Chapter 12 Sprain

Three people arrived at the fourth floor. Xu Shanshan looked through each shop one by one. The little girl picked out those youthful and fashionable clothes, trying them one by one, which made Xu Yingying feel exasperated. However, Li Yifei was watching with great interest. Seeing a pretty girl changing outfits for him to admire was a pleasure he never got tired of.

"Sister's husband, what do you think of this outfit?" Finding it dull to discuss with her sister, Xu Shanshan tried on an outfit and came directly in front of Li Yifei, spun around, and asked with an expectant face, "Sister's husband, does it look good?"

Li Yifei nodded repeatedly and said, "Not bad, Shanshan, this kind of clothing suits you best, it brings out your energy."

In the morning, Li Yifei didn't have a good look at Xu Shanshan's figure, but now that Xu Shanshan was trying on clothes, he got a better understanding of her physique. Judging solely by appearance, Xu Shanshan's figure was identical to her sister's, both having slim waists and long legs.

However, Xu Shanshan studied dance, making her body more flexible. Every move carried a sense of beauty, especially when she twirled in front of Li Yifei while trying on clothes, leaving onlookers dazed.

"Sister's husband knows how to talk; I'll try something else." Xu Shanshan didn't immediately decide to buy this outfit but wanted to try others. For her, trying on clothes was a kind of joy and enjoyment; buying clothes was secondary.

"Aren't you done yet?" Xu Yingying appeared a bit impatient. She was completely different from Xu Shanshan; her purpose in trying on clothes was to buy them, and she wouldn't try unless she intended to buy. Otherwise, it was wasted effort. Achieving the quickest results using the most straightforward methods was her habit.

Xu Shanshan pouted and said, "Why are you rushing? It's just past ten, we can head back before twelve."

"Then you guys keep shopping; I can't stand it anymore. I'll go to the first floor and have some drinks while waiting for you," Xu Yingying said and straightforwardly turned to leave.

"Yingying!" Li Yifei pretended to call out once.

Xu Shanshan tugged at Li Yifei's arm and said, "Ignore her, she's always like that. Every time she goes out with me, she always ends up having drinks. Sister's husband, join me."

"But your sister..." Li Yifei seemed a bit embarrassed.

Xu Shanshan pouted again and said, "Hmph, she's your girlfriend, and I'm your sister-in-law, right? So if your sister-in-law makes a request, wouldn't you agree?"

"Uh... okay! Then I'll agree with you, and I'll just let your sister scold me later if necessary." Li Yifei was merely pretending to offer company; accompanying this sister-in-law was way more interesting and relaxing than being with Xu Yingying.

"Hee hee, she won't. Although my sister has a bit of a temper, she still needs to save face for you at home, let's go..." Xu Shanshan happily tugged Li Yifei's arm again and headed to the next fashion store.

As they walked through each store, Xu Shanshan frequently tried on clothes and always displayed them in front of Li Yifei.

"Shanshan, you're simply a natural model; whatever you wear, it looks so good on you and carries a special charm," Li Yifei sincerely praised. "If I had the money, I would buy all these clothes for you, so you could change outfits daily. Seeing you in different clothes always brightens my day."

"Giggle... if my sister heard you saying that, she'd definitely scold you."

"Haha, I'm just telling the truth. It's a pity that your brother-in-law is quite poor, and I can only buy you a set that doesn't exceed a thousand yuan. Otherwise, I'd have nothing but northwest wind to drink next month."

Xu Shanshan stood in front of Li Yifei, her hands behind her back. She was half a head shorter than Li Yifei, looking up with a squint, she said, "Sister's husband, my sister has money. Can't you just ask her?"

"As a man, I can't live off my girlfriend. Even though we're together, we stay financially independent. So, my financial ability has its limits, and you can't exploit your brother-in-law."

Xu Shanshan suddenly patted Li Yifei's shoulder and said, "Well, just for not pretending to be richer than you are, I approve of you."

"Haha, just because you approve of me, I will certainly treat your sister well."

"Giggle... well said, then I won't bully you. It's better to bully my sister; she has money."

"That's not right; this is my intention, and buying something for you is different from having your sister do it."

Xu Shanshan looked at Li Yifei again, and her smile blossomed like a summer flower. She said, "Then I won't hold back. Now, what I look forward to the most is for you, sister's husband, to make a fortune soon. At that time, I want to go shopping with you and you won't say no."

"Of course, with such a sister-in-law, not indulging her would be a major failure."

Though they had only been together for just over two hours, it was like being old friends, speaking quite freely.

Finally, with Li Yifei's suggestion, Xu Shanshan bought a long woolen sweater and a pair of light blue tight-fitting pants. As for knee-high boots, Xu Shanshan already had them, so she didn't buy any more.

Receiving a gift from Li Yifei made Xu Shanshan very happy; it was even better than when Xu Yingying bought her something. Not that she was taking advantage, but because shopping with Li Yifei was enjoyable, while buying clothes with her sister was merely about the purchase and listening to Xu Yingying's criticisms.

However, as the saying goes, "happiness leads to sadness." both of them were engrossed in their conversation and not paying attention to their steps when Xu Shanshan accidentally stepped on a banana peel.

Such a situation usually wouldn't occur in a mall, as the cleaning staff would promptly keep the area clean. Perhaps due to the busy holiday season, the cleaning staff hadn't gotten around to it, and Xu Shanshan happened to step on it.

"Ah!" Xu Shanshan exclaimed as her body fell backward. Li Yifei, with quick reflexes, immediately extended an arm to wrap around Xu Shanshan's waist and pulled her upright with a forceful grip on her arm.

Instinctively, and perhaps due to inertia, Xu Shanshan fell straight into Li Yifei's embrace, wrapping her arms tightly around his waist.

This situation completely caught Li Yifei off guard. Having such a soft fragrance in his arms was a sudden pleasant surprise, an unexpected delight, and quite comfortable. However, with many eyes around, he couldn't continue to enjoy it. If Xu Yingying were to come up now, it would be an inextricable situation for him.

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

Xu Shanshan, after regaining her composure, realized she was clinging to Li Yifei. She immediately felt a bit embarrassed and let go to stand up straight but stumbled slightly and, in a low voice, held onto Li Yifei's arm for support.

"What's wrong?" Li Yifei sensed something was off and promptly inquired.

"My foot hurts; I think I twisted it just now," Xu Shanshan replied with a frown and a pained expression.

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

"Okay." With Li Yifei's support, Xu Shanshan hobbled over to the chair, grimacing with each step.

"Don't move; let me take a look." Li Yifei squatted beside Xu Shanshan, placed her injured left leg on his knee, rolled up her pant leg, and carefully examined her injury.

Li Yifei gently moved Xu Shanshan's ankle and asked, "Does it hurt like this?"

Xu Shanshan nodded immediately and said, "Yes, it hurts."

"How about this?"

"This hurts a bit less."

"And this?"

"This doesn't hurt."

After a few tries, Li Yifei said, "There's nothing major, just a simple sprain; it should be fine in a couple of days with some rest."

"What! It takes two days? It's the New Year, and I still want to go out and have fun." Xu Shanshan immediately pouted.