Naturally, Xiao Su would not admit that he damaged the dress for his own selfish reasons. But in the face of Jiang Xiaobai’s criticisms, he humbly admitted his mistakes. “I’m sorry, I was restraining myself before, so I did not hold back this time. About the dress, I did not intend to destroy it on purpose.”
“Do you think I’d believe you?” Jiang Xiaobai laughed wryly. She wanted to dig out a baggy T-shirt dress to wear, but after some thought, she pulled out a black camisole dress.
Seeing her putting on a fresh new camisole dress, the corner of Xiao Su’s lips twitched unconsciously. Jiang Xiaobai walked up to him and raised her chin while smiling triumphantly. “Surprised? Even before coming to Thailand, I’ve already taken into consideration the weather here and packed a few dresses like these. If you were to tear all of them into pieces, I’ll just buy more when we go shopping. Each time you tear one, I’ll buy a new one.”
Xiao Su was about to say something when he saw the marks on her body. Pursing his thin lips, he asked, “Are you sure you want to go out dressing like that?”
“Of course,” Jiang Xiaobai answered clearly.
Xiao Su then gently asked her, “Would you like to wash your face or hands in the bathroom first?”
Although Jiang Xiaobai was unsure why Xiao Su would say something like this, she thought it proper to wash her hands before eating. Besides, she had sweated during their previous round of activities, and now her face was indeed sticky. After giving Xiao Su a fierce glare, Jiang Xiaobai turned and marched toward the bathroom.
With a faint smile on his lips, Xiao Su slowly sat down in front of the dining table while silently counting in his heart. Three, two, one.
Just when he reached one, Jiang Xiaobai’s furious roar came from the bathroom. “Ah! Xiao Su, you b*stard!”
Upon hearing her shriek, not only was Xiao Su not angry, but the smile on his lips became more prominent. After a few seconds, Jiang Xiaobai dashed toward him with her shoes still on, approaching him swiftly and grabbing his collar. “You did it on purpose!”
And here she was wondering why he would suddenly remind her to wash her hands in the bathroom—until the moment she lifted her head and saw herself in the mirror. “Hmm?” Her flawless skin was now covered in purple-red marks. From her neck to her collarbone, all the way down to her back and thighs, the marks could be seen clearly on her exposed skin.
No wonder she thought Xiao Su acted a little weird as he paid special attention to her collarbone and legs just now. It turned out that he had already planned it from the beginning—just so she could not wear camisole dresses. Great. Now even if he doesn’t tear the dress apart, I can’t go out wearing that either. But…
As they stared each other down, Xiao Su saw a hint of slyness flash in her eyes, and he had an ominous feeling. Sure enough, before he could analyze her look further, Jiang Xiaobai curled her lips and softly said, “You’d really think I wouldn’t dare to go out dressed like this? Believe it or not, if I go out dressed like this and we were walking side-by-side, everyone would be staring at you and not me.”
Xiao Su hugged her waist. “So does this mean you’re still going to wear it? Aren’t you afraid of what others would think?”
“I am thick-skinned. Do you think I’d be afraid? You, on the other hand…” Jiang Xiaobai reached out to touch his flushed ears. “I’m afraid that you’ll be more embarrassed than me, won’t you?”
This was true, but Xiao Su couldn’t let Jiang Xiaobai be bold and get away with it, so he firmly insisted, “Nope. If you are fine with it, I wouldn’t mind letting others see my handiwork.”
Jiang Xiaobai froze for a brief moment. She did not expect Xiao Su to utter those words. But she, too, was stubborn. When she went out with Xiao Su the day after, she really did wear a camisole dress, applying only sunscreen and nothing else.
The day before, Xiao Su had wanted to fight with her till the very end, but seeing his woman walk out of their hotel room with the marks on her body visible to everyone, he didn’t feel good at all. Before Jiang Xiaobai could leave the room completely, Xiao Su pulled her back in. “Okay, I surrender. Please change into something else.”
Jiang Xiaobai stared at him. “What did you say? I remember someone saying yesterday that they didn’t mind it. How can you go back on your word so quickly?”
A great man would know when to forge on and when to yield. Besides, even if he lost face in front of his wife, he couldn’t bear the idea of attracting other people’s attention once they stepped out from the hotel. At the thought of this, he immediately slammed the door shut. “Yes, I’m going back on my word. We’ll leave again once you have changed.”
Jiang Xiaobai snorted. Pushing his hands away, she sat down on the sofa. “Do you think I’ll change just because you asked me to? I won’t. I can’t always listen to everything you say.”
Xiao Su wanted to call her out for putting on airs. From the very beginning up till now, how many times did she listen to him? Wasn’t it always him who was obeying her words? He knew her temperament well. She was the type that could be persuaded by reason but not be cowed by force. Therefore, Xiao Su did not talk back. Instead, he sat beside her. Reaching out to embrace her, he lowered his voice and asked, “What do you want me to do so that you’ll change your outfit?”
Oh? His tone changed. Jiang Xiaobai did not expect this, so she teased him. “You’ve become so quick in changing your stance. Firm one second, gentle the next. I’m not used to it anymore.” With that, Jiang Xiaobai reached out to hold onto Xiao Su’s shoulders. “I’ll go and change, but only if you carry me all the way there.”
Carry her all the way there? “No problem.” Xiao Su swiftly agreed, so much so that Jiang Xiaobai was surprised. Initially, she wanted to make things difficult for him. After all, it was nice to have some fun. But since he agreed to her request ever so quickly, Jiang Xiaobai did not have the chance to continue making things difficult anymore.
“Come on, I’ll help you get changed.” In the end, Xiao Su carried Jiang Xiaobai and personally changed her outfit into something more reserved yet refreshing. It was Xiao Su’s mother who bought this dress for Jiang Xiaobai. The dress had a light pink hue with a tinge of blue, giving off a warm and graceful flair.
Even Jiang Xiaobai was not used to the dress after putting it on. As she stood in front of the mirror, she found herself looking good, though she wasn’t used to it. In the past, she didn’t pay much attention to her outfits. But recently, maybe because she was with Xiao Su, she became more feminine than before and started wearing clothes that were much more feminine-looking.
Just like for this trip, she had packed her own luggage, and she could have brought along all her comfortable and casual wear. However, considering the fact that they had hired a photographer to take travel photos for them, she changed her mind and brought some feminine-looking clothes.
In fact, Jiang Xiaobai noticed this change in her personality even before the trip. The more she thought about it, the more she felt that she had changed a lot. I’ve changed so much for him. Jiang Xiaobai suddenly looked at Xiao Su and said, “If you dare to bully me in future, I won’t let you off the hook so easily!”
