Chapter 54 - 53: Totally a Couple

Chapter 54: Chapter 53: Totally a Couple

"Oh, okay. Follow me, then. Come have a look over here."

The saleslady spoke as she led Yan Xici to another section of shelves.

This section was filled with bedsheets for girls—warm pinks and light blues, very feminine colors.

The girl immediately spotted a pink one she liked.

Seeing Xiao Ran still standing off to the side, she turned and looked back at him curiously. "Why aren’t you picking one out?"

Xiao Ran looked helpless.

’Pick what? I just need to grab one that isn’t ugly, and that’s it.’

’Honestly, he just couldn’t be bothered at this point.’

When it came to things like bedsheets and duvet covers, it seemed like girls were born with a magical talent for picking them out.

They could always find something of high quality and great style, all for a fantastic price.

But for guys, the only requirement was probably that it wasn’t ugly.

As for the pattern or style, anything seemed to be fine.

’As long as it’s not ugly!’

He cleared his throat, a bit embarrassed. "Me? I’ll just grab whatever. Gray is fine."

The fact that he could even name a color was a sign of his respect for the bedsheets.

Hearing this, the girl looked at him blankly. "That simple?"

Xiao Ran nodded. "Yep."

Seeing this, the saleslady smiled warmly at Yan Xici. "Then why don’t you just pick one for him? Girlfriends usually help pick things out for their boyfriends, you know."

!!!

Hearing the word "boyfriend," the girl’s face instantly flushed red, and her expression grew even shyer.

’Good thing her voice wasn’t too loud.’

’Otherwise, if Brother Xiao Ran heard her, I would have just died of embarrassment.’

Before the girl could say anything, the saleslady familiarly linked arms with the young woman and led her toward another set of shelves.

"These are all men’s designs. Your boyfriend will definitely like them."

The girl’s eyelid twitched.

’Seriously, why does she keep saying that?!’

Blushing, she mumbled shyly, "He’s... he’s not my boyfriend..."

’It wasn’t that I absolutely had to explain, I was just worried Brother Xiao Ran would hear and feel awkward.’

They were both the type of people who considered each other’s feelings.

Seeing the shy look on her face, the saleslady couldn’t help but find it a little amusing.

"Oh, my. Why are you so bashful? Even kids getting together at fifteen or sixteen aren’t as shy as you!"

’They’re already living together and buying bedding, for goodness’ sake. Never mind boyfriend and girlfriend; people would believe them if they said they were a married couple.’

’What era is this? How is this kid even more old-fashioned than I am?’

The saleslady finished her thought, picked up a set of bedsheets, and handed them to Yan Xici. "What do you think of this one?"

It had a little raccoon pattern. ’Xiao Ran is the more mature type; he wouldn’t really use a cartoon pattern like that.’

The girl knew this much about him.

She gave the sheets back to the saleslady with an apologetic look and started looking again.

’Picking out my own was quick, but choosing for Xiao Ran was a bit more work.’

The thoughtful girl picked out three sets of sheets with different patterns, placed them in front of him, and asked seriously, "Xiao Ran, which of these do you like?"

Xiao Ran studied them for a long time.

’Honestly, they all look the same to me.’

He looked at Yan Xici blankly. "Don’t they all look the same?"

Hearing this, the attentive girl’s eyes widened, her gaze filled with disbelief.

She did her best to explain, "Of course they’re different! This one has a parallelogram pattern, this one has horizontal stripes, and this one has vertical stripes. How could they be the same?"

As she spoke, she used her slender fingers to point at each one in turn.

She seemed utterly astonished by his thinking.

’I’ve heard of guys not being able to tell lipstick shades apart, but he’s the first one I’ve met who can’t even tell bedsheets apart!’

"Oh. Then just grab any one of them."

She hesitated for a moment, then pointed to the one she thought was best.

"How about this one? It’s pure cotton, the fabric is thick, and the horizontal stripe pattern is nice and simple. It would definitely be comfortable to sleep on!"

After speaking, she took the sheets in her hands and unfolded them for Xiao Ran to see.

The girl in front of him spoke in a gentle voice, her movements practiced. The look on her face as she looked at him was incredibly earnest.

For a moment, that warm feeling of home welled up in Xiao Ran’s heart again.

He even had the illusion that they had been together for a very long time.

The thought had barely formed before Xiao Ran forcefully suppressed it. ’No,’ he told himself. ’Absolutely not.’

’This is your ex-wife’s younger sister!’

’I can’t just show up in front of my mother-in-law in a few months, say the same things I said when I married Yan Li, and then marry her second daughter.’

The mere thought was so embarrassing that Xiao Ran wanted the ground to swallow him whole.

’No way!’

’I have to crush this thought!’

Seeing Xiao Ran remain silent, the innocent girl blinked.

"Xiao Ran, you don’t like it, do you? If not, I can pick out another one for you!"

Xiao Ran snapped back to reality and shook his head. "No, let’s get this one. It’s great."

...

The two of them spent a full hour and a half in the store before they finally left.

By the time they came out, the sky had already grown dim. The sun was hidden behind the tall buildings, leaving only patches of fiery red clouds on the horizon—a truly beautiful sight.

The girl was in charge of holding onto Xiao Ran, while Xiao Ran was in charge of driving the scooter.

As they neared the entrance to their residential complex, they passed a noodle shop. Its decor was elegant, and the place looked exceptionally clean.

The girl behind him suggested, "How about we get some noodles?"

"Okay."

Xiao Ran agreed and drove the scooter over.

The noodle shop was very clean, and the ambiance was quite nice as well.

The proprietress, a middle-aged woman, saw Xiao Ran and Yan Xici walk in and greeted them warmly. "What can I get for you two?"

The girl looked up at the pictures on the menu board: braised beef noodles, crab roe noodles, and pork stomach noodles.

All three were house specialties, but the picture of the crab roe noodles in particular, with its rich crab roe sauce and a sprinkle of green onions, made the girl’s mouth water.

She pointed to the crab roe noodles on the board, then tilted her head to look at Xiao Ran. "Xiao Ran, I’d like this one."

Xiao Ran wasn’t particularly interested in crab roe. Compared to the crab roe noodles, he preferred the braised beef noodles, which were full of big chunks of beef and looked incredibly satisfying.

"One order of crab roe noodles and one braised beef noodles."

"You got it! It’ll be out in just a moment," the proprietress said before heading into the kitchen.

Due to the time, the noodle shop wasn’t very crowded, so the two of them picked an empty table and sat down.

The girl went to the sterilizer cabinet, took out two clean glass cups, poured water into each, and then came back to the table.

She handed one glass to Xiao Ran and placed the other in front of herself. "Have some water."

’We’ve been out for a while now. Brother Xiao Ran must be thirsty.’

Since it wasn’t busy, the noodles were ready quickly. Within a few minutes, a bowl of crab roe noodles was brought to their table.

The girl looked at her noodles and eagerly picked up her chopsticks. With a practiced twirl, she expertly wound the noodles into a small bundle.

Only then did she pop it into her mouth.

Instantly, the unique flavor of the crab roe exploded across her taste buds.

"Mmm, so delicious~" the girl exclaimed in delight.

The wonderful taste made her involuntarily narrow her eyes, the look of pure satisfaction on her face just like a kitten that had just been treated to its favorite canned food.

She was so adorable it made you want to reach out and pinch her cheeks.