Chapter 110: I’m Still the Mascot After All

In the center of Liangcheng County stood a large shopping mall, four stories tall. The second floor housed a supermarket, while the other floors were filled with shoes and clothing.

They strolled there leisurely, as if to aid digestion after a meal.

Upon reaching the supermarket entrance, the young girl remembered that many daily necessities in their apartment had run out, so she planned to buy plenty and pushed a small cart.

The cart was designed generously, allowing items to be carried throughout the entire mall after checkout.

As she pushed it forward, she noticed that Bian Yang, who had been standing there moments before, was nowhere to be found.

Tang Yu scanned the area and finally spotted the youth standing prominently outside the flower shop near the supermarket entrance, his hands casually tucked into his pockets.

His tall, slender figure exuded a lazy yet upright posture. His arms, extending from his rolled-up sleeves, were slim but well-defined, radiating strength. The wind from their walk had tousled the hair on his forehead, which he hadn’t bothered to fix, letting it fall languidly across his brow. Dressed in casual attire, his entire demeanor was relaxed and unhurried, less sharp and more imbued with youthful charm.

His good looks and height alone made him stand out effortlessly.

Many passersby glanced at him subtly.

Tang Yu pushed the cart closer, standing beside him, and followed his gaze into the flower shop, where a fragrant scent wafted out.

“Want to buy some?” she asked, sensing his interest.

Bian Yang lowered his lashes and looked at her with a light tone. “Does wanting something mean you can have it?”

“If you want it, you have it,” Tang Yu replied, sensing a teasing tone in his voice but undeterred in her generosity. “Which one do you want?”

At about 1.65 meters tall, she appeared quite petite next to the youth, yet she carried herself like a patron with ample means.

“Pick whatever you want.”

A smile played at the corner of Bian Yang’s lips as he lifted his chin toward the bouquet in full bloom. “The peonies are at their best this season.”

“Buy it!”

Having earned money and with a competition bonus as well, she happily chose the two largest peonies.

The shopkeeper wrapped them meticulously in floral paper.

Bian Yang’s pale fingers gently touched the stamens; the scent was faintly sweet.

“Thank you, President Tang,” he said with a slight curve of his lips.

Seeing his good mood, Tang Yu couldn’t help but recall the scene on her birthday when she had received flowers, her heart warming just as now.

Bian Yang slowly prodded a pink petal as they walked forward, casually asking, “Have you heard that peonies have another name?”

Tang Yu remembered a line of poetry. “Are you referring to ‘Jiang Li’?”

He raised an eyebrow lightly, smiling nonchalantly. “Good memory.”

“‘You cast away the Jiang Li grass; I pick the love-binding flower’ refers to the peony. This verse is from Yuan Zhen’s ‘Yingying Poem,’” she explained, then fell into a thoughtful silence.

Both Jiang Li grass and love-binding flower are poetic names for the peony. The Book of Songs also contains a verse: ‘The gentleman and the lady jest with each other, presenting peonies as gifts,’ illustrating how ancient courtship involved exchanging peonies to express the bond of affection.

She wasn’t sure if Bian Yang knew this.

Yet watching him idly play with the petals, her cheeks betrayed her, flushing a delicate red.

Giving peonies in ancient times was akin to declaring one’s intention to claim another, and Bian Yang had accepted it so boldly and frankly.

The girl wasn’t just walking a path—she was following his scheme.

Bian Yang stifled a laugh, pretending ignorance and didn’t expose her. He turned his head to glance at her. “Why aren’t you moving forward?”

“Oh.” Tang Yu quickly shook off the chaotic swirl of thoughts and hurried to catch up.

Inside the supermarket, Bian Yang rested his long, well-proportioned hand on the cart, glancing sideways at parents with children nearby.

“Are you tired?” he asked Tang Yu.

She looked up. “No.”

“Not tired walking from the apartment here?”

Tang Yu hesitated, noticing his steady gaze.

Should she admit she was tired?

Slowly, she nodded. “A little.”

She thought he might have been tired himself, too proud to ask for a rest, so she spoke on his behalf.

But the next moment, the boy bit the flower stem in his mouth, freeing a hand to grasp her soft waist. With just a slight force, he effortlessly lifted her into the shopping cart.

“Bian Yang! What are you doing?”

Tang Yu was slender, and there was plenty of room in the cart even with her inside.

Still, she was embarrassed and shy.

Unable to get up, she covered her face with her hands, cheeks burning fiercely, eyes wide and sparkling as she glared at him.

“Get me out! Only kids are supposed to sit in here!”

Bian Yang removed the flower from his lips, tossing it into her lap as if he hadn’t heard a word. Pushing the cart deeper into the supermarket, he said lazily, “Kids in other families can sit, so why can’t ours?”

...

Along the way, countless passersby glanced their way. At first, Tang Yu shielded her face with her hands.

Later, Bian Yang browsed the seasoning aisle, occasionally looking back to ask her opinion. “Is this okay?”

He had picked up a bottle of soy sauce labeled zero additives and preservative-free. Not only was the bottle small, but it was priced far above the market average.

Tang Yu had to lower her hands from her face, take the bottle, read the ingredient list, then hand it back to him, signaling to put it down. She pointed to a more ordinary brand beside it. “Get that one.”

“Why?” Bian Yang asked, unfamiliar with the difference. “Because it’s cheaper?”

Tang Yu shook her head. “Soy sauce labeled zero additives is basically a scam. There’s no unified national standard for zero additives; it’s just marketing hype.

“Look at the ingredient list on that bottle. It specifically mentions enzyme extracts. Monosodium glutamate is derived by culturing specific bacteria on wheat in a natural microbial decomposition process. So listing enzyme extracts is essentially the same as listing wheat.

“Also, check the sodium ion content—it’s only about a hundred milligrams more per 100 milliliters than this one. When averaged per milliliter, it’s negligible. Unless consumed in large quantities, it won’t exceed the body’s sodium intake limits. So we only need to buy regular brewed soy sauce.”

It was the first time Bian Yang had heard such a detailed explanation about soy sauce.

She didn’t just study books—she understood life thoroughly.

He sincerely gave her a thumbs-up, “Tang Xiaoyu, you’re impressive,” then playfully tapped her head with the thumb.

“You still have a lot to learn,” she replied, lifting her chin with a glimmer in her eyes and a small dimple appearing as she smiled.

Brimming with confidence, she even began bossing him around.

“Driver Bian, keep going forward, and then get a bag of salt.”

A faint smile curved the corner of the youth’s mouth as he bent down and pushed the cart, continuing their exploration of the seasoning aisle. “Got it, President Tang. Sit tight.”

Soon, their cart filled with more and more items.

As Bian Yang pushed her slowly forward, his glance inadvertently caught sight of someone lurking nearby, sneaking glances their way. His eyes, once warm, suddenly chilled.

He lowered his head, his pale neck bending forward, and said to the girl, “I’m going to get some snacks. President Tang, why don’t you keep looking around?”

Tang Yu, comparing two bottles of vinegar, replied absentmindedly, “Mm-hmm,” without looking up.

Bian Yang straightened and strode off in a certain direction.

The other person, realizing he had been spotted, shifted to another aisle.

“Hey.”

The youth’s voice was cold.

Hearing it, Zhou Xunwen’s palms tightened involuntarily, his expression flickering under the light.

Bian Yang stood with hands in his pockets, casually watching him with a cold gaze. “Zhou, were you a police dog in your past life? Why are you tailing us here?”

Zhou Xunwen pressed his lips into a thin line, his tone harsh as he turned away. “I’m not tailing you. This supermarket is my family’s business.”

He had come just to pick up some things but had overheard Tang Yu’s voice and instinctively followed.

Now, hearing her and Bian Yang together, confirmed they were shopping as a pair.

Tang Yu’s relationship with Bian Yang was closer than Zhou had imagined.

There was something inscrutable in Bian Yang’s eyes, but no real emotion—just a faint, almost mocking smile.

“I thought so. Why else would you, Zhou, a perfectly fine person, become a dog?”

“Bian Yang, don’t go too far!” Zhou’s expression darkened. His good manners nearly broke down every time he met Bian Yang.

“You’re no better, clinging to her like a leech. She’s just too polite to reject you, but you really think you matter.”

Bian Yang pressed his tongue against his lower jaw, smirking cruelly.

No one could match his arrogance when he put on that haughty air.

It was as if he could crush anyone beneath him like dust.

“Ever since Tang Yu started keeping her distance from you and got closer to me, her grades have improved again and again. Clearly, I’m the lucky one, and Zhou, you’re the unlucky one.”