Reflected Glory
After lunch, Xia Zhijun asked. “What do you want to do this afternoon?”
Gu Siyi considered for a moment and said, “I don’t have much time before going back to school. Let’s go to the shopping mall. I want to buy some things to take back to school.”
“More books?” Xia Zhijun teased.
Gu Siyi: “….”
I don’t want to deal with this person anymore!
Xia Zhijun called a taxi and took Gu Siyi to the shopping mall.
Gu Siyi browsed through several boutiques, picking out various items. She bought a bunch of stuff, specifically choosing a beautiful water cup and a cute pillow. Then, she hesitated in front of the slipper shelf and asked Xia Zhijun, “Which looks better?”
This was the first time in his life that Xia Zhijun had accompanied a girl shopping and finally understood why there were so many jokes online about men accompanying women shopping. The girl beside him, with her seemingly delicate figure, had such tremendous energy, happily strolling around without any sign of fatigue. She would meticulously compare items from different stores before making a choice, completely unfazed by the effort.
Faced with Gu Siyi’s question, he casually replied, “Either is fine.”
In an unexpected eye contact, Gu Siyi noticed the fatigue in his eyes. Feeling embarrassed, she said, “Find a place to sit.”
Original translation only on WhimsicalReads.com, if reading elsewhere, know that it was plagiarised/taken without our consent. Please support us by reading on our site.
“It’s okay.” Xia Zhijun’s gaze wandered over several pairs of slippers. They all seemed pretty much the same to him, but to avoid appearing too indifferent, he casually pointed to one pair and said, “This one looks good.”
“Hey, I also think it looks good, then it’s settled!” Gu Siyi happily took off that pair of shoes.
Gu Siyi moved to other areas, with Xia Zhijun walking beside her, pushing the shopping cart filled with her spoils.
Xia Zhijun looked at the array of items and casually remarked, “You’re quite the shopper. Your future husband better have money.”
Gu Siyi felt embarrassed and quickly explained, “Some of these are gifts for my classmates.” To boost credibility, she explained one by one, “The pillow was for Xiang Li, it’s themed after her favorite mobile game. The cup is for Xinyi; she said she liked mine last time, so I got her the same one. The slippers are for Weiwei….”
“Are you a personal shopper?” Xia Zhijun raised an eyebrow.
“No, they are just small gifts for them.” Deep down, Gu Siyi felt grateful for those friends. When she was being unjustly ostracized, they took the initiative to stand by her. Towards those who were kind to her, she wanted to be even kinder in return.
“Oh.” Xia Zhijun faintly responded. Quite unexpectedly, she is friendly and close* with her classmates.
[*It’s actually solidarity and friendship, but we just couldn’t get that in English. So, that’s the essence.]
After Gu Siyi was done shopping, she said, “I’m going to the snack store over there to buy some food. It’s a hassle to carry everything around. You wait here in the rest area, I’ll be back soon.”
“Okay.” Xia Zhijun sat down, idly playing with his phone, bored.
He was dressed casually, with a light-colored shirt and dark trousers, exuding a lazy and languid aura. However, his cold and noble temperament, coupled with his exquisite features, made him stand out. Even while sitting, he was exceptionally eye-catching. Women passing by frequently glanced back for a second look, and some even hid in corners to sneakily take pictures of him. Yet, those who dared to approach him were, without exception, left disappointedly.
Not long after, Gu Siyi came back with her things. Xia Zhijun put away his phone and got up.
Just as he was about to pick up the bags beside him, Gu Siyi handed him a paper bag. “For you.”
“???” Xia Zhijun took it and peeked inside.
“There are strawberry chocolates, rainbow candies, marshmallows… I specifically picked out highly-rated snacks trending online, they’re all sweet treats you like.”
She had noticed that Xia Zhijun enjoyed eating sweets. Sometimes during morning self-study sessions, while others were studying diligently, he would leisurely munch on candy while reading, looking particularly relaxed and charming.
“Why did you buy these for me?” he asked.
“For you, a token of gratitude for spending a pleasant weekend with me.” Gu Siyi smiled.
Hehe…. The little girl is pretty good at buying people’s hearts.
Original translation only on WhimsicalReads.com, if reading elsewhere, know that it was plagiarised/taken without our consent. Please support us by reading on our site.
♥
The two of them returned to school together, with Xia Zhijun carrying all the bags as usual.
Gu Siyi was very adaptable. The last time she felt embarrassed, but this time, she silently experienced what it’s like to be taken care of by a guy.
Not bad.
She quietly glanced at the tall and handsome Xia Zhijun next to her, curling her lips.
“What are you smiling about?”
“Huh? Was I smiling?”
“Silly.” He lightly chuckled.
Along the way, people kept greeting Gu Siyi.
“Gu Siyi~”
“Hi, Siyi~ back to school~”
“Siyi, Siyi~”
“Siyi spent the weekend with her gege, heh~”
“Gu Siyi~”
“Siyi~ wanna grab dinner together?”
Gu Siyi hurriedly responded to all the various people calling out to her.
When she finally had a moment, Xia Zhijun said, “You’re quite popular.”
She chuckled, “It’s not usually like this. Today’s an exception. Do you want to know why?”
“I don’t want to know,” he replied indifferently.
“….” Gu Siyi’s attempt to pique his curiosity backfired*.
[*lit. Gu Siyi, who was acting mysterious, was directly buried in a hole by a certain someone]
She took a deep breath and said earnestly, “If you keep talking like this, you will end up having no friends, you know?”
“Doesn’t matter.”
“All right, let’s continue our previous topic. It’s not that I am very popular but because you were with me today as we returned to school together. Their enthusiastic greetings were to get your attention, to make you take notice.”
Gu Siyi wasn’t speculating out of thin air; she had heard those girls gossip about it before. They had even asked her to cooperate and say a few more words, hoping to leave an impression on the male god.
“You have no idea how popular you are among the girls. They even said they want to line up to please me, their future sister-in-law…,” As she spoke she couldn’t hold back her laughter. Thanks to him, she experienced what it felt like to be the centre of attention among the girls*.
[*众星捧月 zhòng xīng pěng yuè lit. all the stars cup themselves around the moon (idiom, from Analects); fig. to view sb as core figure; to group around a revered leader; to revolve around sb.]
“Future sister-in-law?” Xia Zhijun glanced at her.
Why does her cheerful demeanor seem so… annoying?
Gu Siyi couldn’t help but laugh again. “Yes, I, this meimei, am basking in reflected glory*.”
[*狐假虎威 (hú jiǎ hǔ wēi): fox borrowing the tiger’s fierceness (meaning using someone else’s power or authority)]
Before they reached the dormitory building, Xia Zhijun handed the bags to Gu Siyi and said, “I have something to do, go back to the dorm by yourself.”
Original translation only on WhimsicalReads.com, if reading elsewhere, know that it was plagiarised/taken without our consent. Please support us by reading on our site.
Gu Siyi took the bags and said, “Hmm, thanks Xia gege, go ahead and take care of your business.”
Xia Zhijun looked at her and said slowly, “Hereon, don’t ever call me gege.”
Uh….
“I don’t have a cheap meimei,” Xia Zhijun said coldly and walked away with long strides.
“……???”
“…………”
Gu Siyi deeply realised at this moment the saying “extreme joy begets sorrow,” the truth behind “don’t pretend to be something you’re not, or you’ll be struck by lightning,” and the essence of “silent waters run deep.” … a powerfully interpreted Regret.jpg