Returning - Chapter 29

Chapter 29: Scheming

The white moonlight in Xue Zi'ang's heart was named Xu Miao.

Zhao Yu wasn't certain if Xu Miao was Xue Zi'ang's first woman, but she knew Xu Miao was the only girlfriend he'd ever officially dated. It was after their breakup that he fell apart and began indulging in wine and women.

She had hired someone to get close to Xu Miao's university best friend, and from that friend, she learned the entire story of that relationship and many details.

Xue Zi'ang and Xu Miao were in the same year and same department in university. Both were striking in appearance and excelled academically, so mutual attraction was natural, and falling in love was inevitable.

But Xu Miao came from an ordinary family, and there was a very real gap between her and Xue Zi'ang. She was exactly the kind of person who was proud yet sensitive, strong-willed yet fragile.

After leaving campus and entering society, conflicts between them grew constant, and before long, they broke up. To be precise, Xue Zi'ang was dumped.

Zhao Yu didn't know whether Xue Zi'ang was simply bitter over being dumped or if he truly loved her too deeply. In any case, several of the women who later stayed by his side bore traces of Xu Miao's shadow, just like Ye Zi, who had a teardrop mole in the same spot as Xu Miao.

Zhao Yu knew that Xu Miao was the most advantageous path to getting close to Xue Zi'ang.

And she had always felt that similarity in temperament was more reliable than similarity in appearance. After all, Xue Zi'ang, who was never short of beautiful women around him, could never have fallen in love with just Xu Miao's face.

Facts proved she was right.

Even though her appearance was completely different from Xu Miao's, their extremely similar temperaments and personalities easily allowed her to capture Xue Zi'ang's attention.

However, after that first step succeeded, the path ahead couldn't follow Xu Miao's example entirely, otherwise she would only repeat the same mistakes and let identical conflicts arise between her and Xue Zi'ang.

Take gift-giving, for instance. When Xu Miao was in a relationship with Xue Zi'ang, she never accepted his gifts.

Back then, Xue Zi'ang was still a young master who didn't know how to consider the other person's feelings, and having been accustomed to luxury since childhood, everything he bought for Xu Miao was expensive and high-quality. He thought all girls liked those things, but Xu Miao, with her extremely strong self-esteem, wanted nothing.

There was even a strict boundary between them when it came to money. Unfortunately, this boundary was actually a double-edged sword; sometimes, it only pushed their relationship further apart.

So after accepting Xue Zi'ang's gift, Zhao Yu bought him a jacket worth three thousand yuan.

She had checked online; that wristwatch was only priced at a little over six thousand, which was indeed something someone at her salary level could afford and wear. This also showed that Xue Zi'ang had seriously considered her situation.

Accepting his gift showed that there wasn't such distance between them, and giving him a gift in return expressed her affection for him on one hand, while on the other, indicated that she wasn't after his wealth.

As for why she only bought something worth a little over three thousand instead of matching the six thousand, the reasoning was the same.

Returning something of equal price would make it seem like a transaction, appearing too calculating. Something slightly cheaper than his gift instead carried a faint sense of yielding.

After all, whether in financial means or other aspects, most men are competitive and concerned with face, enjoying being relied upon. In front of Xue Zi'ang, she had to display independence and strength while simultaneously revealing her dependence on him.

Moreover, spending three thousand wasn't difficult for her, letting Xue Zi'ang know that giving her gifts wouldn't put too much pressure on her, and he could continue giving her things from time to time. This was also a way of strengthening their feelings.

After buying the clothes and reaching the mall's first floor, she happened to pass by an eyeglasses shop. Looking at the gold-rimmed glasses in the display window, Zhao Yu suddenly smiled, went in and bought them, then took out her phone and snapped a photo to send to Xu Chengyan.

[A gift for you. Next time, wear them while you fuck me.]

She didn't expect Xu Chengyan to reply, but she knew that seeing this "exclusive to the refined scoundrel" item, he would definitely remember what happened in the fitting room that day.

She hadn't waited long in the beverage area before Zhao Yu saw Shi Yu leading Qu Sixiao walking this way, with Ji Sui following behind.

After that meal together last time, she had participated in several more activities with the volunteer association. One of those times was again at the special education school, where she met Qu Sixiao and his mother but didn't see Ji Sui.

Qu Sixiao's eighth birthday had arrived. Zhao Yu had promised to celebrate his birthday with him, so she arranged with Shi Yu to take Qu Sixiao shopping and pick out a gift for him, then have dinner together in the evening to celebrate.

Shi Yu was only five years older than Zhao Yu, and the two got along well. By now they had grown quite familiar and could be considered good friends.

Seeing the shopping bag in her hand, Shi Yu immediately teased, "Bought for your boyfriend?"

Having a boyfriend, even working at Huacan—these were all things Zhao Yu had voluntarily disclosed. This made it easier to lower Ji Sui's guard, and since they would be interacting frequently going forward, hiding it wouldn't be easy. If discovered, all previous efforts would be wasted.

"Yeah, planning to surprise him." Zhao Yu's face was full of smiles, exactly the expression one would expect from a girl in the throes of love.

Her gaze swept over Ji Sui, and as if something had occurred to her, she said with slight embarrassment, "Actually, I'm not even sure if this will fit. His build is about the same as yours—could you try it on for me?"

Ji Sui smiled and reached out to take the bag from her hand. She quickly pulled out the jacket and handed it to him. He was wearing just a simple shirt, so he could put it on directly over that, but it was obvious—the jacket was too small.

"I thought this size would fit," Zhao Yu said, her face full of regret. "It's a pity, this was the only size left, and other stores didn't have larger ones either. Looks like I'll have to switch to a different style. Wait for me just a moment, I'll be right back."

Seeing her pick up the bag and head toward the escalator, Shi Yu said, "Let Ji Sui go with you. Try it on properly before buying so it doesn't turn out to be a bad fit again. Xiao Xiao wants some juice anyway, I'll wait with him here."

Zhao Yu seemed a bit embarrassed, but Ji Sui smiled slightly and said, "I'll go with you."

"Your boyfriend is so handsome, anything would look great on him."

Hearing the sales assistant's words, Zhao Yu laughed awkwardly and didn't explain, just carefully examining the clothes on Ji Sui. "It really does look good."

After saying this, she naturally stepped forward, helped adjust the shoulder area, studied it seriously for a moment, then reached out to straighten his collar.

Ji Sui's body suddenly stiffened.

She was standing directly in front of him. This gesture was like embracing him, their bodies nearly pressed together.

And because the distance was so close, the faint fragrance of her perfume was clearly discernible, and even her warm breath brushed faintly against his neck.

Zhao Yu didn't deliberately touch his skin. Her hands lingered at his collar for only two seconds before quickly withdrawing. After maintaining a safe distance, she still wore the expression of someone seriously studying the clothes.

"Do you think this size fits? I think it looks quite well-fitted. If there's no problem with how it feels on, then this is the one."

Ji Sui nodded. "It fits."

Zhao Yu noticed that the tips of his ears were slightly red.

And when she had gotten close earlier, she had felt his body stiffen.

She had done her research. Ji Sui entered military academy at seventeen, and after graduation, went straight to his unit, only applying for early discharge a little over three years ago.

During his time at the military academy and in the service, he hadn't had much contact with women. After leaving the military, he hadn't had a girlfriend either. It was entirely possible that even now, he still hadn't had his first kiss.

Perhaps only this reason could explain why a twenty-eight-year-old man would feel so uncomfortable just from this brief contact with her.

VerseVoyage