Even though Shane felt that Audrey Sutton was a handful, between Norman Sutton and Audrey, he was unwaveringly on his wife’s side. 𝒻𝓇𝑒𝘦𝘸𝑒𝒷𝓃ℴ𝑣𝘦𝑙.𝒸ℴ𝘮

So he replied coolly to Norman, "I can’t control her."

Norman Sutton: "Now you realize you can’t control her? It’s because you spoiled her!"

Shane raised an unconcerned eyebrow and took a step closer to Audrey.

Audrey held up a handkerchief embroidered with mandarin ducks and asked him, "Does this look good?"

Shane answered without thinking, "It looks good."

Audrey, not easily fooled, rolled her eyes at him and said, "So perfunctory."

Lana Holloway then chimed in, "Actually, you can buy couple handkerchiefs..."

Before Lana could finish, Audrey muttered, "I wouldn’t buy couple’s versions with him."

Audrey picked out one with two little goldfish for herself and one with a pair of flying cranes for Shane.

"Pay up."

Shane pulled out his phone and, while scanning to pay, commented, "Cranes eat fish."

Audrey rolled her eyes at him, "Who cares! I never said they were a couple!"

Seeing her temper flare up like a mysterious spark from a powder keg, Shane decided to stay quiet, fearing any more words might set off an explosion.

Audrey looked at the handkerchief in her hand and realized she hadn’t considered the cranes eating the fish; she just liked the symbolism of pairs.

The crane one was originally meant for Shane, but she hesitated and gave him the goldfish one instead.

Shane took it, not carrying it around like her but stuffing it into his hidden pocket, leaning over her ear to say, "Are you hinting at something?"

Audrey: "Hmm?"

With a roguish smile, Shane said, "You take the crane, I take the fish. Are you going to eat me?"

Audrey was stunned for a moment before realizing the innuendo in his words. She didn’t expect him to flirt so boldly in public and glared at him, blushing.

Then Norman Sutton impatiently shooed them away, "Done buying? Hurry up and get out!"

Audrey glared at Norman and whispered while tugging on his collar, "If you bully another girl, I’ll tell Mom you’re still thinking about Lana, and she’ll pester you about it every day to death!"

Norman frowned, swatting away Audrey’s hand, "Stay out of it, sis. Not your business."

Norman didn’t hit Audrey hard; it just made a light "pat" noise, and then Audrey pouted, teary-eyed, seeking sympathy from Shane, "Honey, he hit me!"

Shane: "..."

If it were anyone else, Shane might humor Audrey and stand up for her, but this was his brother-in-law, so he couldn’t afford to offend him.

Norman looked at Audrey with annoyance, "You’ll get yours. You used this trick to frame me when we were kids. You better get going, or I’ll tell Mom you bought adult magazines again."

Audrey frowned, "You’re slandering me!"

Norman: "You have no room to talk. We can tell on each other when we get home. Who’s afraid of who? Don’t think I don’t know what movies you watch at home. Two men, lying on a bed, not wearing clothes..."

"Shut up, Norman!"

If Shane weren’t there, Audrey might brazenly say, "So what if I watched it?"

But she wasn’t as bold with Shane around.

Shane spoke calmly, looking at Norman, "Go on."

Audrey quickly tugged Shane to leave, while Norman smiled triumphantly, having won this argument with his sister for once.

After walking away angrily, Audrey looked at Shane and complained, "He insulted me, and you didn’t back me up!"

Shane: "I don’t meddle in children’s squabbles."

Indirectly calling her childish.

Before Audrey could further grumble, Shane quickly asked, "What kind of... movies did he say you watched?"

Audrey’s gaze darted around, playing dumb, "What movies? He’s just talking nonsense. You believe him? It’s not true, don’t listen to him, he’s just defaming me!"

Shane smiled knowingly; the truth was obvious.

As they walked past a large billboard featuring two animated male characters in an intimate pose, Shane tapped it with a finger and teased, "Is it like this?"

Audrey blushed, hastily pulling down his hand and tugging him away, "Stop looking at these things. You might become abnormal if you see too much!"

Shane smiled silently, seeing her ears turn red, and decided not to tease her further.

Regarding the type of manga she liked, after some research online about those cute rabbit characters transforming into muscular hunks, Shane came across some odd tidbits of knowledge, so he wasn’t as shocked by these things anymore.

Meanwhile at the other stall, after sending off the troublemaker Audrey, Norman began browsing the stall with mock interest.

Casually looking and touching the items, Lana didn’t greet him as warmly as she did other customers, completely ignoring Norman.

Norman picked up a traditional Chinese fan, fanning it while asking Lana, "How much is this?"

With a lack of enthusiasm, Lana replied, "Five hundred."

Norman frowned, "It says one hundred eighty on the tag."

Lana rolled her eyes, "If you saw it, why ask?"

Norman: "Hey, what’s with the attitude? The customer is always right. I bought a ticket to enter. Do you want me to file a complaint?"

Lana was equally defiant, "Well, I’m selling it to you for five hundred today. Pay up or move aside and don’t block my business!"

Norman: "Looks like you haven’t been dealt with for too long. Is that why your attitude’s growing?"

"Lana."

Hearing a clear and melodious male voice call out behind her, Lana turned to see a man dressed in traditional-style clothing approaching.

Norman recognized the guy; he and Lana used to paint traditional Chinese paintings together. Back at school, he often saw them going to the cafeteria together, though it wasn’t just the two of them; other enthusiasts from the department joined as well.

With the man’s arrival, Lana’s demeanor made a complete 180-degree change, gracing her face with a smile, even a hint of bashfulness. It irritated Norman to no end.

"Senior Wilson, you’re here?"

Senior Wilson smiled, "I heard from the group chat you rented a stall, so I came over to check it out."

Lana gave a shy smile, and the senior glanced at the stall’s items, saying, "Did you make all this yourself?"

Lana nodded, "Yes, I made them in my spare time."

The senior didn’t hold back on praise, "I always knew you were good at painting, but I didn’t realize you’re so skillful with your hands. The handkerchiefs are lovely, and the embroidery is exquisite."