Chapter 7

I let my imagination run wild, conjuring up images of what clothes my brother would wear that weren't masculine, and if necessary, I could even pose him in all those positions.

If the ribbon tied with white roses were around Su Yu's neck, its end hanging down above his chest, and the Chanel-style cardigan draped over his thin shoulders...

In the center of the dance floor, the dark crowd behind her forms the backdrop; her eyebrows are curved, and her hair, caressed by the neon lights, makes her look like an elf.

Nothing could be more tempting. Su Yu, oh Su Yu, my dear brother, why is he my brother?

"Get up."

When I opened my eyes again, my door was kicked open. I sat up abruptly, not knowing whether it was an earthquake or a tsunami.

"What's this?" My brother had the jacket I wore yesterday in his arms, and he pulled a small rectangular block out of his pocket.

Holy crap, which bastard put that in there?

“They didn’t have pockets, so I acted as a pocket.”

Su Yu rolled her eyes at me.

The storm subsided, and I picked up my phone. There was a message from Xiaoxing.

Around 3 a.m., he replied with "Sure, handsome," along with a photo of himself holding a wine glass.

I'm still not asleep at this hour, my goodness.

There wasn't much to do today, so my mom said she'd take us shopping for some clothes. She said she'd spend most of the day shopping, so I was about to refuse, but my brother said okay.

I'll go too.

As soon as we got on the subway, the huge weekend crowds swept us away, and the bright and trendy clothes of all kinds of men and women attracted a lot of attention.

That naturally includes the three of us.

I saw Su Yu sitting next to a couple, dressed like she was from a hardware store. My brother was wearing a white fleece coat, his small face buried in the high collar, his glasses perched on the edge of the collar, and he was sleeping with his eyes closed.

He's so small, I suddenly realized. He looks so plain; his face should be illuminated with more color.

We got off at two hardware stores. I ran to my brother's side and offered him a strong shoulder to lean on for a short rest. Just as my brother moved his head over, I saw my mom taking pictures with her phone.

I don't know what's so interesting about filming.

Su Yu's head tilted gently beside me, like a kitten, or a flower.

When we arrived at the station, I held him in my hand and placed my glasses on his nose. He lowered his head, probably because he was forcibly turning on his phone.

There were still a lot of people. When we were little, our mother would hold our clothes on either side and, if necessary, use her arms to hold our heads to prevent us from getting lost.

Now she walks proudly behind my brother and me, and we pave a broad road for her.

However, I came first, and my brother came second.

"Look at this guy, being big is great! He's like a wall when he stands there, he'll have an easier time finding a wife!"

My mom patted me proudly on the back, while my brother walked beside us with his hands behind his back, watching us.

"Yu Yu, it's time to experience what love feels like, right? If you don't start dating soon, you'll miss out on the experience of campus romance."

He smiled, and although my mother didn't support it, she was also looking forward to the possibility of another member joining our family in the future.

This shopping mall has only been open for a short time, and many stores are having promotions. My mom is a master at bargaining, so the three of them decided to make a big splash.

First stop.

restroom.

My mom went to the restroom, and my brother and I stood at the door. A little while later, he also went to the restroom.

"Oh! We meet again."

The voice seemed to carry a melodious tune, yet it also evoked the unsettling feeling of watching mukbang videos on my phone where butter is dipped in sugar and drizzled with honey.

A bird's claw landed on my shoulder, but that bird had fox-like eyes. Xiaoxing was wearing light makeup today, and her brownish-yellow pupils sparkled with a little light.

He curled the corner of his mouth slightly, and I noticed that the color of his lipstick seemed to have spread out, leaving a faint pinkish tinge.

Before I could even say hello, another boy came out of the restroom. He was tall and dark-skinned, with thick eyebrows that framed his sharp, sword-like eyes.

This guy has a strong presence; I didn't dare look at him too closely.

"A new friend?" The boy glanced at me, raised an eyebrow, and asked Xiaoxing.

"Just got to the point of adding friends, huh?" Xiaoxing looked up, revealing her beautiful neck and faintly visible collarbone, with a few red marks on it.

The man playfully messed with Xiaoxing's hair, then casually put his arm around Xiaoxing's shoulder, covering Xiaoxing's entire shoulder with his large hand. Xiaoxing winked at me one last time, and then walked away with the man.

"friend?"

Su shook the water off her hands and then naturally wiped me clean.

"Uh... I guess so."

"You know this type too?"

Su Yu stood next to me, and at that moment I felt that I must look like a big, silly guy in his eyes.

"You can't beat them."

My brother rarely comments on the people around me. Today was the first time he met Xiaoxing, and they didn't even really know each other. He just read our conversation and that's what he said.

“What can’t be fun between friends? I think he’s alright,” I leaned closer to my brother’s head, “and he’s better looking than any other guy I’ve ever met.”

Just as Su Yu was about to speak, her mother came out, and we went out together again. Su Yu just looked at me with disdain, and there seemed to be other emotions hidden in her eyes, but I couldn't read them.

I have some requirements for clothes, but not many. My mom has good taste, and I'm good-looking, so choosing clothes is quite simple.

Su Yu is picky, and I think he suits all kinds of clothes in the world, regardless of whether they are men's or women's styles, but he says that clothes can't be worn alone; they have to be matched.

A little while later, my mom took us to a store and asked the clerk to pick out that dark gray long down jacket.

I really can't see what's so appealing about it; it looks like a gray caterpillar or a Michelin tire.

I took off the clothes I was wearing, and Su Yu took them from me, standing to the side holding them.

I had to bend over to zip up the clothes, and I reluctantly squatted down and looked up at them. The two of them nodded at me in unison.

"The young man is so handsome that he can pull off this look perfectly, and this outfit will keep him warm in winter."

"How much?"

"800"

Can I get 500?

"These are all factory prices, no bargaining."

"Take the 550 if you can. We've only just tried on the first one."

"620 Sister".

My mom looked at me and asked, "Do you like it?"

"That's fine then."

We hadn't walked far when the shop assistant called us back, and we got it for 550.

My mom asked me if there was anything else I wanted to buy, and I told her to buy it for my brother first, and then I'd think about it.

Su Yu walked around for a long time before finally choosing a camel-colored coat. My mom said he was crazy, wearing so little, did he want to freeze and go insane?

I glanced at the clothes, but couldn't figure out anything special about them. However, I knew one thing for sure: my brother would look absolutely stunning in them.

In the end, my brother said we should just try it out and not buy it, and that's when my mom finally agreed.

Su Yu took off his coat, and before I could even reach out, he shoved it into my arms, like he was throwing a child at me.

Okay, I'll hold the baby and watch my brother's magical transformation.

He was wearing a white turtleneck sweater and dark blue jeans. I don't know what he was wearing underneath, but the sweater didn't look bulky at all.

I looked at his rectangular back, the bottom of his sweater dangling loosely.

"When did you buy this sweater? It's so drafty underneath." Our family's clothing appraiser made an important statement.

"You and I chose it together, didn't you forget?"

The evaluator was lost in thought, seemingly unable to recall.

I then noticed that my brother's jeans were also loose-fitting; the straight-leg jeans had the cuffs rolled up, revealing the light blue lining and showing my brother's slender ankles encased in striped white socks. I could even see the beautiful lines of his ankles.

My gaze lingered on his lower body as I watched my brother turn around, his legs and feet moving as if he were dancing.

He glanced at the back of the room, then looked at my mother with unwavering eyes, showing no intention of asking for my opinion.

"It is quite beautiful."

In the end, my mom got it for 200 yuan less.

However, I told my brother that I could only wear this outfit after the Chinese New Year; it's absolutely not allowed now.

My brother carried the bag with satisfaction, and I followed behind, also thinking about whether I should choose an outfit that was somewhat "fashionable".

After thinking for a while, I pointed to a fluorescent green cotton-padded jacket and spoke.

As a result, they rejected all my proposals, deeming my aesthetic sense beyond redemption.

I was very confused, but I chose to listen to advice. I checked my pockets and couldn't find my phone, then I remembered that I had put it in my brother's pocket.

"Let's go to... the store by the elevator. They have clothes that suit Yu Yu." Su Yu looked down at her phone and said to her mother, "You're picking out clothes for me, why aren't you looking at me?"

When I got there, I found out that the shop owner was my mother's old classmate. She excitedly ran over to chat with her and asked my brother to keep an eye on me.

My brother went around and picked up a white windbreaker, compared it to mine, and then chose a black turtleneck underneath.

I was carrying my things to the fitting room when suddenly a butterfly-shaped figure lifted the curtain of the fitting room next door.

"Come show me what you chose?"

Xiaoxing pinched her chin as she looked at the two pieces of clothing in my hand and praised me for my good taste.

Before I even came out, someone swiftly lifted the curtain to my room. I was only halfway up my shirt when I hurriedly pulled it down.

"We're all men, what's there to be ashamed of?"

That's what I said, but I'm sure Xiaoxing definitely saw a bit of my naked body.

"How is it?" I asked him. Xiaoxing looked at me in the mirror, then at me beside him.

He straightened my body and pressed my shoulders back.

"You look great in this clean and refreshing style of clothing."

I thanked him for his praise and then turned to leave.

Xiaoxing was still whispering in my ear how to match clothes and choose accessories. When we got to the store, my brother was sitting on the bench outside the fitting room looking at his phone.

But it seems to be my phone?

Seeing that I wasn't alone, he glanced at the butterfly next to him, as if asking me if I wasn't going to introduce myself.

Xiao Xing saw that I was standing obediently in front of this boy and fell silent.

"And who is this? Your partner?"

I was almost scared to death when Xiaoxing opened her mouth.

"My brother!"

So, with an embarrassed expression, the butterfly pursed her lips and said sorry.

"This is my friend. We just happened to run into each other, so we chatted for a bit."

"Hello."

Hello~

Su Yu glanced at my clothes, then glanced at Xiao Xing almost imperceptibly.

What was that? It looked like a cloak, with a lace-trimmed shirt underneath, and off-white trousers with a beautiful drape. His feet were turned inwards, causing his furry boots to jiggle back and forth.

"It looks pretty good, I'll try this one too."

The grey parka looks quite heavy.

“Take off these two pieces and give them to me; wear what you wore when you came.”

The commander assigned me a task, which I carried out quickly, and Little Star bounced along with me.

I followed him under my brother's meaningful gaze.

Xiaoxing stood with me in the fitting room as if it were the most natural thing in the world.

"I'm going to take off my clothes."

"Hmm? Go ahead and take it off, do you want me to help you?"

"..."

Seeing my awkward and hesitant manner, he laughed for a long time before finally leaving.

When I came out, I saw him and my brother sitting together. One of them was sitting upright, while the other was sitting with his legs crossed, looking at his fingernails.

I coughed lightly twice, and my brother lowered his finger and stared at me sharply.