Liuxian and Zhang Wei arrived at the mall at five in the evening.

They started on the third floor with menswear.

Zhang Wei had flagged three stores the night before.

Young man, slim build, 179cm, evening event, something with presence.

The first store produced nothing worth keeping.

The attendant brought out a black silk shirt with charcoal trousers and a structured blazer, Liuxian looked at it and moved on without a word.

The second store was better.

A burgundy mandarin collar shirt with subtle embroidery along the cuffs paired with wide leg trousers in the same shade.

Liuxian considered it briefly. "Set it aside."

Two more stores came and went. One outfit had the right silhouette but the wrong color, one was close but the fabric looked cheap up close.

Zhang Wei’s lips began to twitch after they left the fourth store, he suspected, no, knew, the afternoon was going to run significantly longer than planned.

The fifth store was where things changed.

The attendant listened to Liuxian, looked him over once, and disappeared into the back. She came out with something she had not put on the floor yet and laid it out on the display counter.

A cream silk blouse with wide billowing sleeves that gathered softly at the wrist.

A structured ivory corset piece with small hook fastenings down the front.

Slim cream trousers, high waisted.

And beside it, a thick linked silver chain belt meant to sit low on the hip.

Liuxian studied it. "The corset piece, how does it sit on a slim frame?"

"It cinches cleanly.." the attendant said. "On someone slim it creates a very defined silhouette."

"I’ll take everything," Liuxian said.

The attendant smiled and reached into the display case, producing a layered pearl necklace, three strands, graduating lengths, delicate gold clasp.

"This would complete the look beautifully."

"Add it..." Liuxian said.

She followed that with a delicate gold cuff bracelet, then a thin simple gold band ring. Liuxian bought both.

Zhang Wei quietly stopped noting the individual prices somewhere between the bracelet and the ring and moved on to simply watching.

"Next is is shoes," Liuxian said.

"There’s Cesare Paciotti, two floors down," Zhang Wei said.

The Cesare Paciotti attendant brought out three options.

All of them were elegant, all of them were well made, and none of them were quite right.

Liuxian looked at each one, said nothing particularly useful, and the attendant caught on quickly.

"May I suggest Versace?" she said. "They have something new in that I think would work better."

Liuxian nodded.

The Versace attendant met them at the entrance like she had been expecting them, which she possibly had given the speed of communication between luxury floor staff.

She brought out the Medusa Aevitas platform heels without preamble.

Black satin, double platform, chunky block heel, crystal embellished ankle strap with a small gold Medusa charm sitting at the clasp.

Liuxian looked at them for exactly three seconds.

"These will do." he said.

Zhang Wei added them to the list and privately wondered, not for the first time, why his boss had an apparent heel fetish when it came to Guiying.

This was the second pair of heels Liuxian had purchased for him.

They did look exceptional, Zhang Wei would give him that, but Guiying was a man, Omega or not. 𝒇𝙧𝙚𝓮𝔀𝓮𝒃𝙣𝓸𝒗𝒆𝒍.𝙘𝒐𝒎

He opened his mouth, thought better of it, and closed it again.

There were questions you simply did not ask your employer.

They went to Edouard Voss last. Liuxian found his own outfit in under ten minutes. A sage green dress shirt in fine weave fabric, a double breasted waistcoat in muted sage linen with white buttons and a clean structured cut, matching trousers.

Then the attendant mentioned the rose gold Rolex on the display stand almost in passing.

"It pairs well with the sage," she said pleasantly.

"I have a watch," Liuxian said.

"Of course," she said, and left it exactly where it was.

He bought the watch anyway. Zhang Wei’s lips pressed together but he said absolutely nothing, he had learned a long time ago which battles were worth fighting.

They were walking back to the car, a driver trailing behind with the larger bags, when Liuxian said, "What’s on tomorrow’s agenda?"

Zhang Wei checked his tablet. "Business trip. One week in the States. Routine checkup on the New York branch, two scheduled meetings, loose ends to close before the quarter ends."

"Book an extra ticket," Liuxian said.

Zhang Wei looked up. "Sir?"

"Guiying is coming with me." Liuxian handed his keys to the driver. "We’ll have our date there."

Zhang Wei looked at him for one second, then looked back at his tablet and said nothing for a while.

"I’ll arrange it immediately," he said.

Zhang Wei said nothing further but he was smiling at his tablet in a way that was not entirely professional.

He didn’t need Liuxian to say anything else.

The man had bought heels twice, left a board meeting for a courthouse, and was now planning a business trip around a date.

His mannerisms around Guiying were completely different from anyone Liuxian had ever brought into his life. He didn’t put his guard up. He was relaxed in a way Zhang Wei had genuinely never seen before.

He liked Guiying. A lot. Whether Liuxian was ready to put a name to it was his own business.

Zhang Wei smiled again, wider this time.

Liuxian glanced at him. "Is my love life a C-drama you watch and giggle about?"

"No sir," Zhang Wei said immediately, straightening up.

"Really..." Liuxian looked at him steadily. "Since we’re asking questions, are you seeing anyone? You’re not exactly young anymore."

Zhang Wei’s smile vanished. "I’m twenty seven, I’ve still got time.."

"Mm.." Liuxian said. "And?"

"And—" Zhang Wei paused. "That’s private, sir."

"As private as my love life?" Liuxian said pleasantly.

Zhang Wei opened his mouth.

Closed it.

Looked back at his tablet with the focused energy of a man who had walked directly into something and had nobody to blame but himself.

Liuxian looked back out the window, satisfied.

The driver kept his eyes on the road and his thoughts entirely to himself, which was the wisest decision anyone in the car made that afternoon.

They pulled into the Golden Willow district twenty minutes later.

The driver stopped at the gate of house sixteen and Liuxian got out, handing his jacket to the driver and taking the smaller bags himself.

"Go home.." he told Zhang Wei. "Be here at seven tomorrow."

"Seven.." Zhang Wei confirmed. He hesitated for half a second. "Sir. For what it’s worth—" he glanced at the bags in Liuxian’s hands, "—I think Master Xue will like them."

Liuxian looked at him for a moment.

"Go home Zhang Wei.." he said, and walked through the gate.

Zhang Wei watched him go, smiled one more time where nobody could see it, and told the driver to head out.