Qiao Li smiled and nodded.

She gathered her hair at her shoulders, and Feng Yi nervously stepped forward to fasten the necklace. He held his breath, carefully securing the clasp.

Touching the pendant at her collarbone, Qiao Li softly asked, "Does it look good on me?"

Feng Yi nodded rapidly, like a bobblehead. "It looks beautiful."

Qiao Li smiled and kissed his cheek.

Feng Yi melted, swaying slightly, murmuring, "Why did you suddenly kiss me...?"

Blushing furiously, he beamed with happiness, his grin impossible to suppress. Like a giddy kitten, he finally remembered, "Ah! I have another present."

He'd been more apprehensive about this one. After buying the necklace, he only had a few thousand yuan left. Unsure what else to get, he'd seen his roommate Meng Shan reading "King of the City" where the male character gifted the female character a pair of shoes, which made her very happy. He'd memorized the brand and bought Qiao Li a pair too.

Flats, of course. High heels were pretty, but he didn't want her feet to hurt.

He crouched down in front of the sofa and produced a shoebox, placing it nervously at Qiao Li's feet. "I... I don't know what kind of styles girls like. I asked my mom, but, well... she's a different generation, so I don't know if her taste is good." If his mother heard this, she'd probably want to wallop him like Mitsy beating up Shin Chan.

He opened the box and took out the shoes.

Feng Yi's mother clearly had excellent taste. The shoes were perfect for Qiao Li's age and style, exactly the kind she would have chosen herself.

"I love them," she praised. "My high heels might be out of a job now."

Feng Yi beamed like a simple country bumpkin, his eyes shining like a child playing dress-up with dolls. "Should I... should I put them on for you?"

Qiao Li extended her leg.

Feng Yi, more cautious than a scientist conducting an experiment, gently cradled her ankle and carefully slipped the shoe onto her foot.

Her foot was slender and pale, her ankle delicate and bony, her skin smooth and soft. In the warm glow of the lamp, her straight, slender legs had a subtle, pearly sheen.

She had just showered, and the lingering scent of her body wash drifted into Feng Yi's nose. His palm, touching her skin, felt suddenly hot.

Ashamed of his unexpected surge of desire, his face flushed. After putting on the first shoe, all he could hear was the pounding of his own heart.

He didn't dare look up at Qiao Li as he gently put on the other shoe.

When he was finished, he held her leg and cautiously glanced up at her.

She was watching him. From this angle, her gaze was languid, almost imperious, yet infinitely tender. Her hair was damp, her face bare of makeup. She wore a white nightgown, and her expression, unaccustomed to such treatment, was shy, perhaps even a little vulnerable and uncertain.

Kneeling before her, Feng Yi suddenly understood why knights fell in love with princesses. The posture, the angle, it was all too dreamlike.

He held her leg and gently pressed a reverent kiss to her skin.