Chapter 1

Yuan Xi turned around in surprise: "Really?" She was afraid that Bu Huaiyu would change his mind again, as he truly looked very good in that outfit.

Yuan Xi did not run away this time, slightly awkwardly nodding without saying a word. Zhang Heng noticed the clothes in Yuan Xi's hand, and the smile on his face grew even more pronounced: "Quite in sync, aren't we?"

Yuan Xizheng exaggeratedly opened her mouth to bite into the bread, which was certainly not thin, layered with two slices of ham and one layer of fried egg. Upon hearing Pi Hui's words, she suddenly stopped. She was not afraid of gaining weight, but she truly minded the thought of becoming fat; what if she could no longer fit into her old clothes? Would she have to buy all new ones? How much would that cost?

Yuan Xi shook his head with a smile and then continued to watch his television

Pi Hui laughed without any restraint, took off his coat and tossed it onto the sofa, then hurriedly ran into the kitchen. On the stove, a rich soup was simmering over a low flame. As he lifted the lid of the clay pot, a thick aroma wafted out in layers.

Yuan Xi seemed to consider for a moment, then very carefully took out the bitten ham from his "Big Mac." Just as he placed it on the plate, he hesitated again, thought for a moment, and picked it up to stuff it back into the "Big Mac."

When Bu Huaiyu came out of the fitting room, he happened to witness this scene

Bu Huaiyu looked at Zhang Heng's playful expression and slightly frowned: "I asked how your clothes are."

Yuan Xi has always believed that if there must be someone entangled with her life, it should be Zhang Heng, not Bu Huaiyu, because according to the development patterns of romance novels, Zhang Heng is the one who has a dramatic encounter with her

One should not accept favors from others without the intention of reciprocating them

Ah? Then he pretended to be foolish and chuckled foolishly.

It must be admitted that the clothes indeed look very good on him, and Yuan Xi honestly nodded: "Very nice." Then he turned to the shop assistant and said: "Help me pick out one that is, hmm, a bit larger than this one."

Yuan Xi stopped in his tracks, as if pondering for a moment, then turned around and looked at Zhang Heng with a serious expression: "Do I look like a wealthy person?"

When Pi Hui finished washing up, Yuan Xi was already sitting at the dining table and had started eating. It was quite simple: slices of ham, a fried egg, two pieces of bread, and a glass of milk. Young people tend to sleep a lot and are lazy, often staying up late. For Yuan Xi to get up and prepare these meals is already quite commendable as a "virtuous wife and good mother"

As they were speaking, the door of another fitting room opened, and Bu Huaiyu also came out wearing that outfit. Yuan Xi's eyes lit up upon seeing him, and he pointed at Bu Huaiyu, saying to the sales assistant, "This size on him will do."

She was dragged out shopping by Pi Huqiang, but unexpectedly, before they had even finished half of their visit to Baisheng, Pi Hu was called away by a phone call from her boyfriend, leaving Yuan Xi to go solo. She didn't have much to buy, just wandering aimlessly, from cosmetics to jewelry, from women's clothing to men's clothing, and as she wandered, she ran into Zhang Heng.

Yuan Xi's hands are very warm, and holding them feels very comfortable

Yuan Xi suddenly touched his forehead and leaned closer to him, asking: "Look, what words are written on my forehead?"

Yuan Xi repeatedly expressed her gratitude, while Zhang Heng looked at her with a smile. When he saw Yuan Xi taking the list to pay, he teased her again, saying: "Pretty girl, considering how you just bothered me, how about giving me some compensation and buying this item for me as well"

Yuan Xi took a careful glance at Zhang Heng's forehead and scoffed, "I thought the words 'water intrusion' were written on my forehead, but it turns out they are written on yours."

"Oh, do you know what my most brilliant decision in this life is?" Pi Hui carefully brought out a bowl of steaming soup, slurping it along the edge of the bowl while smiling and asking.

Bu Huaiyu ignored him

Yuan Xiyi was taken aback, then slowly withdrew his hand from the palm of the leather glove, glancing at her short skirt that barely covered her backside: "Charm comes at a price; otherwise, how did the term 'beautiful and captivating' come about? Only those who are 'frozen' are truly 'beautiful'"

Yuan Xi did not even raise his head, "It is you who found your illustrious and formidable boyfriend."

As his fingers touched the intercostal area, he felt a slight itch. Yuan Xi smiled as he opened his hand, turned his head to continue watching television, and suddenly turned back to look at Pi Hui: "Where is the late-night snack you brought me?"

Zhang Heng followed behind him, murmuring softly: "I really must be sick, accompanying a grown man, and such an awkward grown man, to buy clothes"

Yuan Xi was munching on an apple when he saw Pi Hui returning and shouted at her: "Come over and learn, even crying requires skill!"

At that moment, Zhang Heng had his hands in his pockets, standing sideways in front of a men's clothing brand, waiting for Bu Huaiyu inside the fitting room. Perhaps he was standing too close to those plastic mannequins, and then he felt a breath very close to him. He looked down and saw a girl with a ponytail bending over, examining the clothes on herself. He smiled and then deliberately asked in a serious tone: "Miss, what are you looking for?"

Zhang Heng smiled: "Give it to me, otherwise how can it be called compensation"

To be honest, Yuan Xi does not actually like men like Zhang Heng, who are somewhat slick and glib, yet her face still turned a bit red. She pretended not to hear and turned her head to examine the clothes in her hands

Pi Hui laughed, forcefully slammed the door shut, and went to sit beside Yuan Xi. He snatched the apple from Yuan Xi's hand and threw it into the fruit bowl, then grasped Yuan Xi's hand in his own, grinning as he said: "Hurry and warm my hands, it's really cold outside, I'm about to freeze to death!"

Pi Hui looked at Yuan Xi's dazed expression and shook his head with a smug smile, feeling truly clever, as he always managed to hit the sore spot of this girl, Yuan Xi

Pi Hui reached out to tug at Yuan Xi's mouth corner, jokingly saying: "You little girl, why is your mouth so sharp? Such a stingy girl, would it kill you to warm my hands?"

The next morning, Yuan Xi was still resentful about Pi Hui's slip of the tongue. When she knocked on her door and called out "Pi Hui," she added a bit of her hometown's dialect. After a while, Pi Hui finally emerged, bleary-eyed, leaning against the door frame, and complained, "Xi, could you please not be so harsh when you call me? Be a little gentler, and don’t use my full name; you’ve made me start to dislike my own name!"

Yuan Xi tilted her head to avoid, yet her eyes remained fixed on the television. The girl on the screen was still crying, but it felt like her tears were quite bothersome. Yuan Xi said lightly: "You can call me petty, but the soup simmering in the pot is not for you. If you want generosity, go find someone else."

Bu Huaiyu glanced at Zhang Heng, who was teasing the little girl, then looked faintly at Yuan Xi's back and asked Zhang Heng: "How is this one?"

This city seems to have no autumn; I have hardly worn my long-sleeved shirt for a few days, and already I feel a bit cold. Almost overnight, the scenery on the streets has shifted from late summer to early winter. The footsteps of pedestrians have begun to quicken, tightly wrapping their coats around themselves, hurrying past on the streets, stirring up gusts of wind that are piercingly cold

Yuan Xi saw a very stylish men's top and suddenly thought of her elder brother, believing that this piece of clothing would look great on him. She also recalled that he seemed to have never worn such a fine garment. Although the numbers on the tag were somewhat dazzling, she gritted her teeth and decided to buy it. Just as she picked one up from the shelf to examine it closely, Zhang Heng happened to come out of the fitting room, wearing exactly the style she was holding.

Bu Huaiyu fell silent, nodding at the sales assistant. The sales assistant promptly prepared the ticket and respectfully handed it to him with both hands

Eat more for breakfast; if necessary, just eat less at noon! It's all bought with money, and not a bit should be wasted! she thought

In fact, Pi Hui has never liked her name. Every time she introduces herself, she has to emphasize that it is the "Hui" from "Tao Guang Yang Hui," and people often pause for a moment, think it over, and then write her name. Some even need her to point it out personally. Pi Hui also has a twin sister named Pi Tao. Their father chose their names with the meaning of "Tao Guang Yang Hui" in mind, although the two sisters still do not understand the connection between having children and the phrase "Tao Guang Yang Hui." When Pi Hui first complained about her name to Yuan Xi, Yuan Xi advised her, "It's just a name, isn't it? My name, Yuan Xi, is quite common too. How many people do you see nowadays with 'Xi' or 'Fu' in their names? Besides, you two should be content. It's already good that you weren't named 'Pi Guang' and 'Pi Yang.' What if your father had a whim and named you that? What could you do? By the time you two girls knew how to resist, it would have already been written in the household registration. How could you change it? Even if you changed it, it would still have to be noted in the former names. Pi Hui then asked, "If I were to change my name, what would sound nice?" Yuan Xi pondered seriously, her facial features contorting for a while before tentatively suggesting, "How about calling yourself Pi Dan?"

Zhang Heng continued to read: "Really, is there any man who goes out to buy clothes by himself? What do we need women for then? Men's clothes should be given by women, not bought by themselves"

Seeing Zhang Heng's deliberately tense face, Yuan Xi felt extremely embarrassed, her face flushed bright red. She didn't know how to explain herself and after struggling for a long time, she finally managed to utter a low "I'm sorry." Without waiting for Zhang Heng's response, she buried her head in her chest and turned to walk away quickly. However, after just a few steps, she bumped her head against the thick glass partition beside her.

When Pi Hui returned home in the evening, Yuan Xi was half-reclining on the sofa watching television, a soap opera airing at 8 PM. It was not particularly captivating, yet it served to pass the time. On the screen, a girl was crying softly, her sorrow profound, yet her appearance remained flawless. Only large, glistening tears rolled down her fair cheeks, without any trace of a certain transparent liquid that shared the same composition as her tears. It turned out that crying could be this beautiful.

Zhang Heng looked her up and down a few times, clicking his tongue and shaking his head

Pi Hui snatched the remote control from Yuan Xi's hand with dissatisfaction, "Stop watching this unnutritious stuff, have you been home all evening?"

Bu Huaiyu took it off and handed it to the shop assistant: "Sell her."

The saleswoman wore a polite smile on her face and looked at Yuan Xi: "What size do you need? How much larger?"

Yuan Xi felt somewhat uneasy under her gaze

Pi Hui had an expression of disappointment, as if he were lamenting the failure of iron to become steel. He reached out and poked Yuan Xi's rib, saying: "You are so young, yet why are you so miserly? Is all your money tied up here? Do you feel pain just by moving? What are you living for? Must you wait until you are old and your figure has changed before you realize the need to dress up?"

With a frown, she rolled her eyes and looked at Yuan Xi from head to toe twice, shaking her head in disapproval. Yuan Xi's hair was already of a decent length, yet she seemed completely unaware of how to manage it, simply tying it back with a hairband. On her upper body, she wore a sweater that looked like it had been worn for several years, and on the bottom, a pair of jeans that probably weren't worth more than a few dozen yuan

Zhang Heng, being quite familiar with people, turned around in front of Yuan Xi and asked: "How is it? What is the effect?"

The sales assistant wore a face full of apology: "Uh, could you please wait a moment? We only have one piece of this garment in each size. If you are satisfied, I can call the branch right away to have it transferred to you."

Not boring

Pi Hui suddenly choked, glaring at Yuan Xi with resentment. Seeing her still wearing a calm expression, she angrily picked up the soup bowl and slurped another mouthful before continuing, "Aren't you going out to have some fun? How can you meet men like this?"

Yuan Xi was so startled that she took a big step back, looking up in shock. It was only then that she realized that throughout her browsing, she had mistaken a living person for a plastic model. No wonder when her fingertips had touched the shirt on the model, she felt a hint of warmth. She had been pondering whether the brand was so high-end that even the models were lifelike, little did she expect that she had actually stumbled upon a real person!

Zhang Heng chuckled, "Not bad, quite fitting for you"

He He also smiled, allowing Yuan Xi to wrap his own hands. His hands were much larger than Yuan Xi's, and Yuan Xi always seemed unable to cover them completely. Therefore, he leaned closer to Yuan Xi's hands, exhaling warm white breath from his mouth, which landed on Yuan Xi's hands, causing a ticklish sensation that always made Yuan Xi chuckle foolishly.

"Why are your hands always so warm?" Pi Hui asked with a smile

Pi Hui chuckled softly, then sat down beside Yuan Xi, carefully placing the soup bowl on the coffee table. He snapped his fingers and said, "Bingo! The second wise decision is to abandon my mother and live with you!"

He said: "Yuan Xi, why are your hands always so warm?"

How delightful! You are no longer young, so why don't you find a boyfriend? After work, you stay cooped up at home all day; don't you feel bored?

Yuan Xi could not hide the disappointment on her face, gently shook her head, and turned to leave. Bu Huaiyu, not knowing what had come over him, suddenly said from behind her: "If you want it, take it; I haven't decided to buy it yet"

Zhang Heng was taken aback: "There are no words."

The shop assistant let out a chuckle, and only then did Zhang Heng realize, angrily shouting at Yuan Xi: "You little girl! How dare you scheme against me!"

It was quite a coincidence; Yuan Xi turned halfway around and bumped into Zhang Heng and Bu Huaiyu again.

Yuan Xi nodded, then picked up the half-eaten apple from the fruit plate and continued to nibble on it

Yuan Xi sat on the sofa in silence, somewhat lost in thought as she gazed at her hands. Her hands had always been warm, especially during the winter, unlike many girls who easily suffered from cold hands and feet as soon as the season arrived. This was a point that many had remarked upon, including He Shi, who had also inquired about it.

With a loud bang, she stumbled back several steps before steadying herself, covering her forehead, feeling a bit dazed. The surrounding gazes were drawn to the loud noise. She first noticed the surprise on the saleswoman's face on the other side of the glass, and then caught a glimpse of the barely contained smile on Zhang Heng's face, which made her feel even more embarrassed. In a hurry to leave, she found herself disoriented from the initial impact, and in her haste, she could not distinguish directions. After spinning in place several times, she finally chose a direction, disregarding the strange looks from those around her, and then walked with her head down.

"Going out will cost money," Yuan Xi said淡淡地.

Zhang Heng suddenly shouted at Yuan Xi's hurried back: "Be careful of the glass!"

Yuan Xi did not understand: "What do I buy that item from you for?"

Yuan Xi has already gone far away

Bu Huaiyu turned around and cast a cold glance at Zhang Heng: "I have my own money, why should I let a woman buy it?"

Zhang Heng was momentarily taken aback upon seeing Yuan Xi again, but then he smiled and greeted her, saying, "What a coincidence!"

Zhang Heng, seeing the cold expression on Bu Huaiyu's face, wisely chose to remain silent

"How wonderful! You are truly great. Living with you is the second wisest decision of my life!" Pi Hui shouted joyfully from the kitchen

Pi Huidao did not mind that his only piece of ham was taken by Yuan Xi, and just chuckled, saying: "Go ahead and eat it, sooner or later you will get so fat that you won't be able to fit into your old clothes!"

Yuan Xi sat down at the dining table next to Pi Hui, rolled her eyes at her, still feeling unsatisfied. She stretched out her arm without hesitation and took a large slice of ham from the plate in front of Pi Hui, placing it into her own bread. After taking a big bite with resentment, she raised her eyes to glare at her cohabiting friend, who was always "forgetting loyalty in the face of beauty".

At that time, she would smile, then tightly cover his hand with both of hers, grinning as she said: "Because your hand is cold! I have to keep it warm, so it needs to be a bit warmer."

Zhang Heng shifted his gaze away from Yuan Xi's back and, with a playful smile, assessed Bu Huaiyu: "Hmm, not bad! Good physique, looks like a man!"

Let the man pay for you! How foolish! When dating a man, why should you spend your own money!

Yuan Xi suddenly slammed on the brakes, looked up, and realized there was no glass in front of her. Behind her came Zhang Heng's unrestrained laughter, and only then did she understand that Zhang Heng was playing a trick on her. Feeling somewhat embarrassed, she still managed to hold it in and hurriedly left.