Miss Cousin is Always Busy

An awkward meal ensued after the servant placed the drinks and desserts on the coffee table and left.

"If there is anywhere you two want to go this afternoon, I can go with you," Jun Zishu said after thinking about what she should do with this awkward situation.

After taking a mouthful of milk and wiping her mouth with a napkin, He Bailing said, "I don't have anywhere I want to visit in particular. Also, don't you dislike going out?"

"If you want to go somewhere, I can accompany you," Jun Zishu said.

Qin Youran clicked her tongue and recalled the past activities she used to do with her friends before entering high school. However, no matter how she thought about it, visiting arcades, pubs, and karaoke centers didn't seem like activities Jun Zishu would do.

What else can we do?

"Let me take a look at your wardrobe," Qin Youran said as she pointed at the nearby wardrobe. Then, after getting a nod from Jun Zishu, Qin Youran approached the wardrobe and opened it.

There weren't many clothes inside the wardrobe. Moreover, most of them were of the same style.

Qin Youran fell into thought as she looked at the clothes in front of her. Then, she asked, "Auntie must've bought these clothes for you, right?"

"Mhm."

"Why don't we go shopping in the afternoon?"

""Shopping?""

Two voices rang out simultaneously. One of the voices belonged to He Bailing, and her voice sounded slightly high-pitched and expressed feelings of surprise. The other voice belonged to Jun Zishu, but her voice sounded confused instead.

"Didn't I tell you that you need to change your image? Now that you've made some changes to your face, it's time to move on to your clothes," Qin Youran said, her mind already pondering which style of clothing would suit Jun Zishu the best.

"But didn't you say it's alright to stay like this?" Jun Zishu furrowed her eyebrows as bad memories resurfaced in her mind. She did not wish to experience another wall slam+confession. It'd be best if she could maintain a low profile as she did now.

"Don't you want to buy new clothes? Just treat it as you accompanying me to shopping, then. Also, you don't need to worry about those troublesome matters like before," Qin Youran said, seemingly understanding Jun Zishu's worries. Then, she walked up to Jun Zishu, leaned into the latter's ear, and whispered, "So long as you think I am qualified to interfere with your affairs, your life will remain the same as before. Leave everything else for me to deal with."

Qin Youran was confident in her ability to keep unnecessary pests away.

"Okay, then."

Seeing Jun Zishu agreeing with her, Qin Youran's mood brightened up significantly.

Shopping? Jun Zishu wanted to go shopping?

He Bailing couldn't help but be surprised by Jun Zishu's decision. No matter how she looked at it, Jun Zishu's behavior today was vastly different from before.

Meanwhile, the person who had caused these changes in Jun Zishu was none other than Qin Youran. Realizing this, He Bailing couldn't help but feel a little angry and sad.

Why didn't Jun Zishu say anything about making a new friend?

Why would Jun Zishu change so much for Qin Youran?

Why was Jun Zishu willing to behave so intimately with Qin Youran and even agree to go shopping with her? Moreover, there was even a hint of ambiguity hidden in the words they exchanged.

He Bailing felt that she should be happy that her close friend had become a brighter person. However, the reality was that she couldn't bring herself to be happy at all.

Although He Bailing wanted Jun Zishu to make friends, she also hoped that Jun Zishu wouldn't be so close with her other friends. If possible, she wanted to forever remain as Jun Zishu's most important friend.

He Bailing couldn't help but criticize herself for having such terrible thoughts. However, when she met eyes with Qin Youran, she immediately stopped berating herself. This was because she knew that Qin Youran also harbored such thoughts.

What a hateful person.

Such a thought appeared in the minds of He Bailing and Qin Youran simultaneously.

"Do you want to join us? If you don't like shopping, you can head somewhere else while we shop for clothes. Then, we'll meet up again once we're done," Jun Zishu asked as she looked at He Bailing, making sure not to ignore this little friend of hers.

"How can I not go with you when you're buying clothes? While I doubt I can afford any of the clothes you're buying, I can at least tell you if they look good on you or not," He Bailing said with a slightly embarrassed smile. However, the meaning in her words was firm.

Qin Youran narrowed her eyes at He Bailing and remained silent.

A few hours after the three girls finished their drinks and dessert, Qin Xiaoman called them down for lunch.

Jun Qi was already seated at the dining table when the three girls came downstairs. He had just returned from an autograph meeting from outside the country to celebrate his daughter's birthday.

"Uncle."

"Hello, Uncle."

Qin Youran and He Bailing greeted Jun Qi, to which Jun Qi responded with a happy smile.

"Sit, sit. No need to be polite. Eat more if anything catches your taste," Jun Qi said to Qin Youran and He Bailing. Then, he grabbed some meat and put it into Jun Zishu's bowl, saying, "The cook prepared your favorite dish today, Yaoyao."

In response, Jun Zishu quietly nodded and started eating.

When Qin Youran saw that Jun Zishu didn't talk much, even with her parents, she couldn't help but feel a little delighted. After all, if she used this situation as a reference, the bookworm could be considered quite talkative when around her.

Afterward, when Qin Xiaoman heard that Jun Zishu would be going shopping in the afternoon, she generously gave her daughter a debit card and said, "Buy whatever you want. If you don't have enough money, just give Mommy a call, and I'll top up more money for you."

"Mhm, thank you, Mommy."

Jun Zishu obediently nodded. She loved mothers who gave her money without giving her lectures the most.

…

Upon arriving at the mall, Qin Youran brought Jun Zishu and He Bailing to the clothing store she frequented. When they arrived, a salesclerk immediately welcomed them with a smile and said, "Miss Qin, you're back. Our shop just brought in a new shipment of clothes recently. Do you want to take a look at them?"

Judging by the salesclerk's behavior, Jun Zishu and He Bailing could quickly tell that Qin Youran visited this shop frequently.

The salesclerk naturally noticed the indifferent Jun Zishu and the calm He Bailing as well. After working in this shop for the past few years, she had already honed her eye for clothing to exceptional levels. So, she could tell at a glance that while Jun Zishu's clothes looked simple, every article of clothing the girl wore came from a luxury brand. The prices of such clothing were also exorbitant.

As for the girl standing at the back…she only wore cheap and normal clothing.

The salesclerk failed to understand why someone like He Bailing was together with Qin Youran and Jun Zishu. However, she didn't care to understand, either. Instead, she simply took note of He Bailing's budget and continued doing her job with a smile.

"No need to introduce anything to me for now. We'll look around by ourselves."

"Very well, Miss Qin. I will be waiting nearby. If you need anything, feel free to call me."

"Mhm."

Qin Youran waved the salesclerk away and started browsing the clothes in the shop.

While browsing, Qin Youran didn't forget to check for Jun Zishu's and He Bailing's reactions.

However, the moment Qin Youran turned to look at the two, she nearly exploded from rage.

He Bailing was linking arms with Jun Zishu!

He Bailing never thought that she would one day step inside such an extravagant shop. She never dared to harbor such thoughts, either. Yet, she was doing so today.

However, the more He Bailing looked at the clothes sold here, the clearer she could sense the gap between her and Jun Zishu.

He Bailing felt a little suffocated. To cheer herself up, she decided to link arms with Jun Zishu.

"Which one do you like, Yaoyao? I think that one looks nice."

"I think it's fine." Jun Zishu nodded. She didn't have much of an opinion when it came to clothing.

"Come try this one, Yaoyao; I want to see how you look in it. Do you like this style?" Qin Youran beckoned at Jun Zishu from nearby, a dress in her other hand.

"I think that's fine as well."

"Come try it on if you like it."

"Okay."

Jun Zishu received the dress Qin Youran held and made her way to the fitting room. Then, she quickly changed into the dress and walked out.

"Try this one next," Qin Youran said as she caressed her chin. Although the first dress looked nice on Jun Zishu, it didn't match her temperament.

"Okay."

Subsequently, Jun Zishu tried on multiple clothes that Qin Youran chose. Qin Youran's reaction was mixed, and she eventually settled on two that she was satisfied with.

"Which one do you like better between these two?"

"Both are fine."

"Let's buy both, then. Clerk, pack them for us."

He Bailing seldom came into contact with high-end clothing like the ones sold in this shop. So, she could only judge whether something looked good or bad based on her feelings. Even so, she still picked out two articles for Jun Zishu, and both looked pretty good on her.

However, Qin Youran couldn't bear to watch this scene. She had brought Jun Zishu and He Bailing to come shopping for two reasons. Firstly, she wanted to add more variety to Jun Zishu's clothing style. Secondly, she wanted to prove to He Bailing that she was the superior among them.

Letting Jun Zishu wear the clothes He Bailing chose?

Not a chance!

Thus, Qin Youran relied on her fashion sense and started nitpicking on the two articles He Bailing chose, her harsh comments pushing the salesclerk to the brink of tears. However, the salesclerk had also noticed the seemingly bad relationship between Qin Youran and He Bailing, so she chose to keep her mouth shut.

After turning a corner, Qin Youran had her attention drawn to a particular rack of clothing. Then, a look of interest appeared on her face as she asked, "Those look pretty good. Are they part of the same series?"

"This is our new flagship series this season, Twins. In plain terms, they're clothes meant for close friends."

One could tell at a glance that the clothes hanging on this rack were made to be sold in pairs. Moreover, the prices of the clothes here were much higher than the other clothes sold in the shop. This was especially true for the best-looking pair.

"Why is this pair so much more expensive than the others?" Qin Youran asked, her eyes fixated on the best-looking pair of blouses.

"Because, unlike the other pairs, there is no stock for this one. This pair is the Twins series's No.1, and it is unique in this world. Moreover, it is available in one size. Although we have had customers who wanted to buy the pair, they couldn't fit in it," the salesclerk eagerly introduced. If she could sell this pair of clothes today, she would be earning a sizable commission.

"The chief designer of our brand designed this pair. The designer used to have a very close friend, but her friend fell seriously ill and passed at 16 years old. To commemorate her long-lost friend, the chief designer made this pair based on her and her friend's sizes when they were teenagers. So, this pair is more suitable for young people to wear," the salesclerk continued. Then, her eyes wandered between Qin Youran and Jun Zishu for a moment before she asked, "May I know if you are close friends with this young lady here, Miss Qin?"

"Of course."

"I think you two can give them a try. They should fit you two just right. Even if they don't fit, you can still choose from other pairs in the series."

"We'll try them," Qin Youran said. She felt that this pair of clothing fit her goals perfectly.

"Right away."

The salesclerk immediately took down the pair and passed them to Qin Youran. Of the two articles, one was a mix of blue and white, while the other was pink and white.

In reality, this pair of clothes didn't fit Qin Youran's and Jun Zishu's usual clothing style. Qin Youran typically wore clothes colored black, white, or khaki, and Jun Zishu was more or less the same.

However, the design of the clothes was exceptional. Moreover, there was even the label of "Twins." Thus, Qin Youran disregarded the fact that the clothes didn't match her usual style. Not to mention, it wouldn't be a bad idea to change styles from time to time.

"Let's go and get changed," Qin Youran said as she dragged Jun Zishu into a fitting room.