Chapter 13
The moment Wei Xia took out her phone to look it up, Xiao Qi reached over and covered the screen with her hand.
When Wei Xia looked at her in confusion, Xiao Qi calmly asked, “What would you like for lunch? I’ll have them prepare it.”
Wei Xia was still trying to process the earth-shattering revelation that humans had begun evolving, so her mind blanked for a moment.
Xiao Qi merely glanced at her before suddenly standing and stretching.
By sheer coincidence, a tempting sliver of her pale waist appeared directly in front of Wei Xia.
Her loose top rode up with the movement, exposing a small section of her stomach. Beneath the scattered sunlight, the curve of her waist looked soft and alluring.
Wei Xia’s gaze froze.
She coughed twice to cover her reaction and quickly turned her head away from the enticing sight.
Xiao Qi’s shirt fell back into place, concealing the waist that had invited far too many thoughts.
Wei Xia awkwardly touched her suddenly warm earlobe.
“I just ate, so I’m not hungry yet.”
Her voice sounded slightly guilty.
Seeing her discomfort, Xiao Qi merely smiled.
“Food is essential. Skip one meal and hunger will soon catch up with you. I’ll have them prepare something light.”
“I also want to go out and buy a few outfits this afternoon. Come with me.”
“All right.”
Wei Xia had no reason to refuse.
When Xiao Qi sat down again, she moved closer to Wei Xia.
Resting one elbow on her knee, she propped her chin in her palm, her eyes curving into crescents as she looked at Wei Xia.
The sudden closeness brought Xiao Qi’s hair near enough to brush against her.
Perhaps because Wei Xia was flustered, she thought she caught a faint sweetness drifting from Xiao Qi’s body, carried toward her on the breeze.
The scent was so subtle that she couldn’t identify it.
“Should I choose a few outfits for you too?” Xiao Qi asked with a gentle smile.
Her question interrupted Wei Xia’s thoughts, and she stopped wondering about the source of the fragrance.
“Miss Xiao, I really don’t need any. I still have plenty of clothes back in Haicheng. I’ll find a chance to bring them here later.”
Bring them here?
Hearing Wei Xia refer to returning, Xiao Qi felt pleased and didn’t insist.
She stood and said, “Then I’ll go change and put on some makeup. We’ll leave after lunch.”
Once Wei Xia nodded, Xiao Qi happily ran upstairs.
Wei Xia released a breath of relief.
Then she turned and found Aunt Lin standing nearby, watching her.
Wei Xia panicked and immediately raised her hands in denial.
“I didn’t see anything just now. I wasn’t secretly looking.”
Aunt Lin merely smiled.
“Miss seems very happy. This will be her first time going on a date, so I’ll have to trouble you to take good care of her this afternoon.”
Wei Xia stared at her.
“Huh? This already counts as a date?”
“You must be joking, Miss Wei. When partners go shopping together, how could that not be a date?”
Wei Xia found that strange.
“She’s never gone out with anyone else?”
Xiao Qi certainly wasn’t short of money. Her wardrobe contained every kind of clothing imaginable, which showed that she had high standards for her lifestyle.
She was beautiful and had a pleasant personality.
If she were willing, there should have been an endless line of people eager to take her on dates.
Aunt Lin paused.
“It has been many years. Aside from work, Miss rarely leaves the house.”
Wei Xia hadn’t expected that answer.
After a moment of silence, she asked, “Doesn’t she go out and spend time with friends either?”
Aunt Lin continued smiling and replied calmly, “Outside of work, Miss doesn’t form close relationships with others.”
The subject seemed to touch something painful in her.
She looked up toward the second floor, her expression both wistful and aching.
“She spends nearly all her time in the bedroom upstairs.”
Wei Xia’s brows drew together.
The strange feeling in her heart grew stronger.
From everything she had seen since childhood, people who constantly shut themselves inside their homes were often unwell in some way.
Seeing that Wei Xia had fallen silent, Aunt Lin didn’t continue.
Instead, she changed the subject.
“We’re preparing lunch. What would you like?”
Wei Xia pulled herself from her thoughts.
“Anything is fine.”
Aunt Lin nodded.
“Then perhaps French truffle mushroom soup, sous-vide filet mignon, miso-marinated deep-sea silver cod—”
Hearing the long list of dishes, Wei Xia hurriedly stopped her.
“Something simpler, please. It’s only lunch. A full French-course meal seems a little excessive.”
Aunt Lin readily accepted the suggestion.
“You’re right. You’ll still be going shopping afterward.”
“Then we’ll keep it simple: a small bowl of nourishing bird’s nest, premium crystal shrimp dumplings, black truffle and shrimp fried rice—”
Wei Xia laughed.
“All right. Please arrange whatever you think is best.”
Perhaps what she considered simple was actually more troublesome for them.
After Aunt Lin returned to the kitchen to arrange lunch, Xiao Qi still hadn’t come downstairs.
It wasn’t until the food was ready that Xiao Qi finally appeared, wearing light, natural-looking makeup.
She had changed into a V-neck knitted dress that revealed a hint of her collarbones without appearing too bold.
The hem fell just above her knees and swayed gently as she descended the stairs.
The outfit appeared simple, yet every detail had clearly been chosen with care.
When she approached Wei Xia, Xiao Qi suddenly smiled and asked sweetly, “Do I look good?”
Wei Xia nodded and praised her sincerely.
“You look good in anything.”
Xiao Qi’s heart seemed to skip a beat.
The words echoed repeatedly in her ears.
But Wei Xia wasn’t finished.
She studied Xiao Qi’s makeup seriously, then couldn’t help adding, “Honestly, you look beautiful even without makeup.”
Xiao Qi cleared her throat.
The corners of her mouth rose uncontrollably, but she still pretended to ask, “Really? You think I’m beautiful?”
Wei Xia nodded firmly.
“You are.”
She truly was.
Even though they were both women, some of Xiao Qi’s unconscious little movements had already left Wei Xia flustered.
Her legendary beauty really did appeal to everyone, regardless of gender.
Despite receiving such praise, Xiao Qi still ate lunch carefully and touched up her makeup on the first floor.
By the time they went outside, the driver was already waiting at the entrance.
Since Xiao Qi almost never went shopping, even the driver didn’t know where they intended to go.
Once they got into the car, he asked, “Miss, which shopping mall would you like to visit?”
Wei Xia looked puzzled.
“Is going to a shopping mall really a good idea? Won’t people take pictures?”
Considering Xiao Qi’s popularity and the news surrounding the two of them over the past few days, Wei Xia honestly couldn’t understand why she wanted to go to a crowded mall.
Xiao Qi looked equally confused.
“You don’t like being photographed?”
Wei Xia laughed.
“The main issue is you…”
“But I don’t mind being photographed,” Xiao Qi replied.
Since Xiao Qi had said so herself, Wei Xia nodded in agreement.
More accurately, she didn’t understand Xiao Qi’s motives and therefore didn’t feel it was her place to interfere.
The driver took them to Liuguang Plaza, the busiest commercial center in Shencheng.
As they got out, he said, “I’ll wait for you in the parking lot.”
Wei Xia nodded.
Seeing Xiao Qi looking eager, she asked uneasily, “Shouldn’t we wear masks?”
Xiao Qi seemed reluctant but eventually nodded.
“All right.”
This wasn’t because Wei Xia had developed any awareness of being a celebrity herself.
She had simply seen videos of Xiao Qi attending commercial events where fans packed the shopping mall so tightly that the appearance had to be canceled, leaving Xiao Qi trapped within the crowd.
Wei Xia might know little about the entertainment industry, but she understood that such congestion was dangerous.
It was better to avoid it whenever possible.
Even with masks on, the two of them still attracted plenty of attention.
However, although some people appeared suspicious, no one dared surround them without seeing their faces clearly.
Wei Xia assumed that as long as they wore masks, even fans wouldn’t dare approach and identify them.
Taking such a major celebrity outside made her feel rather nervous.
Xiao Qi, however, behaved as though nothing were wrong.
Without warning, she linked her arm through Wei Xia’s.
The sudden intimacy violently pulled Wei Xia out of her thoughts.
She nearly jumped.
Her reaction was so strong that Xiao Qi had to tighten her grip to keep hold of her.
Frowning, Xiao Qi asked, “What are you afraid of?”
Wei Xia smiled awkwardly.
“…Of course I’m afraid!”
Xiao Qi calmly explained, “Miss Wei, this is our first day spending time together, but every movement and expression you make tells everyone that we aren’t close.”
She sighed deeply, sounding thoroughly helpless.
“With a reaction like that, we’d be exposed within a second in front of the cameras.”
Hearing this, Wei Xia immediately wilted.
“I’m sorry. I’m still not used to it.”
Behind her mask, Xiao Qi’s lips curved into a smile.
“There’s no rush. We still have time to slowly learn how to be close.”
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