An Ruo wandered among the various men's clothing, the sales assistant introducing them to her in fluent English. Like most domestic salespeople, she launched into a lengthy recommendation of new arrivals...
An Ruo listened absently, her steps light as she passed row after row of men's clothes, her eyes appraising each piece. She finally spotted a few decent ones, asked about the sizes, but worried they might not fit the man properly.
Han Chong stood to the side, watching her size him up before she eventually handed the clothes to him.
"You're about the same build as your young master. Since he's not here, you can try them on for him."
Shen Xiaoxing was a bit taller than Han Chong, but their builds were similar. With the man absent, he had to stand in to try on the clothes.
"This..." Han Chong hesitated. "Young Madam, this might not be appropriate. I'm just a servant, trying on the young master's clothes..."
"This isn't the villa, there aren't so many rules here."
"But..."
"If you don't tell, and I don't tell, who would know you tried them on?" An Ruo insisted, shoving the clothes into his arms and waving her hand. "Go try them on quickly."
In the end, Han Chong couldn't talk her out of it and had to take the clothes into the fitting room.
"Miss, have some tea."
While she waited, the sales assistant brought over some fine black tea.
"Thank you."
An Ruo took a sip. It tasted pretty good, and she happened to be thirsty, so she downed two cups. The cool air from the mall's air conditioning blew over her, feeling wonderfully comfortable.
The fitting room door opened, and Han Chong stepped out, having shed his stiff black uniform for the clothes she'd picked. He instantly looked like the male lead from a romantic drama.
His face wasn't handsome in a conventional way—it was a rugged, Eastern face, with a faint scar at the end of his eyebrow that added a touch of toughness.
Men with this kind of strong, well-built look were the most popular abroad.
The moment he opened the door, several sales assistants' eyes lit up noticeably.
Some praised his physique, others complimented how well the outfit suited his vibe.
Hearing all this praise, An Ruo felt a bit awkward about taking the clothes off and giving them to Shen Xiaoxing, since they fit Han Chong so perfectly.
It was much better than his usual dark, oppressive black clothes.
An Ruo picked out other colors in the same size, the same style, and took them to pay for together. Luckily, the man had given her his bank card before she left, saying it was for her pocket money.
Han Chong was about to go back into the fitting room to change out of the clothes when she suddenly spoke up. "No need to change, just wear them like that."
Besides, it was so hot outside—wasn't he sweltering in that black suit?
He froze for a moment. "But if I sweat, how can I give them to the young master?"
"This set is for you." An Ruo held up the shopping bag for him to see. "This one is his."
Surprise flickered in Han Chong's eyes. "Young Madam... this, I can't accept."
"You've already worn them, how can I give them to him now?" Forgive An Ruo for being blunt; she didn't know how to deal with this loyal dog of a man by Shen Xiaoxing's side. She hesitated, thinking it over, then added, "It's New Year's, consider it a New Year's gift from your young master. A little reward, so you can keep working hard for him in the new year."
Han Chong wanted to say something else, his lips twitching, before he said in a low voice, "...Yes!"
There was nothing left to browse. An Ruo did a lap and decided to head back.
Just as they returned to the casino, the elevator doors slid open, and a bodyguard pushed the man out.
Shen Xiaoxing raised an eyebrow slightly. "Done shopping so quickly?"
"Nothing much to buy, didn't feel like browsing anymore..." An Ruo looked up and noticed Yun Li was also standing in the elevator.
His eyes met An Ruo's, and he quickly lowered his long lashes, stepping out of the elevator and giving her a slight nod.
"An'an, can I..." Yun Li's face showed hesitation, and he took a deep breath. "Can I have a word with you?"
An Ruo pressed her red lips together, her gaze slowly shifting to the man beside her. Shen Xiaoxing was about to react when his phone rang. He glanced at the caller ID and wheeled himself away.
Seeing the man at a distance, Yun Li seemed to have something urgent to tell her, momentarily forgetting they'd only just met, and pulled her wrist aside.
An Ruo instinctively pulled her hand back. Yun Li stared at his now-empty hand, his heart jolting, and his beautiful brown eyes dimmed.
He frowned slightly. "You... are you two really married?"
An Ruo looked at him coolly. "What do you mean?"
What did he mean by "really married"?
They were legitimately married—had the certificate, were protected by law!
"I don't mean anything else." His eyes showed sympathy, his brow furrowing even more. He said slowly, "He... his circumstances are pretty good, but you don't have to waste your best years on him."
What did he mean by that?
An Ruo half-understood. "What are you trying to say?"
"He's disabled, living his whole life in a wheelchair. Do you think you'll be happy with him?"
"He's my husband."
Her answer was so resolute that Yun Li felt a bit embarrassed to continue, but worried she might have married Shen Xiaoxing out of necessity, he felt compelled to persuade her.
After all, what normal person would marry a man doomed to a life in a wheelchair?
"Do you love him?"
"..." An Ruo was suddenly stunned. Her clear eyes slowly dropped.
Did she love Shen Xiaoxing?
It seemed that under Chen Keqiao's relentless questioning, she had nodded to confirm it, but she'd never said those three words to anyone else, not even Shen Xiaoxing himself.
Besides, she didn't know what it meant to love someone.
All she knew was that her feelings for Shen Xiaoxing were different from those for any other man. She could be cold and indifferent to anyone, but only in front of him did she show her girlish side.
Before meeting him, she didn't even know she could be shy...
In short, she didn't reject these changes or feelings.
Seeing her hesitate, Yun Li's tense heart suddenly relaxed. "You don't love him? Then... why did you marry him?"
The man, having finished his call, sat in his wheelchair, staring straight at the two of them.
He didn't step in to stop them, but instead darkened his eyes, wanting to hear how this girl would answer.
An Ruo's voice turned cold. "That's none of your business."
"Aren't we friends? As a friend, I want to know." Yun Li looked at her urgently. "If you have something you can't say, I can help you. Don't waste your whole life."
She was so young, so beautiful, at the age when she should be blooming like a flower. She shouldn't be bound by marriage, let alone married to a man with a physical disability!
She deserved a better, more outstanding husband!
An Ruo roughly understood what he meant.
She remembered that the day she and Shen Xiaoxing got their marriage certificate, the staff had also tried to persuade her when they saw she was marrying a disabled man. And Chen Keqiao, so curious about Shen Xiaoxing's appearance, had also urged her to leave when she heard about his plane crash two years ago.
She knew they all meant well, thinking that a man like Shen Xiaoxing wasn't good enough for her.
But they didn't understand that what Shen Xiaoxing could give her was exactly what no one else could.
She felt that this... was probably love.
"Thank you for your concern, but I love him. Staying by his side doesn't feel like I'm wasting my life." An Ruo said without hesitation. "He's very good to me—respects me, cares about me, and dotes on me. He's the best, best, best person in the world to me."
"..."
"Maybe in your eyes, he's not perfect, but his physical flaws aren't something he chose. No matter what he's like, as long as he's good to me and his feelings don't change, I'll stay with him forever."