188: Chapter 188 Gradual Fall

He said he wanted to spend a little more time with her.

These words swirled around in Ye Xueying's mind, and her heart felt a touch of sweetness.

"W-well, alright then. Just for a little while, okay? Not too long."

Wang Yang smiled, pushed open the car door, got out, and walked around to the passenger side to open the door for her.

Ye Xueying got out of the car, and just as she steadied herself, Wang Yang's hand reached out, naturally clasping her fingers into his palm.

Their fingers were interlaced.

Ye Xueying's body stiffened for a moment, and her face flushed red again.

"Y-you, why are you holding my hand again? Didn't we agree that you'd let go once we got into the Shopping Mall?"

Wang Yang looked down at their joined hands, then raised his head to look at her.

"Can't I hold it?"

Ye Xueying bit her lip.

"I-it's not that I can't. It's just… there are so many people."

Wang Yang leaned closer to her, his shoulder brushing against hers, his voice lowered, carrying a hint of a spoiled, coaxing tone.

"But what if I want to hold it? Xueying, can you let me hold it? Just for a little while, really just for a little while. Your hand is so soft, I can't bear to let go."

Ye Xueying's ears turned red instantly.

Wang Yang was acting spoiled.

A grown man, half a head taller than her, with such broad shoulders, who usually spoke in such a steady and overbearing manner.

Now, he was actually using this tone to talk to her.

Ye Xueying's little heart couldn't handle it at all.

"T-then, only for a little while, okay? We have to let go once we enter the Shopping Mall."

Her voice was as small as a mosquito's hum, and her head was almost buried in her chest.

Wang Yang smiled and squeezed her hand tighter.

"Fine. A little while is a little while. Whenever you say let go, I'll let go."

Ye Xueying, with her hand held by him, followed beside him toward the Shopping Mall.

Her fingers curled gently in his palm, her heartbeat racing like a drum.

He said he would let go once they got into the Shopping Mall, but he was holding her so tightly—it didn't look like he intended to let go at all.

The two took the elevator upstairs.

There were only the two of them in the elevator, and the mirrored walls reflected their shadows.

Ye Xueying snuck a glance at herself in the mirror; her face was as red as a ripe tomato.

She quickly lowered her head, secretly scolding herself in her heart.

Ye Xueying, you really are pathetic.

It's just going shopping, why are you blushing?

Soon, they arrived inside the Shopping Mall.

It was a weekend afternoon, and there were quite a lot of people; on both sides of the corridor were all kinds of shops.

The display windows were filled with winter and spring clothes, and the mannequins were dressed in bright, glamorous outfits.

Wang Yang held her hand as they walked through the crowd, his pace neither fast nor slow.

His hand never let go.

Ye Xueying secretly glanced at their joined hands, then secretly glanced at Wang Yang's profile.

He was looking ahead, a faint smile on his lips; his face wasn't flushed, his heart wasn't racing, he was acting like it was nothing.

She muttered to herself in her heart.

How is he not shy at all?

His skin is too thick.

But his hand is so warm, it feels so comfortable to hold.

She lowered her head to look at their interlaced fingers again, her lips curling up, but she quickly suppressed it.

Wang Yang led her the whole way; Ye Xueying didn't know where they were going, she just followed him.

...

After walking for a few minutes, Wang Yang stopped in front of a women's clothing store.

The storefront was large, with a light luxury style of decoration, and warm yellow lights shone from inside.

The mannequins in the display window were wearing the latest spring styles.

Ye Xueying looked up at the store name, then at the clothes in the display window, and was stunned for a moment.

"Brother Wang, why are we here? Didn't you want to go shopping?"

Wang Yang turned his head to look at her, a smile on his lips.

"That's right, shopping. Shopping to buy you clothes."

Ye Xueying's eyes widened.

"Buy for me? No, no, I have enough clothes to wear. Really, you don't need to spend the money."

Wang Yang watched her flustered appearance and smiled.

"Whether you have enough to wear is your business; wanting to buy them for you is my business. Let's go, see if there's anything you like."

Ye Xueying bit her lip, her face flushed red, still hesitating.

Wang Yang took her hand and walked inside, his pace not fast, but very firm.

"Don't just stand there, it's cold outside. Let's go in and talk; even if you don't buy anything, you can try them on."

Being held by him, Ye Xueying followed him inside involuntarily.

The store's heating, wrapped in a faint fragrance, rushed to meet them; the decoration was that minimalist, light luxury style.

There weren't many clothes on the racks, but every piece had a strong sense of design.

A sales assistant wearing a black uniform came up to greet them; she was a woman in her early thirties.

Her hair was tied up, her face was wearing exquisite makeup, and her smile was very pleasant.

Her gaze swept over the two of them, landed on their joined hands, and her eyes lit up.

"Welcome. Sir, are you here to buy clothes with your girlfriend?"

Ye Xueying's face turned red instantly; she opened her mouth, wanting to explain.

"N-no, we're not."

Wang Yang squeezed her fingers, glanced at her, then turned back and smiled at the sales assistant.

"Yes. Pick out a few nice pieces for my girlfriend, something that suits her. Spring clothes are fine, winter clothes are fine, just bring whatever looks good for her to try."

Ye Xueying looked up at him abruptly, her eyes wide, her face so red it felt like it was burning up.

The sales assistant smiled even more brightly.

"Alright, alright. The lady has such a good figure, she looks good in anything. Please come this way, I'll recommend a few styles for you."

The sales assistant turned to get the clothes.

Ye Xueying turned her head to glare at Wang Yang, lowering her voice.

"Y-you, why are you saying nonsense? Who's your girlfriend?"

Wang Yang turned his head to look at her, a smile on his lips.

"I'm not saying nonsense. Aren't you?"

Ye Xueying bit her lip.

"I-I, when did I agree to be?"

Wang Yang smiled and leaned closer to her, his shoulder brushing against hers.

"We've already kissed, and you're still not my girlfriend? Then tell me, what is our relationship?"

Ye Xueying opened her mouth, but couldn't say a single word.

Her face grew redder and redder; she pinched his palm with her fingers, not hard, like a cat scratching.

"Y-you, you're unreasonable."

Wang Yang smiled and squeezed her hand tighter.

"What reason is there to talk about? I'll just ask you: just now at the Cinema, when I kissed you, did you push me away?"

Ye Xueying bit her lip, unable to speak.

"You didn't, right? At the restaurant, when I fed you food, did you dodge it?"

Ye Xueying lowered her head.

"You didn't, right? Then when I held your hand, did you pull it back?"

Ye Xueying looked at their interlaced fingers and was completely speechless.

"See, you didn't refuse, so that means you accepted it by default. So you are my girlfriend. Right?"

Ye Xueying's face was so red it was about to smoke; her lips moved, wanting to retort, but she couldn't say a single word.

In the end, she just turned her head to the side, her voice muffled.

"Y-you, you just know how to bully me."

Wang Yang smiled and gently rubbed the back of her hand with his fingers.

"If I don't bully you, who would I bully?"

The sales assistant soon returned, carrying several pieces of clothing in her hands.

An off-white knitted cardigan, a pair of dark blue slim-fit jeans, and a lotus-pink chiffon blouse.

And a light gray pleated miniskirt.

"Ma'am, why don't you try these on first? They are all brand-new arrivals, especially suitable for your temperament."

Ye Xueying looked at the pile of clothes, feeling a bit at a loss.

"That's too many, isn't it?"