Qin Xiao chuckled and hugged her gently, comforting her, “Don’t be afraid. Your brother is here—do you really think I can’t protect you?”
“If you ever feel scared again, just hide in my arms. As long as you’re there, nothing will ever harm you.”
Su Mengke clutched Qin Xiao’s shirt tightly. His words gradually calmed her down. That warmth from his body dispersed the cold lingering around her, and the panic in her heart slowly faded.
Qin Xiao gently patted her back to soothe her. It took a while before Su Mengke stopped trembling, but she still held onto him tightly, as if this was the only way she could feel safe.
Feeling Qin Xiao’s warmth, her anxiety melted away. She began to feel that he was both gentle and reliable. In that moment, she relied on him even more deeply, subconsciously treating him as her pillar of support.
Su Mengke’s affection +1 +1…
Seeing her like this, Qin Xiao smiled in satisfaction. Sure, winning someone over with deep feelings and sincerity was possible, but wasn’t playing tricks so much faster and more effective?
Qin Xiao took her shopping through the entire mall, and before long, their hands were full of bags. Su Mengke grew worried.
“Bro… brother, that’s enough! There’s no way I can use all this!” she said, heart aching.
Although Qin Xiao hadn’t shown her the prices, judging from the luxurious decor of this Baida Mall, it was clearly not cheap. Not to mention, he kept choosing the expensive items.
Seeing the little girl worry for him, Qin Xiao smiled and reassured her, “Relax. These stores all belong to my brother. We’re not spending a single cent.”
He turned to the store manager and said, “Put it on my brother’s tab!”
“Of course, Young Master Qin!” The manager responded with a friendly smile, without the slightest sign of displeasure.
Su Mengke was a bit helpless seeing that. Spending his brother’s money was no different from spending his own, right?
“Brother, really, you don’t need to buy any more. Even if I changed clothes every day, I couldn’t wear all these!”
She added worriedly, “Besides, there’s no space for them at home…”
As soon as she said that, her expression dimmed slightly. She knew even if Qin Xiao gave her all these things, the moment she got home, her foster parents would beat and scold her—and then take everything away.
“Dreamy, come try these stockings on and see if they fit!”
Su Mengke’s face flushed red instantly. Looking at the patterned stockings, she panicked and stammered, “B-brother, I can’t wear those… They’re too…”
Qin Xiao grinned, “It’s fine. Don’t be shy. Just wear them for me next time.” Visit novelping.com for the full chapter.
Hearing that, Su Mengke grew even more embarrassed—but she accepted it.
If it was for Qin Xiao, she was willing, even if it was extremely awkward. Seeing how much he liked it, she had no choice but to step into the changing room. Nervously, she changed into the clothes and stockings he had picked for her.
While waiting, Qin Xiao felt a little helpless.
Weren’t there supposed to be all those cliche scenes in novels where people mock the protagonist and then get slapped in the face?
Why hadn’t he run into a single one? When Su Mengke first came here looking like a poor little duckling, it should’ve at least triggered three to five face-slapping scenes, right?
Qin Xiao had even been excited to try out that ‘main character experience.’
But all these store managers behaved like loyal employees. He clicked his tongue, feeling a bit bored. So only the protagonist got those special treatment scenes?
“One of these days, I’ll have to ask the system for a main character halo. It’s so much fun pretending to be cool!”
Qin Xiao thought gleefully.
Soon after, Su Mengke walked out shyly in a luxurious princess dress, a pair of beautifully patterned stockings on her slender legs. Combined with her delicate and pretty face, she looked adorably charming—like a character straight out of a fairy tale.
Although she seemed a little malnourished, giving off a sickly aura, her delicate appearance stirred a strong desire to protect her. Her baby-faced features made her look even more youthful.
“Tsk, all this ‘childlike face’ beauty trend starts with girls like you… Well, whatever. I’m the bad guy here, eh-heh~”
Su Mengke looked at Qin Xiao and softly asked, “Brother… do I look good?”
“Mhm, of course you do. You’re the most beautiful,” Qin Xiao nodded with satisfaction.
Seeing that Qin Xiao liked it, Su Mengke finally relaxed. Although she still felt awkward in this outfit, as long as Qin Xiao liked it, she’d get used to the discomfort eventually.
Qin Xiao handed the clothes over to a mall staff member and told them to send everything to the Qin residence. Then he took Su Mengke out for a meal at a hotel.
Just as Qin Xiao was feeding Su Mengke, a familiar voice reached his ears.
His eyes lit up.
“That voice… isn’t that the protagonist?”
Qin Xiao quickly turned his head and saw Chu Feng walking beside a visibly troubled Liu Shiyu, speaking to her in a soft, gentle voice.
But Liu Shiyu wasn’t moved. Instead, she replied coldly, “Chu Feng, enough already. Can’t you do something useful for once?”
“All you do every day is cook, clean, and stir up trouble. Can’t you be normal for once?”
Chu Feng felt a pang in his chest. Shiyu, you don’t understand me. Otherwise, you wouldn’t treat me like this. But I don’t blame you.
Chu Feng thought to himself—when the three-year agreement ends, she’ll finally see what he’s capable of.
“Shiyu, please don’t be mad. I know I was wrong!”
Seeing Chu Feng’s pitiful expression, Liu Shiyu just felt mentally exhausted. The problem was that Chu Feng constantly caused trouble for her, but he also treated her with such obedience that she couldn’t even get properly angry. That only made her feel more drained.
Su Mengke watched the two from a distance and whispered to Qin Xiao, “Brother, that guy treats that sister really well!”
Qin Xiao glanced at her and smiled, “Dreamy, don’t be fooled by other men. They’re all bad!”
“Especially that guy. He’s the worst. Not only does he freeload, but even with such a beautiful wife, he’s still fooling around outside. He’s no good!”
Su Mengke’s eyes widened. “Really? I thought he was such a nice guy… I didn’t expect him to be like that!”
Qin Xiao was pleased to see how easily she believed him.
So he continued, “Yesterday, when I came here with Teacher Xia, he even tried to hit on her. And his wife was standing right there. Can you believe how shameless he is?”
Hearing this, Su Mengke glanced at Chu Feng again, then quietly averted her gaze. She didn’t say anything about him. After all, he had nothing to do with her.
And more importantly, in her eyes, there was only Qin Xiao.