Actually, where Mo Ziyan went was easily discoverable by Lu Pan if he had bothered to check.
But as Mo Shiyao had said, he had never bought Mo Ziyan a gift. Since he was here, he might as well pick up a couple of things.
A smile bloomed on Mo Shiyao’s face, marking the first step towards successfully winning over Lu Pan.
“Let me tell you, my sister suffered a lot of grievances during those two years she was in the hospital. You must compensate her properly and not let her suffer any more.”
Mo Shiyao caught up to Lu Pan, deliberately pressing her arm against his.
Lu Pan naturally evaded her, stating coldly, “Mo Shiyao, please conduct yourself with dignity!”
Mo Shiyao, however, was unfazed. She had realized that although Lu Pan appeared fierce and ruthless to outsiders,
he was actually warm on the inside to those he knew and was familiar with.
As long as one didn’t provoke him or cross his bottom line, he was actually quite easy to get along with.
It had to be said that Mo Shiyao was somewhat opportunistic, but after a few interactions with Lu Pan, her judgment was quite accurate.
“In what way am I not conducting myself with dignity?” Mo Shiyao shot Lu Pan a displeased glance. “If you continue to be so harsh with me, I’ll tell my sister you’re bullying me!”
Lu Pan ignored Mo Shiyao.
As a result, Mo Shiyao directly dragged him into a nearby lingerie store.
This was Lu Pan’s second time shopping for lingerie. The previous time was when he bought it for Widow Wang down the mountain on behalf of his Sixth Master.
On that occasion, he hadn’t even bothered to pick anything out. He had simply bought the entire store and then had Ye Wudao mail the lingerie.
“Lu Pan, what do you think of this one?” Mo Shiyao, blushing, held up a small, sexy piece of underwear and gestured with it towards Lu Pan.
Lu Pan’s eyelids twitched.
The black underwear in Mo Shiyao’s hand had only two thin strings, with a two-finger-wide, nearly transparent pink fabric piece in the middle.
“It would suit you well,” Lu Pan stated casually, his eyes filled with amusement.
He had already seen through Mo Shiyao’s intentions in approaching him. He had seen this kind of playfulness many times.
Since Mo Shiyao wanted to play, he would indulge her.
Mo Shiyao gave Lu Pan a lingering glare, her cheeks heating up. “If you like it, I’ll wear it for you, how about that?”
“Was this how you used to try to please Xu Ziqiang?” Lu Pan’s lips curved into a playful smile as he looked at Mo Shiyao’s coquettish demeanor.
Mo Shiyao’s face paled. Lu Pan’s words had clearly struck a nerve.
She turned and put the small underwear back, huffing, “I really don’t know what kind of spell you’ve cast on my sister for her to like a man as unromantic as you!”
“Salesperson, please pack these few items.”
Mo Shiyao selected a few pink items and had the sales assistant pack them, instructing Lu Pan, “My sister likes pink, remember that.”
They walked out of the lingerie store.
Lu Pan looked at Mo Shiyao’s displeased expression and couldn't help but chuckle. “Mo Shiyao, are you deliberately approaching me to win my favor?”
“If that’s the case, then you should be prepared to be humiliated by me!”
Lu Pan spoke without mincing words. “In my eyes, you don’t even measure up to a tenth of your sister. If you want me to change my opinion of you, you’ll have to work harder.”
Mo Shiyao took a deep breath and looked up at Lu Pan, a hint of defiance in her gaze. “In what way am I inferior to my sister?”
“In every way!” Lu Pan replied without hesitation.
As he spoke, Lu Pan walked towards a jewelry store not far away.
Mo Shiyao stomped her feet in frustration. Growing up, every man around her had tried to win her favor.
She had never encountered someone as unyielding as Lu Pan.
“Hmph, I’ll work harder then!”
Mo Shiyao glared at the retreating Lu Pan. His words had thoroughly ignited her competitive spirit.
Composing herself, Mo Shiyao once again caught up to Lu Pan.
Lu Pan was slightly surprised. He had intended to make her back down and stop bothering him, but he hadn't expected Mo Shiyao’s mental resilience to be better than he thought.
“I’m not that fragile!” Mo Shiyao huffed, glancing at the counter. “The jewelry in this store is no good; it’s too vulgar. My sister definitely wouldn’t like it.”
“Then where should we buy it?” Lu Pan had never bought jewelry for a woman before, so he naturally didn’t know which brands were good.
“Of course, it should be at Hailancheng, developed by the Lu family and the Japanese,” Mo Shiyao blurted out. “All the most high-end jewelry stores in Qingcheng are there.”
After speaking, Mo Shiyao recalled recent rumors and looked at Lu Pan with curiosity. “Are you really a member of the Lu family? A survivor of that fire back then?”
Lu Pan’s gaze turned cold, and he gave Mo Shiyao a warning look.
Mo Shiyao shrunk back a bit, a hint of fear in her eyes. “I was just asking casually, why are you so fierce? Oh, right, I just remembered something.”
Seeing that Lu Pan was ignoring her, Mo Shiyao brought up Mo Ziyan again. “Do you know why my sister’s mental state deteriorated later?”
“Why?” Lu Pan asked, frowning.
Mo Shiyao huffed and replied vaguely, “I’m not entirely sure. I heard the fire was massive, and many people in Qingcheng witnessed it. That day, Grandpa happened to take my sister out. I heard they were visiting the Lu family.”
“I only heard Grandpa mention this incident once later on. I asked my sister about it later, and she said she didn’t remember, so I don’t know if this is true or not. I hope it’s helpful to you.”
As she said this, Mo Shiyao displayed a rare look of sincerity.
Lu Pan’s expression grew more somber. The first time he saw Mo Ziyan in the hospital and revealed his identity, her reaction had told him that she probably knew something.
Later, after he had cured Mo Ziyan, she had never brought it up, so Lu Pan hadn't pressed the issue.
Now, hearing Mo Shiyao mention it, Lu Pan considered a possibility—psychological defense mechanisms!
Mo Ziyan’s subconscious had selectively blocked out certain unpleasant, painful memories.
“Oh, I was just saying it in passing. You’ll have to ask my sister for the specifics,” Mo Shiyao added quickly, sensing that Lu Pan’s emotions were unreadable.
Lu Pan withdrew his thoughts and nodded. “Thank you for telling me this.”
Mo Shiyao looked astonished. She hadn't expected Lu Pan to thank her.
She put on an overly pleased expression and giggled. “Since you want to thank me, you can’t just say it, can you?”
“What do you want?” Lu Pan looked at her.
“Invite me to dinner!” Mo Shiyao asked tentatively, her expression a mixture of hope and nervousness.
Lu Pan’s gaze deepened slightly as he checked the time. “I don’t have time today; I have other things to attend to. I’ll make it up to you another day!”
Mo Shiyao thought she had misheard and looked pleasantly surprised. “Ah? You’re agreeing? Don’t go back on your word!”
“I’ll buy the jewelry next time. I need to attend to some business now, you can go back by yourself!”
Lu Pan walked towards the exit of the mall. The management office of Silver Harbor was in the adjacent office building.
“Where are you going?” Mo Shiyao, laden with bags, struggled to keep up with Lu Pan. “Hey, you really don’t know how to treat a lady.”
Lu Pan’s pace didn’t slow.
By the time Mo Shiyao chased after him, Lu Pan had vanished.
“Hmph, I refuse to believe I can’t win you over!” Mo Shiyao stomped her foot.
Jingle jingle—
Her phone rang. It was Ding Li calling.
“Yao Yao, where are you? Hurry back.” Ding Li’s voice was filled with laughter, clearly indicating good news.
“Mom, what is it?” Mo Shiyao walked towards the parking lot.
“It’s good news, hurry back!” Ding Li urged.
“Understood.”
After hanging up, Mo Shiyao got into her car.