bright on the rippling water, making it very beautiful and also suitable for doing some… certain things.
Ruan Mei quickly shook her head, throwing away the inappropriate, strange thoughts in her mind.
“You asked me out today because you wanted to give me a gift, right?”
Fang Zhishui said, holding out both her hands to Ruan Mei, palms up, like a child asking for candy.
Ruan Mei’s heart filled with sweetness. She took the bag off her shoulder and began taking things out one by one.
First, she took out a hand-knitted scarf carefully wrapped in a plastic bag, light blue and white yarn with tassels hanging at the bottom.
“This is the hand knitted scarf I promised you before. It’s not knitted very well, so please don’t dislike it.”
Fang Zhishui snatched the scarf immediately, putting it around her neck with extreme speed. Although her smile remained reserved, the stars in her eyes were almost overflowing.
“It’s very comfortable and warm. Thank you!”
Fang Zhishui touched the scarf and thanked her, but noticed Ruan Mei was still taking things out.
Next was a handicraft item contained in a long cylindrical tube. Ruan Mei directly opened it and placed the contents on the bench.
“This is a wood carving I learned to make by watching videos. Can you tell what I carved?”
Inside the box were two wood carvings: a slightly simpler little rabbit, and a very cute, chibi style human figure. Looking closely, one could see a hint of Fang Zhishui’s features in the figure.
“This… is me, and a marshmallow?”
Fang Zhishui held one wood carving in each hand, her breathing slightly rapid.
“Yes, it is. Fortunately, you recognized it, which means I carved them quite recognizably, right?”
Fang Zhishui gathered the two wood carvings to her chest, lowered her head, and didn’t speak or look at anyone.
“What’s wrong? You don’t like this one?” Ruan Mei asked worriedly, bending down to look at Fang Zhishui’s expression, but the other girl dodged her.
However, Ruan Mei still caught the quick motion of Fang Zhishui’s fingers wiping under her eyes.
Could it be… she was moved to tears? That much for this?
Ruan Mei said dryly:
“Um, there’s still more…”
Fang Zhishui raised her head and saw Ruan Mei taking out another large box from the bag.
The hands holding the wood carvings began to tremble slightly. The corners of her mouth lifted uncontrollably, and her eyes grew brighter and brighter.
This box was a thick cardboard box used for packaging food, tied with a pink ribbon into a bow.
Ruan Mei slowly untied the ribbon. She could feel the strawberry scent in the surrounding air getting heavier. The more her emotions fluctuated, the more active her pheromones became, filling the air with her strawberry scent.
But here, there was another very subtle scent, different from the aroma of the surrounding lake water, grass, and tree branches. It smelled slightly sweet, mixing with her strawberry scent, occasionally detectable but hard to pinpoint.
Ruan Mei had a guess in her heart but dared not voice it. She could only steal glances at Fang Zhishui from the corner of her eye, seeing the other girl’s cheeks flushed with a rosy color, her eyes bright and warm. Ruan Mei herself became shy first and quickly looked away, opening the box lid.
“These are all the small pastries I made… The oven I bought is very cheap, and the temperature control isn’t great, so these desserts probably aren’t very good either, but I… I used very good ingredients for everything, I tried my best…”
Ruan Mei stammered out her explanation.
The box contained more than a dozen small pink pastries.
Pink strawberry cookies, pink shortbreads, pink Marguerite crisps, cupcakes topped with pink strawberries, pink taro paste puffs with crispy crusts, strawberry muffins filled with cream, pink macarons with fillings…
All kinds of sweet, pink, strawberry-flavored cute little desserts.
Fang Zhishui stared at the large pile of pastries, completely stunned.
The sweet strawberry aroma seemed to permeate the entire world, and even more so, it permeated her heart…
Treat everyone to strawberry desserts, Mwah! There will be a second update later!