Chapter 36: Compromise with Reality
When Xia Ling boldly spoke her mind, it wasn’t just Xia Yu who was shocked; even Xia Hong and Wang Wenjuan had their jaws drop. No one had expected their daughter to blurt out such a thing!
In the end, it was Wang Wenjuan, in classic mom fashion, who tried to brush it off: “Well, why don’t you ask Little Yu? As long as she agrees, your father and I are totally fine with it.”
With that, Wang Wenjuan and Xia Hong scurried off to the bathroom to freshen up, leaving Xia Yu and Xia Ling to stare at each other in the living room.
Wang Wenjuan said that because she figured Xia Yu wouldn’t agree to Xia Ling’s outrageous request. To put it bluntly, she deftly passed the hot potato to Xia Yu…
Xia Ling, with her trademark grin, leaned in and whispered to Xia Yu, “Hey sis, how about I help you pick out some super cute clothes? They’re adorable, and mom and dad are totally on board!”
“Nope, I refuse! I heard everything you just discussed with mom—I am not going to wear those girl clothes!” Xia Yu proudly turned her face to the side. She thought, if she stepped out in those outfits to celebrate the New Year, her dignity would be in shambles!
Not surprised by Xia Yu’s haughty rejection, Xia Ling leaned closer and playfully blew air into Xia Yu’s ear: “If you listen to me, sis, I’ll give you New Year’s money~”
“How much?”
Now that Xia Yu was intrigued by the prospect of actual cash, her interest piqued. Who needs dignity when there are dollars involved?
“It’s a secret! If you behave, I promise there’ll be a red envelope waiting for you! Cross my heart!” Xia Ling continued to smile mysteriously, as if she held all the cards.
An unknown amount in an envelope… dignity…
Gazing into Xia Ling’s eyes, after a brief moment of indecision, Xia Yu gritted her teeth and decided to take the plunge: “Fine… okay then~”
Honestly, Xia Yu was quite eager to find out just how much Xia Ling would cough up. She was just hoping for a generous little stash… because how else could she justify her efforts?
“Let’s go, sis~”
With Xia Yu’s reluctant agreement, Xia Ling practically dragged her off to her room, positively bubbling with excitement to give Xia Yu a fabulous makeover.
Once they were in the room and the door was firmly shut and locked, Xia Ling dove into her wardrobe. In no time, she emerged with a pink down jacket, a top, a sweater, two pairs of differently colored tights, and a creamy white scarf.
“Alright, sis! Time to change clothes! Mom and Dad are hogging the bathroom, so it’s cool for you to change here~” Xia Ling beamed at the now super awkward Xia Yu.
“Do I really have to wear all this?” Xia Yu grimaced, looking more like she was about to burst into tears.
“Absolutely! No outfit, no red envelope!”
Ultimately, lured by the promise of money, Xia Yu finally started to slowly peel off her clothes while facing away from Xia Ling, because, you know… shyness and all that!
Even though her back was turned, Xia Ling still caught glimpses of Xia Yu’s developing curves and her boyish little undies…
Seeing Xia Yu’s cute underwear made Xia Ling furrow her tiny brows. With a dramatic flair, she turned back to her wardrobe and rummaged around.
Quickly, Xia Ling retrieved a set of her own underwear and tossed it at the flustered Xia Yu, who was still stuck debating between the black or white tights: “Sis, you need to wear this first!”
