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"Fell into the toilet, why were you gone so long?" Guan Biyue said with amusement upon Xu Qingfan’s return.
Xu Qingfan waved his hand, his expression complex as he glanced at Xia Xiaoxiao before settling back into his seat.
"What’s wrong?" Xia Xiaoxiao asked, puzzled by his strange look.
Xu Qingfan shook his head and forced a smile, "I just accidentally got pee on my hand." He then grasped Xia Xiaoxiao’s wrist with his damp hand.
"Xu Qingfan, that’s disgusting!" Xia Xiaoxiao, believing him, tried to shake off his hand in disgust.
"Hehe~ I washed my hands, smell it if you don’t believe me." He brought his damp hand close to Xia Xiaoxiao’s nose again.
"Get lost!"
Met with Xia Xiaoxiao’s fierce glare, Xu Qingfan withdrew his hand, feeling slighted, "Stingy~"
"Xu Qingfan, could you have some shame? Always bullying girls." Guan Biyue couldn’t stand it anymore and chided him with a laugh.
With someone backing her up, Xia Xiaoxiao pouted proudly, "Hmph~(`へ´*)ノ"
"Have you bought your New Year’s clothes yet? Since we’re here, let’s go check out the children’s section later." Zhong Wenqing, having long been without company for shopping, was still eager after two hours of browsing.
"Then let’s take a look; there’s a wide selection of clothing here." Xu Qingfan had brought five thousand yuan for this trip to Yanjing, and hadn’t spent a cent yet; it was time to indulge a little.
Having quietly watched Zhong Wenqing and Guan Biyue shopping spree, Xia Xiaoxiao had already been itching to join in, "Let’s check it out!"
After taking a strong sip of his one-third remaining Starbucks, Xu Qingfan stood up and said, "Let’s go!"
Zhong Wenqing and Guan Biyue, each holding a hot latte, walked slowly behind the trio.
The dazzling array of merchandise left the group spoilt for choice. Xia Xiaoxiao, picking up a crystal crown hair accessory, placed it on her head, and before she could even speak, Xu Qingfan declared, "It looks good."
Xia Xiaoxiao shot him a glare before preening in front of the counter mirror.
"You pick one too!" Xu Qingfan placed a beautiful pink crystal clip on Wu Lingyu’s head, "Really pretty." 𝚗ovp𝚞b.𝚌om
Wu Lingyu, embarrassed by his affectionate act, said, "It’s too expensive, I won’t buy it." She removed the hair clip and put it back in place, speaking softly.
"Didn’t you see what’s written there? Buy four, get one free. This one’s on the house, it’s free." Xu Qingfan pulled out a hundred-yuan note and handed it over, the store owner’s smile beaming as he accepted it.
"Mhm." Wu Lingyu’s voice was barely audible in response.
Wu Lingyu’s mother had only given her two hundred yuan for the trip to Yanjing, and at first, she had thought it was a hefty sum. But upon seeing the staggering numbers on the price tags, and after learning that the milk tea they had just consumed cost twenty-eight yuan, the young girl suddenly realized the disparities of the world.
Wu Lingyu felt inferior, as she thought this was not a place for her.
Xu Qingfan was unaware of what Wu Lingyu was thinking, and even if he had known, he probably wouldn’t have been moved by it.
Admiring works of art in the Louvre is your stage; a cowherd sprinting on a mountain is his. What people call experience is just one facet of the world.
As Xu Qingfan pulled out a thick wallet from his backpack, Guan Biyue and Zhong Wenqing, who had been about to step forward to pay, exchanged a smile and shook their heads in amusement, "Almost forgot this kid makes more from comics than both of us combined."
After another hour or so of shopping, the group returned laden with purchases.
In the car, everyone excitedly discussed the journey for the following day, except for Wu Lingyu who sat silently, staring out the window.
Clinging tightly to the two hundred yuan in her pocket, she recalled how Xu Qingfan had bought her several hundred yuan’s worth of clothes and shoes, [The birthday present shoes, the down jacket she was wearing, and now this gift... I owe Brother Fan more and more...]
...
After dinner, everyone returned to the hotel, hardly able to conceal their exhaustion.
Xu Qingfan entered his room, placed his purchases on the shelf, and then collapsed onto the bed, completely spent.
Fully relaxing, he couldn’t help but think of the conversation he had overheard in the mall bathroom that afternoon.
The woman had called him ’Brother Fu,’ and the man’s voice was so similar to Xia Guofu’s that it was hard not to be suspicious.
But upon bursting out, he had seen no one; surely Xia Xiaoxiao’s dad couldn’t fly or vanish into thin air?
Xu Qingfan remembered that in his past life, Lin Jing and Xia Guofu’s divorce was around when he was in the eighth grade, which should be an event six years in the future, and the suggestion of a child seemed far-fetched.
He felt it was best to keep this matter to himself; in his past life, although he didn’t know how Xia Xiaoxiao’s parents had reconciled, they had never divorced.
Even if Xia Guofu really hadn’t come home this New Year’s Eve, Xu Qingfan didn’t plan on mentioning it; he didn’t want to end up being hated by both sides if he were to speak out only for the couple to reconcile after a fight.
"Hehe~ Scumbag!" His voice, filled with disdain, echoed in the empty room.
From a man’s perspective, he found Lin Jing to be an intelligent, beautiful, and considerate wife, and Xu Qingfan really couldn’t understand why Xia Guofu had cheated in his previous life.
Xu Qingfan silently scorned Xia Guofu in his heart and took it as a lesson, "You can’t be like this in the future." He looked down and admonished himself earnestly.
He stopped dwelling on these troubling thoughts, took a shower, and by eight o’clock, an hour remained before his call with Lin Wanning.
After drying his hair and putting on a jacket, Xu Qingfan headed to room 509, "May I come in?" he asked, knocking on the door.
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