“Xiao Feng, was that guy just now a friend of yours?”

Liu Qing asked with a hint of confusion as she watched Xiao Feng approach slowly.

“Mm, his name’s Li Wei. We’ve been friends since middle school—pretty close!”

Xiao Feng smiled at her.

After hearing this, Liu Qing glanced toward the girl standing outside the shop—the one Li Wei had brought—and asked softly,

“Is she his girlfriend? She’s actually quite pretty.”

Xiao Feng instinctively nodded with a chuckle.

“Yeah, seriously pretty. Must be Li Wei’s girlfriend.”

Watching Xiao Feng exchange a warm smile and nod with the girl outside, Liu Qing pursed her lips and whispered,

“So… am *I* prettier—your sister—or is she?”

Xiao Feng blinked, caught off guard, then wisely grinned.

“Sister Qing, that’s a silly question! Of course you are. With a face like a celestial maiden and a figure that’s devilishly alluring—who could possibly compare to a goddess like you? And besides…”

Before he could continue his flattery, Liu Qing lifted her gaze, locking eyes with him. Her voice softened to a whisper.

“Then… Feng, since your sister’s *this* beautiful… have you fallen for me yet?”

Xiao Feng froze mid-praise—compliments cost nothing, after all—but her words left him utterly speechless.

He just stared into her mesmerizing eyes, heart skipping, words gone.

Snapping back, he feigned confusion.

“Sister Qing… what did you just say?”

Liu Qing repeated firmly, eyes gleaming.

“I said—Feng, have you fallen for someone as beautiful as your sister?”

“No!”

Xiao Feng shot back without hesitation, face deadpan: *I see your trap. Not falling for it.*

Liu Qing puffed her cheeks, turned her head with a huff, and muttered resentfully,

“Fine! Don’t love me then! Hmph! Hmph!”

She stomped her foot hard on the floor to seal her protest.

*Xiao Feng sighed inwardly. Sister Qing’s cute act is seriously unfair…*

Beside him, Li Wei had somehow appeared. Nodding admiringly, he clapped Xiao Feng’s shoulder, thumbs-up high.

“Bro—no, *Master*! Teach me that legendary move! That god-tier skill!”

Xiao Feng shot him a disgusted look. “Scram. Go crawl somewhere else.”

Li Wei grinned mischievously, snapped a crisp salute. “Aye, Master! Your humble disciple crawls forth!”

He dashed out, slung an arm around his girl, shot Xiao Feng a cheeky wink, and vanished.

Xiao Feng shook his head with a helpless smile. *Why’s this guy so damn mischievous?*

“Feng, your friend’s kinda fun,” Liu Qing said, smiling.

Xiao Feng chuckled. “Oh? Sister Qing, you into Li Wei now?”

She shot him a glare. “Feng! Your sister doesn’t like that joke. I *will* get mad.”

Then she turned fully, eyes serious yet captivating.

“The kind of boy your sister likes… is gentle. Reliable. *Like you*, Feng.”

A faint blush crept onto Xiao Feng’s cheeks. He quickly pursed his lips, changing the subject.

“Yeah, yeah. Carrying all this—you’re not tired, but *I* am.”

Liu Qing nodded brightly. “How about we drop these off first, then come back for dinner?”

Xiao Feng agreed readily. His place was just two subway stops from downtown—barely any hassle.

Truth was, lugging all these bags made him uneasy.

Being dragged shopping by a stunning beauty? Any guy’d feel shy. *Especially* with how expensive these clothes were!

Xiao Feng wasn’t naive. Liu Qing’s spending screamed *multimillionaire’s daughter*.

Twenty minutes later, they’d taken the subway home, dropped everything off, and were back in the city center.