Chapter 237: Chapter 237

Liu Banxia slept soundly. When he glanced at the time, he was surprised to see it was already nine in the morning. It had been a long time since he'd woken up naturally, and he felt thoroughly rested.

To his surprise, when he went out, the girls were already up. This is incomprehensible, he thought. They should have been chatting late into the night.

"There are fried dough sticks, soy milk, and tea eggs. If you want milk, get it from the refrigerator yourself," Qiaoqiao said casually.

"Why are you all up so early?" Liu Banxia asked, curious.

"We have to take you shopping for an outfit later. Hurry up and eat so we can get going," Qiaoqiao said, waving her hand.

She was the supreme commander of today's operation. Although the specific plan of action had later strayed somewhat, this didn't affect her exercising her authority.

"I must say, this fried dough stick you bought looks quite big, and it's delicious. I could eat two of them," Liu Banxia praised after taking a bite.

"Really? The two of us can only manage one," Wang Xiaoyan asked in surprise.

"Haha, I have a big appetite. Breakfast has to be good, or I won't have any energy for the whole day," Liu Banxia said with a laugh.

"You've eaten with him several times. Just look at his appetite, tsk tsk, he's such a glutton," Qiaoqiao remarked with feeling.

Liu Banxia didn't just eat fried dough sticks; he also polished off three tea eggs and a small basin of freshly made soy milk.

"Sigh... no comparison, no pain. Honestly, is there any justice in this world? I worry about gaining weight if I eat even one extra bite, but Dr. Liu eats so wantonly, and not only is he fine, he still has a great figure," Wang Xiaoyan lamented.

"That's nothing. When I'm really starving, even I don't know how much I can eat," Liu Banxia declared, making his own bold statement.

"In our family, only Tang Dou can compete with him. Wait for me, everyone; I'm going to get the car," Qiaoqiao said, then dashed off towards the garage.

After a few minutes, a black Lexus LX570 backed out of the garage.

Although Liu Banxia didn't know much about cars, he'd heard others say this one probably cost over a million. The lives of the rich are truly beyond comprehension, he could only sigh internally.

"Qiaoqiao, with your petite frame, is driving such a big car comfortable for you?" Liu Banxia asked curiously after settling into the passenger seat.

Qiaoqiao shot him a glare. "You can shut up now. Otherwise, with so many people, we'd have to take two cars. What a pain. You should buy a car too; it would make things convenient for everything."

"Me? If you sold me, I might afford a second-hand Tianjin FAW. Is this car new? The interior looks brand new," Liu Banxia joked.

"Mmhmm, bought it from President Qiu's family. I was thinking of getting that Mercedes-Benz, but President Qiu said this car is comfortable whether you're driving or riding in it," Qiaoqiao said.

"Also, what brands of clothes and shoes do you like? Buy whatever you fancy. President Qiu didn't ask for much for this car; it was quite a bit cheaper. I'll sponsor the suit. Yanzi will cover your shoes, and Jiaojiao will be responsible for the rest."

"If you ask me, there's no need to buy those things. I'll only wear them for today, and who knows when I'll wear them again—it could be ages. And you don't need to buy them; it's not like I don't have money," Liu Banxia hurriedly said.

"No, Dr. Liu, I also want to buy you a bag. You're my teacher, and I want to give you a gift," Qing Kewa said.

"You're just a kid, what are you joining in the commotion for?" Liu Banxia glanced back at her, quite helpless.

"We really should give you a small gift. I'll buy you a tie." Liang Xiaolin's voice, though not loud, was very firm.

Liu Banxia was even more helpless. I get it, he thought. This must have been the only thing the girls managed to agree on last night.

Having figured this out, Liu Banxia didn't bother with further objections. When the time comes, I'll just control things a bit, find some minor brands to muddle through, and that'll be that, he mused.

In fact, through his interactions during this period, he could tell that they all came from well-off families. This wasn't just true for Qiaoqiao and her two friends; even Liang Xiaolin and Qing Kewa had good backgrounds. Especially Qing Kewa; the jewelry this girl wore on the two occasions she'd been out and about was very pretty.

"Right, Yanzi, what do you need me to do?" Liu Banxia asked.

"You don't need to do anything, just do some yoga poses with me. I told them there would be a handsome guy, and they became incredibly expectant," Wang Xiaoyan said with a smile.

"Actually, people always think yoga is for girls to practice flexibility, but men can practice it too. And it doesn't require much space; a mat and a hanging rope are enough."

Liu Banxia nodded. "Anyway, I'm throwing caution to the wind today. Whatever you ask me to do, I'll do."

Arriving at the mall, Liu Banxia was somewhat dumbfounded. It seems like today's events are slipping out of my control, he thought, because the mall they had come to specialized in luxury goods.

Liu Banxia liked going to those all-in-one shopping centers with dining, entertainment, and retail. You never knew which store might be having a sale or clearing out odd sizes; with big promotions, he could always snag something decent.

But this place wouldn't do. An entire outfit from here would probably cost at least several thousand, if not more.

"What should we buy first?" Qiaoqiao asked enthusiastically.

"Let's change places. Shopping here is just throwing money away," Liu Banxia said.

"Shut up. You have no right to speak," Qiaoqiao glared at him.

"Let's wander around and see first. If there's anything suitable, we'll have him try it on. Linlin, Qing Kewa, is there anything you two want to buy? It's rare for us to come out shopping," Wang Xiaoyan asked with a smile.

Qing Kewa shook her head. "I still have lots of clothes I brought that I haven't even worn. I have to work, so I can only wear my work uniform."

Liu Banxia opened his mouth, actually wanting to try and persuade them again, but he wisely chose to keep quiet.

The act of shopping truly occupied too significant a place in these girls' hearts. Now, even Liang Xiaolin's eyes were shining as she constantly gazed ahead.

What else can I do? he thought. Resistance is futile. Next, I'll just have to submit to the whims of these women. Wear whatever they tell me to wear, try on whatever they tell me to try.

Regarding brands, he really didn't know much. But seeing a shirt priced at over a thousand yuan, he genuinely didn't know what to say.

His current state was much like a country bumpkin gawking at the splendors of the big city. He knew there were many luxury items inside, but he hadn't imagined things would be luxurious to this degree.

Their group was also somewhat interesting, attracting many stares.

Liu Banxia was somewhat handsome, but the clothes he wore were a bit too low-grade for this place. Moreover, he had been constantly busy with surgeries recently. As a result, he was somewhat scruffy and unshaven, appearing out of sync with the atmosphere here. But what about the girls accompanying him? The most eye-catching was Qing Kewa, the tallest of the five girls and also the most talkative. The other four girls were not lacking either, each possessing her own unique beauty.

Of course, even if this group was very peculiar, if Liu Banxia wanted to try on items the girls selected, the cliché scene from movies and TV shows where sales assistants look down on people wouldn't occur. Tʜe sourcᴇ of thɪs content ɪs novel⦿fire.net

"Well, what a coincidence, Jiaojiao! How have you been lately?" a sudden male voice interjected while they were trying on shoes at the Bari Store.

"Damn, scumbag," Qiaoqiao blurted out before Liu Banxia could even see who it was.

This stunned Liu Banxia. This whole thing was prepared for this fellow, yet we unexpectedly ran into him here, he thought.

Now he could see clearly: the young man looked to be in his thirties, with a good physique and a mature charm. Currently, a girl was also clinging to his arm.

"Zhou Yang, aren't you disgusting?" Jiaojiao stared at him and said.

Zhou Yang shook his head. "It's only natural for us to separate if our feelings don't align. Otherwise, it would only cause more pain for both of us."

"Hello, pleased to meet you. I'm Liu Banxia," Liu Banxia said, standing up.

This was an unexpected encounter. Since he had promised Jiaojiao, he now had to back her up. In terms of attire, I'm no match for this Zhou Yang, he thought. I can only win through spirit and presence.

His taking the initiative to speak did catch Zhou Yang off guard. "Hello, is there something I can help you with?"

"Nothing much, what could there be? I heard some things about your past from Jiaojiao. I kept trying to persuade her, but she wouldn't listen," Liu Banxia said, shaking his head.

"If your feelings aren't compatible, isn't it perfectly normal to separate? If you two hadn't separated, what role would I have? This is fate."

Liu Banxia spoke with such a straight face that the sales assistants nearby listened with wide eyes.

Although this group was quite peculiar, they hadn't expected Liu Banxia to actually be the boyfriend of one of the girls. And now? The girl's ex-boyfriend had arrived with his current girlfriend. How complicated! they thought.

After a moment's pause, Zhou Yang came to his senses. "Hello, which line of work are you in?"

"Oh, I'm nothing special. I just play with knives. Most of the time, I'm cooped up in a room, and the only people I see are those few," Liu Banxia said very modestly.

Zhou Yang glanced at Jiaojiao with a half-smile, but he didn't notice the strange expressions on the other girls' faces. "A pleasure. It seems there might be an opportunity to patronize Mr. Liu in the future."

"Welcome, welcome, absolutely welcome! Brother, you're a good man. This friendship is settled!" Liu Banxia said very heartily.

Qiaoqiao was trying so hard to hold it in, she almost suffered internal injuries. Patronize Liu Banxia? she thought. Just wait for him to fleece you!

Jiaojiao's mood also improved a lot; this was the first time she had experienced Liu Banxia's sly mischievousness. This method of venting anger seemed much better than their original plan.

Thinking of this, Jiaojiao's gaze towards Liu Banxia was full of amusement.

However, this look was misunderstood by Zhou Yang. Originally, he hadn't paid it much mind, but now a small flame of anger began to ignite within him.

He could abandon Jiaojiao; she had long lost her novelty for him, and it saved him the trouble of her clinging to him. But now he knew that Jiaojiao had found such a scruffy "chef" right after breaking up with him.

Why so quickly? he wondered. Did she meet him while we were still together?