White-clad deliveryman serving wine (11)
Shu Ningmiao glanced at the scenery outside the window. The road signs that sped away and were left behind, and the huge projection billboards were reflected in her eyes, leaving afterimages.
Large and small projection screens are embedded in the towering building, most of them still repeating news about the attack on Union Tower a few days ago, while the largest billboard, with a huge recruitment advertisement, has replaced all the celebrity endorsements and must have been put up recently.
The recruitment advertisement simply outlines the figure of the officer; it doesn't need much embellishment—the officer himself is the best advertisement.
A striking slogan scrolled across the screen.
Our world needs new heroes!
The banner is followed by the contact information for the recruitment office, which is so detailed that it indicates which subway line to take to get to the recruitment physical examination center. It also includes a color route map, so that even illiterate children and the elderly can easily find their way.
Shu Ningmiao saw several children in preschool uniforms partying under the billboard, imitating the way superhumans manipulate their powers and playfully fighting with each other.
People only need to look up to see the most prominent buildings in Pinhád capital: the spire of the Cundi Pagoda and the huge rotating outer ring of the Pinhád Union Building.
The various buildings are connected by a network of crisscrossing pipes, some suspended in the air like viaducts, others attached to the building walls as decorations. These pipes are an important part of the transportation of Pandora.
The interior of the pipes is made entirely of cold-resistant and freeze-resistant gold, making them very difficult to damage. These expensively constructed pipes are continuously drawing and transporting Pandora from beneath Pines, supplying them with all aspects of life, transportation, and technology, and have shown no signs of running dry for five hundred years.
Shu Changyan put on his sunglasses with one hand, covering his clear blue eyes, and focused on looking ahead: "What do you want to eat for lunch?"
He didn't seem to consider buying gifts a serious activity, treating it as just a casual stroll, and had even started thinking about what to eat later.
Shu Ningmiao did not do as he wished: "Let's go to the Belial Corridor first? The restaurants there are not very good."
Although the Galleria Béliard is called a "gallery," it was actually the most luxurious center of Pinhège. As for why it was called that, it is because the building itself is a work of art and one of the representative works of classical architectural design. It is said that it was designed by the same architect as the Cundi Pagoda of the Academy of String Light.
The building's dome is even completely transparent, allowing sunlight to shine directly through it onto the sculptures, ceramics, and artworks of various styles on the first floor. This is the place where, according to Pinheis's legend, every wall was inlaid with natural gemstones and ivory reliefs.
The floor was smooth and reflective, and the crystal chandelier shone brightly on her head. A waiter politely led them into the glass elevator and directly to the top floor of the department store. Shu Ningmiao was a VIP here and had made an appointment in advance.
The surroundings were opulent and luxurious. The department store had a significantly wider variety of items, including toys, jewelry, and even modified cars that you would normally find in a shopping mall, though the prices weren't quite as high.
Shu Changyan lazily crossed his arms and strolled behind her with his long legs outstretched. His smile remained, but there was a hint of displeasure in his eyes and brows.
Shu Ningmiao took his arm: "Take a look for me."
"What are you looking at?" Shu Changyan looked down at her, his displeasure suppressed under his nonchalant demeanor—he was happy to be Shu Ningmiao's tool for fitting room mirrors or payment, but Shu Ningmiao got up early just to pick out a gift for a man, and he felt uneasy.
"Anything is fine." Shu Ningmiao hadn't had a leisurely stroll since school started, and today she was finally able to relax without having to think about anything: "Isn't there anything you like?"
Shu Changyan paused for a moment, his eyelashes fluttering slightly behind his sunglasses, before finally speaking: "What I like, he may not like."
His voice was so soft it was almost imperceptible. Only after he finished speaking did he realize that Shu Ningmiao wasn't listening to him and was curiously looking through the picture books on display in front of the counter.
Shu Changyan sighed softly and sat down next to her.
This place seems to be a merchandise store for some cartoon character. The decor caters to children's aesthetics, and the customers are mostly adults with children. Tall, long-legged young people like them stand out from the crowd.
Shu Ningmiao handed him the picture book, seemingly teasingly asking, "Do you want it?"
He took it and flipped through a few pages at random, then chuckled helplessly. The illustrations featured four little figures in different colors, each with a unique pose and props, seemingly symbolizing different superpowers.
Although it features superpowers, the story is a very traditional adventure story. The protagonist is a boy who is passionate about the world and faces evil with his companions to save the world.
He found it funny because the book was called "Superheroes," and it was undoubtedly a children's book with "The Actor" as the fictional protagonist, and it was officially authorized.
For the Pinheid government, this was a beneficial and harmless form of propaganda.
The store is decorated with dolls, figurines, and badges featuring the main characters. The shop assistants, each wearing a hand puppet, squat in front of a group of children and act out scenes from the story, such as the scene where the main character, Asheng, and his friend Lanlan team up to defeat a monster.
"How about it? It's for you." Shu Ningmiao smiled, her eyes crinkling, the corners of her lips smug and somewhat arrogant, clearly harboring ill intentions.
"Spare me."
Shu Ningmiao eventually bought the picture book set. Arcia often asked her curiously how school was going, and seemed very interested in people with superpowers. Shu Ningmiao had never seen a similar book in Arcia's hospital room before, and thought she might like this kind of adventure story.
After wandering around, Shu Changyan showed no interest in anything and his preferences were hard to discern. However, this was his usual behavior, so Shu Ningmiao didn't notice anything strange.
A waiter nearby smiled and interjected, "What kind of gift are you looking for, and who is it for? If you don't have an idea, I can offer some suggestions. Is the recipient a man or a woman?"
“A man,” Shu Ningmiao nudged Shu Changyan with her hand, “like him.”
Shu Changyan turned his head away. His eyebrows and eyes were always deep-set, and when he wasn't smiling, his handsome face looked particularly serious and solemn: "A little shorter than me."
Shu Ningmiao gave him a strange look and said to the waiter, "Ignore him."
The waiter chuckled and led her to the men's section, recommending gifts such as tie clips and watches.
Shu Ningmiao picked out a few of the most expensive items and let Shu Changyan choose. Shu Changyan's usually gentle smile was now somewhat faint: "Whichever one you like, I'll pay for it."
"No." Shu Ningmiao didn't mind him paying, but there was no reason for someone to spend money on a gift for her: "I'll pay."
Shu Changyan wore a faint, indifferent smile, but a sense of emptiness gradually settled in his heart.
An indescribable feeling slowly rose and filled his chest... Was Shi Yu's gift really that important? He insisted on choosing it himself and paying for it himself. Shu Changyan wasn't jealous of his sister's boyfriend, but Shu Ningmiao and he had always been inseparable. Now, her sudden refusal to let him pay made it seem like she was treating him like an outsider, as if they had suddenly become individuals from two different worlds.
He became someone else in her heart.
In any case, this "other person" should be Shi Yu, not him.
Shu Changyan remained silent for a while before suddenly saying, "I think this gift seems better."
Why didn't he say anything just now? Shu Ningmiao waved her hand, signaling the waiter to take the other items to the waiter: "What, which one?"
Since there's something better, then naturally we'll buy what he likes; Shu Ningmiao isn't short of money.
He gently placed his hand on her shoulder, turned her around, and made her look at the far corner of the counter... What was that?
Shu Ningmiao squinted, staring at a reddish-green, dusty-looking mass in the corner: "That's trash, isn't it?"
The waiter quickly clarified, "This is a new pendant from our store."
Actually, it's not that new. This pendant has been out for half a year. People don't want to include it in their orders, so it hasn't sold yet. It's even disliked as a free gift, which is why it's been forgotten in some corner.
She took the pendant out, shook off some dust, and Shu Ningmiao finally saw that it was a plush toy with a red head and a green body.
Seeing that they could finally get rid of the thing, the waiter said eagerly, "This is our exclusive mascot design; it's very unique."
It was undeniably ugly in a unique way. Shu Ningmiao paused, reluctant to admit that Shu Changyan had come with her: "Do you really think this is beautiful?"
Shu Changyan lowered his eyes: "If it were me, I would like it."
"Do you like this color?"
“…Hmm.” Shu Changyan lowered his thick eyelashes, turned his head, and observed her expression out of the corner of his eye.
Shu Ningmiao disdainfully refused the doll offered by the waitress, and, with the waitress's voice saying in the background, "Want to touch it? It feels really nice," she gestured for her to quickly put it back into the box.
Shu Ningmiao didn't question his choice at all, and really decided to give Shi Yu such a gift. Shu Changyan's anxious mood eased a little, and he breathed a slight sigh of relief. But then a sense of loss surged up again, and he didn't dare to look Shu Ningmiao in the eye.
Shu Ningmiao grabbed the handle of the gift bag and looked at him, tilting her head and looking at him with bright eyes: "Then I'll give you this?"
Shu Changyan gave a soft "hmm," and Shu Ningmiao suddenly reached out and pressed the gift bag against his chest with both hands.
The light weight of the gift box pressed down on his chest. Shu Changyan looked blank for a moment, then looked down at the gift box in his hand, and then at Shu Ningmiao's expression: "Give it to me? Why?"
Shu Ningmiao said "Oh": "Because today is your birthday."
Shu Changyan had no recollection of this date. After his parents passed away, his connection with the world became increasingly distant. When he was a child, Shu Ningmiao would occasionally give him cute things and remind him of the date, but after leaving the Shu family, he completely forgot about it.
He took the box from Shu Ningmiao, and after a long while, he let out an "Ah," his eyes lowered, the shadow cast by his eyelashes blurring his almost transparent pupils, making it impossible to see his expression.
Shu Ningmiao tiptoed and reached out to take off his sunglasses. His beautiful blue eyes held a helpless expression, and his brows were slightly misty.
He suddenly choked up because of his own thoughts. He had received the birthday present, but it was just a rather unattractive pendant—the kind that Zhao would laugh about from this year to next if he accidentally saw it.
But Shu Ningmiao wanted to send the gift not to the mentally unstable young master of the Shi family, but to his older brother, Shu Changyan, who was already too preoccupied with other matters.
My heart felt as if it were placed on soft velvet, gradually sinking in and becoming softer and softer.
Shu Ningmiao raised an eyebrow, clearly aware of how ugly the pendant he had chosen was: "It matches the terminal you chose perfectly."
Shu Changyan didn't think the pendant he chose was ugly at all. It was clearly made of pearls and gemstones, sparkling and beautiful. But he couldn't refute Shu Ningmiao's words, otherwise his intention to deliberately choose this pendant as a gift would be exposed instantly. He just tightened his fingers without making a sound, his slender fingertips gripping the small box.
For some reason, Shu Ningmiao also had a strange smile on her face: "Let's go home for dinner."
"Yes, I can do it. There's no need for the chef to come back and forth."
Shu Changyan casually agreed, and was about to carefully tie the pendant to the car when Shu Ningmiao suddenly leaned down and grabbed his wrist. He turned his head and looked up, seeing a hint of cunning and smugness in her pearly eyes.
She casually withdrew her hand, and something fell into his palm.
Shu Changyan opened his hand, and in his palm lay a delicate little gift box.
"A gift." Shu Ningmiao sat back in the passenger seat. "It can't really be that pendant, can it?"
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