Chapter 55: Do You Know Who I Am?

Zhou Ming pressed his lips against Tang Ran's, and her body, which had just relaxed, immediately tensed up again. She pursed her lips tightly, and Zhou Ming could feel that her lips were a bit cold.

Zhou Ming found her reaction amusing. "Ranran, this isn't how you kiss."

Tang Ran opened her eyes, looking like a child who had done something wrong. She said to Zhou Ming, "I'm sorry, Brother Ming, I'm too clumsy, I don't know what to do."

Zhou Ming shook his head. "No, Ranran, it's because you don't know yet. Of course, you'd react like this. I would only be upset if you were very experienced. But Ranran, you can relax and not think too much about it. Let everything happen naturally, okay?"

Tang Ran nodded vigorously. "I'll definitely cooperate with Brother Ming!"

Zhou Ming smiled slightly and then kissed her again. This time, although Zhou Ming could still feel Tang Ran's body tremble slightly when their lips touched, she was obviously much more relaxed.

What a cute girl! Zhou Ming thought to himself. It was clear that Tang Ran was shy and even a bit scared of the unfamiliarity of such intimate matters, but for his sake, she was doing her best to endure and accommodate.

With these thoughts in mind, Zhou Ming kissed her more deeply. Tang Ran, who had never experienced such a situation, instinctively tried to pull away. But how could Zhou Ming let go of such a soft, tender morsel that had fallen into his hands? He immediately wrapped his arms around her, and Tang Ran had no choice but to follow Zhou Ming's movements. However, Zhou Ming's kiss also became gentler.

After a while, Zhou Ming finally ended the kiss and moved away from Tang Ran's lips. Tang Ran's eyes were dreamy, and she was panting with excitement, looking incredibly adorable.

"Brother Ming, is this what a kiss feels like? It's so strange, yet so nice. I just felt like my soul was about to fly away," Tang Ran murmured to Zhou Ming. "Brother Ming, you kissed me, so I'm your woman now. You have to be good to me and never leave me."

Zhou Ming patted Tang Ran's little head and smiled. "Don't worry, I'll stay by your side for the rest of my life and be your guardian angel!"

Tang Ran nodded emphatically. "Mm! Then, Brother Ming, now that I'm your girlfriend, what should we do next?"

"Uh... how about I take you shopping?" Zhou Ming suggested uncertainly. After all, in his past life, he hadn't really dated much, so apart from things that weren't suitable for children, he didn't know what activities couples did to enhance their feelings for each other. He could only suggest something more common. Fortunately, Tang Ran was also very innocent, like a blank sheet of paper, and didn't know much about such things either. She happily agreed.

Zhou Ming took Tang Ran to Dongmen Mall, one of the oldest shopping malls in Nanjing.

As they walked into the mall and saw the beautiful clothes displayed in various shops, Tang Ran was as excited as a child, dragging Zhou Ming around. But when she saw the price tags on these clothes, her smile suddenly faded. She quietly suggested to Zhou Ming, "Brother Ming, how about we go to Nanjing Mall where my parents shop?"

Zhou Ming was a bit puzzled, so Tang Ran explained, "The stuff here is really expensive."

"It's fine, I have plenty of money. As long as you don't empty out this mall, I can afford it," Zhou Ming said.

Tang Ran shook her head vigorously. "I don't want to. I think those clothes at Nanjing Mall that cost a few dozen yuan are just fine."

"But you're my girlfriend now. If you still wear those clothes, won't it make me look like I have bad taste?" Zhou Ming said teasingly.

Only then did Tang Ran compromise. "Alright then."

However, in this era, with the early stages of reform and opening up, many rules were still being explored. Even though Zhou Ming had taken Tang Ran to Dongmen Mall, the best mall in Nanjing, he still couldn't find a single specialty store. What shocked Zhou Ming was that in the high-priced brand area, many famous and expensive brands, with clothes costing thousands or even tens of thousands of yuan, were displayed together like cheap street stall goods.

Zhou Ming was dumbfounded. He hadn't expected brands like Pierre Cardin to have such a retail history. However, compared to brands like LV, which hadn't officially entered the domestic market yet, Pierre Cardin was still lucky. At least they could hang their clothes on the wall and dress mannequins, whereas other brands, smuggled in from Hong Kong, were displayed like junk in a heap.

"Brother Ming, how about we go to Nanjing Mall instead? These clothes don't seem that great, and they're so expensive!" Tang Ran suggested.

Zhou Ming glanced at Tang Ran, knowing she must have misunderstood. He explained to her, "Ranran, it's not what you think. Didn't we withdraw tens of thousands of yuan before we came? It's not that we can't afford it. I just find it amusing that these clothes, costing thousands or tens of thousands of yuan, aren't sold in specialty stores, but are instead mixed together like street stall goods. It's really unexpected."

"Specialty stores? Are those shops that only sell one brand of clothing?" Tang Ran asked.

Zhou Ming nodded. "Yes, that's the kind of shop. There are many in Hong Kong. How about you get yourself a passport and a visa, and I'll take you to Hong Kong for a shopping spree."

"Sure!" Tang Ran agreed happily.

"Hey! What kind of store is this? Why do you make my friend buy something just because he touched it?"

Suddenly, a shout came from not far away. Zhou Ming instinctively looked over and saw a young couple arguing with the shop owner. The voice just now was obviously from the young man.

Zhou Ming thought the young man looked somewhat familiar, but he couldn't remember where he had seen him. He said to Tang Ran, "Let's go take a look."

Tang Ran nodded, and Zhou Ming led her over.

As Zhou Ming and Tang Ran approached, a bald man entered the scene, followed by a group of thugs who clearly looked like local ruffians. The shop owner immediately addressed the bald man, "Brother Dao, someone's causing trouble here. He touched our clothes but doesn't want to buy them and is trying to weasel out."

Upon hearing this, the young man became agitated. "What do you mean causing trouble? What do you mean I touched your clothes and now don't want to buy them? My friend just touched a piece of clothing, and you're trying to make me buy it. Isn't that extortion?"

The bald man sneered. "Extortion? You shouldn't say such things lightly. We're running a legitimate business with clearly marked prices. How could we extort you? But these are high-end brands we're talking about, costing thousands or tens of thousands of yuan. If everyone just touched them, how could we sell them afterward? If they don't sell, will you cover our losses?"

"Exactly, I told you before, if you're not buying, don't touch the clothes." The shop owner chimed in, full of disdain and contempt.

"That's nonsense!" The young man became even more agitated. "When did you ever say that? If you had, I wouldn't have touched the clothes!"

"I did say it, but you were too busy chatting with that girl to hear it." The shop owner replied.

The bald man added, "The owner must have said it. It's a rule here. But since it wasn't intentional, I won't hold it against you too much. Let's make a compromise. The piece of clothing your friend touched is the one the owner is holding, right? It's marked at 13,000 yuan. Since you touched it, there's nothing we can do. If you really can't afford it, I can help you negotiate with the owner to lower the price to 12,000 yuan."

After saying this, the bald man pretended to negotiate with the shop owner, who cooperatively nodded and said, "No problem. Brother Dao's words make sense. I'll take the loss."

The young man wasn't stupid and could see through their act. He cursed, "You two are putting on a show here, huh? Playing a double act!"

The bald man rubbed his head in mock regret. "Why are you like this? We're talking nicely with you, and you're cursing us?"

"Cursing you? Let me tell you, my family taught me from a young age to have the courage to fight against all unlawful acts. If I see you extorting people here and don't say anything, I'd be letting down my family's education!" The young man declared.

The bald man sneered. "Still talking back, huh? You're like a rock in a toilet, stubborn and stinky!"

As the bald man spoke, his thugs started moving closer to the young man, who quickly shouted, "What are you trying to do? In broad daylight, do you know who I

 am? My name is Du Peng, my grandfather is Du Zhongyuan, a general!"