Chapter 12: 012

Chapter 12

Lu Zhe's brows furrowed tightly.

Su Ci noticed his expression and weakly spoke up, "If it's not too far, I... I can hold on for a while."

No, she didn't want to walk at all.

Su Ci had been pampered growing up, but she wasn't this delicate before. Now that she was in this body, she felt both love and hate for it.

Lu Zhe withdrew his gaze and said, "No need, let's take a taxi."

The midday sun was scorching. After getting out of the car, Su Ci felt the wave of heat hitting her face as she followed Lu Zhe into a nearby small shopping mall.

There weren't many shoppers in the mall. Lu Zhe and Su Ci's outstanding appearances drew frequent glances from passersby as they walked through.

The first floor of the mall was filled with cosmetics and accessory boutiques. The two went up to the second floor.

"Let's buy you a pair of shoes first."

The white canvas shoes Lu Zhe had bought for Su Ci were size 39, clearly not suitable for her. Besides, being so delicate, she couldn't wear shoes of such quality.

Su Ci nodded and followed Lu Zhe into a women's shoe store.

A sales assistant approached them with a bright smile, "Welcome! How may I help you both?"

Lu Zhe said, "Find her a pair of shoes, they need to be soft."

The sales assistant had never seen such a handsome young man before. Her eyes lit up, and when she looked at the girl beside him, she was stunned: the girl was so exquisitely beautiful that it was hard to look away.

The sales assistant was almost mesmerized, "Please, come this way."

She picked up a pair of trendy sandals decorated with crystal sequins. "This style is very fashionable and one of this year's hottest items. Would you like to try them, miss?"

Lu Zhe noticed the heels on the sandals and frowned, "Not suitable for her. No heels." She could get blisters even in canvas shoes; heels would be even worse for her.

Su Ci also shook her head; she didn't find the style attractive at all.

"These are flats, one of our best-selling styles, and they have quite soft soles," the sales assistant picked up another pair of shoes. They were pink patent leather with a large bow on top.

Lu Zhe took the shoes and squeezed the sole, saying flatly, "The sole isn't soft enough."

The sales assistant was taken aback: these shoes weren't soft enough? Usually, customers chose shoes based on looks, rarely focusing so much on sole softness.

The sales assistant walked to another shoe rack and brought back another pair, "These just arrived in store this morning, and I guarantee the soles are soft enough."

Lu Zhe took the shoes, squeezed them, bent them slightly, and then handed them to Su Ci, "Try these."

Su Ci looked at the cream-colored flats in his large hands. The design was simple, and she had no objections.

"Miss, what's your shoe size?" the sales assistant asked Su Ci.

Su Ci didn't know her current size, but looking at her feet, they seemed similar to before, "Around size 36."

"These are exactly size 36."

The sales assistant put the shoes down, ready to help the girl try them on. She watched as the girl removed one loose canvas shoe and extended her foot.

Having served many female customers, this was the first time the sales assistant had seen such beautiful feet: small and delicate with adorably rounded toes. It made her want to kneel down and help her put on the shoes!

Su Ci tried them on; the size was perfect, and both the sole and the part wrapping around her feet were light and soft.

Lu Zhe asked her, "Want these?"

Su Ci shook her head and walked to Lu Zhe's side, slightly rising on her toes to whisper in his ear, "These shoes are expensive."

She had seen the price tag: 600 yuan.

In the past, Su Ci wouldn't have batted an eye at shoes costing seven figures, but things were different now. She was dependent on others, and Lu Zhe was an orphan living in an old apartment complex, still in high school, and needed money for medicine. How could he afford this?

Su Ci had overheard the housemaids gossiping before about how men cared about their pride, so she softly said to Lu Zhe, "Let's look at some others."

Lu Zhe didn't answer her question. He checked the time and said, "After lunch, I'll give you money for a taxi home. I have afternoon classes."

"Alright." Su Ci obediently agreed.

During lunch, Su Ci ate with great enjoyment. After eating rabbit food for so long, she could finally eat human food: something she had been craving.

Across the table, Lu Zhe poured a cup of tea and passed it to Su Ci's side, "Are you full?"

Su Ci's dark eyes sparkled, "Yes, I'm full."

Lu Zhe took out a hundred-yuan note and gave it to Su Ci, "Take a taxi home later. Do you know the apartment complex address?"

"Yes, I do." The first time she had turned human and run out, she had paid attention to the street signs.

"I have to work at the computer store after school. For dinner, you can either cook or eat out." Lu Zhe gave Su Ci another hundred yuan.

Su Ci looked at the money in her hand and suddenly felt sorry for Lu Zhe.

At an age when most of his peers were still their families' darlings with studying as their only concern, Lu Zhe had already stepped into society, juggling both work and school.

Now, he had taken on another burden - her, who was quite demanding to care for.

What a poor thing he was.

After leaving the restaurant, as Lu Zhe prepared to leave, Su Ci quickly grabbed him, "Lu Zhe, you can't go yet. You've forgotten something very important."

Lu Zhe looked at her.

"You forgot to kiss me."

When she woke up last night at around one o'clock, Lu Zhe had kissed her once. Compared to the previous six hours, this added one more hour, making it seven. After she woke up, she had kissed Lu Zhe once more in her drowsy state, making it eight hours, totaling fifteen hours.

She counted on her delicate fingers for Lu Zhe, "If we start counting from 1 AM, I'll turn back into a rabbit at 4 PM. This won't do, Lu Zhe, you need to kiss me more."

Lu Zhe remembered what she had told him last night about how his kiss had turned her back into a human.

Su Ci pulled at his clothes, leading him to the corner by the restroom. At this hour, the hallway was empty.

Then, he watched as Su Ci blinked and asked, "Should you kiss me, or should I kiss you? The effect is the same either way."

The girl's dark eyes sparkled as she looked at him, without a trace of shyness.

Lu Zhe remained motionless.

"Hurry, hurry, while there's no one around. People will come soon," Su Ci urged him, afraid he might refuse to kiss her.

Su Ci knew how difficult it was to get close to Lu Zhe. Despite being more beautiful than a fairy, she had to worry about whether the young man before her would kiss her - how pitiful she was!

After a while, Lu Zhe sighed.

He reached out with his large hand, suddenly covering Su Ci's eyes with his cold palm, blocking her overly bright gaze.

Su Ci was startled but cooperatively closed her eyes.

She felt the coolness on her eyelids.

The next moment, something lightly touched her lips.

Soft and cool.

Just a gentle brush.

Then, Lu Zhe's magnetic voice sounded near her ear, "Is that enough?"

Su Ci quickly shook her head, being greedy, "Not enough, kiss me a few more times."

Lu Zhe's hand covering Su Ci's eyes trembled.

His cool lips fell on Su Ci's red lips again, still just a gentle touch before withdrawing.

The epitome of gentlemanly behavior.