This guy was seriously messed up—enough to make anyone see red.

Only after his roundabout tactics did Li Mo drop those unreasonable demands, letting him finally breathe a sigh of relief.

Though his refusal might’ve been a bit…

Harsh? Yeah, "blunt refusal" wasn’t wrong. Next time, he’d just let the guy pick for himself. Sure, this guy’s personality was kinda… uh… unreasonable lately, but he definitely wasn’t as hard to please as an actual girl.

Honestly, hanging out with this long-lost "bro" gave him the uncanny feeling of dealing with a tsundere who bristled at the slightest thing.

*Sigh.*

Tang Zhe felt a twinge of guilt over his sharp tone earlier—but from Li Mo’s perspective? He’d genuinely scared her shitless. Even through the phone screen, she’d instinctively shrank back.

*"I’ve got other stuff today—no time to grab your stupid durian! If you really want it, come get it yourself!"*

That’s how he’d yelled at her.

Okay, she *had* been unreasonable… but even she couldn’t explain why she’d suddenly snapped and pulled those stunts.

Now she didn’t even dare reply to his messages. Quietly trailing behind them as they checked out and left the supermarket, she’d even bought a pack of popsicle sticks just to avoid the security guard at the direct exit. She paid for one, unwrapped it, and popped it in her mouth; the rest she stuffed into her hoodie pocket.

Time for the main event.

She was determined to uncover why these two were really here. They looked close, but it couldn’t actually be a *date*, right?

Curiosity burning, she followed them up the escalator to the mall’s second floor.

*Women’s clothing section?*

Aside from men’s wear on the first floor, floors two through four were all women’s fashion—floor two was purely dresses and skirts. Coming here could only mean one thing: buying women’s clothes.

*That liar Tang Zhe!* He’d whined about being broke to her just days ago! The branded dresses here cost way more than a meal. So he had money now—for *her*? What a fraud!

*"Hssk—"*

A weird chill prickled Tang Zhe’s spine the moment Zhang Wanting led him into a boutique. It made his skin crawl.

Sure, he’d barely ever shopped with girls his age, and walking straight into a women’s store was bound to feel awkward—but this was *too* intense.

He glanced back. Nothing unusual there.

"You pick something out too," Zhang Wanting said, yanking his attention back.

"Uh… sure."

Problem was, he was utterly lost here. As a clueless straight guy, his fashion sense for women’s wear barely went beyond "does this color look nice?" and "would she look good in it?" His own clothes were either bought by his mom behind his back or ordered online—he’d never even browsed a men’s store properly, let alone a women’s boutique. Just glancing around made his head spin.

"How about this dress?" He pointed to a pale gray maxi dress, forcing a thoughtful expression.

Zhang Wanting barely glanced at it before turning away. "Nope. Ugly."

"Oh… sorry." He ducked his head like a scolded kid.

"What about this one?"

"Wrong style."

"…This?"

"Ew, that color’s hideous."

"…This one?"

"…Doesn’t suit me. Ugh, I’ll just pick for myself."

Finally fed up with his hopeless taste, she waved him off to wait nearby while she browsed alone.

"Okay…"

Why did that sting so much?

…

…

"Let’s try another store."

"Huh?"

"Nothing fits."

"Oh. Right."

After wandering this shop for over ten minutes with no luck, Zhang Wanting dragged him to the next boutique.

*Maybe this store just didn’t have her size,* he told himself.

An hour later, he realized his mistake—*big time*.

Women were all the same. Like his mom, they could turn buying clothes—a simple task—into an all-afternoon ordeal.

They’d arrived at noon. Now it was 2 PM. Still no luck. But their stomachs were growling. They decided to grab a quick bite at the food court nearby, rest up, then continue the hunt.

"I’ll order first. What do you want?"

"Hmm… if they have veggie buns, get me one. Dieting."

"Got it."

Since Zhang Wanting wanted to keep browsing, Tang Zhe went to order alone. He snagged a corner table during the lunch rush and waited.

But…

*Whoa…*

Bored, his gaze drifted to a girl in the farthest corner of the food court. Her table was piled higher with food than his and Zhang Wanting’s combined—and she was wolfing down a *shouzhua bing* like she was venting her frustration.

The weirdest part? She wore a hoodie pulled low over her face, but her petite frame, subtle curves under her clothes, and black-stockinged legs screamed *not fat at all*.

Some girls were truly alien creatures—eating like this would’ve made most women gain weight overnight.

*?*

The girl seemed to feel his stare. She flinched, oil still glistening on her chin, and whipped her head around.

Their eyes locked—then she snapped back instantly.

*HOLY CRAP!*

Li Mo froze in panic.

She’d trailed Tang Zhe and Zhang Wanting all this way, exhausted, ready to give up and head home after confirming their "date" was just shopping.

But because she’d ordered *way* too much, the server had stared at her like she was a monster—and now, right as she started eating, that bastard Tang Zhe had *stabbed her in the back* with his eyes!

*?*

Tang Zhe was baffled.

Was he a monster? Why did she react like she’d seen a ghost?

And that fleeting glimpse… besides confirming she was a tiny, pretty thing…

She looked *exactly* like someone!

*Yes!*

That little demon who should’ve been sulking at home right now!

*CRASH!*

A chair clattered beside him. He flinched, turning to see the girl stumbling away after bumping the table—hood still pulled tight, face hidden.

"Hey—"

He almost called out as she limped off, arms full of takeout boxes. But Zhang Wanting walked in just then.

"Sorry to keep you waiting."

"No problem!" He forced a smile, distracted. When he looked back—the girl was gone.

She’d vanished too fast. But…

*That resemblance was uncanny…*