One outfit after another, Bai Qianshuang slipped into each like a natural-born clothes hanger—no matter what she wore, it looked stunning on her.
"Gorgeous," Luo Xi said with a bright smile, fussing over Bai Qianshuang as if she were a life-sized doll, her eyes even flickering with an inexplicable hint of fervor.
An hour passed, and Bai Qianshuang had already tried on over a dozen outfits.
"We'll take all of them," Ye Chuan said to the sales assistant nearby.
"Ah—ah? The total might be a bit pricey," the assistant stammered. She had been praising Bai Qianshuang nonstop, her mouth nearly going dry, and had even started worrying that Ye Chuan and his group might not buy anything at all.
But the moment Ye Chuan spoke, it felt like the sun had broken through the clouds.
Still, the assistant couldn’t help but remind them that the combined cost of these clothes was no small sum.
"Any discounts?"
"Yes, there are." The assistant pulled out a calculator and quickly tallied up the price of the dozen or so items. "The total comes to 237,000. If you sign up for a membership now, you can enjoy a 1% discount."
"Mhm, we’ll take them all." Ye Chuan gave a nod and motioned for the assistant to pack everything up.
"Right away, sir!"
"Luo Xi, aren’t you picking anything? You’ve been getting clothes for Qianshuang this whole time," Ye Chuan said, turning to Luo Xi. The girl had been solely focused on dressing Bai Qianshuang, leaving nothing for herself.
"I don’t need more clothes?" Luo Xi blinked, then grinned playfully.
"Then let’s go next door and pick out some uniforms for you—something to wear when we duel."
"You’re the worst, always thinking about that kind of thing." Luo Xi planted her hands on her hips, leaning forward slightly as if pretending to be angry, though the corners of her lips stayed curled upward.
Truth be told, Luo Xi quite enjoyed those moments too.
Especially when it was pouring outside, and she and Ye Chuan were curled up in bed, the room silent except for the sound of raindrops tapping against the window. Just lying in each other’s arms, slowly dueling.
In the end, Luo Xi did buy a few outfits, though she preferred more energetic styles. The shop’s elegant, ladylike aesthetic gave her an oddly captivating charm when she wore it.
Under the sales assistant’s enthusiastic farewell, the group stepped out of the store.
"So many clothes," Luo Xi mused, eyeing the numerous bags in their hands. They’d only visited one shop, yet they’d already bought this much.
"True." Ye Chuan found carrying all these bags inconvenient for further shopping.
Pulling out his phone, he sent a message to Wang Yanran.
About ten minutes later, three or four burly men approached. "Mr. Ye, please hand the items to us."
"Mm, take these back. We’re still shopping." Ye Chuan passed all the bags to them, and once they had everything, the men quickly disappeared from sight.
"Wow, Chuan, who were they?" Luo Xi asked curiously.
"No idea. Yanran arranged it." Ye Chuan shrugged. They were probably from the Wang family or some subordinates.
As long as they got the job done.
When they reached the bustling food street, Bai Qianshuang finally seemed to perk up. The events of last night no longer weighed on her mind as her bright eyes flitted from one small shop to another.
That looked good. That one too.
Finally, the girl paused in front of an ice cream parlor.
"Would you like some ice cream, miss? Ten yuan per scoop, any flavor you like," the shopkeeper said with a smile, spotting Bai Qianshuang. "Mix and match as you please."
"Ice cream, huh?" Luo Xi stretched out a hand toward the shopkeeper. "One vanilla, one pineapple."
"Coming right up!"
"What about you, Chuan?" Luo Xi turned to Ye Chuan.
He glanced over. "The usual."
"Boss, add one chocolate and one blueberry," Luo Xi added.
"Got it!"
The shopkeeper handed them two ice creams, and Luo Xi and Ye Chuan began eating. But Bai Qianshuang remained bent slightly at the waist, staring intently at the colorful array of ice cream behind the glass.
"Miss, have you decided?" the shopkeeper asked.
Bai Qianshuang’s eyes flickered with hesitation. "Mm..."
"Mm..."
"Mm?" The girl finally reacted, and the shopkeeper seized the moment. "What flavor would you like?"
"How much did you say it was?" Bai Qianshuang asked.
The shopkeeper: "..."
"Ten yuan per scoop. You can mix and match however you like."
"Mm." The girl acknowledged but continued scrutinizing the options, still torn.
Watching Bai Qianshuang’s agonizing indecision, the shopkeeper nearly started stressing too. If not for the girl’s stunning looks making the wait bearable, he might’ve lost patience.
"If you can’t decide, just take them all," Ye Chuan told the shopkeeper.
"All of them?"
"Yep. Can you do it?" Ye Chuan grinned. "I’ve heard people stack up to a hundred scoops before."
"Sir, you’re underestimating me." The shopkeeper’s competitive spirit flared.
"Leave it to me!"
Grabbing a scoop, he piled one ice cream ball after another, stacking a tower of over a dozen colorful flavors. "That’ll be 140 yuan!"
"Impressive..." Ye Chuan and the others clapped.
As they continued strolling, Bai Qianshuang nibbled at her towering ice cream creation, seemingly back to her usual self—eating like a cautious little hamster, afraid it might topple over.
"Let me help, Qianshuang." Luo Xi reached out, placing a hand near the ice cream tower.
A faint chill emanated from her fingertips, subtly reinforcing the structure.
"Not bad," Ye Chuan remarked, amused at how deftly Luo Xi wielded her spiritual energy.
"Of course."
Just as the trio enjoyed their treats, a commotion erupted in the distance. A broadcast announcement followed:
"Warning: A monster has escaped during transport and is loose in the plaza. Citizens, please seek shelter immediately."
"A giant rabbit!" someone shrieked. Amid the fleeing crowd, a three-meter-tall monstrous rabbit came barreling toward them.
"Huh? Escaped during transport?" The creature’s aura wasn’t particularly strong, and Ye Chuan was about to casually eliminate it when the tremors from its charge caused Bai Qianshuang’s ice cream tower to wobble—then crash onto the ground with a splat.
Bai Qianshuang: "..."
"..."
"!!!!"
Before the monstrous rabbit could get any closer, an overwhelming surge of killing intent slammed into it. The creature froze mid-step—just in time to see several sword beams slash through the air, obliterating it instantly without leaving a single trace behind.
"My ice cream..." Bai Qianshuang gripped her sword, her expression icy.
Beside her, Ye Chuan coughed lightly, feeling the terrifying force behind those sword strikes.
An angry Qianshuang was downright terrifying.
This was the real world. If he so much as grazed one of those physical sword beams, he’d be done for.