Chapter 25

When Su Louzhi walked out of the temple, Ji Kailan, Qin Qingyan, and the others were already waiting outside. No one asked what anyone else had wished for.

Jiang Yi waved her hand with grand, sweeping enthusiasm. "Alright! Everyone's here, let's go!"

The six of them merged into the stream of people heading down the mountain and followed the two class reps back to the minibus at the foot of the hill.

What was a proper mixer without a dinner afterward? The two class reps obviously knew the drill. Half an hour later, the bus pulled up steadily in front of a hotpot restaurant just one street away from the school.

This place was a favorite among students—fresh ingredients, affordable prices, and a wide selection of soup bases. Those who could handle spice ordered the spicy pot; those who couldn't had mushroom, bone broth, or plain water options; and for those craving something tangy, there were tomato and sour soup bases. A table full of people gathered around the bubbling pot, eating with lively enthusiasm.

Su Louzhi and her group of six naturally sat together as always. The beef in the spicy pot was being fought over by Shen Boyang and Jiang Yi with great zeal, the fatty beef in the tomato pot was being fished out slice by slice by Liu Mengting, and the vegetables simmered in the mushroom broth all ended up in Qin Qingyan's bowl.

Ji Kailan didn't grab for anything. He just ate, occasionally adding a bit of this or a bit of that into Su Louzhi's bowl.

Only after the hotpot was finished did the group finally disband.

When they said disband, most people actually went off with the new friends they'd made to continue the night—after all, it was Saturday. Who would just go back to sleep right after eating?

But Su Louzhi's group of six had spent the whole day glued together and hadn't bothered meeting any new people, so naturally, they had no such plans.

Still, they had their own arrangements. Of course, those arrangements were orchestrated by others.

"Ahh, we ran around all day, I'm exhausted!" Jiang Yi was the first to speak, stretching in an exaggerated way as she did. "Mengting, come get a massage with me?" She grabbed Liu Mengting's arm and winked.

Liu Mengting caught on immediately and gripped her hand in return. "Sure, sure, I was just thinking the same! My legs are about to fall off."

With that, the two of them linked arms and walked off.

Shen Boyang glanced at Ji Kailan from the corner of his eye, then quickly followed the rhythm. "Qingyan," he said, scratching his head, looking a rare bit embarrassed, "isn't your mom's birthday next month? Would you mind accompanying me to the mall tonight to help me pick out a gift for her?"

Qin Qingyan didn't agree right away. Instead, she turned to look at Su Louzhi. "Zhizhi, if I go, wouldn't you be left all alone?"

Before she'd even finished speaking, Ji Kailan's voice picked up right after. "Zhizhi." He turned to her, his gaze fixed directly on her, his tone carrying a faint hint of grievance. "Can you give me your time tonight? We haven't had any time alone together all day."

Qin Qingyan furrowed her brow slightly, but ultimately said nothing.

Su Louzhi nodded without a second thought.

Qin Qingyan let out a soft sigh. "Fine. Then I'll do my best to help you pick tonight."

Shen Boyang was instantly beaming, responding with warm enthusiasm, and before leaving, he made sure to shoot Ji Kailan a wink.

The six of them finally split into three pairs.

Jiang Yi and Liu Mengting walked off arm in arm; Shen Boyang and Qin Qingyan headed side by side toward the mall.

Only Su Louzhi and Ji Kailan remained where they stood.

Ji Kailan turned around to face her directly. In the night, his eyes were deep and dark, a clear smile tugging at the corners of his lips. "Zhizhi," he said, his voice low and laced with laughter, "shall we go too?"

Su Louzhi nodded. She didn't ask where he was taking her at all. She just obediently followed his steps.

Ji Kailan led Su Louzhi from the hotpot restaurant to the parking lot, opened the passenger door, and waited until she was seated before circling around to the driver's side. Once they'd both buckled up, he turned to look at her. "Zhizhi, will you come with me to the mall tonight too?" he asked casually. "Since it's Qin Qingyan's mother's birthday, I need to pick out a gift as well."

Su Louzhi naturally wouldn't refuse, but she was a bit curious. She lowered her head and typed: 【Then why didn't you go with Qingyan and them just now?】

Ji Kailan's brow arched slightly, and he answered directly. "Didn't I just say? I haven't had any time alone with Zhizhi today."

Su Louzhi's cheeks flushed. Before she could react, Ji Kailan had already turned back, started the engine, and said, "Alright, Zhizhi, I need to drive now."

Su Louzhi hastily nodded, gripped her seatbelt with both hands, and sat properly in her seat.

The car drove for half an hour.

Su Louzhi had assumed Ji Kailan would pick the same mall as Shen Boyang and the others, maybe even run into them along the way. But when they got out, it turned out to be the most expensive high-end mall in the city center—Sky Mall.

She silently swallowed.

Even though she had a decent amount in savings, she'd never dared set foot in a place like this. After all, she had no way to make money grow; the balance in her account was a fixed number, and every penny spent was a penny gone.

Ji Kailan had a clear goal in mind and led her straight into a jewelry store with a fresh, minimalist, trendy aesthetic.

Su Louzhi felt a twinge of confusion. This store... looked like it was aimed at young women. Would Qin Qingyan's mother like this style?

But then she thought, well, maybe the mother had a youthful mindset.

While she was still mulling it over, Ji Kailan had already stopped at the counter.

Su Louzhi stepped up and stood beside him.

Ji Kailan studied the display for a moment, then pointed to a bracelet in the case. "Could you take this out for me to see?"

The sales associate promptly retrieved it. Ji Kailan immediately turned to Su Louzhi. "Zhizhi, give me your hand."

Su Louzhi was startled, but she obediently extended her hand anyway.

The sales associate, quick on the uptake, fastened the bracelet around her wrist.

It was a delicate chain, strung with a few tiny stars, glimmering against her fair wrist.

Ji Kailan gazed at it for a few seconds, the corners of his mouth curving up. "It suits you perfectly, Zhizhi." He turned to the sales associate. "Please wrap it up."

Su Louzhi finally snapped back to reality and quickly lowered her head to type: 【Senior Ji, is this... for me?】

Ji Kailan nodded with a smile. "Mm. Since we're here, of course I have to buy something for Zhizhi too."

Su Louzhi thought back to the price tag she'd caught a glimpse of earlier and felt like her heart was about to give out. She rushed to type more: 【No need, Senior, this is too extravagant!】

Ji Kailan let out a soft laugh. "It's not extravagant to me." He looked into her eyes, his tone serious and gentle. "I think it looks lovely on you. If Zhizhi wears it, I'll be very happy. Then the money will have been well spent."

Su Louzhi opened her mouth, then found herself at a loss for words.

Fine.

Anyway, the bracelet was expensive, but if she gritted her teeth, she could afford it. Next time, she'd just buy Ji Kailan something a little more expensive in return.

She silently swallowed the protest that was on her lips.

Ji Kailan watched her give up resisting so easily, and the smile in his eyes deepened. "Alright," he said, "now let's go pick out a gift for Qingyan's mother."

Ji Kailan led Su Louzhi out of the store, weaving through several turns until they stopped in front of a jewelry shop with an old-world, classical storefront.

Su Louzhi peeked in curiously. She didn't know much about jewelry, but even she could tell the items here were on a completely different level from the previous store. Every piece exuded a "I'm very expensive" aura.

Ji Kailan quickly settled on a jade necklace. The sales associate quietly murmured a number, and Su Louzhi thought her ears might be playing tricks on her.

The string of digits was so long... it looked like a phone number.

But Ji Kailan didn't even furrow his brow. He simply swiped his card and paid.

Su Louzhi stood there, silently counting the string of numbers three times in her head, then gave up entirely. There was no point—even if she counted it clearly, it would only scare herself.