"How about we go hang out at the mall for a bit?" Xue Rui suggested.

Chen Tingting’s eyes lit up. ’Xue Rui suggested this?’

’Why?’

But regardless of the reason, she certainly wasn’t going to refuse Xue Rui’s request.

The three of them waited for a taxi at a bus stop by the road. There was a bench next to the stop.

Lin Ruoxi took out a tissue and wiped the bench for Xue Rui.

However, Chen Tingting couldn’t wait and plopped down next to where Xue Rui would sit. She had to claim a good spot.

’So what if Lin Ruoxi looks a bit more mature? It just makes her look like a good match for Xue Rui’s tall frame...’

’People mistake Lin Ruoxi for Xue Rui’s girlfriend, while I get mistaken for his little sister...’

Xue Rui held back a laugh. He could guess exactly what was going through Chen Tingting’s mind.

Truthfully, Chen Tingting was a little over 1.6 meters tall. That wasn’t short for a northern girl—in fact, it was above average. In a southern city, she’d even be considered tall.

Unfortunately, Chen Tingting had a youthful face, and with him and Lin Ruoxi right there for comparison, she ended up looking like a child.

Chen Tingting sat on the bench, her little feet dangling in the air, swinging back and forth.

Xue Rui smiled at the sight. ’It’s not just her appearance,’ he thought, ’her behavior is just as childish.’

Chen Tingting was, at heart, a mischievous and adorable little girl.

Lin Ruoxi smiled faintly. She hadn’t planned on sitting down anyway; she was going to hail a taxi from the curb.

She stood in front of Xue Rui, using her parasol to shield him from the blazing afternoon sun.

Chen Tingting stared at Lin Ruoxi’s slender and graceful back, her eyes filled with envy.

’Should I try to learn from her?’

But she quickly shook her head. ’I could never be like that.’

She remembered the secret her mom had shared with her: play to your strengths, and sometimes, a weakness can become a strength.

’My strengths? My weaknesses?’

’Some people like that I’m sweet and cute. That’s a strength.’

’But compared to Lin Ruoxi and Gu Muxue, it just comes off as an immature weakness...’

"Is KFC good?" Xue Rui asked with a smile.

"Mm, it’s good, but you can get tired of it if you eat it too much," Lin Ruoxi said.

"Tired of it?"

Chen Tingting suddenly remembered something else her mom had said: you can get tired of even the most beautiful person. Men are fickle creatures whose tastes are always changing.

If you don’t switch things up, you can’t hold on to a man.

Although she didn’t quite understand what "switching things up" meant, she felt she still had an advantage.

As this thought crossed her mind, she started smiling again.

Xue Rui’s smile faded. ’This girl, Chen Tingting, is really something else,’ he thought. ’How does she bounce back so fast?’

’She’s like a piece of Play-Doh...’

Fortunately, Chen Tingting didn’t have a malicious bone in her body; she just wanted to hang out with him.

Before long, Lin Ruoxi successfully hailed a taxi from the curb and opened the rear door for Xue Rui.

After Xue Rui slid into the car, Chen Tingting zipped in right after him.

"What are you, a giant black mouse? You scared the daylights out of me," Xue Rui grumbled.

Chen Tingting didn’t get angry. Instead, she just squeezed further inside.

Lin Ruoxi’s eyes lowered slightly. Seeing Chen Tingting so close to Xue Rui made her a little unhappy.

However, she remembered Xue Rui saying they needed to cheer Chen Tingting up before sending her home.

So, she also got into the back seat.

Now Chen Tingting was squeezed between Xue Rui and Lin Ruoxi. With Lin Ruoxi next to her, she toned down her behavior a little.

The driver chuckled. The front seat was empty, yet all three of them had piled into the back. ’Kids are funny,’ he thought.

"Where to?" the driver asked.

"Beifeng Square," Xue Rui said, then turned his head to look out the window.

Chen Tingting suddenly noticed Lin Ruoxi reaching her hand past her ear. She swallowed hard. ’What is Lin Ruoxi doing? Is she angry?’

As it turned out, Lin Ruoxi was just grabbing the seatbelt from behind her.

"This..." Chen Tingting was stunned.

’What does Lin Ruoxi mean by this?’

’Is she trying to buckle me in so I can’t move?’

Seeing Chen Tingting’s confused expression, Lin Ruoxi said, "Um, it’s too dangerous to sit in the middle seat without a seatbelt."

The driver nodded. "That’s right. There was an accident a while back, a passenger in the back flew right out. Went straight through the windshield..."

Chen Tingting lowered her head. It was just like her dad’s usual nagging. She felt like a child being scolded.

They arrived at the square. In front of it were rows of shops. The sun was at its most intense, so only a few people were wandering in front of the clothing stores and restaurants. Most people were inside the mall, enjoying the air conditioning.

Xue Rui glanced at the sun. The dry, hot air was irritating. "Let’s hurry inside and cool off," he said.

As they entered, a blast of cold air washed over them, instantly refreshing.

Xue Rui noticed Lin Ruoxi’s gaze was drawn to a row of children’s kiddie rides near the entrance.

However, she only glanced for a moment before looking away.

Xue Rui thought, ’This girl definitely wants to try them, but she probably thinks she’s too old for kiddie rides.’

He thought about Lin Ruoxi’s tragic childhood; she must have missed out on so many things. He could make up for it now.

He walked over to an attendant who was dozing off. "Sir, can I get some coins?"

The attendant yawned, gave Xue Rui ten yuan’s worth of coins, and went back to his nap.

"Go on, have fun," Xue Rui said with a smile, handing the coins to Lin Ruoxi.

A clear flash of delight crossed the girl’s eyes. ’Xue Rui wants me to play.’

Lin Ruoxi asked quietly, "Aren’t you going to play?"

She wanted to play with Xue Rui.

Xue Rui’s eye twitched. ’I’m a grown man. Why would I play with this stuff?’

"I’m afraid I’ll break it," Xue Rui said.

"You won’t. The minimum national standard for a kiddie ride’s weight capacity is 70 kilograms, and those all comply," Lin Ruoxi said earnestly.

Xue Rui was stunned. ’Just how badly does this girl want to ride one of these? How does she even know such an obscure fact?’

"Even so, I’m overweight for it," Xue Rui said with a laugh.

The girl mumbled, "They always build in a margin of safety during design. 70 kilograms isn’t the absolute limit. You’re only a little over, it’ll be fine..."

Seeing the girl’s pitiful expression, Xue Rui clenched his jaw as if making a momentous decision.

’She probably has no idea about cutting corners or counterfeit goods. Not every kiddie ride is going to meet the national standard.’

’But, if it breaks, I’ll just pay for it. That’s not a problem.’

He was just a little too embarrassed. ’Ah, what the hell. Let’s go for it!’

"Alright, let’s play together," Xue Rui said magnanimously.

Chen Tingting was shocked. Xue Rui was telling someone as tall as Lin Ruoxi to get on a kiddie ride.

’And he’s going with her?’

"I want to play too," Chen Tingting declared.

And so, the three "children" got on the kiddie rides.

Xue Rui found himself straddling a Pleasant Goat ride. ’What has my life come to?’ he thought.

After he inserted the coins, the ride began to rock rhythmically, playing the Pleasant Goat theme music.

"Pleasant Goat, Beautiful Goat..."

Xue Rui thought, ’Lin Ruoxi wasn’t kidding. This damn thing is actually rocking with a burly guy of over 150 pounds on it...’

Xue Rui glanced to the side and saw Lin Ruoxi on a Beautiful Goat ride, her face filled with unstoppable joy, her almond eyes crinkling with laughter.

The attendant was lying on a deck chair, sleeping with a fan covering his face. When he heard three kiddie rides start up at once, the noise made it impossible to sleep, so he lifted his head to take a look.

"HOLY CRAP!" The attendant was wide awake in an instant.

’Three adults are playing on the kiddie rides?’

"Hey!" the attendant shouted. ’Don’t you have any idea how much you weigh?’

’What am I supposed to do if you break them?’

But before he could shout again, Xue Rui hopped off his ride and quickly intercepted the approaching attendant.

Lin Ruoxi’s judgment had been correct; the kiddie rides really could handle an adult’s weight. But since almost no adults ever rode them, it had created the stereotype that they could only hold a child’s weight.

Xue Rui thought, ’This guy’s about to say something harsh, and I don’t want to ruin the girl’s fun.’

"Sir, let’s talk over here," Xue Rui said, draping an arm over the attendant’s shoulder and pulling a wad of cash from his pocket to count.

The attendant’s eyes fixed on the thick stack of cash. He swallowed instinctively. ’Is this kid trying to bribe me?’

"Look, the two girls are having a great time, and the rides can handle it. That thing can hold over 150 pounds. I already tested it for you," Xue Rui said.

"You call that a test?" The attendant was speechless.

He glanced over. ’Are these things really that well-made?’

’If they were really too heavy, the rides wouldn’t be able to rock at all.’

Besides, those two girls were so pretty and full of life, just looking at them was a treat for the eyes.

For a moment, both men stood there, mesmerized.

"Whoa, you can ride them even when you’re that old?" a passing girl exclaimed in surprise.

The attendant chuckled. "Yep. As long as you’re not over 150 pounds."

"I want to try!" the girl said, pulling on her boyfriend’s arm.

The boy’s eyes were glued to Lin Ruoxi. As she played on the kiddie ride, her chest swayed gently with her body’s movements, making it hard for anyone to look away.

"What are you looking at? We’re not playing anymore!" the girl snapped, glaring at the boy.

"Huh? Baby, don’t go! I was just checking to see if the kiddie ride could hold..."

"So you’re saying I’m fatter than her, is that it?"

"Baby, that’s not what I meant..."

Xue Rui laughed. ’This is damn entertaining.’

He and the attendant squatted to the side and watched for a while. The attendant kept glancing at the money in Xue Rui’s hand. Only when Lin Ruoxi had used up all her coins did the two men look away.

"Want to play some more?" Xue Rui asked.

The girl suppressed her excitement. "Mm, maybe next time."

"Alright, let’s go," Xue Rui said, stuffing the wad of red bills back into his pocket.

The attendant looked at him, astonished. "You..."

"What, can’t I count my own money?" Xue Rui said as he started walking deeper into the mall.

’Nothing broke, so what is there to pay for?’

"Fine!" the attendant said through gritted teeth. ’This kid is full of tricks.’

The first floor of the mall was mostly high-value products—luxury goods like cosmetics, watches, and handbags.

The young lady wasn’t interested in these things. Chen Tingting was still just a student, so there was no point in browsing. And if he bought her a gift, Chen Shen would most likely make her return it...

So he could only give her inexpensive things like food or toys.

The second and third floors were department stores, groceries, and restaurants. Since they had just eaten, there was no reason to browse there.

Further up were women’s clothing, children’s clothing, toys, and the entertainment zone...

"Why aren’t there any men’s clothing stores?" Lin Ruoxi asked curiously.

The entire mall seemed to be designed for women and children; stores for men were few and far between.

She wanted to spend money on Xue Rui, but she couldn’t find many places to do it...