Chapter 417: Not a boyfriend now, but sooner or later he will be

Jiang Baobao spent almost the entire night thinking about this matter, and until the next day, she still couldn't quite set her mind at ease, but finally, she managed to come up with an idea.

Although Li Beijue didn't say what he wanted, if she just gave him something directly and let him accept it, wouldn't this matter be resolved?

Jiang Baobao felt that this idea of hers was simply perfect; while thinking about it, she tidied up a bit, then quickly went out and headed straight for the largest shopping mall in the city.

She hadn't decided what to buy, and after wandering aimlessly for two floors, she still hadn't picked out a single gift.

What would be good to give...

Perfume?

A suit?

Shoes?

Countless choices appeared in Jiang Baobao's mind, yet she denied them one by one, so she had to turn and walk toward the elevator, going up another floor.

Immediately after, her gaze swept casually, and she suddenly saw a men's clothing store.

At the entrance of that store, a row of ties happened to be on display.

Jiang Baobao's eyes lit up instantly, and she suddenly thought of something.

That's it!

A tie!

Didn't she accidentally get his tie dirty yesterday!

Jiang Baobao walked into the men's clothing store without hesitation.

"Hello, Miss, are you here to pick something out for your boyfriend?"

The sales clerk immediately walked up with a smile.

Jiang Baobao was stunned upon hearing this and hurriedly denied it: "Not a boyfriend, just... an ordinary friend."

Her heart suddenly skipped a beat for no reason, and only after saying it did she suddenly feel that something was not quite right.

Why was she in such a rush to explain to a stranger?

Wouldn't it have been better not to say anything at a time like this...

Just as Jiang Baobao was thinking this, she heard the sales clerk continue with a smile: "You are so thoughtful, ordinary friends will always become boyfriends one day!"

"Cough..."

Jiang Baobao gave a light cough, smiled awkwardly, and didn't respond further, her gaze turning toward the direction of the ties.

The sales clerk immediately understood and introduced: "Miss, you want to buy a tie, right? The ones we have here are all styles that just arrived today, you can pick them up and look at them directly..."

"Okay, I can just look at them myself." Jiang Baobao was truly a bit afraid of the other person's enthusiasm and hurriedly walked over quickly.

Immediately, she took a fancy to a dark gray tie with subtle patterns at first glance.

An image of Li Beijue wearing this tie even appeared in her mind.

"Let's go with this one, please help me wrap it up." She pointed decisively at the style she had taken a fancy to.

The sales clerk hurriedly picked it up with a smile and turned to go to the counter to pack it.

Looking at the packaged item, Jiang Baobao finally let out a shallow sigh of relief, and a heavy stone in her heart fell, as if she had completed some kind of task.

Giving this to Li Beijue will be considered as thanking him for finding her mother's note and for having that pair of earrings custom-made...

Jiang Baobao turned and left with the item, wanting to hurry and deliver it.

Her car was parked outside the mall, and just as she stepped out, she saw a familiar figure flash by across the street.

Lu Qing'er?

What is she doing there?

Jiang Baobao was stunned for a moment, watching as she walked straight into the alley behind the convenience store across the street.

Jiang Baobao's expression was somewhat puzzled, but she didn't think much of it, turned and got into her car, and drove away.

Behind the alley—

Lu Qing'er was looking at the few people in front of her with an unkind expression.

"Still want to ask me for money? The matter wasn't even handled well, where would I have money to give you?"

She threw out a sentence with a bad attitude, her eyes filled with undisguised contempt.

"Miss Lu, our boss said, as long as you take out the money that should be taken, this matter is naturally easy to talk about, otherwise don't blame him for being impolite."

The few men had also exhausted their patience and none of them had a good look on their faces.

Lu Qing'er, however, didn't take them seriously at all: "Impolite? What do you want to do? Go back and tell your boss, I don't want the previous money anymore, consider it a gift to you, there isn't a single cent more, and if you harass me again, be careful that I call the police and have you all arrested!"

She threw out a sentence with her head held high and turned to leave.

The few men behind her were instantly full of displeasure, and one of them was about to step forward to block her, but was stopped by the others.

"Damn it, that stinking bitch..." The man who was stopped spat at Lu Qing'er's back in displeasure.

Another person let out a cold snort and said unhurriedly: "Go back and tell the boss everything she just said, she's dead!"

"That's right, the boss won't care what her status is..."

The rest of them immediately put on expressions of watching a joke, and while talking, they turned and left.

The next day—

Early in the morning, Jiang Baobao stood at the door of Li Beijue's room with the item she had bought.

Last night, Li Beijue had temporary work and didn't return all night, so Jiang Baobao could only wait until the morning.

"Knock, knock, knock—"

She gently raised her hand and knocked on the door.

Very quickly, a slight movement came from inside the villa.

Immediately after, the door was pulled open.

Li Beijue was still wearing his pajamas; he did not expect to see Jiang Baobao standing outside the door, and his expression was suddenly somewhat surprised.

Seeing him staring at her, Jiang Baobao hurriedly raised the item in her hand and shoved it into his hand.

"This is a thank-you gift for you. Since you hadn't decided yet, I took the liberty of choosing it myself. It should suit you quite well!"

She explained loudly, trying hard to cover up her inexplicable nervousness.

Li Beijue was slightly stunned, looking at the item in his hand with some surprise, and a hint of a smile could not help but flash in his eyes.

"Did you buy this specifically?"

Recognizing the logo of an expensive luxury brand on the bag, Li Beijue immediately understood.

He then asked curiously: "What's inside?"

"You'll know if you take a look," Jiang Baobao replied, speechless.

No sooner had she finished speaking than she saw him open the gift with lightning speed.

"A tie?"

Li Beijue's tone was somewhat surprised; he stared at it for two seconds, then the corners of his lips curled into a smile: "Thank you, it's very nice, I like it very much."

"As long as you like it, then I..."

Jiang Baobao said, wanting to leave.

But she suddenly heard Li Beijue ask: "However... how did you think of giving a tie? Do you know the meaning of a woman giving a man a tie?"

"Huh? Is there any meaning to it?" Jiang Baobao was stunned, a sense of foreboding instantly welling up in her heart.

Is there some sort of convention regarding this thing?

Isn't it just a gift?

Just as Jiang Baobao was thinking this, the next second, her nose suddenly caught a scent belonging exclusively to him.

She snapped back to reality, only to realize that Li Beijue had moved a few steps closer at some point, and he was holding that uniquely patterned tie in his hand.

"So you really don't know..."

His voice was low, carrying a hint of inexplicable teasing.

Jiang Baobao stared blankly at the person in front of her, struggling to think about the meaning of giving a tie, forgetting to move away for a moment.

Then she heard Li Beijue's low voice sound again.

"Ties and belts are not things you can just give to anyone. Have you ever heard this saying: if you give it yourself, then one day... you will have to untie it yourself..."