The two women were bickering all the way to the entrance of Gucci, then stopped their playful banter and elegantly walked into the store. Qiao Meina stood by as a bystander, watching Zuo Yao select luxury bags.
"You don't feel bad at all spending your boyfriend's money," Qiao Meina remarked.
"He asked me to come buy it. If I don't, he won't be happy," Zuo Yao responded.
"Your Ye Fan really is something else."
"Hahaha~ Does this bag look good?"
"You can pick slowly. I'm not going to interfere," Qiao Meina said, walking off to browse around.
Qiao Meina was a native of Shanghai, and while her family was well-off and she occasionally bought luxury goods, she didn't go so far as to only shop in high-end stores.
Men's Section.
Lin Can had intended to buy a few T-shirts while at the Gucci store, so he browsed the men's section. All the shirts had the iconic Gucci logo printed on them, and they were too flashy for his taste. He preferred simpler, more understated styles.
He spotted Qiao Meina by the accessories section, trying on a Gucci hairpin. He walked over, rested his chin on his hand, and observed her for a moment before shaking his head. "This one doesn't look good."
Qiao Meina glanced at the mirror. "Yeah, it doesn't seem to look good after all."
"Hmmm..." Lin Can searched around and picked out another hairpin. "This pink one goes really well with what you're wearing today."
"I'll try it," Qiao Meina said, reaching up to take the first hairpin out. "Ouch... it's caught in my hair."
"Don't move, I'll fix it for you," Lin Can said, gently removing the hairpin from her hair, being very careful as if afraid of causing her any pain.
"Don't move your head, tilt it down a bit."
"Okay," she replied.
Qiao Meina lowered her head, resting it on Lin Can's chest, and looked down at the tips of their shoes almost touching.
This little brother of hers... He was really too warm-hearted.
No wonder the older sisters liked him so much.
At that moment, Ye Fan walked in. Zuo Yao waved at him, and he was surprised to see Qiao Meina standing so close to a young man. He walked over to Zuo Yao and asked, "Yao Yao, who is that guy?"
"Ah, that's Lin Can, Meina's younger brother. Come on, let's go over and say hi." Zuo Yao led Ye Fan to them. "Wow, Meina, your brother is so considerate and really spoils you. Whoever ends up dating him will be really lucky."
Lin Can smiled. "Of course. So, how does it look?"
Qiao Meina checked herself out in the mirror. "It looks nice, you really have an eye for it."
"But it's 4,200 yuan. Too expensive. I can't afford it," she said with a laugh.
"I'll buy it for you," Lin Can said seriously. "I still have a 5,000 yuan credit limit on my Huabei. If you're willing, I'll take the money out to support you."
Qiao Meina snorted. She knew Lin Can was being cheeky.
"You can keep your Huabei. I don't need your money."
She never seriously thought about letting Lin Can buy it for her, even if he offered. This was Qingning's boyfriend—if he bought it for her, what would that look like?
Qiao Meina put the hairpin back where she found it and pulled Lin Can over to introduce him to Ye Fan.
"Hello, Brother Fan."
"Lin Can?"
Ye Fan sized Lin Can up. He was wearing a Meiti Boshi outfit, which helped him understand why Lin Can had no qualms about using Huabei.
With an older sister like Qiao Meina, he'd probably do anything to make her happy.
Lin Can gave Ye Fan an impression of confidence. He didn't feel embarrassed about wearing such an outfit in a Gucci store. He didn't mind using Huabei for purchases.
"Meina, I never heard you had a brother."
"I don't think you guys seem like siblings either."
The couple started to doubt.
"Really siblings." Lin Can casually draped his arm over Qiao Meina's shoulder and explained, "I don't come to Shanghai often, but now that I've graduated, I came here to visit my sister. We grew up in the same neighborhood. Oh, by the way, Meina, do you remember when we were little and we played and got all muddy, then we took a bath together in a small tub? You flicked me, and I cried?"
Zuo Yao gasped. "Oh? You had this kind of childhood story? Hahaha~"
Ye Fan looked at them enviously.
So... Qiao Meina's first time was with her brother?
Qiao Meina really didn't know how to deal with this cheeky little brother.
But to avoid any awkwardness, Qiao Meina tactfully said, "That was so long ago, I don't remember it."
"Alright, now that we're all acquainted, Meina, I saw a really nice dress. Can you come over and help me check if it looks good?" Zuo Yao tugged at Qiao Meina's hand and walked away.
"You guys go ahead. I'm going to buy some milk tea," Ye Fan said in a good-natured way.
Lin Can smiled. "I'll go with you."
Ye Fan nodded. "Let's go together, it's hard to carry everything by myself."
As they chatted, they walked out of Gucci toward the milk tea shop.
"You just said you graduated from high school. Where are you going to university?"
"Ninghai University."
"Oh, not bad, a real scholar."
"Not really. Brother Fan, are you one of their classmates?"
"I just graduated," Ye Fan said, patting Lin Can on the shoulder. "Since you're Meina's brother, do you know her three best friends?"
"Uh... Chu Qingning, Miao Youxi, and Ai Re?"
"Right, do you know them?"
"Yeah, we're in the same WeChat group."
"Really?"
"Brother Fan, are you surprised?"
"You're impressive, bro. Your sister and those three girls are the most pursued goddesses at school. Other boys can't even get their WeChat, but you're directly in their friend group. If other boys knew, they'd be so jealous."
"Eh~ There's nothing to envy. I don't even speak in the group. They talk about girl stuff all the time—skirts, cosmetics, stockings, posting pictures and videos daily. It takes up so much space on my phone. I was thinking of leaving the group."
"..."
Ye Fan couldn't believe it.
Thousands of boys were dying to get their WeChat, and here Lin Can was, part of their inner circle, scrolling through daily conversations with four goddesses. He didn't even appreciate it.
...
Meanwhile, inside Gucci.
"Ah~ I'm so annoyed. This dress doesn't fit."
Zuo Yao was wearing a 70,000 yuan Gucci dress and couldn't breathe because of the tight waist. And since she had a smaller chest, the top of the dress wouldn't fit properly.
"This dress is beautiful though, which designer made it? The waist needs to be tiny and the chest needs to be big for this dress to work. So frustrating."
"Hahaha~" Qiao Meina chuckled. "Alright, stop forcing it. Let's look at something else."
"Sigh... alright..." Zuo Yao sighed in disappointment, then looked at Qiao Meina with a glint in her eye. "Meina, you've got the perfect body with a small waist and big chest. Why don't you try this one on?"
"No, no, no, it's too expensive. I can't afford it."
"Come on, just try it on. You don't have to buy it. I just want to see how it looks on you."
Since Zuo Yao couldn't wear it, seeing Qiao Meina wear it would satisfy her curiosity.
Qiao Meina actually really liked the dress, but it was way too expensive for her. Trying it on wouldn't hurt though.
"Okay, I'll try it."
"Come on, come on."
Zuo Yao pulled Qiao Meina into the fitting room.
Zuo Yao took off her dress, and when Qiao Meina did the same, only wearing a bra and leggings, she couldn't help but admire Qiao Meina's body.
"Qiao Meina, your body is so amazing. Even as a woman, I'm tempted to touch it."
"Go away, you're such a pervert."
"Meina... I'm really curious. Why don't you have a boyfriend? With your charm, you could easily get a rich second-generation boyfriend, and luxury goods would become a part of your everyday life. You could totally pull it off."
"No thanks."
"There are too many jerks. I'm afraid of getting hurt physically, and emotionally."
"Is your little brother a jerk?"
"Lin Can? Don't get any ideas about him. Let me tell you, you can't mess with him."
"What do you mean?"
"Ah, it's nothing. Help me zip up the back of the dress."