Chapter 28

There was a fleeting trace of amusement in his eyes.

The little white rabbit had fallen into the big bad wolf’s trap—and didn’t even know it.

The department store in the provincial capital was huge. Men and women bustled back and forth, laughing and chatting, with prosperity visible at every turn.

Gao Han had prepared a shopping list early on. All they had to do was follow it. Clothes, pants, shoes—everything inside and out, he bought them all.

Song Qingdai reached into her pocket. She hadn’t spent a single cent.

Watching Gao Han purchase bag after bag, anyone who didn’t know better would think he was here to buy wholesale.

Most of the stalls here were rented out. This was the largest department store in the provincial capital, filled with just about everything imaginable.

Food, drink, entertainment—you name it.

“Ah Han, I think that’s enough…” Song Qingdai looked at the car’s back seat, which was completely filled, and felt a little embarrassed.

“Do we still need to buy more?” she asked as he continued pulling her further inside, seemingly determined to empty out the entire mall.

Her legs were already sore.

“We haven’t bought jewelry yet.”

“That’s not necessary. I don’t even like it…”

“Whether you like it or not doesn’t matter. What matters is that these are essentials for a bride. Whatever others have, you must have too.”

Song Qingdai’s heart skipped a beat. She pursed her lips and stayed silent.

“Comrade Song, since you’ve chosen to marry me, then I’ll do everything I can to give you the best life possible.”

“What’s the matter? You don’t have confidence in me, or are you lacking confidence in yourself?”

She looked dazed and confused—clearly not quite understanding yet.

Gao Han reached out and pinched her cheek. It was soft and tender, the kind of texture that made him want to pinch it again and again.

“I just feel that some things aren’t necessary. It’s too wasteful.”

Wasteful?

He had finally gotten her—how could a few gifts be considered wasteful?

When it came to the girl he liked, Gao Han wished he could pluck the stars and moon from the sky and gift them to her.

He knew exactly how long he had been yearning for Song Qingdai.

“How is it wasteful?”

With a serious expression, Gao Han corrected her: “This is what you deserve. It’s what I, as your future husband, should give you.”

“I know you don’t know me well enough yet, but I hope that after we’re married, Comrade Song will have a bit more trust in me.”

But trust didn’t mean dependency.

She was her own person—an independent individual with her own identity—not a dodder vine that needed to cling to someone to survive.

Song Qingdai felt a pang in her chest. No one had ever said these things to her before.

Even though she was about to marry Gao Han, in her eyes, it was merely about completing the task of settling down.

But now, it seemed Gao Han didn’t see it that way.

He was taking it seriously.

At least when it came to this marriage, he was full of sincerity.

A warm current slowly spread through her heart, melting the icy shell she had long kept around it.

“Come on, pick out what you like—don’t worry about the price.”

The jewelry section of the mall glittered with gold and gemstones. Bright lights shone down on jade and precious metals, making them appear even more dazzling and extravagant.

“Comrades, are you here to look at wedding jewelry? We just got a batch of new arrivals—would you like to take a look?”

A store clerk hurried over to greet them.

These two young people had no rings or jewelry—clearly, they were soon-to-be newlyweds.

“What’s going on with your store? Didn’t I ask you to bring out your latest designs? Why are you showing me these outdated pieces? Do I look that old to you?”

A sharp and arrogant female voice rang out. The clerk quickly smiled apologetically and said, “Sorry, Miss. The new designs have already been reserved by another customer. But these are quite nice too. Please take a look.”

They were trained to treat every customer as a priority.

The staff encountered all kinds of people every day, so they knew how to handle situations like this.

“What do you think? Do you like it?”

In front of Song Qingdai was a pearl and rose-gold necklace, with matching bracelet, bangle, and earrings.

The full set was elegant and luxurious. The pearls were round and lustrous, and the gold gleamed brilliantly.

Song Qingdai had delicate wrists, and the pearls only made her skin look even fairer and softer.

“Ah Han, this set costs more than five thousand—it’s too expensive…”

She could tell from the quality of the pearls that this was something well beyond her means.

In a time when average monthly wages were only a few dozen yuan, spending thousands on jewelry felt excessive.

Besides, both she and Gao Han came from ordinary families—this was nothing short of extravagant.

“You look beautiful in it.”

“Please wrap it up for us.”

“I’ll take this set.”

Before Song Qingdai could say anything, a hand suddenly reached over, snatching the bracelet and bangle from in front of her and slipping them onto her own wrist.

Then the woman shook her wrist with a flourish: “These pearls are really nice. Didn’t you say your family was buying me my wedding gold? I think this set is perfect!”

“Jingjing, these pearls are so tacky! And mixing them with gold? Ugh—only old women would like that sort of combo. The earlier set was much better—elegant and really suited to you!”

As soon as Song Qingdai heard the voice, she turned her head sharply.

Their eyes met midair.

“Song Guangji?”

“Song Qingdai?”

They spoke in unison, both visibly shocked by the sight of each other.

Song Qingdai smiled.

Pearls with gold were tacky?

Only old women liked that kind of design?

Did she look old to them?

“What are you doing here?”

Song Guangji’s face instantly darkened.

“Why can’t I be here?”

“You two know each other?” The woman’s eyes instantly turned wary as she looked at Song Qingdai.

As if she were some kind of seductress trying to steal her man.

She immediately regarded Song Qingdai as a rival.

“Jingjing, she’s the one I told you about—the stepsister whose mom died, and no man wants her. She threw herself into some random guy’s bed just to get married. I must’ve been cursed to have a shameless sister like this!”

Song Guangji said with a face full of disgust.

Since he couldn’t get anything out of Song Qingdai, he was determined to destroy her reputation.

He said it loud enough for the entire store to hear. Heads turned.

“What? It’s her?”

Miao Jingjing raised her voice, wearing a look of dramatic shock.

Song Qingdai’s face turned cold—not because of the slander, but because of that “stepsister whose mom died.”

“No wonder she looks like a cheap seductress—turns out she’s the type who throws herself at men.”

Miao Jingjing sneered, eyes full of scorn.