Chen Yu, having nothing better to do, agreed to go. He figured he might even be able to take advantage of the situation somehow. Feng Yiman was well-off; her parents and sister showered her with pocket money. Since she rarely bought anything besides study materials, she had quite a bit saved up. 

"Take a look. Which one do you like? I'll buy it to... repay you," she offered, strolling with him through the mall. Chen Yu was indifferent. He wasn't short on clothes. He casually browsed, enjoying the unexpected perk of spending time with the beautiful brainiac. 

Suddenly, Feng Yiman asked him to hold her things while she used the restroom. Her dress and bag made it awkward to carry everything. Chen Yu naturally slung her small crossbody bag over his shoulder, checking his reflection in a nearby mirror. Hmm, not bad. 

He instinctively pressed the power button on her phone, and the screen lit up. His eyes widened.The wallpaper displayed an anime boy wearing a rabbit-ear headband, with two large characters written in a cute font beside him: Chen Yu. 

Holy crap! Could it be? Did she have a secret crush on him? She even designed an anime version of him for her wallpaper? And why did she make him look so… feminine? With bunny ears, no less! He needed to show her what real masculinity looked like. 

***

Feng Yiman emerged from the restroom, hands awkwardly held out, they’d been out of paper towels. She saw Chen Yu casually carrying her bag. Back in their old class, boyfriends often carried their girlfriends' bags, and she’d felt a pang of envy at the time. Wait. Where did that thought come from? Don't be ridiculous. He had a girlfriend. Multiple girlfriends, in fact. Shaking her mostly dry hands, she reached out.

 "Give me my bag." 

"I'll carry it," Chen Yu said, returning her phone instead. 

"I saw your phone screen." 

Her eyes widened, locking onto his. She sensed something was off. Had he gotten the wrong idea? She was about to explain when Chen Yu interrupted. "Didn't you say you were buying me a shirt? I like that one." 

He casually pointed to a white athletic T-shirt. A sales assistant hurried over, pulling the shirt from the rack. 

"This is our newest style. Perfect for someone your age." 

He took the shirt and headed for the fitting room. Feng Yiman wandered around the store, browsing for herself. She realized Chen Yu had been in the fitting room for a while. It shouldn't take that long to try on a T-shirt. As she glanced towards the fitting room, she saw his head poke out, looking around. He caught her eye and frantically gestured for her to come closer. 

"Come here for a sec." 

"What is it?" she asked, approaching him. He frowned, feigning distress. 

"I think my back's caught on the shirt. Can you help me?" 

Feng Yiman, naive as she was, fell for it. The moment she stepped inside, Chen Yu locked the door, pressed her against it, and captured her lips with his. Feng Yiman froze, eyes wide, breath caught in her throat. By the time she reacted, Chen Yu's tongue was tracing her lips, attempting to pry them open. 

His hand had already slipped under her skirt, resting on her underwear. Panicked, she struggled, muffled protests escaping her. She bit down hard on his lip, tasting blood, until he finally released her. He didn't seem angry, merely licked the blood from his lip. 

"Trying to kill me?" he asked, grinning. Terrified, she turned to flee, but he grabbed her wrist, pinning her against the door again, his other hand covering her mouth. 

"Running away? Don't you like me? Is this how you react to a kiss?" He seemed to understand, though. Girls were shy, after all. He liked this kind of thing, the shy, almost teasing resistance, the outward purity masking inner desire. It made the conquest so much more satisfying. Chen Yu, it seemed, had a rather high opinion of himself.