Chapter 12 Sprain

The three of them arrived on the fourth floor, where Xu Shanshan went from store to store. She kept choosing those youthful and fashionable clothes, trying on one after another, which didn't seem to bother Xu Yingying at all. Li Yifei, on the other hand, was quite enthusiastic. For him, watching a beauty switch outfits for his appreciation was sheer enjoyment, something one could never tire of.

"Brother-in-law, what do you think of this outfit?" Finding discussions with her sister uninteresting, Xu Shanshan, after trying on an outfit, came right up to Li Yifei, twirled around, and asked with hopeful anticipation, "Brother-in-law, does it look good?"

Li Yifei nodded repeatedly and said, "Not bad at all, Shanshan. You in this type of clothing is most suitable, it really brings out your vitality."

In the morning, Li Yifei hadn't really appreciated Xu Shanshan's figure, but now that she was trying on clothes, his understanding of her figure deepened. From physical appearance alone, there was no difference between Xu Shanshan's figure and her sister's—they both had slender waists and long legs.

However, Xu Shanshan was a dancer, and her flexibility was superior. Every movement carried a sense of beauty, particularly when she twirled in front of Li Yifei while trying on clothes, which dazzled onlookers and left passing customers staring in amazement.

"You have a way with words, brother-in-law. I'll try on something else." Xu Shanshan didn't decide to buy the outfit right away but chose to try others. For her, trying on clothes was a joy, a pleasure, and buying them was secondary.

"Can you ever be done?" Xu Yingying was losing her patience at this point. She was completely different from Xu Shanshan. The purpose of trying on clothes was to buy them. She wouldn't try them if she wasn't buying—that was simply a waste of effort. Achieving the quickest result in the simplest way was her habit.

Xu Shanshan pouted and said, "What's the rush? It's only just past ten o'clock, we just need to head back before twelve."

"Then you guys keep shopping, I can't stand it. I'll go have something to drink on the first floor and wait for you." After saying this, Xu Yingying turned around and left decisively.

"Yingying!" Li Yifei called out feebly.

Xu Shanshan pulled on Li Yifei's arm and said, "Don't worry about her, she's always like this. Every time she comes out with me, she ends up going off to drink something. Brother-in-law, you keep me company."

"But your sister..." Li Yifei seemed somewhat troubled.

Xu Shanshan pouted again, "Humph, she's your girlfriend, but aren't I your little aunt? Come on, can't a little aunt ask for a small favor? You wouldn't refuse your little sister-in-law, would you?"

"Well... okay! I agree then, even if it means getting a scolding from your sister later." Li Yifei was just putting on an act; accompanying this little aunt was far more interesting and relaxing than being with Xu Yingying.

"Hee hee, she won't, though. Even though my sister can be a bit hot-tempered, at home, she still gives you face. Let's go..." Xu Shanshan cheerfully tugged at Li Yifei's arm, pulling him toward the next fashion store.

The two made their way through store after store, with Xu Shanshan occasionally trying on outfits and always showing them off in front of Li Yifei.

"Shanshan, you are like a clothing rack. Whatever you wear looks so good on you, it has a special charm," Li Yifei praised sincerely, "If only I were rich, I would buy all the clothes for you, so you could wear something different every day. Seeing you in various outfits would lighten up my mood."

"Giggle... Brother-in-law, if my sister heard that, she would definitely scold you."

"Hehe, I am speaking the truth. It's just that your brother-in-law is quite poor, so I can only buy you one outfit, and it can't be over a thousand, or else I'll be left with nothing but the Northwest wind to feast on next month."

Xu Shanshan came around in front of Li Yifei, her hands behind her back. She was a half-head shorter than Li Yifei, and she looked up at him with narrowed eyes and said, "Brother-in-law, my sister has money, why don't you just ask her for it?"

"A man can't live off a woman. Even though we're together, we keep our finances separate, so I can only offer so much. You can't rip off your brother-in-law."

Xu Shanshan suddenly slapped Li Yifei on the shoulder and said, "Alright, just for the fact that you don't try to punch above your weight, I approve of you."

"Hehe, and because you approve of me so much, I will definitely treat your sister well."

"Giggle... Well said, so I won't take advantage of you. It's better to take advantage of my sister, after all, she's the one with money."

"That won't do, it's my sentiment, it's something I want to buy for you. It's different from what your sister would buy for you."

Xu Shanshan looked at Li Yifei again, then her smile blossomed like summer flowers as she said, "Then I won't be polite. What I'm looking forward to the most right now is for you, my brother-in-law, to make a fortune soon. When that happens and I come to you to shop, you definitely won't be stingy."

"Of course, having such a Little Aunt, if I don't spoil her, then I'd be too much of a failure."

Although the two had only spent a little more than two hours together, by this point they talked as casually as old friends.

In the end, following Li Yifei's suggestion, Xu Shanshan bought a long woolen sweater and added a pair of light blue skinny jeans. As for over-the-knee boots, Xu Shanshan already had some, so she didn't buy another pair.

Xu Shanshan was very happy with the gift from Li Yifei. It pleased her even more than the things Xu Yingying bought for her. It wasn't about getting a bargain, but shopping with Yifei was simply fun, whereas shopping with her sister was just about buying clothes and having to endure Xu Yingying's nagging.

However, as they say, happiness can lead to sorrow. The two were so engaged in conversation that they didn't watch their step, and Xu Shanshan accidentally stepped on a banana peel.

Normally, such an incident wouldn't happen in a mall like this, as janitors would clean up promptly. Perhaps due to the increased number of customers during the New Year's period, the cleaners hadn't managed to keep up, and Xu Shanshan ended up being the unlucky one.

"Ah!" Xu Shanshan let out a cry, and her body was already falling backward when Li Yifei, with quick reflexes, stretched out his arm and had already caught her around the waist, then with a firm pull, he steadied her.

Out of instinct and momentum, Xu Shanshan immediately threw herself into Yifei's arms and clung tightly to his waist.

This took Yifei completely by surprise. Embracing such a soft and fragrant person was an unexpected blessing, and he couldn't describe how comfortable it felt. However, there were quite a few people around, and it wasn't convenient for him to continue enjoying the moment. If Yingying happened to come over at that time, he would be in a situation even hard to explain with a mouthful of excuses.

He gently patted Xu Shanshan's shoulder and said softly, "Shanshan, are you okay?"

Now that Xu Shanshan had somewhat recovered from the shock, she realized she was hugging Li Yifei and, feeling a bit embarrassed, she let go and stood upright. But she stumbled, let out a low cry, and grabbed Yifei's arm to steady herself once more.

"What's wrong?" Li Yifei felt something was amiss and quickly asked.

"My foot hurts, it seems like I twisted it just now." Xu Shanshan frowned, her face showing quite a bit of pain.

Li Yifei glanced around and said, "There's a chair over there, let me help you to sit down and take a look."

"Okay." Supported by Li Yifei, Xu Shanshan limped over to the chair with grunts of pain and sat down.

"Don't move, let me take a look." Li Yifei squatted next to Xu Shanshan, lifted her injured left leg onto his knee, rolled up her trouser leg, and started to carefully examine it.

Li Yifei moved Xu Shanshan's ankle and asked, "Does it hurt when I do this?"

Xu Shanshan immediately nodded and said, "It hurts."

"How about this?"

"This is a bit better."

"And this?"

"This doesn't hurt."

After testing a few times, Li Yifei said, "There's no serious problem; it's just a simple sprain. It should be fine after resting for a couple of days."

"Ah, two days? But it's the New Year, and I still want to go out and have fun," Xu Shanshan quickly pouted.