Chapter 53 - 52: Is This a Separation?

Chapter 53: Chapter 52: Is This a Separation?

After finishing his water, Xiao Ran picked up his new broom and started sweeping the floor.

The girl composed herself and went back to dusting.

The two bustled about the room, but by some tacit agreement, neither of them brought the matter up again.

After a good deal of cleaning, the already tidy room was now sparkling clean.

The afternoon sun streamed into the room, adding an ineffable warmth.

Even breathing felt refreshing for both body and soul.

The girl sat comfortably on the sofa, her long, slender, pale legs crossed. Her pretty, Xiuqiao feet dangled and swung back and forth.

She tilted her head, looking curiously at Xiao Ran on the sofa beside her. "Xiao Ran, when are we going shopping?"

When she was moving in, Xiao Ran hadn’t let her bring a lot of her things, saying he wanted to buy new ones.

The other things weren’t urgent, but if they didn’t get kitchenware like pots and pans today, they wouldn’t be able to cook tomorrow.

Xiao Ran glanced down at his watch. It was already a little past five.

He said calmly, "Let’s go now. We can just grab dinner while we’re out."

’It’s already five anyway,’ he thought. ’After we’re done shopping, we can eat and then come back to rest early.’

’After all, we’ve both had a tiring afternoon.’

The girl instantly perked up, sitting upright with an excited expression.

"Okay!"

’She loved shopping!’

’Of course, a thrifty girl like her would never buy things recklessly!’

She was very meticulous when she shopped. Basically, nothing she bought ever went to waste.

Deciding to go, they immediately got up from the sofa and went to their separate rooms to change.

The girl took off her loungewear, tossed it onto the bed, and changed into a pair of light-blue jeans and a white short-sleeved shirt. Before leaving her room, she didn’t forget to check herself in the mirror.

Seeing the well-proportioned, vibrant girl in the reflection, she finally walked out, satisfied.

Just then, Xiao Ran came out, having changed as well.

As it happened, he was also wearing light-blue jeans and a versatile white short-sleeved shirt.

He looked particularly bright and cheerful.

The two of them stood face-to-face in their doorways. Looking at each other’s outfits, it felt like they were wearing matching clothes.

The girl’s heart skipped a beat, and her mind reeled at how incredible it was.

’Are we already this in sync?’

’We even picked out the same kind of clothes!’

The excited girl suppressed her inexplicably racing heart. Forcing a casual expression, she beamed at Xiao Ran. "Wow, what a coincidence. I like to wear light colors, too."

Xiao Ran also thought it was a coincidence, but he didn’t feel anything more than that. After all, wearing white in the summer really was cooler, and it looked clean.

He often wore white anyway.

"Alright, let’s go. We’ll take the electric scooter."

With that, he led the way out the door and walked toward his beloved little e-scooter.

He sat down and inserted the key. The girl locked the door behind them and hurried over, placing one foot on the rear peg.

She quickly steadied herself with a hand on Xiao Ran’s shoulder, then swung a long leg over to straddle the seat. Only then did she move her hand from his shoulder, wrapping both arms around his waist.

The whole motion was smooth and practiced.

With the warmth spreading across his waist, Xiao Ran’s stomach instinctively tightened.

He didn’t know why, but every time she touched his waist, he had that same tensing reaction.

"You settled?"

"Yep, let’s go!"

The streets at five-thirty. Dusk was falling, and the setting sun painted the clouds in fiery hues, draping the entire Shanghai Stock Exchange in a faint orange glow.

The streets were bustling with traffic. There were children in school uniforms buying snacks from roadside stalls, middle-aged men and women carrying groceries home to cook dinner, and plenty of young people walking briskly with their heads down.

Everyone was busy with their own lives, yet the scene looked perfectly harmonious.

A warm breeze gusted over the girl’s delicate skin and through her hair.

’She didn’t know when it started, but she was falling more and more in love with this city.’

...

After they crossed two city blocks, the e-scooter finally stopped in front of the largest supermarket in the area.

The two of them got off and walked in through the main entrance.

After the routine QR code scan, Xiao Ran expertly headed for the shopping carts and pulled one out.

The girl jogged a couple of steps to stay close to his side, as if she were afraid of getting lost.

The supermarket shelves were neatly stocked with a dazzling array of products. To enhance the shopping experience, music was playing—it was Cyndi Wang’s "Love You."

It was saccharine sweet.

Xiao Ran had heard the song many years ago. It was an oldie, with a light and simple melody.

When they reached the kitchenware aisle, the girl stopped in front of a row of dinnerware sets. Her eyes finally landed on a set featuring a little yellow duck.

It came with large, medium, and small bowls, each printed with the little yellow duck design. They looked adorable.

Plus, there were two of each size. Since there were two of them, the girl thought it was perfect.

She leaned down, studying it intently.

Xiao Ran wasn’t picky about things like bowls and chopsticks. As long as they were functional and clean, he was fine.

Seeing how much she liked it, he couldn’t help but ask, "So, you like this one?"

"Mhm!" The girl nodded firmly. She might have put too much force into it, as her long ponytail swayed.

Most girls have no resistance to cartoon characters. This was probably that so-called ’girlish heart,’ and Yan Xici was no exception. The little yellow duck pattern was so much cuter than some gaudy floral design.

’She really, really likes it.’

Perhaps afraid that Xiao Ran would find it childish, the corners of the girl’s eyes drooped. Her long eyelashes fluttered, and her clear eyes filled with a pleading look.

She didn’t say a word, but her meaning couldn’t have been clearer.

’Please? I really, really like it.’

After a three-second silence, Xiao Ran decisively picked up the dinnerware set and placed it in their cart. Then he turned and said, "Let’s go."

’Good grief,’ he thought. ’Now she’s even learned how to wheedle with just her eyes.’

...

After buying the bowls and kitchenware, they picked out some toothbrushes and other necessities before wandering over to the bedding section.

The bedding section wasn’t too crowded at the moment, but it was filled with couples. Girls had their arms linked with boys’, occasionally leaning in to whisper something in their ear.

The atmosphere was intimate.

This gave the girl, who already had a guilty conscience, the sudden illusion that she and Xiao Ran were a couple too, causing her heart to beat a little faster.

The saleswoman was a friendly, middle-aged woman and very enthusiastic.

Seeing the two of them, she hurried over. "Hello, are you two looking for bedding?"

"Yes!" the girl nodded.

Then, with a serious expression, she said, "We’d like to buy two sets. One for a man, and one for a woman."

At her words, the saleswoman looked astonished. ’Well, I’ll be,’ she thought. ’Are they living separately?’

’What a waste!’

’They’ll end up in the same bed sooner or later, so why go to all this trouble? It’d be more practical to just buy two sets for one bed.’