Qiu Xiaoyue followed Qi Sen into the lingerie shop.
The moment she stepped inside, she froze.
The walls were covered in all kinds of colorful things.
Lace, leopard print, bows—and even some that consisted of nothing but two strings…
Could anyone actually wear those?
She had never seen anything like this in her life.
Qi Sen told her to choose something first while he stepped outside to take a call.
Qiu Xiaoyue stood there, not knowing where to rest her eyes.
After looking around for a long while, she finally worked up the courage to reach out and touch the lace-trimmed item on the rack.
“Hey, hey, hey! Don’t touch it if you’re not buying!”
A female salesclerk appeared from nowhere, her voice loud enough to lift the roof.
Her eyes were as sharp as knives as they raked over Qiu Xiaoyue from head to toe.
Qiu Xiaoyue pulled her hand back but didn’t back down. “How am I supposed to know whether it’s any good if I don’t touch it?”
The salesclerk rolled her eyes so hard they nearly disappeared into the back of her head. “This one’s 689. Can you afford it?”
Qiu Xiaoyue blurted out, “What?! Is it made of gold? Why’s it so expensive?”
The salesclerk gave a derisive laugh and drawled, “If you can’t afford it, turn right when you leave and head to the overpass. There’s an old lady selling things there—ten yuan for three. They’re more suitable for you.”
With that, she picked up the rag beside her and vigorously wiped the spot Qiu Xiaoyue had touched, muttering as she did, “Everything we sell here is high-end intimate apparel. Who knows what kind of contagious disease someone with a face full of black moles might have? Now I have to disinfect it too. What a nuisance.”
Qiu Xiaoyue pointed at her own face. “My—”
Before she could finish, Qi Sen returned after his call.
The salesclerk looked up and froze for a moment. Then her expression changed as quickly as a page turning, and she broke into a radiant smile.
The man was not only exuding an imposing air of wealth and refinement, but even his clothes alone—especially the Rolex on his wrist—were enough to buy the entire shop.
“Sir, what would you like to buy? I can help you choose.”
Qi Sen waved her off and walked straight toward Qiu Xiaoyue. “Have you picked something?”
The smile on the salesclerk’s face stiffened.
The two of them were together?
They didn’t match at all!
Qiu Xiaoyue said quietly, “It’s too expensive. Let’s go.”
Qi Sen looked down at her. “Don’t worry about the price. Just choose what you like.”
He leaned closer and lowered his voice. “The one you had was torn by me. I should compensate you.”
Qiu Xiaoyue’s face grew hot, and she felt even more embarrassed. “That sister just recommended somewhere to me. She said there’s a vendor on the overpass who sells three for ten yuan. Let’s go there.”
Qi Sen turned his head and glanced at the salesclerk.
Just once.
A chill ran down the salesclerk’s back, and she hurriedly waved her hands. “It was a misunderstanding! I was blind! Pretty lady, take a look at this set—it’s the latest style for spring and summer this year!”
She took a set down from the rack. It was pink and trimmed with lace, with heart-shaped embroidery on it. Young girls loved this sort of thing.
Qiu Xiaoyue glanced at it, and her eyes immediately stuck to it.
Seeing that she liked it, Qi Sen asked, “What size do you wear?”
Qiu Xiaoyue was stunned. “Huh? There are sizes?”
She had always worn one-size-fits-all camisoles—just pulled them over her head and called it done.
The salesclerk looked her up and down and said based on experience, “With your figure, the panties would be a small, and the bra would have to be a D cup.”
Qiu Xiaoyue took the set of lingerie into the fitting room.
Then nothing happened.
Five minutes passed. Then ten.
After waiting outside for quite some time, Qi Sen walked over and knocked on the door.
“Who is it?” came a wary voice from inside.
“It’s me.”
Recognizing his voice, Qiu Xiaoyue breathed a sigh of relief. “Um… can you come in and help me? It’s my first time wearing one. I can’t fasten the clasp in the back…”
Qi Sen was silent for a second. “Is it convenient to come in now?”
With a click, the lock opened.
“Come in.”
Qi Sen pushed the door open.
The fitting room was small, and it was a little cramped with both of them inside.
Qiu Xiaoyue had her back to him. She was still wearing the linen pants on her lower half, while her upper body was bare except for the bra she had only half fastened. She held her short-sleeved shirt across her chest to cover herself.
Her long hair fell forward, hiding her face.
Qi Sen’s gaze traveled down from the back of her neck.
Her neck was slender and long, her back delicate, and her waist so slim that he could encircle it with one hand.
His heartbeat skipped.
Qiu Xiaoyue urged him, “Uncle…”
She had been fumbling blindly with the clasp, but she could never find the right spot. She had worked herself into a thin sheen of sweat.
Tiny beads of perspiration had gathered across her back.
Her skin was naturally fair, and the sweat made it look even smoother and more supple.
When Qi Sen’s fingers touched her back, both of them stiffened.
He tried to move as lightly as possible, careful not to touch anywhere he shouldn’t.
But no matter how cautious he was, his hard knuckles still inevitably brushed against her skin.
Every time they did, Qiu Xiaoyue shuddered.
It was numb and itchy, like a current running through her.
The fitting room was frighteningly quiet.
Neither of them said a word. The only sound was their breathing.
In and out, thread by thread, their breaths tangled together.
At last, Qi Sen fastened the clasp.
He let go, his voice slightly hoarse. “Done.”
Qi Sen pushed the door open and left.
Qiu Xiaoyue hurriedly pulled on her short-sleeved shirt, her face hot enough to fry an egg.
When it was time to pay, Qiu Xiaoyue glanced at the bill, and her eyes went round.
“Ones, tens, hundreds, thousands, tens of thousands… Why is this set so expensive?!”
The salesclerk smiled sweetly. “Aside from the set you’re wearing, your husband also picked out ten more for you. They’ve already been sent to your residence.”
Qiu Xiaoyue stared blankly, then turned to Qi Sen. “Uncle, that’s too many. Go return them, quick. One set is enough for me.”
Qi Sen took out his card and handed it to the salesclerk. “You can’t keep wearing the same one forever.”
Qiu Xiaoyue grew anxious. “I’ll earn money and buy them myself from now on! Just because you have money doesn’t mean you can spend it so extravagantly. Nobody’s money falls from the sky.”
Qi Sen glanced at her.
There was something indescribable in his eyes, something that looked almost like admiration.
“Isn’t a husband supposed to spend money on his wife?”
Qiu Xiaoyue was rendered speechless.
“We… aren’t husband and wife yet.”
The corners of Qi Sen’s lips lifted slightly. “We will be soon.”
In the lobby of the Civil Affairs Bureau.
Qiu Xiaoyue and Qi Sen sat side by side, waiting for their number to be called.
A young couple sat in front of them, huddled together and whispering.
“Did you see that woman behind us?”
“I did. Her face is covered in pockmarks. It’s disgusting.”
“If I looked like that, I wouldn’t even want to live. She’s so ugly.”
“If I married someone like that, I’d open my eyes in the middle of the night and scare myself to death.”
“Number eighteen!”
The young couple stood up and went inside.
The lobby fell quiet.
Qiu Xiaoyue touched her own face.
She turned to Qi Sen. “Uncle, are you really sure? I was the one who made the first move last night. You weren’t responsible. You can still change your mind now.”
Qi Sen looked straight ahead. “You made the first move, but I had the right to refuse. We’re both adults. We have to take responsibility for our own actions.”
Qiu Xiaoyue pressed her lips together without saying anything. Then she suddenly stood up.
Qi Sen asked where she was going, and she said she was going to the restroom.
Inside the restroom.
Qiu Xiaoyue filled half a basin with hot water, took a small bottle from her pocket, and poured some powder into it.
After stirring it evenly, she began washing her face.
She scrubbed for several minutes before raising her head and looking at herself in the mirror.
With a creak, Qiu Xiaoyue pushed the door open.
“Uncle.”
Qi Sen turned at the sound of her voice—and froze when he saw her.
The face before him held not the slightest trace of a pockmark. Her skin was luminous and fair, like a peeled egg.
It wasn’t a pale, washed-out white. There was a rosy tint beneath it, like the petals of a freshly blossomed peach flower.
Her eyes were still the same eyes, limpid and bright, framed by thick, long lashes. The outer corners tilted up slightly, and when she looked at someone, they seemed to speak.
Her lips were naturally rosy. She wasn’t wearing lipstick; that was simply their own color, like ripe cherries so juicy that a bite would make them spill.
Qi Sen simply stared at her.
He didn’t move or say a word.
Qiu Xiaoyue felt a little embarrassed under his gaze. “Grandpa was afraid I’d be bullied after coming to the city alone, so he made me disguise myself as ugly. I’m sorry for deceiving you.”
In truth, she had another motive.
She hadn’t come to the city to get engaged at all. She had something else to take care of, and she had disguised herself as ugly to scare Qi Yanli away.
As she spoke, the young couple from earlier came out after finishing their registration.
The man looked up and happened to see Qiu Xiaoyue.
He froze completely, his eyes trembling with the shock of being dazzled by a beauty.
He stared fixedly at Qiu Xiaoyue’s face, forgetting to watch where he was going. With a bang, he crashed into the doorframe.
“Ow!”
His wife angrily grabbed him by the ear. “What are you looking at? Let’s go!”
She dragged him out of the Civil Affairs Bureau by the ear. Even as he left, the man kept looking back, his eyes clinging reluctantly to Qiu Xiaoyue.