Chapter 374

Chapter 374 Night of Transformation

“Silly girl, why are you crying?”

　　Although Lin Aoxue’s tears fell in silence, to Su Rui they carried a kind of breathtaking weight.

　　Lin Aoxue, who always appeared cold as frost and snow, stern and unapproachable in everyone’s eyes, with no warmth to speak of — she could actually cry?

　　Su Rui reached out, wanting to wipe away Lin Aoxue’s tears, but the moment his hand barely touched the skin of her face, Lin Aoxue suddenly reached up and caught his hand.

　　Caught by Lin Aoxue’s slender hand, Su Rui felt his whole body tense up.

　　”So many people care about me and help me. I can’t possibly allow myself to remain indifferent anymore.”

　　Su Rui’s hand rested against Lin Aoxue’s cheek, while her hand lay over his. Her gaze pierced through the shimmer of tears and met his eyes.

　　”So, I’ve decided to change.” Lin Aoxue said with resolve.

　　”You’ve already changed a lot.” Su Rui’s voice was gentle. “You’ve done really well.”

　　”It’s not enough. I need to keep changing.” Lin Aoxue held his gaze and said, “Thank you for doing so much for me, when I’ve done so little for you.”

　　”We’re friends — isn’t it a bit too formal to say things like that?” As Su Rui said this, he did something that would make every man in the world green with envy — he pinched Lin Aoxue’s cheek.

　　Far from showing any displeasure at this, the young lady of the Lin family broke into a smile through her tears.

　　Having a friend like this — it really was wonderful.

　　”Are you sleepy?” Su Rui suddenly asked.

　　”No.”

　　Even though it was the middle of the night, after such a turbulent wave of emotions, how could Lin Aoxue possibly feel sleepy?

　　”Since you’re not sleepy, I’ll take you somewhere.” Su Rui said.

　　”Alright.” Lin Aoxue’s eyes lit up with eager anticipation.

　　”Then let’s go.”

　　As Su Rui said this he moved to throw off the covers and get up, and Lin Aoxue let out a startled cry, quickly turning her face away.

　　Even though she had gotten a full eyeful of Su Rui earlier during their standoff, in her current state there was no way she could keep looking.

　　Though she had already turned away, Lin Aoxue’s heart kept pounding relentlessly, and the image of Su Rui’s body swirled through her mind.

　　Earlier, when facing Su Rui’s “threat”, Lin Aoxue had appeared calm on the surface, but inside her heart had been racing wildly. This was the first time she had truly come face to face with something like that — it really did make a person feel a little flustered.

　　Su Rui didn’t mind at all. He was dressed in a minute and pulled Lin Aoxue out the door.

　　It was already two in the morning. The streets of Ninghai were still ablaze with light, though most of the shops had closed. People could still be seen hurrying past, and countless office buildings still had lights glowing from their windows — who knew which poor programmers were still grinding away at overtime.

　　Walking side by side with Lin Aoxue along the main road, with a cool breeze drifting past, Su Rui felt perfectly at ease and said, “Summer nights like this are rare. It’s good to come out and take a walk.”

　　”Mm.”

　　Lin Aoxue was enjoying the summer night just as much. It was a feeling she had never experienced before. A look of dreamy enchantment shone in her eyes as she nodded, her heels clicking rhythmically against the pavement.

　　Su Rui heard the sound of the heels and glanced at Lin Aoxue’s outfit, giving a slight shake of his head. “This won’t do.”

　　”What won’t do?”

　　”Who goes out for a midnight stroll in a formal business skirt suit with eight-centimeter stilettos?” Even as Su Rui said this, he himself was wearing dress trousers and a button-down shirt. The two of them looked less like people out for a walk and more like coworkers who had just finished a late shift.

　　”So what should we do?” Lin Aoxue looked down at her own outfit and felt a little troubled. She too had noticed the mismatch — on such a beautiful night, the young lady of the Lin family didn’t want even the slightest flaw to mar it.

　　”Come, follow me.”

　　With that, Su Rui took Lin Aoxue’s hand and led her through several alleyways to a sportswear brand store.

　　As luck would have it, the store was open 24 hours. The sales clerk had been dozing against the counter, but the moment Su Rui and Lin Aoxue walked in, she snapped to attention.

　　She had never seen such a beautiful woman before. It was as if the whole night had grown a little brighter because of her.

　　”I’m calling the shots tonight — I’m your stylist.” Su Rui pulled Lin Aoxue in front of a mirror, took in her perfectly proportioned figure, and smiled. “No objections to my decisions.”

　　”Of course I’ll listen to you.” The Lin Aoxue of this moment was every bit like a girl eager to embrace something new. She truly meant to change — not just in words.

　　”Good, then let’s go with these.”

　　Su Rui’s eye was sharper than any scanner. With just a single glance, he had already determined Lin Aoxue’s size.

　　A light pink sports skirt, a white fitted tank top, and a pair of flip-flops — Lin Aoxue took the clothes and seemed to hesitate.

　　”Will these… suit me?”

　　From start to finish, Lin Aoxue had always carried the air of a domineering female CEO. Aside from the time Su Rui had tricked her into wearing matching couple outfits, she wore formal business attire every day. A tank top and mini skirt seemed like they had nothing to do with her at all.

　　”I say they suit you, so they suit you.” Su Rui said, and promptly pushed Lin Aoxue into the fitting room.

　　A full ten-plus minutes passed before the fitting room door opened. Su Rui looked at the transformed Lin Aoxue and felt his eyes light up.

　　”Turn around, let me see.” With a beauty standing before him, Su Rui suddenly felt like his eyes weren’t enough.

　　Lin Aoxue seemed a little shy, but she didn’t overthink it and slowly turned in a circle — just like a girl who had fallen in love, showing off her beauty before the one she adored.

　　Three months ago, even Lin Aoxue herself could never have imagined she would be capable of making such a gesture. Yet now, she did it with complete naturalness.

　　In flip-flops, her toes smooth and luminous as pearls, her two long, fair legs drew the eye immediately. The light pink sports skirt barely reached mid-thigh, hugging her hips, her stomach flat and toned. The curves of her chest were outlined by the fitted tank top in a breathtaking way. Since the tank top couldn’t fully contain Lin Aoxue’s considerable endowments, a hint of snowy cleavage and slope peeked out.

　　Su Rui’s eyes nearly fell right in. He realized he had somewhat underestimated Lin Aoxue’s size — this could truly be called a world-class weapon without any exaggeration.

　　Apart from a swimsuit, this was the first time Lin Aoxue had so “openly” worn a low-neckline top. Even though it was still a far cry from anything truly low-cut, she was already feeling quite embarrassed.

　　Still, it was fine — having worn a bikini in front of Su Rui before, her mental fortitude had been well trained.

　　”Sir, your girlfriend is really beautiful.” The sales clerk nearby offered her sincere admiration.

　　Hearing this, Lin Aoxue surprisingly didn’t refute it at all. Instead, she glanced over at Su Rui.

　　That glance was soft, like a spring breeze in March.

　　Su Rui didn’t seem to notice Lin Aoxue’s expression — he had been staring fixedly at a certain area this whole time. Only when the sales clerk interrupted did he reluctantly pull his gaze away from Lin Aoxue’s chest.

　　Su Rui picked out a summer outfit and flip-flops for himself as well. Once changed, the two of them looked far more like a couple out enjoying the cool night air.

　　”What do we do with these clothes?”

　　Lin Aoxue held up the outfit she had changed out of, feeling it was a bit awkward. “Should we drop them back at the hotel first?”

　　”What for?” Su Rui raised an eyebrow, took Lin Aoxue’s expensive business attire, and stuffed it straight into the nearby trash can without a second thought — as willful as could be.

　　”Just throwing them away like that?” Lin Aoxue was a little surprised.

　　”This is saying goodbye to the past.”

　　Su Rui touched his nose, grabbed Lin Aoxue’s hand, and the two of them walked out of the store in their flip-flops.

　　They headed to the night market and ate to their hearts’ content. Lin Aoxue let herself go completely, savoring every moment of her transformation under the cover of night.

　　Of course, perhaps tomorrow back at the office, Lin Aoxue would still look like that cold-faced CEO. But at least in front of Su Rui, she could show that side of herself — the feminine charm that no one had ever seen before.

　　”I’m full.” Lin Aoxue rubbed her stomach. “I’ve eaten so much my belly is actually sticking out.”

　　”Is it? I can’t see it.”

　　Su Rui looked over cheerfully. From his angle, all he could see were Lin Aoxue’s two peaks — there was no way to see the belly beneath them.

　　Noticing Su Rui’s gaze, a flush of red crossed Lin Aoxue’s face. She reached out and gave him a pinch on the waist.

　　Su Rui let out a yelp of pain, hissing through his teeth, while Lin Aoxue broke into a radiant smile.

　　”Where are we going next?” Lin Aoxue stopped walking.

　　”Where else? It’s already three-thirty in the morning — time to go home, of course.”

　　”Go home?” A flash of obvious disappointment crossed Lin Aoxue’s face. She didn’t want her night of transformation to end so soon.

　　Seeing her expression, Su Rui reached out with a grin and pinched her cheek. “I’m kidding.”

　　By now, it seemed Lin Aoxue had become completely immune to Su Rui pinching her cheek.

　　”Then where are we going?” Anticipation returned to Lin Aoxue’s eyes.

　　”Didn’t you say you almost never go shopping or watch movies?” Su Rui said with a smile. “I’m taking you to see a movie right now — a midnight showing.”

　　”Okay.”

　　The moment she heard midnight movie, Lin Aoxue’s heart filled with excitement.

　　Tonight she had truly broken free of her shackles and thrown open a brand new window.

　　Even in a big city like Ninghai, midnight showings drew relatively few people. Most had exhausted themselves in the relentless grind of daytime work and fell asleep the moment their head hit the pillow — who had the energy to get up and watch a movie?

　　”What do you want to watch?” Su Rui glanced at Lin Aoxue’s impressive chest and said with a mischievous look, “How about this new horror film that just came out?”

　　Taking a girl to a horror film at a midnight showing was the tried-and-true method for getting close to her. If a scary scene came up and she didn’t fling herself into your arms in fright, it simply wouldn’t fit the script!

　　Lin Aoxue seemed to see right through Su Rui’s little scheme and said with a smile, “Sure, let’s watch the horror film.”

　　Su Rui felt something was off. Had this woman agreed a little too readily?