Chapter 44: Shangjiang Yan Falls for an Ugly Duckling
Their purpose today was to buy clothes for Mu Mu and cheer him up. Seeing how much Mu Mu loved the shoes, Yan Gui Xing dismissed the saleswoman’s attempts at seduction.
Seeing Mu Mu’s excitement, Yan Gui Xing let the manager accompany him to choose clothes.
In this high-end custom store, clothes of different types and styles were mixed and hung in different cabinets, unlike the stores Mu Mu had visited before, where clothes were organized by color and style.
At a glance, it was a chaotic mix of colors and styles, making it difficult to choose.
Mu Mu had never been in such a store, not even passing by and glancing at the window display.
Hearing that Yan Gui Xing wanted him to choose clothes on his own, without his company, he lost his earlier liveliness, timidly clinging to Yan Gui Xing’s side, his dark eyes bright like a lost fawn in the forest.
“Gui Gui, I don’t know how to choose. Will you help me, okay?”
Due to his health issues, Mu Mu was constantly bullied by the other children at the orphanage, without a single friend he could confide in. He rarely spoke during puberty.
After puberty, his voice had matured somewhat, but it retained its soft, gentle quality. Combined with his pronunciation and emphasis issues, his voice became even softer and sweeter when he spoke quietly, sounding like he was being coquettish to others.
Yan Gui Xing thought Mu Mu was acting cute, abandoning his initial plan to be lazy. He put a hand on Mu Mu’s shoulder, pulled himself upright, bent his arm, and hugged Mu Mu’s small body tightly.
“You little coquette, you even need me to help you choose clothes? Huh? Are you, my little coquette Mu Mu, inseparable from me?”
Yan Gui Xing buried his face in Mu Mu’s shoulder, laughing in a low, magnetic, and sensual voice, feigning complaint, and stealing a kiss on Mu Mu’s neck.
Achi, Sha Xia, and the others, accustomed to their boss’s displays of affection, discreetly lowered their eyes or turned their heads, behaving as invisible background elements.
The manager, a veteran of the store, had received many high-ranking officials from Liuli Star and other planets. She was used to such scenes, understanding that a polite smile and a pretense of blindness were the best responses.
But the newer staff and the saleswoman who was trying to seduce Yan Gui Xing had never witnessed Yan Gui Xing’s amorous side before. Their eyes widened in astonishment.
Mu Mu, on the other hand, calmly and openly accepted Yan Gui Xing’s affection.
He seemed to have fewer thoughts and worries than others. Since he considered himself Yan Gui Xing’s lover, intimacy was only natural and nothing to be embarrassed about.
A normal person, brought by Yan Gui Xing into such a store and allowed to choose freely, even if they’d never been in such a place before, would still try to appear confident, not wanting Yan Gui Xing or the snooty sales staff to look down on them.
But Mu Mu didn’t know how to pretend. He openly nodded and admitted, “Gui Gui, you know I’ve never been to a store like this before. I don’t know how to choose clothes. Will you help me?”
After Mu Mu said that, Yan Gui Xing couldn’t possibly refuse. Even a slight whimper from Mu Mu would make Yan Gui Xing buy the entire store.
He put an arm around Mu Mu’s shoulders and stood up, ignoring their 14cm height difference. He bent over, his body leaning on Mu Mu’s, awkwardly letting Mu Mu guide him.
Mu Mu and Yan Gui Xing were inseparable, and the manager, having been singled out by Yan Gui Xing, was unsure whether to approach and risk incurring his displeasure.
If she didn’t follow, however, she might also provoke the boss’s anger.
She looked to Achi for advice, torn between following and not following.
Achi nodded at the manager, who then followed them confidently.
Sha Xia yawned and leaned against the back of the sofa. “Deputy Commander, take a break. The boss will probably be busy for a while.”
Achi waved to the remaining sales staff, instructing them to return to their duties. After the young, attractive saleswomen left the lounge, he sat down on the sofa.
“Sha Xia, have a few of the brothers take a walk outside and keep an eye on things.”
Sha Xia said, “Deputy Commander, it’s already been arranged.”
Achi knew that Sha Xia was in charge of Yan Gui Xing’s security on every trip, and there had never been an incident in all these years, so he felt reassured. His extra caution was simply habitual.
He nodded, then told several large men standing behind Sha Xia, “Guys, find a place to sit and rest. The boss will be occupied for a while.”
Sha Xia and the others responded and sat down on different sofas in the lounge.
They would adapt their attire to different situations. At nightclubs, they would dress casually—training shirts, training pants, and Martin boots.
When accompanying Yan Gui Xing on shopping trips, they’d dress more formally, in their black uniform shirts and trousers.
Their formal attire, combined with their burly figures, transformed them from bodyguards into thugs. They were scattered throughout the lounge, and even if the store wasn’t closed specifically for Yan Gui Xing, any customers who saw them would be scared away.
Back to Mu Mu and Yan Gui Xing, Yan Gui Xing’s etiquette lessons hadn’t been in vain; his aesthetic sense was impeccable, and the clothes he chose suited Mu Mu perfectly.
The manager followed them, describing the designs of the chosen clothes and producing items Yan Gui Xing had missed.
“Shangjiang Yan, this creamy white knitted sweater would also suit this young gentleman.” The manager took a wide, creamy white knitted sweater from the rack, holding up the hem to show Mu Mu.
“This is this year’s trendy creamy color, and it suits the young gentleman’s pale skin and age perfectly.”
Yan Gui Xing glanced at it, agreeing that the color was clean and suited his little fool. He leaned his head, his cheek against Mu Mu’s taped face, and softly asked, “Do you like it? I think it’s pretty.”
Mu Mu had little opinion on clothing; he would agree with whatever Yan Gui Xing deemed beautiful.
But seeing the large stack of clothes the manager was holding—at least twenty—he quickly called a halt.
“Gui Gui, that’s already a lot. Mu Mu won’t be able to try them all on.”
“A lot?” Yan Gui Xing, whose shopping enthusiasm was currently at its peak, wanted to buy all the clothes Mu Mu would need for the next twenty years. He didn’t think it was too much.
But seeing Mu Mu’s worried face, he reluctantly agreed.
He led Mu Mu to the fitting room, and the manager opened the door to the first room, hanging the clothes on the rack inside.
Yan Gui Xing hadn’t intended to go in with Mu Mu, but after glancing at the half-open door, he rested his chin on Mu Mu’s shoulder, looked at Mu Mu’s delicate face in the mirror, and asked with a smile, “Do you want me to help you?”
Mu Mu was about to nod in agreement when the manager came out of the room, smiling, “I’ll wait outside the door, Mr. Mu. Please feel free to call me if you need anything.”
Yan Gui Xing looked up, surprised to see the manager vying for the task.
Mu Mu looked at the manager, remembering Yan Gui Xing’s words, puffed out his cheeks, and said softly, “Mu Mu is an adult now. I can dress myself, no need to trouble others.”
He gently pushed Yan Gui Xing’s hand, earnestly reminding him, “Gui Gui, stand properly. Mu Mu is going to try on clothes.”
Yan Gui Xing, treated like a child, stood up straight, a helpless smile on his face, watching Mu Mu walk into the fitting room.
After the door closed, his smile faded considerably. He glanced at the manager standing by the door with an ambiguous expression, then turned and walked towards the lounge.
The manager, inexplicably glared at, felt both wronged and afraid. She carefully reviewed the events, confirming that she hadn’t provided poor service, before relaxing somewhat.
Yan Gui Xing had chosen too many clothes, and Mu Mu spent a long time in the fitting room, only managing to try on half of them.
The manager was sent by Yan Gui Xing to fetch formal wear and accessories, instructing a more senior and reliable saleswoman to assist Mu Mu.
That’s where the problem arose.
Mu Mu was currently struggling with a lace shirt with many straps; he’d never worn such a complicated shirt before.
Too shy to trouble anyone with such a small matter, he sat on the sofa, trying to figure out how to fasten the straps.
The older saleswoman, unfamiliar with Mu Mu’s habits, didn’t dare interrupt and could only stand there.
At that moment, the attractive brown-haired saleswoman and another newcomer appeared from somewhere, standing on either side of the older saleswoman.
The older saleswoman was startled, clapping her chest and covering her mouth, staring at the two in the mirror and whispering, “Where did you two come from? You should have said something. Don’t you know that scaring someone can kill them?”
The two young women linked arms with the older saleswoman, giggling and smoothly changing the subject.
“Sister, uh, is he still not out?” the younger saleswoman asked quietly.
The older saleswoman nodded without speaking.
The younger saleswoman scoffed, “Clearly some country bumpkin who doesn’t know how to dress.”
The older saleswoman glared at the younger one, whispering a warning, “Have you forgotten the store rules? Don’t talk about customers privately.”
“Oh, sister, don’t be so serious,” the younger saleswoman said, pointing to her ear maliciously. “The one inside, his ears are bad. He can’t hear us.”
The older saleswoman looked at the closed door, raising an eyebrow, not responding. The younger saleswoman continued, “Such a grown person, still repeating words. Pretending to be cute is disgusting!”
“Exactly, all clingy with Mr. Yan. Shameless,” the attractive saleswoman said with a sneer, her carefully manicured pink nails pointing towards her temple as she lowered her voice conspiratorially.
“I’ll tell you something, that little deafie, something’s wrong with his head, he’s a bit simple.”
The younger saleswoman covered her mouth, surprised. “Really?”
“Can’t you tell he’s a bit slow?”
The younger saleswoman’s eyes widened. “Oh my god, Shangjiang Yan actually likes a simpleton? What’s he thinking? That simpleton even has tape on his face, probably disfigured. So Shangjiang Yan not only likes a simpleton, he likes an ugly duckling? Is he blind?”
The attractive saleswoman smirked, but before she could speak, a voice suddenly appeared behind them, saying casually, “You seem to have quite a lot of opinions about my person.”