Han Lie immediately noticed that the system’s description was slightly different from before.
A mysterious and special purchase? So, would the gift be any different?
Stirred by immense anticipation, Han Lie took a deep breath and opened his inventory.
There was a pure black... rope?!
Han Lie was a bit flustered and quickly looked at the item description.
[When you put a collar on pets like cats and dogs, and secure them with a leash, you can rest assured while taking them out for a stroll.]
[Effect: Obedience +50, Happiness +50]
[Note: Clearly, they’re not just for walking dogs.]
Han Lie was overjoyed. If he used it to raise a Husky, how much trouble would that save him?! Yeah, that’s it. Excitement!
Han Lie closed the inventory with satisfaction, casting a stealthy glance at Yu Yun’s snow-white neck.
The necklace looks pretty.
Yu Yun was almost delirious with joy, grinning foolishly at herself in the mirror.
And as soon as she saw Fang Feifei, she waved eagerly, "Feifei, come quick! Look at the necklace Lie Ge gave me, isn’t it beautiful?"
Fang Feifei was completely stunned, looking back and forth between Yu Yun and Han Lie, then at Yu Yun’s necklace, and back at Han Lie...
Soon, her eyes were filled with grievance, as if she was about to burst into tears at any moment.
Her lips puckered, letting out a whining, drawn-out whimper.
Han Lie was in a good mood and didn’t want to deal with such trivial bothers, so he firmly promised, "You’ll have one too, go and choose it yourself!"
Fang Feifei immediately burst into laughter, her tears forgotten, but Yu Yun was not pleased at all.
She coquettishly tugged Han Lie’s arm, "Don’t pay attention to her! Please, please~~~"
Fang Feifei quickly squeezed over and hugged Han Lie’s other arm. "Look at her! Why is she so disgustingly annoying~~~"
Han Lie, who was usually hard to amuse, couldn’t help but be tickled by their antics.
Where the heck did they learn this? Crazy!
"If you two don’t let go, I might have to take action!"
Han Lie threatened with a mischievous grin, and both girls blushed, withdrawing their hands as if they had been electrocuted.
Lie Ge’s "action" was usually too much for most girls to handle.
At the very least, the setting wasn’t appropriate!
However, although they were no longer clinging to his arm, Fang Feifei and Yu Yun didn’t settle down and continued to bicker.
The customers and saleswomen who were already in the store were very intrigued watching this unfold.
Several female customers were assessing Han Lie with baffled looks, sizing him up completely from head to toe.
The more they looked, the more perplexed they became. How did this young boy have such charm? Handsome but ordinary, dressed averagely well, and even on the skinny side, it didn’t seem to add up...
Not only could they not understand, Han Lie himself was surprised.
It was only because it was at Renwen and just after the start of the school year. If it were a different school or a different time, such a scene would never have occurred.
Renwen was too small and insular. The classmates they interacted with closely were so few that Han Lie stood out like a crane among chickens.
And the timing was also particularly delicate, just when they were ready to frolic but hadn’t yet seen much of the world—a critical stage.
The most important reason was—
Xi Luting was in their class, and Pan Ge attended the School of International Studies. They essentially captured all the attention from their peers and monopolized the high-achieving boys at the university. This, in turn, made both Yu Yun and Fang Feifei lose their confidence as beauties.
Without so many internal and external factors, they might still have liked Han Lie, but not with such fervor.
Oh, right, another important reason was that they were rivals to begin with; competing head-on was a key factor.
In any case, this was the first time in Han Lie’s two lifetimes that he had enjoyed such treatment.
Even Duan Xiaoyi, who had been involved with both of them, had never been "fought over" .
When Duan Xiaoyi and Fang Feifei first got together, Yu Yun often mocked Fang Feifei behind her back, laughing at her poor taste.
Later, when Yu Yun herself married Duan Xiaoyi, she probably realized that marrying a rich fool wasn’t so bad.
A house and residence registration were instantly arranged, and she was in charge of the household—winning big time, right?
Back to the main point, overall, this was an accident not easily replicated.
Lie Ge himself was also deeply troubled.
You two tools aren’t fulfilling your proper roles but are always thinking of usurping—unacceptable!
Irritably pulling out 500 yuan, he quickly interrupted their quarrel, "Hey, the standards are the same! But it must be a necklace. Go pick yours."
Fang Feifei leaned over the counter, looking closely, and quickly chose a pink swan, the same design as Yu Yun’s.
"Lie Ge, I want this one!"
Yu Yun was on the verge of exploding.
"Why do you have to wear the same one as me?!"
"I like pink! What’s it to you?"
Fang Feifei retorted with righteous indignation, then suddenly looked at Han Lie with a shy face. "Lie Ge, do you like pink too?"
Han Lie forcefully swallowed.
My God, what you’re asking... can that even be written down?
It was no wonder Han Lie’s mind was racing – her expression was totally off!
Yu Yun felt faint, and everything before her eyes went dark; she felt she was approaching the limits of her tolerance.
Otherwise... should I just suffocate her tonight? I can’t use a pillow; that would be murder. Just cuddle her in my sleep – if she really died, it would be an accident!
Fang Feifei sensed Yu Yun’s intense malice but didn’t care in the slightest.
Blissfully, she put on the necklace, insisting on dragging Han Lie over to give his opinion.
The saleswoman looked at the cash spread on the counter, then at the beaming Fang Feifei, thinking this young man was nothing short of awesome.
Lie Ge didn’t feel awesome.
He felt like he was about to become a total idiot.
Outside the store, Xi Luting, Liu Yajie, Duan Xiaoyi, as well as individuals known as Nose-Picker and Bark-Sticker, among others, stood before the floor-to-ceiling windows, watching the drama inside with a mix of amusement and indifference.
Holy cow! Ting Ting, listen to my excuse!
Lie Ge was about to move when he suddenly realized—Why the heck would I even bother explaining? What I like is Little Yellow Cucumber; my love is meant to bloom online. The Xi Luting offline is just a nobody, okay? It’s a rare treat when my two tools are this enthusiastic, so why should I care what you think! The more upset you get, the better... After all, I never planned to chase after you offline.
Once he figured this out, Han Lie wasn’t in a hurry anymore.
He gave a hearty smile to the classmates outside the window, his two rows of small white teeth shining brightly, and he even waved his hand casually at the end.
A superstar! Absolutely the demeanor of a superstar!
And then, as expected, Xi Luting got sulky, feeling like her idol had just crashed and burned.
Our conversation this afternoon was so pleasant, and I was just starting to admire you. Now you’re acting like a complete jerk? Damn scumbag!
Xi Luting turned on her heel and left, pretending not to have seen Han Lie’s gesture.
Everyone was used to her aloofness, so they didn’t find anything amiss.
Only Liu Yajie, who shared a dorm with her, cast a suspicious look at Xi Luting’s retreating figure.
Could it be... No, impossible!
She shook her head, dismissing the implausible thought.
Having left Swarovski, the group collectively decided to stop shopping and go see the night view instead.
The group headed straight for Xintiandi.
As one of the top ten attractions in the Magic Capital, Xintiandi was indeed very beautiful, even a little magical.
But today’s sightseeing trip was far from pleasant.
Xi Luting was calm and cool, rarely speaking.
Duan Xiaoyi had a long face the entire time, exuding a cloud of negativity.
Chen Ping fully embodied the traditional role of the Berserker, mumbling and grumbling non-stop.
And the two who could have been peacemakers, Yu Yun and Fang Feifei, were too preoccupied with their mutual disdain and resentment to bother smoothing things over.
So, after just twenty minutes of lackluster touring, everyone lost interest.
"This is boring. I’m going home!"
Duan Xiaoyi was the first to speak up. After her blunt comment, she left on her own.
"Fine, let’s call it a day then."
Right after, Xi Luting calmly announced the end of the outing.
Some were caught off guard, others felt relieved, but nobody objected.
Everyone half-heartedly said, "We had a lot of fun today; let’s do it again soon," but only Han Lie knew that the finance class would never organize a second large-scale gathering.
But that was okay, too.
Life is a journey from solitude to solitude. Some people accompany us longer, while others are with us for only a short leg of the trip.
For the latter, there’s no need to care about their names, where they come from, or where they’re going.
If you’re in the mood, just wave and smile. If not, don’t bother – just focus on yourself.
It’s not worth letting passersby affect your mood.
The Han Lie from a past life didn’t understand this principle, and as a result, lived a miserable existence.
In this life, of course, he wouldn’t make the same mistake again.
He laughed it off and quietly followed the main group back to school.
Upon reaching the dormitory door, he completely ignored the expectant yet reproachful looks from Fang Feifei and Yu Yun and made a swift getaway.
The dormitory was indeed empty; Ding Ding and the Northeasterner had either gone home or were out having fun.
Perfect, he could read for another hour.
Han Lie had planned it well, but after showering and casually logging onto the Jinjiang website, a new message caught all his attention.
[Proud Little Yellow Cucumber]: "Thanks for your support and encouragement! My QQ number is..."
That string of ten digits was so familiar that Han Lie had even memorized it.
The scoundrel grinned, laughing silently to himself.