Uncle Fang hesitated, then asked Lu Zhe, "What did Uncle Fang want to say to me?"
"Nothing," Uncle Fang quickly shook his head, took a sip of his coffee, and forced himself to praise it despite its scalding temperature. "This coffee is pretty good. No wonder Su Ci likes that beverage shop."
He glanced at Lu Zhe. "Xiao Zhe, you should try buying a cup sometime when you're free. I need to get back to work now."
Uncle Fang felt he had done his best. Whether his suspicions were right or wrong, at least he had given Lu Zhe a warning.
The beverage shop was getting busier by the minute, with many customers coming specifically to see Ji Chi. Who wouldn't love a handsome young man? Especially one as tall, handsome, and cold-natured as Ji Chi, whose looks could rival those of a male celebrity.
Su Ci observed the employees and also noticed the line of customers, mostly young and cute girls. They blushed when they saw Ji Chi and spoke in soft, gentle tones, making it hard to imagine anyone would harm him.
Checking the time, Su Ci felt bored and decided it was time to leave.
Lu Zhe wasn't stupid. He noticed Uncle Fang's strange expression and his hesitation, plus the repeated mentions of the beverage shop and Su Ci. That's why he had come.
Outside, Lu Zhe peered through the glass wall of the shop and spotted Su Ci sitting at a small round table.
The girl's fair face stood out. She kept glancing toward the cashier counter.
Following her gaze, Lu Zhe saw the tall, handsome boy in the milk tea shop uniform, busy taking orders and handling money.
His dark eyes grew even darker.
Lu Zhe's hand at his side felt numb.
He suddenly realized that Su Ci's gaze, which had always been on him, could easily shift to someone else.
His cold, stiff face turned pale, and an unfamiliar tightness gripped his chest.
The pain in his muscles jolted him back to reality.
Lu Zhe had always known that Su Ci liked him now, possibly because of the need to kiss him, which had sparked her affection.
She was young, and in the future, she would meet many more outstanding peers, especially in college, where everyone was full of vitality and youth.
One day, she might realize that someone like him, with a terminal illness, wasn't worth her affection.
Or maybe, after seeing him during one of his episodes, unable to walk, move, or speak, lying in bed as his body withered and life slipped away, she would regret being with him.
He had thought of all this.
That was one reason he had initially refused to publicize their relationship—he didn't want to be a stumbling block for her.
In the future, when she grew tired of him and found someone she truly loved, she could easily walk away.
Watching Su Ci's gaze shift to Ji Chi, Lu Zhe stood silently, his arm muscles twitching, his thin lips pressed tightly together, losing color.
His fingertips tingled. After a while, Lu Zhe took out his phone and called Su Ci.
Her sweet voice came through quickly. "Lu Zhe."
Lu Zhe looked up, through the glass, at Su Ci inside the shop. "I see you."
Su Ci looked puzzled and glanced up, immediately spotting the tall boy outside. Her dark eyes lit up, and she quickly got up and walked out.
"Why are you here?" Su Ci ended the call and stood next to Lu Zhe. "Did Uncle Fang tell you he saw me here?"
"Yes," Lu Zhe put away his phone and met Ji Chi's gaze at the cashier counter inside the shop.
"Did you miss me so much that you came to find me as soon as you knew I was here?" Su Ci smiled brightly, taking Lu Zhe's hand. "Your hands are so cold. Are you feeling chilly?"
The boy's fingertips were icy.
Lu Zhe looked away and shook his head.
He tightened his grip on her hand. "Uncle Fang said the drinks here are good."
Su Ci gave him a playful look. "You just wanted to see me."
Lu Zhe lowered his eyes to her, his lips regaining some color. "Yes."
He felt not only his heart frozen but also rotten.
Selfishly and despicably, he wished this stolen time could last a little longer.
At Lu Zhe's response, Su Ci's beautiful red lips couldn't hide her smile. "I knew it."
Now that Lu Zhe was here, Su Ci wasn't in a hurry to go home. She held his hand and strolled through the mall.
Passing by a skincare store, Su Ci went in. The new semester was about to start, and there would be military training.
She hadn't wanted to participate, not caring about the whole "building physical strength" argument. With her delicate body, she would probably collapse before the training even began.
In the Su Family, Su's Mother supported Su Ci skipping the training, but Su's Father and Su ZhiYuan wanted her to participate. In their view, Su Ci needed to toughen up.
Moreover, Su's Father had mentioned that Lu Zhe was also participating, making it even harder for her to refuse.
Her protests were in vain, and Su Ci felt utterly miserable.
With late August's weather still hot and the sun scorching, military training would be brutal. Aside from worrying about her body's ability to handle it, Su Ci was more concerned about her skin.
Her skin was snow-white and delicate, something she adored. The thought of standing under the sun and getting tanned made her want to cry.
Su Ci asked the staff to bring ten bottles of sunscreen spray and cream.
Lu Zhe was surprised. "Do you really need so many?"
"I'll share half with you," Su Ci reached out to touch Lu Zhe's face. Perhaps due to the effects of his illness, his expression was always cold when he wasn't smiling.
But his skin was flawless, with a pale complexion and sharp features that made him look incredibly handsome.
"Remember to apply sunscreen during the training," Su Ci pinched his cheek, mimicking how he often did to her. "You need to protect this handsome face."
If he got tanned, she would be heartbroken.
Lu Zhe looked at her with his dark eyes. "Do you like my face?"
Su Ci was honest. She nodded. "Yes."
Every part of Lu Zhe was exactly her type. She couldn't help but adore him.
Lu Zhe moved her hand away from his face and said seriously, "I'll protect my face well."
Hoping she would like him for a little longer.
After paying, Su Ci added a tip and had the sunscreen products delivered to both the Su Family and Lu Family homes. She then continued strolling with Lu Zhe.
The second floor had more clothing stores, but Su Ci's clothes were all custom-made by a studio commissioned by Su's Mother. The designs were beautiful, and the fabrics were soft and comfortable.
After returning to the Lu Family, Lu Zhe also had someone taking care of his wardrobe, with everything custom-made.
So, neither of them was particularly interested in the clothing stores.
As they passed by an underwear store, Su Ci's attention was caught by the mannequins displayed in the glass window.
One mannequin was wearing a school uniform, but it was different from the one she had worn before. This one was more form-fitting, with a low neckline and a very short skirt.
Su Ci teased Lu Zhe by lightly scratching his palm with her finger. Her eyes sparkled with mischief as she asked him, "Do you think this skirt looks good?"
Lu Zhe glanced at the mannequin in the window.
Su Ci tiptoed and whispered into his ear, "Do you know what kind of clothes these are?"
Lu Zhe answered, "School uniform."
Su Ci laughed softly in his ear, her voice light and melodious. "They're cosplay outfits."
Lu Zhe's grip on her hand tightened. His lowered eyelashes fluttered. "Tuan Tuan."
Su Ci was being quite naughty. She continued to lightly scratch his palm, asking him, "Should I wear this for you?"
Lu Zhe's expression was both uneasy and helpless. He tightened his hold on her hand. "No."
He knew exactly what she was up to.
Feeling rejected, Su Ci pouted unhappily. "You have no sense of romance at all."
She then pulled Lu Zhe into the underwear store.
"Tuan Tuan," Lu Zhe stood still, refusing to move.
Su Ci raised an eyebrow. "I like this skirt. I'm buying it for myself, not for you."
As for whether he would accidentally see her wearing it, that wasn't something she could control.
Lu Zhe looked at her deeply, then had no choice but to let her buy the cosplay outfit she had mentioned.
That night.
Su Ci changed into the outfit she had bought at the underwear store.
The top wasn't like a regular school uniform shirt but was made of stretchy white material for a more fitted look.
After putting it on, Su Ci was amazed by the effect.
Her figure was already great, and this outfit accentuated her curves even more.
Su Ci put on the plaid skirt as well, which was about a third shorter than her school uniform skirt.
The original length of her school uniform skirt stopped just above her knees, but this one barely covered her thighs, which explained why it was considered a "special" uniform.
Su Ci examined herself in the mirror, finding herself both pure and alluring. She looked more like a seductive fox spirit than a bunny spirit now.
She was more and more satisfied with what she saw.
Su Ci thought, it would be great if she could find an opportunity to show Lu Zhe her beautiful outfit.
At that moment, her phone on the bed rang.
Su Ci's eyes lit up.
The opportunity had come to her.
Su Ci walked over and answered the video call from Lu Zhe, "Aren't you busy today?"
Usually, at this time, he would still be working.
"I'll accompany you first, then go back to work," Lu Zhe said, having taken Uncle Fang's words to heart.
For him, work was indeed not as important as she was.
Su Ci blinked, a bit surprised, "Lu Zhe, did you eat honey today?"
He was actually saying sweet things.
Lu Zhe chuckled.
Su Ci picked up her phone and walked to the dressing table, placing it on the stand. She stepped back a bit to let the camera capture her whole figure.
She deliberately complained to Lu Zhe, "I tried on the clothes I bought today, and it seems they're a bit small, a little tight, and the skirt is a bit short."
Su Ci didn't feel she was being unreasonable, because she could be even more so.
Lu Zhe: ...
The girl in the camera was indeed wearing clothes that were too small. The top revealed her slender waist, while the bottom showed her long, straight, and slender legs.
The low neckline also exposed a large expanse of her fair skin.
Lu Zhe rubbed his forehead. He finally understood why this school uniform was considered a "special" outfit by the girl.
Su Ci deliberately turned around in front of Lu Zhe, her face calm as she self-praised, "Although the skirt is small, it suits me well and looks good. What do you think?"
Lu Zhe's gaze inadvertently swept over her exposed waist. He had held her so many times and naturally knew how soft and slender her waist was.
He didn't dare to look closely at the girl in front of him, who was so beautiful and alluring. "It looks good."
Su Ci glared at him discontentedly, "You didn't even look at me."
Lu Zhe was forced to raise his eyes to look at her, his gaze deep. "Very beautiful."
Only then did Su Ci give him a satisfied look.
If she were wearing this skirt in front of Lu Zhe, Su Ci might have felt a bit shy. But now, with a screen between them, her thick skin left no trace of embarrassment.
She wasn't in a hurry to change her clothes and continued the video call with Lu Zhe.
Seeing Lu Zhe's ears turn red and his eyes avoiding her, Su Ci felt a sense of accomplishment.
She loved seeing Lu Zhe flustered and unable to do anything about her.
...
When Ji Chi had only half a day left of his life, Su Ci had been waiting at the milk tea shop since morning.
The shop employees had already seen Su Ci several times, but every time they saw her, they were still amazed.
In the backroom, several male employees were marveling at Su Ci's beauty.
Ding Xiaoyou looked at Ji Chi, who was drinking water.
The boy tilted his head back, and the Adam's apple on his neck became more pronounced as he swallowed. She was captivated, her heart racing, and her face turning red.
She thought that only a boy like Ji Chi wouldn't be as superficial as other men, focusing only on beauty.
These past few days, that spoiled girl had come to the shop several times, clearly aiming for Ji Chi, with a thick skin.
Fortunately, Ji Chi seemed to be indifferent to that spoiled girl.
However, the saying goes, "Women pursuing men is like a thread separating layers of gauze." Ji Chi might not be swayed now, but that didn't mean he would never be.
After all, that spoiled girl was indeed very beautiful.
Ding Xiaoyou bit her lip, feeling uneasy.
She asked Ji Chi, "Are you going to the bar for your part-time job tonight?"
"Yeah," Ji Chi put down his cup and prepared to go out to work.
Ding Xiaoyou's fingers unconsciously twisted the thread on her clothes. Ji Chi worked harder than she did, and she couldn't find a chance to invite him out.
Su Ci was so bored. Finally, she waited until Ji Chi finished work. She picked up her phone and leisurely followed him out of the beverage shop.
Ding Xiaoyou frowned as she watched. The spoiled girl wasn't planning to follow Ji Chi to his night job, was she?
How could there be such a shameless girl?
She threw down the rag in her hand and quickly went to the restroom to change out of her work clothes, then chased after them.
At the entrance of the mall, Ding Xiaoyou indeed saw the spoiled girl leisurely following behind Ji Chi.
She hurried over and walked beside Ji Chi, "Ji Chi, my friend invited me to the bar where you work. Since we're going the same way, do you mind if I go with you? I'm not very familiar with the route."
Ji Chi, with a black backpack, wasn't wearing his work clothes from the milk tea shop but instead a white T-shirt and jeans. The young and handsome boy made Ding Xiaoyou's face turn red again.
"It's fine," Ji Chi walked out of the mall and headed towards the nearby bus stop.
Ding Xiaoyou, not rejected, felt secretly delighted and even glanced back at Su Ci.
During rush hour, the bus stop was already crowded with people waiting.
Ding Xiaoyou followed Ji Chi onto the bus, but before she could steady herself, another wave of people pushed in.
In an instant, the bus was packed, with no room to turn around, let alone stand.
Ding Xiaoyou, pushed away by others, could only look longingly at Ji Chi, who was several people away from her.
Ji Chi held the handrail with one hand, and the crowd around him didn't affect his handsome aura at all.
Originally, Ding Xiaoyou had planned to take advantage of the crowded situation to slip into Ji Chi's arms and have him protect her.
After all, that's how romantic scenes played out in dramas.
But now, she couldn't even get close to Ji Chi.
Ding Xiaoyou was frustrated.
When Su Ci came out of the mall entrance, she slowly walked to the parking lot outside.
The driver was already waiting, and seeing her come out, he quickly opened the car door for her.
Su Ci got into the back seat and asked the driver to follow the bus ahead.
She didn't invite Ji Chi to ride with her because she knew he would refuse, and she didn't want to waste her effort.
Moreover, if he asked why she was following him, she could justifiably retort that it was just a coincidence.
The people on the bus kept squeezing, and the daytime heat made many people sweat. All squeezed into such a small, enclosed space, the air was filled with a suffocating smell of sweat.
Ding Xiaoyou was used to taking the bus, but today she had specially worn a white long skirt. She tried to shrink her body to avoid touching the greasy men around her, fearing that her white skirt would be stained with their body odor and dirtied by them.
When she got off the bus, she pushed through the crowd, stumbling down the steps, and her skirt was already wrinkled.
Ding Xiaoyou quickly smoothed out the wrinkled parts with her hands.
Seeing Ji Chi walking ahead, she could only quickly adjust her skirt and then hurried to catch up, "Ji Chi, wait for me."
As they were about to reach the entrance, a black luxury car stopped in front of them, and the driver opened the door.
A snow-white ankle stepped onto the ground, adorned with a silver chain, and a small, clumsy rabbit pendant.
The owner of the ankle stepped out, her appearance beautiful and charming, even her hair seemed to be illuminated by light, smooth and shiny.
Ding Xiaoyou had always known that her family background was not good, but she didn't complain and even worked hard to earn money.
But now, seeing the fresh and clean spoiled girl in front of her, unlike her, who was sweaty and smelly after squeezing on the bus, Ding Xiaoyou subconsciously bit her lip.
Especially when she saw the spoiled girl wearing a light mauve dress that made her skin look like snow. Ding Xiaoyou didn't know much about luxury brands, as those were beyond her reach, but she could tell that the fabric of the spoiled girl's dress was of high quality.
The light and flowing fabric must not be something that could be bought in an ordinary mall.
Ding Xiaoyou felt like she had eaten a raw grape, her mouth sour and astringent.
For the first time, she felt it was unfair. Why was the spoiled girl's life so good, born into a wealthy family?
And why did she, a hardworking and positive girl, have to suffer and endure grievances?
Ding Xiaoyou subconsciously moved a little closer to Ji Chi. At least she and Ji Chi were from the same world, and she understood him better.
Thinking this, the sourness in Ding Xiaoyou's mouth slightly diminished.
The next second, two more cars suddenly stopped in front of the door.
Ding Xiaoyou instinctively glanced over and saw several men dressed in uniform black, all tall and strong, stepping out of the cars. Their steps were orderly, their presence imposing, as they strode toward them.
Ding Xiaoyou was so scared that she instinctively hid behind Ji Chi.
The few burly men stopped in front of Su Ci and greeted, "Miss."
Su Ci nodded, "Let's go in."
With her frail body, don't expect her to physically intervene and save Ji Chi from the assailant.
Ding Xiaoyou watched the several tall men follow behind the delicate young lady, surrounding and escorting her into the building.
Ding Xiaoyou was utterly shocked.
Was this the lofty demeanor of a young lady from a wealthy family?
The sourness in Ding Xiaoyou's mouth couldn't be suppressed and surged back up.
