Four Seasons Mall was a major retail name in the capital. The shopping center covered more than a thousand square meters and was marked as its own landmark on the map of Meifu District. Neither Wang Cheng nor Wang Ziyu was familiar with the capital, so they simply took the subway straight there.
When they came out of the station, Four Seasons Mall stood directly across from them, a conspicuous giant rising from a broad plaza. It was only five stories tall, but its footprint was enormous. Even in broad daylight, people streamed in and out, and there would only be more at night.
They had mainly come to buy daily necessities: quilts, sleeping mats, mosquito nets, pillows, buckets, basins, and the like. Pushing a shopping cart, the siblings headed to the household-goods section on the third floor, where several other people were also choosing supplies.
Both of them had lived at school before. After pushing the cart around once, they had bought almost everything they needed. They checked the list, found nothing missing, and went to the counter to pay.
“Xiaoyu, want to buy a couple of new outfits?”
While they waited in line, Wang Cheng remembered that his little sister did not own many clothes. Jing University was a famous institution, and dressing too shabbily might invite people to look down on her. Besides, she was the provincial top science-track scorer, and her score was even higher than those of the top scorers in several other provinces. Barring anything unexpected, she would probably become one of the representatives of the incoming class.
“No. Mom already bought me a few things. I have enough. Second Brother, you’re the one who keeps wearing the same few outfits over and over. Why don’t we buy you a few sets instead?” Wang Ziyu shook her head. She did not want her family spending too much money on her.
“Let’s take a look first.” Wang Cheng glanced at the household goods by their feet. “We’ll leave these at the counter for now and go up to the fourth floor.”
The fourth floor sold clothing, mostly mid-range to high-end. The families who shopped there were generally well-off. Famous brands were everywhere, though unfortunately the brands knew them better than they knew the brands.
The moment Wang Ziyu saw the prices, she wilted. A single top cost more than a thousand yuan. The most expensive clothes Mama Wang had ever bought her were only a little over one hundred, not even two hundred.
“Second Brother, maybe we should forget it. Everything here is so expensive.” Wang Ziyu tugged at his sleeve. If Mama Wang found out they had bought clothes this costly, she would probably accuse them of throwing money away.
Her voice was quiet, but the saleswoman nearby seemed to hear. Something subtle entered her smile.
Wang Cheng took his sister’s hand reassuringly. “What’s so expensive about it? It’s not like your second brother can’t afford it. People say clothes make the man and gold makes the Buddha. My sister is this pretty, so of course she should dress herself up properly.”
“Second Brother, what are you talking about? We came to buy clothes for you. How did this turn into buying things for me? If you’re going to buy anything, buy your own.” Wang Ziyu finally realized what he was doing. She had meant for her brother to add a few outfits to his wardrobe, not herself.
“We’re already here. We might as well look.” Wang Cheng pushed her into the clothing store next door.
Beautiful clothes filled the store in dazzling variety: tops, trousers, skirts, dresses, all arranged in separate sections. High-end brands were expensive, but their quality and designs were better, and the clothes were attractive too. Wang Ziyu had complained about the prices, but once inside, her attention was immediately captured.
The saleswoman in this store had an excellent eye and the professionalism to match. She was far better than the employee next door. Even though she could tell the siblings were wearing cheap, low-end clothes, she patiently helped Wang Ziyu choose outfits.
Wang Ziyu’s skin was soft, fair, and smooth, making white and patterned clothes especially flattering. The saleswoman chose a sleeveless white dress for her that fell to mid-calf. Once she put it on, she looked almost ethereal, like a fairy descended to the mortal world, sweet and adorable. She had already been pretty before, and the dress made her look even better.
“Miss, this dress suits you beautifully. I think this is the first time I’ve met a customer who makes the dress look better while the dress makes her look better too,” the saleswoman said sincerely.
Wang Ziyu was around 165 centimeters tall, more than enough to carry off the long dress. The pure white made her skin look even more luminous and flawless.
“Not bad. It looks great.” Wang Cheng also thought the dress suited her.
A blush spread across Wang Ziyu’s cheeks, making her look even cuter.
“Could you choose another two outfits for her?” Wang Cheng now trusted the saleswoman’s eye completely. Money had become the least important part of the question.
Wang Ziyu quickly pulled him aside and whispered, “Second Brother, one is enough. You don’t need to buy me more.” She had glanced at the tag in the fitting room. It was even more expensive than the clothes in the previous store. She knew the dress was well made and the fabric felt extremely comfortable, but more than two thousand yuan… The number alone made her want to retreat.
Wang Cheng said, “Don’t worry about it. Buy a few more. If you’re pretty, you should learn how to dress yourself up, otherwise you’re wasting that pretty face of yours, understand? I’m making the decision. Mom definitely won’t complain when she finds out. I’m spending money on her daughter. She’ll be happy before she gets angry.”
The saleswoman laughed when she heard that.
Wang Ziyu knew she could not out-argue her brother.
In the end, they chose two dresses and two matching sets of tops and trousers. Wang Cheng spent almost twenty thousand yuan in total. It was expensive, but he paid willingly.
Carrying three shopping bags, Wang Ziyu resigned herself to her fate. She could never win against Second Brother.
Wang Cheng had intended to leave the mall with her and pick up their things downstairs, but Wang Ziyu firmly pushed him into a men’s clothing store instead. The decor had more dimension and open space than the previous store, dominated by black and white. Men’s clothing was less flashy than women’s, with gray, white, and black appearing most often.
Wang Ziyu decided she was not going to look at the price tags. The siblings had switched roles. She was now the enthusiastic one, while Wang Cheng acted as though he did not care whether he bought anything at all. He glanced around casually but made no move.
Wang Ziyu picked out several shirts and pairs of trousers and sent him into the fitting room to try them on. While he was changing, she continued looking through the racks. She had made up her mind to buy her brother several outfits. Only then would she feel a little more balanced. After all, Second Brother himself had said that money was not a problem.
Two more customers entered the store.
A male sales associate immediately greeted them with delight and addressed the man by surname with easy familiarity. He was probably a regular.
When Wang Ziyu turned around, she glanced at them without thinking. They were a man and a woman. The man was tall and slim, good-looking and refined, probably twenty-seven or twenty-eight. A woman’s slender hand was looped through his arm. Looking up, Wang Ziyu saw a beautiful face, though the woman’s looks were almost too glamorous. After one glance, she looked away.
The fitting-room door finally opened. Wang Cheng came out wearing the clothes his sister had chosen, and for an instant Wang Ziyu almost failed to recognize her own brother.
The difference was enormous!
Wang Cheng had always been good-looking and was not short. More importantly, he had once trained under the old monk for a period of time, leaving him with a physique that could rival, or even surpass, a model’s. People might not have noticed before, but once these clothes were on him, the fit, disciplined quality of his body immediately showed.
Wang Ziyu stared blankly for a moment, and the saleswoman beside her was no better. It took her a while to remember that Wang Cheng was only wearing a simple casual T-shirt with a slightly low neckline, exposing a small patch of firm, honey-toned chest, along with light-gray casual trousers that wrapped his legs without being tight. His long legs were still obvious. Plenty of young men dressed in a similar style. The real difference was the face. A man of the same height and build would achieve a very different effect if his looks were merely ordinary.
“Second Brother, you’re so handsome!” Wang Ziyu cupped her cheeks and stared at him like an infatuated fan, dazzled all over again by her own brother.
The saleswoman stood beside her smiling without saying anything, but the faint flush on her cheeks made it clear she had been struck by Wang Cheng’s looks too.
“Second Brother, hurry up and try the rest.” Wang Ziyu promptly pushed Wang Cheng back toward the fitting room, even more determined now to make him try several sets and buy any that suited him.
Wang Cheng looked helpless.
“Jingen?” A man’s puzzled voice suddenly came from the side.
Wang Cheng turned and saw the man staring at him without blinking. It was the male customer Wang Ziyu had noticed earlier. His female companion stood beside him with an equally puzzled expression, apparently unable to understand why her date had suddenly called out to a stranger.
The man studied Wang Cheng carefully. With a clear view from the front, he looked for several seconds before his expression turned apologetic. “Sorry. I mistook you for someone else.”
“No problem.” Wang Cheng shrugged indifferently and went back into the fitting room to continue his miserable clothing trial. He had forced Wang Ziyu to buy so many clothes earlier, and now he was tasting the consequences. His normally soft-tempered sister had suddenly become remarkably forceful. If he did not try them on and buy something, they were not leaving.
The man took his companion to the other side of the store, but his gaze kept drifting toward the fitting room. At first glance, that young man really had looked similar to Jingen. Once he turned around, however, the resemblance weakened considerably. The young man was several years younger than the person he had called Jingen, and their temperaments were completely different. Most importantly, Jingen wore his hair longer, while the young man’s hair was very short. Compared carefully, they only resembled each other in profile. A second or third look made them seem less and less alike. Still, he had not expected two people in the world could genuinely resemble one another.
His female companion noticed his distraction and knew he must be thinking about the young man from earlier. Cleverly, she did not ask. A woman needed to know what questions she should and should not raise. If she were his girlfriend, that would be another matter. She certainly wanted to be, but unfortunately she was not, and she had no intention of losing the hard-won wealthy patron on her arm over a stranger.