Gu Luo took a slight breath, turned around, and put on a perfectly measured smile before gesturing to Luo Shuning to take a sip of water.
Seeing this, Luo Shuning smiled softly, nodded lightly, and then redirected her attention back to the clothing rack, resuming her careful selection of outfits.
Noticing this, Gu Luo practically flew across the floor, quickly striding over to the shop assistant.
The assistant had just finished pouring water. "Here you go, young man—half hot, half cold. If you’d prefer it not warm, I can pour another cup for you."
"Warm is fine, thank you."
Gu Luo politely accepted the cup.
Admittedly, such thoughtful service made it easy for customers to willingly spend money here.
But now, a question arose.
Why was this shop assistant here?
His memory was clear—she was supposed to be working at the third shop to the right on the neighboring street.
Thinking this, Gu Luo directly asked, "Miss, weren’t you at the shop across the street?"
"Both stores are run by relatives in my family. This one’s busier, so I came to help out," the assistant explained with a smile.
Ah, so that was it.
Truly, life was full of surprises.
If he hadn’t stopped himself earlier, things would’ve definitely gone sideways by now.
With that in mind, Gu Luo decided to employ a small self-sabotage tactic.
He scratched the back of his head sheepishly and said, "Um, miss, could I trouble you with something?"
"Sure, go ahead." The assistant seemed intrigued.
"Well, she’s actually in a bit of a bad mood today, so..." Gu Luo paused before continuing, "I really shouldn’t be talking to other girls right now—especially someone as pretty as you. So later, could you pretend not to acknowledge us? Sorry for the trouble..."
"Oh! I see, no problem at all!" The assistant waved her hands dismissively, grinning. "I’ll stay on the other side and won’t disturb you lovebirds."
Meanwhile, her heart swelled with delight.
So this handsome guy thought she was pretty?
But then, like a wise older sister, she added earnestly, "Young man, cherish the person beside you."
"Got it. Thanks, miss."
With the potential crisis averted, Gu Luo carried the two cups of water and walked back with light steps.
Luo Shuning was currently absorbed in comparing two nearly identical outfits. Seeing her brother return, she immediately smiled and asked, "Brother, I think both of these would suit you perfectly."
"They do look great," Gu Luo agreed, setting one cup on a nearby stool before naturally taking the two garments from her hands.
"Shuning, have some water first. It’s warm."
"Okay."
As she sipped, Luo Shuning studied Gu Luo with her bright, wide eyes.
"...What’s up?"
Under her gaze, Gu Luo grew slightly flustered and instinctively averted his eyes.
"Nothing. I just think you’re really handsome—you’d look good in anything." She blinked playfully and suggested with a grin, "How about I buy all the new arrivals here for you, and you can just cycle through them?"
"......"
Well, this was...
Gu Luo was momentarily speechless, his expression caught between amusement and exasperation.
He vaguely recalled someone claiming earlier that morning that they didn’t spend money recklessly.
Oh, so she didn’t splurge—just showered her brother with gifts instead?
Mystery solved. This was the sugar-coated artillery of capitalism.
He absolutely had to resist the temptation.
"No jokes, okay? I have enough clothes as it is," Gu Luo said with a chuckle.
He was terrified Luo Shuning would follow in Luo Shuhe’s footsteps and impulsively dive into a shopping frenzy.
One little devil forcing her lavish affection on him was more than enough.
The little angel absolutely must not be corrupted.
"I’m not joking. I really do want to buy you a whole wardrobe."
Luo Shuning’s eyes were utterly sincere, not a trace of teasing in them.
After a pause, she smiled again—so tenderly it could melt hearts—and added, "But of course, I’ll always listen to you first."
Hearing this, Gu Luo felt as if Cupid’s arrow had struck him square in the chest, leaving him dizzy.
How could anyone resist this?
The little angel truly was an angel.
Not only did she spoil him, but she did it with such compliant obedience that it left him utterly defenseless.
Absolutely wrecked.
He was so wrecked.
He couldn’t even imagine who the lucky guy would be to marry Luo Shuning someday.
But surely, it’d have to be someone incredibly handsome and outstanding.
After paying and stepping out of the store, Gu Luo smiled and said, "Shuning, I’ve got enough clothes now. Let’s go pick something for Ximan."
"But I still want to buy you more."
Luo Shuning was still basking in the joy of selecting outfits for him.
Hearing this, Gu Luo pointed at her flawless feet. "It’s enough, really. Mostly, I’m worried because you’re wearing heels today. If we walk too much, your ankles will hurt by tonight."
At this reasoning, Luo Shuning immediately agreed.
Her heart warmed.
Her brother was so thoughtful, so considerate.
Even though he was clearly enjoying shopping, he gave it up just to spare her discomfort.
And so, she began mentally romanticizing the situation all over again.
If measured in favorability, it would have skyrocketed in that moment.
Gentle souls like her always interpreted the actions of loved ones in the kindest light, instinctively attributing the purest intentions to them.
Only when Luo Shuning relented did Gu Luo finally exhale in relief.
The crisis was averted.
He’d been genuinely afraid of another mishap.
Today’s operation could not go off the rails!
Yet the moment he thought this, Luo Shuning spoke up again.
"Oh, brother, since we’re already here, why don’t I take you to get a custom-tailored suit? There’s a small shop nearby that does excellent work."
Gu Luo’s vision nearly darkened.
Did the universe enjoy slapping him in the face this quickly?
Had Luo Shuhe the little devil even dug a suit-shaped pit for him?
And if the little devil knew the tailor, then the little angel probably did too.
Going there would be a guaranteed disaster.
"Ahem..."
His mind raced for a solution before he forced another smile.
"Shuning, let’s save it for next time."
His tone carried just the right mix of regret and anticipation. "What I mean is, I really love going shopping with you. So if we get the suit now, we won’t have an excuse to come out again later."
Damn, he sounded like such a player.
But this was the price of lying—every step was a tightrope walk.
One misstep, and the whole thing would blow up in his face.
"Oh, I see... Well then~~ I really enjoy going shopping with my brother too." Under the barrage of such smooth talk, Luo Shuning had absolutely no resistance left.
Her heart was practically overflowing with joy.
Her emotional needs had already been fully satisfied.
Phew...
Gu Luo was internally panicking, but he maintained a gentle smile on his face as he said, "Then let's go buy some clothes for Ximan."
"Mm, okay."
And so, the two of them began browsing through women's clothing stores.
..............
"See, Xuexue? I told you—my dumb older brother and Shuning-jie are just out shopping for clothes together."
"Now they’re probably getting something for me. I really want to go pick something out myself."
Not far away, Gu Ximan spoke with a relaxed tone as she grinned at Lu Xuexue beside her.
"Yeah, Brother Gu and Senior Shuning really do just seem like ordinary siblings," Lu Xuexue chimed in, her previously anxious heart finally settling down.
"We were overthinking it. My dumb brother actually has some sense of boundaries."
"Mhm!"
After secretly observing them for a while longer and confirming that nothing unusual was going on, Lu Xuexue turned to Gu Ximan and said,
"Manman, I’m going to grab some drinks. What do you want?"
"Definitely grape taro balls! But today, instead of half sugar, I want it at 70% sweetness."
"Got it. Manman, you keep following them for now. There’s a Luckin Coffee right across the street—I’ll be back soon."
"Oki doki~"
With that, Lu Xuexue headed straight for the opposite side of the street.
Along the way, she reached up and pulled off her mask.
Wearing an N95 for too long really did get stuffy.
"Dear valued customers, great news! Great news! Luckin Coffee’s Caizhou Avenue branch is now officially open!"
"Bring your loved ones..."
"Special opening promotion—exclusive benefits for parent-child pairs, couples, and married couples! Buy one, get one free!..."
Buy one, get one free for couples.
Hearing this, Lu Xuexue’s mind immediately conjured up sweet images of her and Gu Luo coming to buy milk tea together.
Gu Luo would then gently pat her head, followed by all sorts of other intimate gestures...
Just thinking about it...
Her cheeks unconsciously grew warm.
Business at this Luckin Coffee branch was booming today, with several young couples among the customers.
The moment Lu Xuexue stepped inside, multiple gazes instantly turned her way.
Well, what guy could resist the allure of a white thigh-highs-wearing, twin-tailed lolita?
Especially one with such a fair and adorable face—she might as well have stepped right out of an anime.
What was that saying again? "Rejecting infantilized beauty standards starts with you."
Several guys in the shop were already itching to ask for Lu Xuexue’s contact info.
A top-tier lolita like this was an ultra-rare spawn.
If they missed this chance, who knew how long they’d have to wait for the next one?
"I’d like two grape taro balls, room temperature—one at 70% sugar, one full sugar. Thank you," Lu Xuexue said softly to the cashier.
"Sure, here’s your receipt. It’ll be ready soon."
"Thanks." Lu Xuexue took the receipt and was about to find a seat to wait when suddenly, her attention was drawn to the wall behind her.
To be more precise, to a photo hanging on that wall.
............
............

shall grant"] ["Inscribing the glory of our race upon tombstones"] ["All that is threatened, I shall protect"] How his younger sister sees her brother: A brother who only makes eye contact once a day, mostly fading into the background as he tinkers with who-knows-what in his room all day. Their life paths should have remained largely separate. Until one day. Su Qi created an equipment card for his never-met "online girlfriend." His sister fell into silent contemplation upon receiving the "white stockings." [Card can be upgraded] [Upgrade by fulfilling any of the following conditions] [Condition ①: Consume one hundred higher-tier cards] [Condition ②: Complete one 'Heart-Pounding Adventure'] What constitutes a Heart-Pounding Adventure? [Heart-Pounding Adventure (Beginner Level): Equip the card and invite 'Su Qi' to admire it.] [Heart-Pounding Adventure (Easy Level): Equip the card, invite 'Su Qi' to touch it, and analyze the equipment's texture.] [Heart-Pounding Adventure (Entry Level): Equip the card and invite 'Su Qi' to...] [Heart-Pounding Adventure (Challenge Level): Freely combine the words 'Brother' 'Out' 'Brother' 'Me' 'Please' into a complete sentence...] "Please help me analyze both teams' mistakes in this match, brother..." His sister exhaled in relief—surely... surely there couldn't be anything more difficult? [Heart-Pounding Adventure (Suicide Mission Level): Sneak a peek at the names of the galgames in 'Su Qi's' hidden E-drive folder]

reezy rom-com) Good news: Jiang Liu is quite the ladies' man. Bad news: He’s lost his memory. Lying in a hospital bed, Jiang Liu listens to a parade of goddesses spouting "absurd claims," feeling like the world is one giant game of Werewolf. "Jiang Liu, I’m your first love." "Jiang Liu, you’re my boyfriend—she’s your ex." "Jiang Liu, we’re close friends who’ve shared a bed, remember?" "Jiang Liu, I want to have your baby." The now-lucid Jiang Liu is convinced this must be some elaborate scam... until someone drops the bombshell: "The day before you lost your memory, you confessed your feelings—and got into a relationship." Jiang Liu is utterly baffled. So... who the hell is his actual girlfriend?! ... Before recovering his memories, Jiang Liu must navigate this minefield of lies and sincerity, fighting to protect himself from these women’s schemes. But things spiral even further out of control as more people show up at his doorstep—each with increasingly unhinged antics. On the bright side, the memories he lost due to overwhelming trauma seem to be resurfacing. Great news, right? So why are they all panicking now?

d intelligence to keep the plot moving, and sometimes even the protagonists are forced into absurdly dumb decisions. Why does the A-list celebrity heroine in urban romance novels ditch the top-tier movie star and become a lovestruck fool for a pockmarked male lead? Why do the leads in historical tragedy novels keep dancing between love and death, only for the blind healer to end up suffering the most? And Gu Wei never expected that after finally landing a villain role to stir up trouble, she’d pick the wrong gender! No choice now—she’ll just have to crush the protagonists as a girl!

【Prologue: The Beginning of It All – Use holy water to heal the saintess tainted by demonic energy, then converse with her.】 Shen Nian stared at his older sister sipping yogurt, lost in thought. So you’re telling me my sister is the saintess, and yogurt is the holy water? 【Main Quest 1: Brave Youth, Become an Adventurer! Reward: Rookie Adventurer Title.】 【Side Quest 1: Find the Adorable Kitty! Reward: 1000 Gold Coins.】 Shen Nian: "Wait, I’m a high school senior here—did some guy who got isekai’d accidentally bind his system to me?" Hold on, completing quests gives gold rewards? Titles even boost stats? Is this for real? (A lighthearted, absurd campus comedy—not a revenge power fantasy.)