Frankly, Tang Yi was a rather slow-to-warm-up person.
She had only met Yan Xi a few times, and their acquaintance stemmed from Tang Yi impersonating Yan Xi to take compromising photos. Later, unable to bear the guilt, Tang Yi stepped forward to clarify, which led to her meeting Yan Xi.
Now, with Yan Xi holding her hand and going shopping, her tone of voice made it seem as if she already considered Tang Yi a good friend.
This made Tang Yi feel even more uneasy.
Tang Yi looked at Yan Xi, puzzled. She was a straightforward person herself, and hearing Yan Xi call her name, she asked, "Miss Yan, why are you so friendly with me?"
"I know you were in a difficult situation before, and it wasn't your intention. I can see that you are a kind person. Otherwise, you wouldn't have testified for me in court the second time. To be honest, you look so much like me that if you hadn't come forward, it would have been difficult for me to clear my name. But you were willing to bear the infamy to help me, and I knew then that you weren't inherently bad."
For some reason, Tang Yi's heart felt warm hearing Yan Xi say this.
Even her own mother, Yu Gui Lan, didn't understand her, but Yan Xi did.
She understood her circumstances and difficulties.
Tang Yi looked at Yan Xi gratefully and said softly, "Thank you, Miss Yan."
"We don't need to be so formal. My name is Yan Xi, and you can call me Xi Xi. Your name is Tang Yi, so I'll call you Yi Yi."
Yan Xi said.
Tang Yi was even more at a loss.
It wasn't that she didn't want to be close to Yan Xi, but rather her innate wariness and caution towards people.
When she was studying, Tang Yi was always ostracized and schemed against by her female classmates because of her beauty.
Therefore, Tang Yi instinctively resisted getting too close to girls.
But Yan Xi was getting very close to her, and Yan Xi's warmth was genuine, not feigned.
It was clear that Yan Xi truly wanted to be friends with her.
At first, Tang Yi felt a bit self-conscious and awkward. However, female friendships, like male friendships, could be forged.
Men could establish friendships at the dinner table, while girls could cultivate them through shopping and dessert.
Tang Yi and Yan Xi quickly became familiar with each other.
Tang Yi no longer felt so distant when calling Yan Xi's name.
The two of them went shopping together.
Tang Yi and Yan Xi had similar figures and looked alike, but their auras were different.
Yan Xi had an "older sister" aura, while Tang Yi had a "sweet girl" aura.
Yan Xi preferred wearing jeans, but Tang Yi loved dresses, especially white ones.
However, Tang Yi didn't have much money at the moment, so her role in accompanying Yan Xi shopping was primarily just that – accompaniment.
Tang Yi didn't buy anything for herself.
Yan Xi, on the other hand, bought several dresses, all in styles that Tang Yi liked.
Tang Yi envied her immensely. It was true, having money was wonderful.
You could buy whatever you wanted without worrying about finances.
They got a little tired from shopping.
Yan Xi suggested going for coffee.
Tang Yi had some money in her pocket, so she said, "Okay, I'll treat you to coffee. It's my apology for what happened last time."
Yan Xi had noticed from the moment they entered the mall that Tang Yi hadn't bought anything, realizing that Tang Yi was short on cash.
So, Yan Xi said, "You accompanied me shopping, how can I let you treat me to coffee? I'll treat you."
When they arrived at the cafe, they found seats. Yan Xi handed several shopping bags to Tang Yi.
Tang Yi looked at her confused and asked, "Xi Xi, what are you doing?"
"I really liked these clothes, but the salesperson told me they didn't have my size. So I bought a smaller size, which should fit you perfectly."
"This isn't quite right."
Tang Yi didn't rush to take the bags.
At that moment, a waiter brought over two cups of coffee.
Tang Yi thanked the waiter.
Yan Xi sighed helplessly and said, "What's wrong? Do you think I'm fat and don't deserve to have you as my clothing stand-in?"
Clothing stand-in?
What was that?
Tang Yi looked at Yan Xi, completely bewildered.
Yan Xi explained to herself, "Isn't there a saying, 'seeing is as good as wearing'? Even though I can't wear them, it's like I've worn them when I see you wearing them. This is quite good, at least my eyes will be blessed."
Although Yan Xi said that, Tang Yi knew that these were new arrivals, and it was unlikely they would be out of stock in her size.
Moreover, these clothes, while not haute couture, were from well-known brands, and not many people could afford them. It was unlikely the designer would only design one plus-size piece.
Most importantly, if she could wear these sizes, Yan Xi could too.
Although Yan Xi claimed to be fat, her figure was actually similar to Tang Yi's, and even better managed and more perfect than Tang Yi's.
She didn't look like a woman who had given birth.
Yan Xi said this to save Tang Yi's face.
It was hard to say Tang Yi wasn't moved.
She looked at Yan Xi, said thank you softly, and then took the clothes from Yan Xi's hand.
After finishing their coffee, the two prepared to leave.
As soon as they exited the cafe, several burly men approached them.
Tang Yi was startled, having never encountered such a situation before.
Yan Xi, however, was accustomed to such scenes.
She recalled how terrified she had been when she first married Fu Yan Ting, just like Tang Yi was now.
The burly men said to Tang Yi and Yan Xi, "The gentleman sent us to pick you up."
Yan Xi mistakenly thought it was Fu Yan Ting. Having spent the afternoon shopping with Tang Yi, she was quite tired, so without a second thought, she pulled Tang Yi into the car.
Tang Yi, in turn, mistakenly assumed they were sent by Mr. Mo.
Although Tang Yi couldn't forgive Mr. Mo, she was also very tired after shopping with Yan Xi for so long.
So, when the men said their "gentleman" sent them to pick them up, neither Tang Yi nor Yan Xi thought much of it and got into the car.
Once in the car, Yan Xi eagerly took out the clothes and held them up against Tang Yi.
She said, "This white pleated skirt is so beautiful. If you wear it, you'll look like a pure maiden."
"This one is also beautiful, you'll look like the girl next door."
"This one..."
Yan Xi chattered incessantly in Tang Yi's ear, trying on each outfit.
After holding them all up, Yan Xi finally asked, "So, do you like them?"