Chapter 71: He Was Just a Little Aloof

The plump woman stared at the two of them in terror, taking two steps back and stammering, “W-what… what do you want?”

What did they want?

Judging by her expression and tone, she clearly thought they were up to no good.

If those people caught up and she exposed them, they'd be done for.

Meng Yier watched the woman carefully, offering a gentle smile and speaking softly, “Ma’am, we’re not bad people, please don’t misunderstand. Could you help us find two sets of strange clothes? The stranger, the better.”

The woman’s fearful expression eased a little, but her eyes were still wary as she looked at them.

Meng Yier smiled awkwardly and spoke even more gently, “Ma’am, we really aren’t bad people. Take a good look at us—do we look like troublemakers?”

The woman glanced at Meng Yier and nodded, but her wary gaze shifted to Yan Yichen, examining him up and down with suspicion.

Yan Yichen’s cold, slightly angry eyes grew even colder.

That look—what was the meaning of it?

Did he look like a criminal?

He pressed his lips together, deep helplessness flickering in his dark eyes.

Seeing the woman staring intently at Yan Yichen’s frosty, handsome face, Meng Yier interjected nervously, “Ma’am, he’s not a bad person either. He just…,” she hesitated, catching the rising fury in Yan Yichen’s eyes, “…he’s just a bit aloof. That’s all.”

The woman didn’t reply. Instead, she turned and grabbed her phone from the counter, holding it up to them and pointing at the screen, looking at Yan Yichen in confusion, “Are you…?”

Meng Yier quickly stepped forward, wide-eyed. When she saw the phone screen clearly, she couldn’t help but burst into laughter.

Yan Yichen leaned forward in curiosity, and when he saw the image on the phone, he managed a helpless, bitter smile. After all their escaping, they’d still been recognized.

He’d chosen this shop because it seemed safe—just a middle-aged woman inside. He had thought she wouldn’t be a fan and wouldn’t know him. Yet, she’d recognized him all the same.

On her phone, the woman was watching an immensely popular TV drama, with Yan Yichen himself as the leading man.

He grabbed Meng Yier’s hand and turned to leave, but she held him back.

She stepped up to the woman, forcing a flattering, ingratiating smile. “Ma’am, since you recognize him and know we’re not bad people, please help us. We’re begging you…”

Even as she spoke, footsteps and shouts grew louder outside. Both of them tensed, staring at the door.

Hearing the commotion outside, the woman’s expression shifted to understanding and she smiled, “Quick, go hide in the dressing room…”

“Thank you, ma’am…” Meng Yier quickly pulled Yan Yichen into the dressing room, both of them straining their ears, alert to every sound outside.

The footsteps and shouting came closer, then gradually faded away. Only when the noise disappeared did they finally breathe a long sigh of relief.

Just as they were about to step out, the woman lifted the curtain and tossed in a pile of clothes, grinning. “You two, change into these, so you won’t be recognized when you go out.”

“Thank you—” Both of them shot the woman a grateful look, then hurriedly grabbed the clothes to change.

Meng Yier had just undone two buttons of her blouse when she caught sight of Yan Yichen already stripping off his shirt, revealing toned chest and abs, the shirt flung carelessly to the floor.

“Stop—!” Meng Yier quickly turned around, clutching her shirt over her exposed skin, her cheeks flaming red.

They’d both been so tense just now that, seeing the clothes the woman had handed over, they’d instinctively started changing, completely forgetting about the opposite sex standing right beside them.

Startled by her sudden shout, Yan Yichen froze in place and looked at Meng Yier in confusion. She had already turned away, so all he could see was her slender white neck and, from embarrassment, the pink flush rising to her ears. In the cramped dressing room, his height gave him a perfect view of the expanse of fair skin exposed at her chest.