The elevator rose to ground level, and the clamor of voices and bright light flooded in together.
Ye Mochen clearly hadn’t considered clearing the area. He probably thought that this was what a couple’s shopping trip should look like—bustling with people.
In his limited experience, this was his clumsy imitation of “normal.”
However, he soon regretted it.
From the moment they stepped into the mall, nearly all eyes were drawn to them.
Ran Weiyi was far too eye-catching today. The pure black dress accentuated her snow-white skin, and her graceful curves swayed with every step. Her composed and confident aura made her stand out even among the meticulously dressed girls.
The men’s gazes were filled with undisguised admiration and scrutiny, while the women’s were more complex—a mix of jealousy, envy, and appraisals of the dress she wore.
Ye Mochen’s grip on her hand tightened abruptly, his jawline tensing into a cold, rigid line. The pressure around him visibly dropped, and his previously somewhat relaxed expression darkened completely.
[Doudou: Sister, detection shows that over 90% of the surrounding male beings are staring! The male lead’s possessiveness is skyrocketing vertically! The jealousy level is severely off the charts!]
Before Ran Weiyi could respond to Doudou in her mind, she was pulled forcefully.
Ye Mochen paused his steps, his arm exerting strength as he directly pulled Ran Weiyi into his embrace, using his tall frame to block the gazes from her side and behind completely.
His chest was firm, and the sound of his heartbeat, fast and heavy, transmitted through the fabric of his clothes.
Every one of those gazes felt like a sharp thorn, piercing his nerves.
He regretted it. He shouldn’t have agreed to let her wear this dress, and he shouldn’t have brought her to such a crowded place.
He should have locked her away in a space with only him, making her wholly and completely his.
The anger and irritation in his chest burned hotter and hotter, almost breaking through the cage of his rationality.
“Don’t wear this out again in the future,” he said, lowering his head, his voice suppressing his anger.
[Doudou: The male lead’s emotional threshold is about to break! Possessiveness value has reached 95! The “forcefully take away and lock in a dark room” program is about to trigger! Sister, think of something fast!]
“Do you regret it?” Ran Weiyi looked up at him, her tone calm.
Ye Mochen’s Adam’s apple bobbed, a nameless fire burning in his chest, yet he couldn’t release it.
He wanted to go back on his word, to take her back immediately and hide her away.
But he had just made a promise, and the words “anything is fine” still seemed to echo in his ears.
This was his first time accompanying a girl shopping, yet it felt like he was escorting some hidden treasure—awkward and laughable.
“No,” he squeezed out the two words through gritted teeth, stiff and unnatural.
Just then, the person firmly held in his embrace suddenly let out a soft laugh. The laughter wasn’t loud, but it felt like a feather, tickling his taut nerves with precision.
Ye Mochen stiffened, looking down at her.
Ran Weiyi wasn’t looking at the passersby. Her gaze was fixed solely on him, clear and penetrating.
Not only was she not frightened by his intimidating aura, but she also raised her hand, placing it over the back of his hand that held hers, and gave it a gentle pat, carrying a soothing meaning.
She stood on her tiptoes, leaning close to his ear on her own initiative. Her warm breath brushed against his ear, her voice soft and gentle, tinged with a hint of playful laughter.
“Don’t be angry anymore.”She coaxed him, “They’re not just looking at me; they’re looking at you too.”
Ye Mochen’s brow furrowed even tighter, not understanding what she meant.
She continued in that voice that made his ears tingle, “They’re all envying me, envying that I have such a handsome boyfriend to go shopping with.”
Ye Mochen’s body jolted violently.
The nearly uncontrollable violent emotions were instantly short-circuited by the three words “boyfriend,” exploding into a blank void in his mind.
Boyfriend?
She… said he was her… boyfriend?
Of course, he understood the term, but hearing it from her lips and applying it to himself triggered a cataclysmic chemical reaction.
It wasn’t a contract, not a transaction, but a declaration of belonging.
She was announcing to everyone that he was hers.
Envy?
They were envying her.
And he was the capital she used to show off.
Those who had just been thieves coveting his treasure now became the background characters of “envy” in her words.
This realization flowed through his body like a gentle electric current, washing away the violent energy that had been coiled in his chest.
In its place was a strange, scorching emotion that spread from his heart to every limb, leaving half his body tingling and numb.
[Doudou: Alert lifted! “Dark Room Confinement” mode has been deactivated. “Official Boyfriend” mode officially activated! The “Possessiveness” System is urgently rebooting and updating to “Boyfriend’s Exclusive Possessiveness” mode! Sister, brilliant! Absolutely brilliant!]
He lowered his head, his gaze locked tightly on the girl in his arms who was looking up at him with her small face.
Her eyes sparkled, brighter than the stars, and the corners of her mouth held a smile that intoxicated him, as if she were waiting for his response.
Ran Weiyi watched with great interest as a series of incredibly vivid micro-expressions flashed across his face—from shock to blankness, then to a hint of bewildered… delight?
She clearly felt the force restraining her loosen.
Ye Mochen’s arm around her slender waist was no longer an iron clamp, but he didn’t let go either. Instead, he shifted to a more possessive posture, carefully holding her half-embraced against him, pressing her even closer to himself.
Then, she saw the corner of his mouth on that perpetually icy face lift very, very slowly, forming a faint smile.
The curve was extremely slight, even somewhat stiff, carrying an unfamiliar awkwardness.
But this tiny movement instantly dissolved all the cold, hard aura around him.
He didn’t speak, only looked at her deeply, the emotions swirling in his eyes too complex—shock, disbelief, and, more than anything, a scorching brand.
Ran Weiyi couldn’t help but let her smile deepen.
“What, don’t you like that title?” she asked deliberately, her voice tinged with playful mischief.
Ye Mochen’s voice carried a thread of excitement and uncertainty, mixed with a hint of domineering.
“Say it again.”
Like a child proactively asking for candy, his deep, unfathomable black eyes stared at her with an almost stubborn intensity, unblinking.
That heat felt as though it could melt her entirely within his gaze.
Ran Weiyi blinked innocently, pretending not to understand, and asked, “Say what?”
Watching her clear yet somewhat mischievous eyes, his Adam’s apple bobbed once more.He pursed his lips tightly, saying nothing, but the anticipation and urgency in his eyes grew heavier and heavier.
Ran Weiyi could no longer suppress the curve of her lips. Who would have thought that the man who had just seemed like a tyrant ready to destroy the world would now, because of a single form of address, turn into this state?
She deliberately drew out her tone, leaning even closer into his embrace, standing on tiptoe until her lips almost brushed his ear. In a breathy whisper only the two of them could hear, she slowly said, “Achen… boyfriend.”
The warm breath sprayed against his ear, and Ye Mochen’s body tensed abruptly, his back straightening.
It seemed as though he had used all his strength to force a low, muffled syllable from his throat.
“Mhm.” A single word, carrying his affirmation.