Changing appearances (3)

Emma was too caught up in her laughter and delight at the ridiculous amount of clothes Ying had brought, for her to notice his reaction. By the time she had her laughter under control and looked up at him, his facial expression only eminated calm.

"How did you get all these?" she managed to gasp, still chuckling. "Did you raid a men's clothing store?"

"Of course not," Ying said, leaning back on his elbows and stretching his long legs out in front of him. "I bought it."

"With money?" she asked sceptically.

He raised an eyebrow at her. "Just because I'm not from this world, doesn't mean I don't have any means of paying for goods and services."

"Alright," Emma muttered. What did she know about immortals anyway. Maybe they could magic money out of thin air? Who knew.

"And the food?" she asked, still sceptical.

"Also bought," he said, looking a bit offended at her scepticism. "Do you take me for some petty thief?"

"A while ago you where negotiating with me for permission rip people's throats out," Emma commented drily.

"True."

Ying chuckled at her cheeky answer, pleased that she seemed to be getting more accustomed to his presence. Indeed, the subconscious pull Emma felt towards him was so strong that it made her forget her resolution to keep her distance from him. No matter how much her brain kept telling her to be rational and cautious, she felt so comfortable and relaxed with him that it was easy for her get caught up in the moment.

"Now, little bird," Ying said, and Emma again felt that wierd twinge at the nickname, but she soon forgot as he continued. "Are some of these garments suitable as the normal attire of this world that you mentioned?"

Emma surveyed the piles of clothes around her. Her lips twitched in amusement. "I think we'll manage," she chortled. Then she began picking through the clothes in search of an appropriate outfit for Ying.

...

-- In a men's clothing boutique --

Lin Tengfei bustled about in the backroom of his little clothing boutique, getting ready to open it after his lunch break.

As he walked back into the front room of the store, he was greeted with such a horrendous sight, that he collapsed on the floor, his legs buckling under him.

"Wh-wha-wha-wha-", the poor man stammered uncontrollably, as he stared at several shelves and display tables that were completely empty. But how could that be? He had just stepped into the back room for a few minutes, how had ne not noticed that someone was robbing his store?

He ran over to the front door of the store, but it was still locked. How had the thieves gotten in?

Lin Tengfei started to sob as he counted up the loss in his head. While not exactly poor, he wasn't a particularly wealth man either. This loss of product would hurt his finances badly.

He screwed up his face in fury, and shook a fist in the air, cursing the blasted thrives who had dared to rob him. Then his eyes were drawn to a strange object lying on his sales counter.

He walked over, looking down perplexed at a neatly folded note, lying besides a beautifully embroidered silk pounch. The note was made of exquisite paper, which felt luxurious to the touch, and covered in perfect calligraphy in bold strokes.

The note read: "Dear shopkeeper. Please consider this gold as payment for the garments."

The store manager gaped at the note for a few seconds, before his eyes shifted to the pounch. He opened it slowly, with shaking fingers, and several fat pieces of gold came tumbling out.

"Holy fucking fried mackerel!" the manager gasped. Today was his lucky day.

...

-- In the kitchen area of an upscale restaurant --

"Wang! Where's the order for private dining room twelve?!" a portly man bellowed at one of the chefs, flecks of spit flying in all directions.

"It's already finished, Manager Lu. I finished it about fifteen mins ago, it must have been served already," Chef Wang reported calmly, used to the manager's foul mood.

"No, it hasn't, you dunderhead! I just received a mouthful from President Jiang for making him and his clients wait too long for their lunch."

Chef Wang was dumbfounded. "But... But I swear, Manager Lu, I set the order out to be served 15 mins ago."

Manager Lu let out an impressive tirade of colourful swearwords, before point a threatening finger at the befuddled chef. "Enough of your feeble excuses. Just get it done, Wang! And quickly!" he bellowed, before stomping off, making the plates and cutlery jitter from his heavy stomps.

Chef Wang raked his brains, but was indeed sure that he had finished the order. What on earth had happened to all that food? It had been more than twenty different dishes. Nevermind, he throught, shaking his head and turning back to the kitchen. He would just have to redo the entire order.

Then his eyes fell on a beautifully embroidered silk pounch, lying on one of the countertops...