Chapter 260: Why Aren't You Wearing Anything?

Is this really a single-serving ice cream?

Xia Yao was stunned for a moment, her gaze involuntarily lingering on the girl's face as she studied it carefully.

Speaking of which... she really was quite pretty.

She looked a bit shorter than herself, barely around 1.6 meters, delicate like a porcelain doll. Her face was incredibly sweet, yet her aura carried a hint of cool detachment mixed with adorable cluelessness.

With looks like that, could she be some newly debuted idol from a cute-girl group?

But looking more closely, not only was the T-shirt she was wearing obviously several sizes too big, even the cuffs and hem of her jacket were faded and worn at the edges, like clothes that had been worn for a very long time.

Should a girl this delicate really be wearing clothes like that?

Skin so tender would get red marks from rubbing against them.

Hmm?

That outfit... didn't that blockhead have the same one?

Xia Yao shook her head, not thinking too much about it.

Her gaze followed the oversized T-shirt, unconsciously drifting down into the girl's collar.

There, just below her delicate collarbone, hung a magnificent, translucent red gem pendant.

In her entire life, she had never seen a gemstone with such a beautiful color, one that seemed capable of sucking in even one's soul.

Even the priceless collections at home seemed to pale in comparison before this gem.

"......"

She forced herself to tear her gaze away from the gem, then her eyes flickered as she finally realized something.

That was actually a band-aid?!

Xia Yao blurted out: "Why aren't you wearing anything?"

"...?"

The cherry-haired girl tilted her head, seemingly puzzled as to why she would ask that question: "Because I don't have any."

"......"

--What exactly is it that she doesn't have?

Looking at her matter-of-fact face, Xia Yao felt herself at a loss for words.

But then again...

She really was basically bare underneath.

The black-haired girl lowered her head to glance at her own chest, then raised her head again, a glimmer of recognition for a fellow sufferer flashing through her eyes as she muttered: "Even if there's barely anything, you still should wear something..."

She carefully examined Lin Guang's hair, then looked at the details around her eyebrows and hairline, confirming repeatedly that the color was not dyed.

Quite the contrary, the hair was incredibly soft and smooth, emitting a faint, pleasant sweet fragrance.

Xia Yao forcefully suppressed the urge to reach out and touch it, though there wasn't much surprise in her eyes.

--Black hair and black eyes were indeed the mainstream in the Secret State, but there were also a small number of people born with other hair and eye colors, roughly around 5% or so. Not many, not none, they simply always existed.

Besides, hair and eye color had no direct correlation with looks, let alone when it came to such a beautiful girl.

"So, where are you from?"

Xia Yao calmed herself down and looked at the cherry-haired girl who showed no sign of leaving, asking curiously: "You're not from Wind Capital originally, are you?"

If she were a local, she should know how dangerous this place was.

Lin Guang didn't say anything, and Xia Yao took that as confirmation, then asked again:

"What are you doing running around here all alone?"

Lin Guang thought for a moment, then spoke: "...Buying clothes."

"Buying clothes?"

"Yeah."

Xia Yao paused for a moment.

Then, she suddenly realized the source of the subtle sense of dissonance this girl had been giving her all along.

It was a mysterious kind of obliviousness.

The way she hadn't resisted those thugs, showed no sense of urgency, and even casually licked her ice cream like a dazed little thing.

No matter how she looked at it, she was incredibly oblivious!

Could this girl... be lacking the common sense and wariness that ordinary people had?

"Do you have money on you?" Xia Yao asked with some concern.

Lin Guang thought for a moment, reached into the inner layer of her jacket, and pulled out a dozen or so crumpled bills.

This was what she had grabbed casually before leaving, totaling roughly a thousand or so yuan.

There was no way she could bring a wallet or bank cards.

After all, her two identities had to be kept distinct, and any documents that could reveal her personal identity absolutely could not be carried on her.

Just like now, if she had brought the wallet belonging to [Lin Guang], the moment she pulled it out in front of Xia Yao would be the moment everything fell apart. Looking at it that way, this was the right approach.

"You want to buy a full set of clothes? Including underwear and shoes?"

"...Yeah."

Xia Yao looked at the cash in the cherry-haired girl's hand and found herself momentarily speechless.

This amount of money... wasn't even enough to buy one of the casual outfits she wore on a daily basis.

Was she a girl from a less well-off family?

But that didn't fit at all.

Xia Yao looked at her again.

Despite wearing that ill-fitting set of old men's clothes, she had fair, delicate skin that had absolutely been maintained with high-end skincare products, beautifully kept long hair, that extremely, extremely, extremely expensive necklace on her chest, and that ethereal aura of someone untouched by worldly concerns...

Wait a moment.

No way!

In that instant, Xia Yao felt her thinking speed increase by an unknown factor.

No wariness whatsoever.

No concept of money.

No guard against the opposite sex.

This beautiful, with an extraordinary aura.

Could it be--

A flash of golden light seemed to pass through Xia Yao's eyes as she caught hold of the truth.

Was this not a young lady or idol who had run away from home, or snuck out to experience real life?

Then she saw the girl in front of her finally finish licking the ice cream, and begin taking small bites of the cone that had already softened from being held, all while staring at her with those clear, gem-like eyes full of confusion.

"......?"

Xia Yao seemed to completely understand.

Her first time experiencing the joy of freedom in life, being able to try things that weren't allowed before, so that's why she bought such a big ice cream to eat?

Crunch crunch crunch--

Watching the cherry-haired girl munching through the bottom of the cone like a hamster, Xia Yao couldn't help but sigh.

"Ah."

She said seriously: "Girls' clothes are really expensive, you know. This amount isn't nearly enough."

The cherry-haired girl was stunned for a moment, tilting her head: "...Can't I just buy some cheap stuff and make do?"

"How could that be!"

Xia Yao let out another sigh, fully confirming her assessment.

As expected, she had no common sense at all.

Did she even know what kind of environment she used to live in?

In theory, the best and most responsible thing to do right now would be to press her for where she lived, then have Uncle An help send her back.

But...

Xia Yao looked at the cherry-haired girl before her.

She looked like a quiet, sweet princess, the kind who should be sleeping in a luxurious bedroom decorated with white satin and lace bed linens.

Yet this girl had chosen to stand in the outside world at this moment.

Even wearing tattered clothes that she shouldn't be wearing, even being approached by people with ill intentions, there wasn't a trace of fear in her eyes. Instead, they were bright and clear, like a little animal full of curiosity and anticipation for this world.

Perhaps to her, compared to life inside the birdcage, this was what she longed to see.

For some reason, the black-haired girl suddenly felt a brief daze.

Actually, she had done something like this before too.

Back then, she had a huge fight with her family, smashed a lot of things, and rushed out alone despite everyone's attempts to stop her. She had boldly gone to the Western Suburbs, which at the time still hadn't fully recovered its reputation, and sure enough, she got targeted by thugs.

Then...

That blockhead appeared.

Thinking about it carefully, she hadn't actually been in real danger back then. Uncle An and the bodyguards were surely following close behind.

But if she had been brought home and scolded, would she have ever mustered up that much determination again to step out of that birdcage?

But.

That blockhead said nothing, didn't try to dissuade her either. He just knocked out those thugs, led her all the way to a safe place, and told her in a calm, matter-of-fact tone which areas were safe, which were more chaotic, and where she'd be better off going.

He neither condemned her nor tried to lecture her, as if acknowledging her resolve and trusting that she could handle things on her own.

That was the first time since her mother had left, and her father and brother had changed so drastically, that someone had treated her that way.

So... that was why Xia Yao had become the person she was today, someone who could hold her head high, stand up for what was right, and fear nothing.

"......"

Xia Yao suddenly smiled.

"Ah, fine."

She suddenly asked: "What's your name?"

The cherry-haired girl blinked at her for a long while, then softly uttered three words: "Mengmengxiang."

"What an interesting name... I'm Xia Yao."

The black-haired girl grabbed the cherry-haired girl's wrist again, while her other hand reached out and pinched her cheek like a nagging mother: "Your skin is as soft as tofu! Wearing those rough, cheap clothes will rub your skin raw!"

"Come on, I'll take you shopping!"