Chapter 17

He Qingmo turned his head to glance at Fan Xing, not missing his unusual state but only asked, “Why did you come all the way here after having a meal?”

This place was quite far from He Qingmo’s home, and it required several subway transfers to get here.

Fan Xing’s thoughts were finally brought back to the present. He quickly dispelled the rare negative emotions and explained, “I forgot to tell you that I applied to Tsinghua University and have received an acceptance notification, so I wanted to come early to familiarize myself with the environment.”

“Not bad,” He Qingmo’s smiling voice carried genuine approval.

Tsinghua University was one of the top universities in the country. While it might be easier for foreigners to apply compared to local students, it still required solid academic achievements to be accepted.

When Fan Xing had previously boasted about being intelligent, He Qingmo hadn’t taken it to heart, but now he believed it.

One couldn’t get into a university like Tsinghua University without being intelligent.

Fan Xing felt a bit embarrassed by the praise but smiled shyly. “So, does this mean you don’t oppose me going to college, brother?”

He Qingmo looked at him with a slightly surprised expression. “Why would I oppose it?”

Fan Xing didn’t elaborate; he simply smiled at He Qingmo and said, “Thank you, brother!”

Although he had spent the past few days with He Qingmo and knew some of his temperament, aside from occasionally teasing him like a kitten, He Qingmo was generally easy to get along with. So, he was confident that He Qingmo would most likely agree to his going to college. Still, hearing the confirmation made him feel more at ease.

While lost in his thoughts, He Qingmo’s car had already entered a parking lot at a shopping mall.

Fan Xing was somewhat surprised. “Brother, are you here to shop?”

He Qingmo softly replied, “Yes,” and got out of the car, gesturing for Fan Xing to follow him into the elevator.

It wasn’t a weekend or a holiday, so the mall wasn’t crowded, and the floor they were headed to primarily housed high-end brands, obviously catering to customers like He Qingmo.

Fan Xing had only heard of these high-end brands and didn’t recognize them, nor could he afford them. He spent the entire time following He Qingmo, not understanding why he had been brought here.

It wasn’t until they were ushered into a VIP room by several beautiful attendants, who were waiting for him to try on clothes, that he realized He Qingmo wasn’t here to shop for himself; he was here to buy clothes for Fan Xing.

He looked at a piece of clothing that could cover his entire year’s tuition and felt a surge of resistance inside him.

However, he could understand He Qingmo’s intention. He was married to He Qingmo now, even if it wasn’t publicly known. Being too shabby might bring shame to the He family, so he reluctantly agreed to try on the clothes.

Initially, it seemed like he would be spending the entire afternoon in the fitting room, judging by the number of outfits the attendants had brought. However, after trying on just two, He Qingmo stood up and said, “Not suitable. Let’s go to another store.”

Huh?

Fan Xing hadn’t even fully comprehended it yet when He Qingmo had already pulled him out of the store. But instead of going to another store, they just stood in place, and He Qingmo looked around before finally fixing his gaze on Fan Xing. He scanned Fan Xing from top to bottom, shook his head, and said, “None of these are suitable. Let’s go somewhere else!”

Fan Xing finally understood that He Qingmo thought the clothes in this store weren’t suitable for him.

Indeed, he agreed with that assessment.

However, even if they went to another mall, the same brands and styles would still be available. He was about to express his thoughts when he stopped He Qingmo and said, “Brother, do you think I’d embarrass you by not wearing these kinds of clothes?”

He Qingmo turned to look at him, and Fan Xing continued, “I mean, you brought me here because you think these clothes don’t suit me, right?”

Fan Xing suddenly realized that He Qingmo didn’t think he’d embarrass him by dressing modestly but rather believed that he had too few clothes. It made him feel somewhat embarrassed to be seen through so easily.

He Qingmo seemed a bit surprised and raised his hand to ruffle Fan Xing’s hair, smiling as he did so. He then said, “I just didn’t know where else to buy clothes. You can choose whatever you like, it’s most important that you like them. But…” He Qingmo paused, then leaned in closer to Fan Xing’s ear and spoke in a low, gentle tone, “Isn’t it also important that your husband likes them too?”

The proximity between the two made Fan Xing’s cheeks instantly flush with heat. He quickly stepped back and stammered, “You… you… don’t be so playful, we’re in public!”

Although there weren’t many people on this floor, it was still broad daylight, and they were standing close to each other, which could easily lead to misunderstandings.

He Qingmo, however, looked innocent. “I didn’t do anything. Are you misunderstanding something, Fan Xing?”

Fan Xing swallowed the first two words that came to mind and finally said, “You… you…”

Before he could complete his sentence, his thoughts were interrupted by He Qingmo, who had seemingly realized he was going too far. He gently held Fan Xing’s hand and apologized, his voice low and tender. “Alright, I’m sorry. I won’t tease you anymore. Let’s go, find something you like, and I won’t express any opinions, I promise.”

Originally, when He Qingmo had suddenly admitted his mistake, Fan Xing was taken aback and wondered if he was being too petty. But now, he realized that He Qingmo wasn’t genuinely admitting fault. He was just trying to catch him off guard and enjoy his flustered reaction.

What was this guy thinking? Teasing him like this all the time!

With these thoughts in mind, Fan Xing, who had initially been somewhat nervous, took He Qingmo’s hand and entered the elevator. “You better keep your promise. I’ll find something I like, and you’re not allowed to object!”

 

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