52: Buy a bag - 1

At nine o'clock on Sunday morning, Jiang Ye stood by the roadside and hailed a taxi: "Driver, K11 Mall."

The car drove out smoothly. He leaned back in his seat, watching the street scenes rapidly receding outside the window, feeling an indescribable emotion in his heart.

The last time he went on a date and shopping with a Girl seemed to be back in his sophomore year of college.

His dorm Buddy Fang Wei had gotten a girlfriend. That Girl was very enthusiastic and insisted on organizing a "dormitory mixer," calling it "double happiness," and introduced a rather lively Girl from her dorm to Jiang Ye.

That day, he had also left like this, with a little anticipation in his heart.

After walking around, drinking two cups of milk tea, and watching a movie, he received a message from Fang Wei that evening, saying she felt "their personalities didn't quite match."

Jiang Ye understood in his heart—it wasn't about personality mismatch; it was just that she thought he wasn't generous enough.

When they passed by Starbucks while shopping, he didn't offer to go in; for dinner, he chose a budget-friendly small restaurant; and for the movie, he used a group-buying coupon.

For a young Girl dreaming of romance, this kind of "practicality" probably equated to "stinginess" and "lack of romance."

It must be emphasized that Jiang Ye was definitely not a stingy person.

From his current attitude toward Ye Cheng and Yaoyao, it's clear that he's quite willing to spend money on people he acknowledges.

But back then, his monthly allowance was only a thousand yuan, all saved up by his mother through frugality.

He didn't want to, nor did he think it necessary, to overspend for the sake of so-called "face" and add burden to his family.

Do what you can with the money you have—he felt there was nothing wrong with that.

Speaking of which... after finishing that Goddess Championship for Yaoyao, he'd probably be able to go home and give his mother a "shamelessly extravagant" surprise.

Jiang Ye casually opened WeChat and glanced at the unread message from Yaoyao.

Hug Valentine's Day? What on earth is this?

Hmm... competing with a Girl Group sounds pretty exciting.

Although he had never played with a Girl Group before, he had occasionally come across some online. He imagined the show's effects would definitely be explosive.

He just didn't know how much "sincerity" this 91-point girl planned to put in to win him over this time.

The car soon arrived at K11 Shopping Art Center.

Jiang Ye paid and got out of the car. Following the location Ye Cheng had sent, he headed straight for the huge billboard at the main entrance.

From afar, he saw Ye Cheng waiting there.

Today, she wore a light gray long wool coat, wrapped in a creamy white cashmere scarf, with thick light gray tights and a pair of black ankle boots underneath. Her long hair was tied into a ponytail, swaying gently with her slight movements, exuding a youthful vibe.

Jiang Ye subconsciously glanced at her legs, a thought suddenly popping into his mind—it seemed that since meeting him, this Girl had never worn pants again, always opting for tights of various thicknesses and colors.

Ye Cheng also saw him and walked up with a smile, her hands behind her back.

Noticing his gaze lingering on her legs, she raised an eyebrow, deliberately stretched her right leg forward, and teased:

"Oh, Classmate Xiao Ye, what are you looking at? Do you like it that much? If you do... want Big Sis to let you touch it? After all, with our relationship..."

She had only meant to joke, but before she could finish, Jiang Ye actually bent down and shamelessly stroked her calf.

"Hmm, the tights are good quality, smooth and slippery. Should be warm too."

"Holy crap! You... you actually touched it!"

Ye Cheng hadn't expected this guy to be so thick-skinned, daring to touch her in broad daylight. She quickly pulled her leg back.

To hide her embarrassment, she quickly changed the subject, looking Jiang Ye up and down with a somewhat puzzled tone:

"Speaking of which, Classmate Xiao Ye, you're practically an invisible rich guy, right? Why don't you dress up a bit?"

Jiang Ye put his hands in his pockets, looking indifferent: "What's the difference in what I wear? Comfort is key. I need to save my money for big things, like... giving a certain woman pocket money."

"Tch, alright, alright, I get it, you're so great. Let's go, let's go, don't just stand here. Let's take care of business first—buying you a phone!"

As she spoke, Ye Cheng naturally reached out to pull his arm toward the mall.

But Jiang Ye stood still, turned his wrist to grab her outstretched hand, and gently pulled her closer:

"Wait a minute! You called me so sweetly in the video yesterday. Now that we've met in person, shouldn't you show some appreciation face-to-face? Come on, call me 'hubby'."

Ye Cheng's face flushed red instantly, remembering the melodious "hubby" she had called him yesterday, her toes curling tightly in her shoes.

She tried to pull her hand back but failed. Instead, she used her other hand to tug at Jiang Ye's sleeve, dragging him toward the mall entrance like a sack, muttering quickly under her breath:

"Alright, hubby, hubby, hubby! Satisfied? Hurry up, let's go, let's go! So many people are watching!"

Seeing her flustered look, Jiang Ye smiled inwardly.

This woman probably wanted to brush it off with a perfunctory response to dilute the awkward and ambiguous atmosphere.

But... how could that be allowed? What's so embarrassing about calling him hubby?!

Jiang Ye added a bit more strength to his grip, pulling Ye Cheng even closer.

He dropped his joking expression, his gaze deep and intense as he stared into Ye Cheng's slightly widened eyes. Lowering his voice, he spoke slowly in a magnetic, husky tone:

"Hmm, heard it. Baby, wifey."

This sudden deep affection attack was incredibly powerful. The moment the words fell, even Jiang Ye himself got goosebumps and shuddered violently.

As for Ye Cheng opposite him, her whole body stiffened. A current named "cringey" shot from the soles of her feet straight to the top of her head. Her toes in her shoes instantly curled up like excavator claws, practically digging out a three-bedroom apartment on the spot.

Embarrassed and angry, she punched Jiang Ye's shoulder: "Oh my god, are you trying to kill me? That's so corny! Let's go, let's go! Hurry up! People are really looking over here!"

This time, Ye Cheng practically used all her strength, dragging Jiang Ye—who was still trying to maintain his expression—into the mall.

As one of the most high-end shopping centers in Shengtian, K11's interior design was highly artistic and modern, with a spacious atrium, staggered floors, a dazzling array of luxury brands, and an air filled with the scent of money.

After asking briefly at the service desk, Ye Cheng pulled Jiang Ye straight to the Huawei flagship store.

She wasn't sure what model Jiang Ye liked, but considering he had been using the Huawei Nova series before, buying the latest flagship of the same brand couldn't go wrong.

The flagship store was quite crowded, with various phones and tablets displayed on the counters.

For customers like them, who clearly looked like a young couple, the sales assistant was very enthusiastic, Detailed introductionMate 80 Pro Various functions.

The whole process went surprisingly smoothly. Only when Ye Cheng took out her phone and proactively scanned to pay did the sales assistant I couldn't help but glance at Jiang Ye again..

Jiang Ye noticed her gaze but couldn't be bothered to care.

He watched gleefully as Ye Cheng finished paying, took the new phone, removed the SIM card from his old phone, and inserted it into the Mate 80 Pro's card slot.

Powering it on—smooth animations, a clear screen, fast operating speed—everything felt incredibly satisfying.

The feeling of upgrading from a slingshot to a cannon was really not bad!