Green Tea Villainess Fails 32

Chapter 32

“Qin Ai, let’s go to the second floor,” Zuo Bian said as they entered the mall.

The second floor was where Zuo Bian had scouted the area yesterday. She had already set her sights on a few watches and necklaces, and she wanted to see which ones Qin Ai liked.

“Okay.”

They stepped onto the escalator together. As they were about to reach the second floor, Qin Ai suddenly asked, “Do you remember where we first met?”

Zuo Bian answered quickly, “It was on the second floor of this mall. You were robbed, and I saved you.”

“This is the place.”

“Huh?” Zuo Bian looked confused, not understanding what Qin Ai meant.

The escalator brought them to the second floor. The familiar bright lights shone down, and Zuo Bian instinctively squinted.

Her memory returned, and she suddenly realized, “I remember now, it was indeed on the second floor of this mall.”

“Mm.” Qin Ai recalled that day. She could have escaped on her own without Zuo Bian’s help.

Everyone was scared. Her employees, who usually talked a big game, were the first to run and hide when danger struck. Not a single one of them even thought about resisting.

Qin Ai understood. When you were powerless against criminals, it was best to submit quietly. Besides, she wasn’t close to these people, so she couldn’t blame them.

She didn’t immediately subdue the robbers because resisting seemed pointless to her.

Until that girl, like a sharp ray of light piercing through the darkness, charged forward and knocked down the robbers, asking her, “Miss, are you alright?”

In this incomplete world, Zuo Bian was the only special existence.

A single drop of water falling onto a calm surface, creating ripples that spread outwards. The ripples gradually faded, and the surface seemed to return to its peaceful state, but only seemingly.

The strings of Qin Ai’s heart had already been plucked.

==

“I almost forgot, this place looks a bit different now.” Zuo Bian looked around.

Qin Ai nodded. “Mm, after that day, I removed the manager in charge of this floor. The person managing it now is someone I recently promoted.”

“Oh, I see.”

“Let’s go, we shouldn’t just stand here talking. Didn’t you say you wanted to go shopping?”

Zuo Bian took Qin Ai’s hand and looked up at her with a smile. “Let’s go.”

Qin Ai was stunned for a moment, looking down at their clasped hands.

Zuo Bian explained, “Is this strange? Isn’t it normal for girls to hold hands while shopping?”

Qin Ai suddenly chuckled. “Yes, it’s very normal.”

【Host, you’re getting better and better. You’ve truly mastered the essence of the Green Tea Handbook. Using all sorts of excuses to get intimate with her while maintaining the facade of a pure friendship, perfect!】

‘Thank you for the compliment.’

“Qin Ai, I want to buy you a gift.” Zuo Bian said.

“Why do you suddenly want to give me a gift?”

Zuo Bian thought for a moment. “Because you’ve helped me a lot since we met, and you’re my first friend, so I want to give you a gift.”

“It’s been a long time since I last received a gift from someone.” Qin Ai said with a smile.

Zuo Bian led Qin Ai towards the counter where she had seen the necklace she liked yesterday. “You’ll receive my gift soon. I’m just worried you might not like it, so I want to see what you like first and then buy it for you.”

“A necklace? I do need a necklace.” Actually, Qin Ai never wore necklaces.

Zuo Bian nodded. “I also thought about getting you a watch, but you already have one. And your watch… you’ve been wearing it for a long time, haven’t you? You must really like it.”

Qin Ai was wearing a white watch on her left wrist. Although it was well-maintained, there were some signs of wear and tear.

Qin Ai raised her left hand, showing the watch. She looked down and said, “It has been a long time, but I can’t say I like it that much. It’s just a habit.”

Zuo Bian sensed that there might be a story behind Qin Ai’s watch, but Qin Ai didn’t seem like she wanted to talk about it, so she didn’t ask. She casually pointed at a rose gold necklace under the glass. “Qin Ai, what do you think of this necklace?”

Qin Ai lowered her hand and followed Zuo Bian’s finger. “It’s alright.”

Zuo Bian frowned and shook her head. “No, you like white. Let’s choose a different color.”

Finally, Zuo Bian’s gaze landed on a silver necklace. At the end of the necklace dangled a small, star-shaped pendant.

“How about this one, Qin Ai? What do you think?” Zuo Bian turned to Qin Ai excitedly.

At that moment, a saleswoman with a sweet smile approached them. “This is our latest pendant. It’s made of platinum, and the pendant is a 5mm platinum sphere with nine diamonds inlaid on it. The necklace reflects different colors under different lighting. It’s sparkling and radiant, like a star, with a beautiful meaning.”

After listening to the saleswoman’s explanation, Zuo Bian liked the necklace even more. She looked at Qin Ai expectantly, waiting for her opinion.

After a moment, Qin Ai said, “I like it very much.”

“Then I’ll buy it for you.” Zuo Bian took out a card from her bag and said confidently, “Charge it to my card.”

She didn’t even look at the price. There were too many zeros, she didn’t bother counting.

After buying the necklace, Zuo Bian couldn’t wait to put it on Qin Ai.

“Qin Ai, lower your head a little, I’ll put it on for you.” Zuo Bian was a few centimeters shorter than Qin Ai, and with Qin Ai wearing high heels, the height difference was even more significant.

Qin Ai bent down slightly, brushing her hair aside with one hand, allowing Zuo Bian to easily put the necklace around her neck.

The diamond-studded little star rested above Qin Ai’s chest. The bright lights shone on it, reflecting a faint icy blue glow, as if it was made of ice and snow, blending seamlessly with Qin Ai’s fair skin.

Qin Ai looked up at Zuo Bian, her eyes softening as she smiled gently. “Thank you.”

Zuo Bian stared at Qin Ai, completely mesmerized.

Qin Ai’s beauty was undeniable, but she rarely smiled, and even when she did, it was often a polite or a cold smile. This was the first time Zuo Bian had seen her smile so genuinely and softly.

“What’s wrong?”

Zuo Bian snapped out of her daze upon hearing Qin Ai’s voice. “This is the first time I’ve seen you smile so relaxed.”

“Is that so?” Qin Ai knew the answer was yes. She hadn’t smiled like that in a long time.

Then Qin Ai said, “Since you’ve given me a gift, I should reciprocate. What do you want? I can buy it for you.”

Zuo Bian shook her head with a smile. “No need, I’m already very happy that you accompanied me shopping today.”

“I’ve already set my sights on a beverage factory. I’ve sent someone to negotiate, and it’s estimated that I can take over within a week.”

Zuo Bian’s eyes widened in surprise. “So fast? Can they develop new drinks?”

Qin Ai nodded with a smile. “Anything you want.”

Just thinking about being able to have any drink she wanted in the future, and even developing new flavors, made Zuo Bian beam with joy.

“Besides drinks, you seem to like plushies. Do you want to go upstairs and take a look?”

Zuo Bian readily agreed to Qin Ai’s suggestion. She loved anything soft and fluffy.

Now it was 555’s turn to be excited. It cheered in Zuo Bian’s mind, 【Host, you must choose a lot of plushies, so I can have a new body every day!】

The third floor looked completely different from the second floor they had just been on. The second floor was filled with all kinds of precious metals and jewels, bathed in cold light. While the third floor was filled with plush toys, children’s toys, and stationery. Most of the shoppers here were parents with their children, with a few young couples scattered here and there.

Cheerful children’s songs played over the speakers, and some children even hummed along.

Looking at the wall full of large plushies and the shelves filled with smaller ones, these simple-faced, short-armed, and short-legged cuties captured Zuo Bian’s heart.

“What should I do? I like so many of them.” Zuo Bian gently poked the little foot of a frog plushie.

“Then buy them all.”

Zuo Bian mumbled, “But my bed isn’t that big.”

While Qin Ai was accompanying Zuo Bian in looking at plushies, Zuo Yuan and his assistant also arrived at the mall.

Zuo Yuan had a reason for coming here. He wanted to buy a gift for his sister. Zuo Bian’s preferences were simple: drinks and plush toys.

As for why he chose this particular mall, it was because he had discreetly texted Zuo Bian’s bodyguards and learned that she was here. He thought he might bump into his sister if he came here to shop.

As for Qin Ai, who was shopping with his sister, Zuo Yuan had completely ignored her in his mind.

Zuo Yuan took the elevator directly to the third floor. He adjusted the gold chain around his neck, looking at his reflection in the elevator’s polished walls. He gave himself a confident smile.

This was the necklace his sister had given him. Although it did look tacky at first glance, just look at its golden shine and its solid weight, it was all his sister’s love for him!

So how could he dislike a gift from his sister? He had to wear it! And it had to be visible.

Zuo Yuan stepped out of the elevator. He was wearing a custom-made suit, but a thick gold chain, as thick as his little finger, hung around his neck. To make matters worse, the person in charge of the mall music must have been feeling nostalgic and was playing “Yi Jian Mei,” a classic Chinese song. Zuo Yuan’s overall look was… indescribable.

If it weren’t for his good looks, he would have looked incredibly tacky.

Zuo Yuan, wanting to buy a gift for his sister, naturally came to the area with plushies and, just as reasonably, bumped into Zuo Bian and Qin Ai.

Zuo Yuan pretended to straighten his clothes and strode towards Zuo Bian, a smile on his face. “Xiao Bian, what a coincidence—”

The last word got stuck in his throat because he happened to see the platinum and diamond necklace with a star pendant on Qin Ai’s neck.

Qin Ai noticed Zuo Yuan’s gaze. She lifted the necklace with her finger and said with a smirk, “This is a gift Xiao Bian just gave me.”

One was a low-key yet luxurious and classy necklace, while the other was a tacky and gaudy gold chain.

At that moment, the mall music reached the iconic line: “Snowflakes falling, north wind blowing…”

Zuo Yuan’s mood perfectly matched the lyrics. The wind was howling, the snow was falling, his heart was cold.