Yu Wenli looked up, the words of departure on the tip of his tongue. But meeting the hopeful gaze of the young girl, his heart softened.
Yu’s mother grabbed her son’s hand, brooks no argument. “I don’t care what important business you have today, cancel it! It’s your sister’s first day here, and as her older brother, you must accompany her. Don’t go messing around with your buddies all day.”
A mother knows her son best. She could guess what he was going to say just by wiggling her toes.
It would be fine on any other day, but not today.
Wen Yatou clearly depended on him. If he left abruptly, the girl would surely be heartbroken.
“Auntie…”
Before Yu Wenli could speak, Wen Tingxue suddenly looked up, her misty eyes holding a rare courage.
She had spoken very little on the way, so everyone’s attention was naturally drawn to her.
Yu’s mother quickly responded, “What is it, dear?”
Wen Tingxue blinked her long lashes. “Auntie, we can go shopping. If brother Yu has something to do, you can let him go.”
The girl’s voice was soft and her speech slow, sounding both obedient and endearing.
Yu’s mother cursed herself for not having a daughter!
“Your brother Yu doesn’t have anything to do. And besides, your brother Yu is excellent at picking clothes. He’ll surely dress our dear up beautifully.”
Yu’s mother smiled and ruffled the girl’s hair.
“But…”
Wen Tingxue remembered what the young man in red had said and looked worriedly at the silent Yu Wenli.
Yu Wenli instantly surrendered. He tucked his phone into his pocket and said with a light smile, “Let’s go, brother will pick out a few outfits for you.”
“But…” Wen Tingxue was still uneasy.
She had clearly heard them talking about a ‘deadline’ or something similar.
Yu Wenli smiled, picked up the hat on her clothes, and put it on her head. Then, relying on his height, he gently pressed it down and said lazily,
“Brother knows what he’s doing.”
The hotel room was air-conditioned, yet she refused to take off her coat.
Besides not being used to it, the only other reason was that her inner top was unsuitable.
Yu Wenli lowered his gaze, his eyes sweeping over her ill-fitting coat. A flicker of concern passed through his eyes.
At the mall.
Yu Xiuxiu and Yu’s mother first went to a few popular trendy brands.
Seeing the grand demeanor of the group, the salesperson immediately brought out the store’s hottest and most expensive outfits, introducing them enthusiastically.
“Look at this color, how it complements the young lady’s skin tone. With school starting soon, our store has been selling like hotcakes…”
The styles of the clothes were indeed impeccable.
But when Wen Tingxue saw the prices—
They were too expensive!
One outfit cost hundreds or even thousands; she could buy so many with that!
Before Wen Tingxue could refuse, Yu Wenli suddenly walked up to her, his slender fingers deftly taking the price tag from her hand. He examined it carefully.
“Don’t you like it?”
The young man raised his thin eyelids, his dark, placid eyes looking at her.
Although a gentle smile played on his lips, Wen Tingxue couldn’t help but feel a sense of awkwardness, as if her thoughts had been seen through.
She hurriedly lowered her head and whispered, “…I don’t really like it.”
Yu Wenli’s eyebrows flickered slightly. “Lying isn’t good for a sister, you know.”
His voice, tinged with a hint of languor, was somewhat captivating.
Wen Tingxue’s ear tips flushed instantly.
She could feel his gaze still on her.
After a moment of hesitation, she looked up and leaned closer to him, complaining in a low voice, “It’s too expensive…”
Her tone, with a hint of coquettishness, softened Yu Wenli’s heart.
“So you like it then?” He was good at grasping the key point.
Wen Tingxue was speechless.
Yu Wenli’s thin lips curved into a slight smile. He personally picked out two outfits that suited her better.
“Try them on.”
The young girl looked up, her gaze subtly defiant, and did not take them.
Yu Wenli was a little surprised. Then, he softened his voice and patiently explained, as if to a child.
“Since Auntie and Uncle brought you here, it means they can afford it. If you don’t pick anything, they’ll actually be sad.”
Wen Tingxue blinked twice, as if half-understanding, then turned to look at her parents.
Yu Xiuxiu met her daughter’s anxious gaze, her heart aching so much she almost cried.
“Brother is right.”
Yu Xiuxiu walked up to her daughter, took her cool little hand, and said with teary eyes, “Yiyi only needs to tell Mom and Dad if you like it. As for the price, that’s not something Yiyi needs to worry about. Come on, Mom will take you inside to try on the clothes.”
“The clothes your brother Yu picked out for you will definitely be beautiful.”
As she was led forward by her mother, Wen Tingxue remembered how her grandmother and paternal aunt used to treat her cousin when they went shopping.
She had envied it for years, and now, she could finally experience it.
Wen Tingxue’s nose felt a little sore, but a smile graced her face.
Yu Wenli, after the two entered the fitting room, casually found a place to sit and replied to messages.
The salesperson, seeing his handsome appearance, even brought him tea and snacks.
Yu Wenli thanked her politely, but his gaze remained fixed on his phone screen.
Ever since he posted "Can't make it," the group chat had exploded, but he had ignored it.
Chi Zerui messaged him privately, calling him disloyal and accusing him of valuing women over friends.
He still ignored it.
Until Chi Zerui sent him a few photos.
Yu Wenli frowned slightly, a look of annoyance flashing in his eyes.
Chi Zerui, impatient, video-called him.
“Brother Yu~”
He winked and laughed, adding fuel to the fire. “Accompanying your little girl next door to the mall? Too disloyal! Are we, your brothers, no match for the little sister who just arrived?”
Yu Wenli held up his phone, his eyes serene, and asked, “Who took them?”
Chi Zerui shrugged. “Don’t know. School starts the day after tomorrow, so many people are buying clothes, who knows who took them? You’re just famous, Brother Yu, you have fans everywhere.”
Yu Wenli’s brow furrowed almost imperceptibly. Chi Zerui’s lips curved playfully, his fox-like eyes narrowing slightly, incredibly alluring.
“Oh? Brother Yu didn’t used to care about this sort of thing, did he? Why today…”
Before Yu Wenli could speak, he continued laughing to himself. “Oh~ I get it. The little sister is so timid, you’re worried about her, right?”
Timid?
Yu Wenli lowered his gaze and remained silent, not offering much explanation.
He had also thought she was soft to the point of having no principles.
But when he handed her the clothes earlier, he could feel that her softness stemmed from not having encountered her boundaries.
Once provoked, she was not to be trifled with.
A very interesting young girl.
Seeing that he wasn't reacting much, Chi Zerui put away his voyeuristic intentions and became slightly more serious. “Brother, my dear brother, today is the deadline.”
Yu Wenli glanced at the fitting room, then said, “I know what I’m doing.”
“Understood.”
Chi Zerui said with a knowing tone, his voice, softened by alcohol, carrying a hint of sexiness.
“I’m staying up all night. Call me if anything comes up. I’m out, my girlfriends are waiting.”
He got down from the bar stool and casually panned the camera outside, revealing about four or five beautiful women.
Yu Wenli: “…”
As he was about to hang up, Chi Zerui suddenly said, “I saw the photos in the class group chat. Do you want me to say something, to prevent the little sister from being innocently harmed?”
Too many people liked Yu Wenli, and some of them were extreme.
If it caused any trouble, it would be a hassle.
Yu Wenli nodded. Chi Zerui said, “I’ll arrange it.”
At the same time, in the fitting room.
Due to her independent upbringing, Wen Tingxue was not accustomed to her mother’s presence and help.
But she felt too embarrassed to ask her to leave, so she awkwardly changed into her pants.
Yu Xiuxiu, a lawyer, was skilled at reading people and naturally sensed her daughter’s reluctance. She then proactively asked, “Yiyi, do you need Mom to step out?”
She squatted on the floor, helping her daughter change her shoes, looking up slightly as she spoke, her eyes and brows filled with tenderness.
The tenderness of a mother.