We can talk another day

Hearing this, Zhao Mengrou's eyes sparkled with excitement once again.

"Let's go, I'll buy Xia Zhiyu some cosmetics."

"Sure, let's go."

The trio re-entered the mall and quickly took the elevator to the first floor.

At Estée Lauder, Zhao Mengrou picked out a set of cosmetics worth over two thousand yuan for Xia Zhiyu.

After the two finished shopping, Su Yang smiled and said, "This gift for Xia Zhiyu is enough. I'll handle the rest, including yours."

"I knew you wouldn't forget about me~" Zhao Mengrou blinked playfully at Su Yang.

Next, Su Yang selected a skincare set for each of them at YSL, followed by another set of cosmetics at Dior.

Zhao Mengrou grew happier as they shopped, while Xia Zhiyu wore a troubled expression. But under Su Yang's firm gaze, she didn’t dare say anything and silently accepted the gifts.

After the cosmetics, Su Yang took them into LV and bought each of them two leather bags, each costing around forty to fifty thousand yuan.

Though Zhao Mengrou already owned many bags, she only had two or three from LV.

Now, with Su Yang gifting her two bags worth nearly a hundred thousand yuan, she pretended to be casual on the surface, but deep down, she felt a bit uneasy.

At this point, she finally understood Xia Zhiyu's feelings... After all, two bags alone cost over a hundred thousand.

Truly accepting such extravagant gifts without guilt wasn’t an easy thing to do.

[Ding! Detected that the host’s shopping spree with the bound target has brought them joy and satisfaction. Reward: 2 million yuan.]

Su Yang decided to stop while he was ahead. He didn’t want to go overboard—now even Zhao Mengrou seemed slightly off, let alone Xia Zhiyu.

He had considered buying them some jewelry but decided against it. There would be plenty of opportunities later—no need to rush.

After the bags, Zhao Mengrou gifted Xia Zhiyu two more dresses, and the three finally returned to the parking lot.

After wave after wave of financial shock, Xia Zhiyu had grown somewhat numb. The luxury items she had never dared to dream of were now effortlessly handed to her by Su Yang.

As they shopped, she occasionally felt dazed, wondering if she was dreaming.

Why would someone like her, who had always been overlooked, receive so much kindness from two people she had just met?

Comparing her own relatives to Su Yang, whom she had only known for two days, the difference was staggering.

Unconsciously, she had developed a strong sense of dependence on Su Yang—and even affection—though she couldn’t quite grasp these complex emotions herself.

But... the system knew.

[Ding! Detected Xia Zhiyu’s affection for the host has risen to 80. Reward: 3 million yuan.]

When they reached the car, Su Yang turned to Xia Zhiyu and said, "Xia Zhiyu, you take the front seat. The back can’t fit two people comfortably now."

"Okay~ Or maybe Mengrou should sit in front, and I’ll take the back?"

Zhao Mengrou opened the rear door with a smile. "You take it, you take it."

"Alright then~"

Once inside the car, Su Yang glanced at the two and said, "Let’s skip eating out today. We bought plenty of ingredients earlier, so I’ll cook for you tonight at Xia Zhiyu’s place."

"Oh? That sounds perfect!" Zhao Mengrou immediately agreed.

About ten minutes later, Su Yang drove back to Building C, Unit 3 of Yuhu Bay Residence.

It took them three trips to carry all their purchases upstairs.

By now, it was already 4:30 PM. After a quick tidy-up, the three lounged on the sofa, snacking on fruit and chatting.

Su Yang checked the time. "Are you two hungry? If not, we can rest a bit longer before I start cooking. No rush."

"Not hungry~" Xia Zhiyu replied, looking at Su Yang.

"Me neither. Let’s start around 5:30. We’ll help you prep."

"Sounds good~ Oh, Xia Zhiyu, about the restaurant—you can arrange your work schedule for the next couple of days. Take some time to settle in and adjust before going back."

Xia Zhiyu nodded. "Got it, Su Yang."

"Good, just handle it at your own pace."

As they chatted, Su Yang’s phone rang.

He pulled it out and thought, ‘Huh, Liu Bo?’

Swiping to answer, he heard Liu Bo’s urgent voice on the other end: "Hey, Su Yang, where are you?"

"What’s up, Liu Bo?"

"Man, Brother Meng and I ran into some trouble!"

Su Yang raised an eyebrow. "What do you mean?"

"It’s a long story, so I’ll keep it short. Two nights ago, at the bar, we bumped into this guy from Shanghai. Cocky as hell, with some reckless kid tagging along—but damn, that kid can fight! I couldn’t take him!"

"What? Even you couldn’t handle him?"

"Yeah, and it wasn’t just some street brawl. That guy kept taunting Brother Meng, saying he wasn’t as capable, all that passive-aggressive crap. You know Brother Meng—he’s usually chill, but this guy pissed him off. So I lost it and splashed beer in his face. Then his dumb-looking sidekick jumped in."

"I figured, ‘You asking for it?’ But damn, I got wrecked! That kid’s freakishly strong and agile. Took me down in two minutes."

After hearing Liu Bo out, Su Yang couldn’t help but laugh. He’d thought it was some serious emergency—turned out to be a bar fight. Still, anyone who could overpower Liu Bo wasn’t to be underestimated.

After a brief pause, Su Yang said, "You guys... sound like a bunch of rebellious kids squabbling."

"At first, we thought so too. But that guy’s got a foul mouth and won’t stop targeting Brother Meng. I couldn’t take it, so I doused him. Thought it was over, but now he’s smearing Brother Meng all over Weibo and Douyin. Figured I’d call you before he does."

Su Yang replied calmly, "So how can I help?"

"Free tonight?"

"Tonight?" Su Yang thought, ‘Damn, was planning to catch up with Zhao Mengrou. Guess that’ll have to wait.’

"Yeah, what time?"

"Around 9 PM. No set location yet. Eat first, and I’ll call you later."

"Fine. But from the sound of it, you’re planning to settle this with fists tonight?"

"Nah, not that childish. Brother Meng wants to talk it out, clear the air. Otherwise, that guy’s just gonna keep badmouthing him. But if words don’t work, we’ll play whatever game he wants. Can’t let him think he’s untouchable."

Su Yang chuckled. "Alright, I’ll wait for your call. We’ll talk details then."

"Sweet! With you on board, if it comes to a fight, that Shanghai punk won’t know what hit him. Later!"

Hanging up, Su Yang smirked at his phone.

Beside him, Zhao Mengrou frowned slightly. "Trouble?"

"Mm, but it's in the evening, so it won’t interfere now." Su Yang glanced at the time and added, "I should start cooking now. I’ve got a small thing to take care of for a friend later tonight~"

"Oh, alright then~" A faint trace of disappointment flickered in Zhao Mengrou's eyes.

Su Yang caught it immediately. He thought to himself, 'Seems like Sister Mengrou had the same idea as me—probably wanted to catch up properly tonight. Heh, too bad… but no big deal, we can always do it another time~'

With that, he got up and headed to the kitchen.