Today marked the longest shopping trip Chunan had ever taken in his life.

By the time they got home, both were practically human coat racks draped with shopping bags.

Chunan started seriously considering buying a car.

Now that he had money, he figured he should treat himself—mainly because lugging all this stuff on the bus felt utterly ridiculous.

Xiaohan felt the same. "So why didn’t you just take a taxi?"

"...Getting cocky now that we’re rich?" Chunan tossed the bags onto the sofa and shot her a sidelong glance. "Listen—even with money, we stick to being thrifty. Otherwise, no amount of cash would survive your spending sprees."

Truth was, he was just used to the bus.

Xiaohan: "..."

*Isn’t taking a cab thrifty too?*

She didn’t dwell on it. Her attention snapped to the pile of clothes. "There’s some seriously tempting stuff in here. Wanna see me try them on now?"

"Nah." Chunan studied her for a moment, frowning slightly. "You’ve adapted pretty fast, huh? Settling into girl life like it’s nothing?"

"Everyone loves beauty!" Xiaohan struck a pose right in front of him. "I’m doing this for *you*! Don’t you want a pretty girl fawning over you all day? What’s wrong with dressing nice?"

Even if she hadn’t chosen this, couldn’t she at least get used to it?

Did he expect her to keep rocking a buzz cut, tank tops, sweatpants, and flip-flops while picking her toes on the couch? She doubted he’d stand for that.

Chunan wasn’t against her adapting.

It just felt... weird.

His childhood best friend had seamlessly morphed into his... girlfriend?

He’d never dated before. Didn’t know if this was how couples acted after shopping trips.

But yeah. Weird.

Especially her new look.

She was stunning—problem was, the prettier she got, the harder it was to forget she was *his best friend*. Off-limits. Untouchable.

Like having a perfectly cooked, mouthwatering burger right in front of you... only to be told it’s a plastic display model.

Kind of... painful.

He shook his head, clearing the messy thoughts, then suddenly stepped forward and lifted her skirt.

"...You’re not even wearing safety shorts?" His voice held genuine surprise.

Xiaohan paused but didn’t swat his hand away. She let him look. "That store didn’t *have* any. Where was I supposed to get them? I even wanted thigh-highs—they’d look killer. Too bad they didn’t have those either."

*Guess I’ll have to order online.*

Chunan dropped the hem, clearing his throat awkwardly. Before he could speak, his phone rang.

A delivery notification. The gear for today’s stream had arrived.

Xiaohan had leaned in, listening to the whole call. The moment he hung up, she bounced excitedly. "What is it?"

She was a gamer too—just buried under work lately. Used to watch Chunan’s streams for fun. Now that she had time? She planned to dive in deep.

Especially after he’d teased yesterday about a "heavyweight" game today.

Chunan gave her a deadpan stare and headed for the door. "I’ll get the package."

"Wait, I’ll come with you!" Xiaohan jumped up.

He pressed a hand on her shoulder, gently but firmly guiding her back onto the sofa. "Stay put. I’ll handle it alone."

Her outfit was fine for walking—but bending to carry boxes? Risky. Chunan’s logic was simple: *He* could see her accidental flashes. No one else could.

That was possessiveness.

Deep down, ever since the system dropped Xiaohan into his life, he’d already claimed her as his. Something deeper than a girlfriend. And he didn’t bother hiding it.

*She’s my exclusive assistant. Only obeys me. So what’s the problem?*

Xiaohan didn’t catch the implication.

Just felt annoyed.

But grumbling was all she could do from the sofa: "Offering help and getting rejected? Did a donkey pinch your brain?"

Chunan grabbed a nearby shopping bag and tossed it at her face. "Told you to rest. Why’s your mouth running nonstop? Did a door kick *your* brain?"

Xiaohan: "..."

*Fine. Not like I lose anything.*

As Chunan left, she pulled out her phone and scrolled straight to women’s fashion.

He returned quickly, dragging a crate nearly as tall as a person. Xiaohan’s eyes widened. "That big? What’s inside?"

"VR gear." Chunan tore open the box without looking up.

Today’s stream centerpiece.

Similar to last life’s VR tech—but lightyears ahead. A relic from the old tech wars, packed with innovations that still stunned him.

Three core components: the Omni treadmill, VR goggles, and haptic gloves.

The treadmill dominated the space—a circular platform over a meter wide, assembled from four parts. Once activated, it countered every step, locking the user in place while simulating natural movement. No lag, no stutter. Its sensors predicted motion instantly. Unless you leaped off the disc, you’d never break free. Walking felt utterly real. *That* was the first marvel.

The goggles were featherlight frames housing a full virtual display. Once in-game, the lenses transformed into your eyes. Tiny speakers on the sides delivered immersive 3D audio.

The gloves? The real showstopper. Embedded with over a thousand spatial anchor modules, they locked your hands in midair whenever you "touched" a virtual wall or object. For the full-body version? Even pricier haptic suits existed—but Chunan wasn’t splurging *that* hard.

(Safety protocols were airtight. No risks.)

Every piece screamed next-gen.

*This* was the future he remembered.

Xiaohan knew the price tag too. A luxury she’d never dreamed of owning.

Watching Chunan unpack it, her eyes sparkled like starlight.

The starry-eyed girl couldn’t hold back: "Dad! Let me play first!! Let me take its virgin run!!"

Chunan: "..."