In her head, Hu Tao kept repeating the same mantra: He's paying. He's paying.
After running that line through her mind several times, she finally managed to calm herself, took the outfit Jiang Bai handed her, and walked into the fitting room.
Seeing that she wasn't pulling out her wallet, Jiang Bai wiped a bit of imaginary sweat from his brow.
Whew.
It wasn't long before Hu Tao came back out, changed into a new outfit—and Jiang Bai's eyes lit up immediately.
It wasn't particularly Liyue-styled; more like something from Mondstadt—lightweight, flowing, made for comfort. The skirt was long and airy.
Hu Tao's skin was fair, so whether it was dark shades or soft pinks, she wore them all well. This long dress, with its white base tinged with pink, suited her perfectly. Nothing clashed—it was effortlessly elegant.
Perfect for a vacation outfit.
"No surprise you're the Director—you look good in anything!" Jiang Bai applauded, face full of admiration.
Hu Tao lifted her chin and spun proudly in front of him, then walked to the mirror and, in a rare moment of humility, said, "It's not bad."
"Here, try this one next." Jiang Bai handed her another outfit—his top pick from earlier, the one with the embroidered koi.
He figured the rest could wait, but for a birthday outfit, they had to be sure.
"This one has a totally different vibe. The moment I saw it, I thought it screamed 'Hu Tao.' I know you'll look amazing in it. Wear it on your birthday, add a little makeup—bam, you'll stun the whole crowd!"
"Alright, alright~" Hu Tao said, clearly pleased with the praise. She took the dress and returned to the changing room.
A few minutes later, she stepped out again.
This one was distinctly Liyue-styled—a halter-cut dress with no sleeves. A sheer panel across the chest kept it from looking too plain and added a touch of elegance.
Red-threaded koi embroidery swam across the hem, and a faint auspicious cloud pattern adorned the fabric. Though the design looked simple at first glance, there was clearly a lot of thought behind it.
Her pale shoulders were bare, but the matching short coat draped over her arms kept her warm.
The style leaned a bit sexy… but on Hu Tao, it came off as lively and sprightly instead—like the entire design had changed its personality just for her.
Shame about one part not quite filling out, Jiang Bai thought, slightly disappointed.
But on the surface, he was still pouring on the flattery—so much that Hu Tao looked a little dazed from it.
In the end, after who-knew-how-many outfits, Jiang Bai narrowed it down to five.
"Boss, I'll take this one, this one, and this one—please wrap them up!"
As much as he wanted to buy every set she tried on, he still had to think of his poor wallet.
The owner clicked at the abacus, then looked up. "That'll be 74,800 mora."
The clothes Jiang Bai had picked were all well-made, quality pieces—naturally pricier.
When Jiang Bai heard the total, his heart twinged in pain.
Seventy-four thousand mora. Not seven thousand. Seventy-thousand.
He could pay it—but man, it hurt.
Hu Tao's hand was already inching toward her pouch, ready to cover the bill if Jiang Bai hesitated.
"Boss, how about a little discount? Call it seventy-four flat?"
As a man of frugality and wisdom, even if he had the money, saving where you could was the responsible thing to do.
"I mean, we're buying quite a few pieces. Even if you don't give us a discount, at least round it down, right?"
The shopkeeper hesitated briefly, then nodded with a smile. "Alright, seventy-four it is. Come back next time, yeah?"
"Absolutely!"
Jiang Bai handed over the money with a grin and a spring in his step.
Knocked 800 mora off and bought the Director a pile of outfits—rounded up, that's practically a profit of 800 mora!
As they left the store, Hu Tao gave him a startled look. "You really did pay for it?"
So generous—it didn't sound like him at all.
"I said I'd pay, didn't I?" Jiang Bai stood tall, chest puffed out, confidence radiating.
He swept his hand toward the whole shopping street with a grand gesture. "Director, whatever catches your eye, pick it! It's on me!"
Hu Tao gave him one look. Then another. Then a third.
She couldn't hold back. She reached out, cupped his face with both hands, and stared at him from up close.
"Yup… it's really you. Doesn't look like a body double…"
Can't blame her. For someone who normally clung to mora like it was life itself, this level of generosity was downright suspicious.
"You hit your head or something?"
Spent almost 80,000 mora and still wants me to buy more? Did he get possessed?
Jiang Bai's words were a bit muffled with her hands on his cheeks. "Money's meant to be spent. What's the point of hoarding it? You can't take it with you when you die…"
Hu Tao finally let go and patted his shoulder, clearly satisfied. "Didn't expect that kind of wisdom from you. Not bad, not bad!"
"Back then, I didn't have any mora. But now it's different!" Jiang Bai beamed, sounding no different than usual.
"Besides, being able to buy things for the Director is an honor for me!"
That caught Hu Tao a little off guard.
She normally just tossed around the whole "little brother" thing as a joke. It's not like she ran a real gang or anything—there were no actual "little brothers."
An honor, he said? That was… kind of over the top.
Didn't feel weird before, but now… Why does it sound so strange all of a sudden?
She cleared her throat to hide the sudden fluster.
"Well, that's a fine attitude to have, but I'm not that unreasonable! I'll pay you back for the clothes later. And as for the rest, I don't need anything else, so let's not buy more."
"Nooo, Director! I already paid. If you pay me back, how's that still me treating you?"
"I'll just have Uncle Ge send the money over. It's settled."
"Come on, Director! You took me in at Wangsheng, fed me, gave me a place to stay—I haven't even repaid you yet. It's just a few outfits! If you act like this, I'll get all sad…"
Jiang Bai put on his best pitiful puppy-dog face, like she'd just stabbed his fragile little heart.
On a normal day, Hu Tao would've rolled her eyes and shoved his face away without mercy. But having just accepted all those clothes—and seeing that very sad look on his face—she found herself hesitating.
"…Fine. How about this—I'll buy you something, too. Call it even."
Jiang Bai immediately lit up like a lantern. "Deal!"
"I was looking at your room the other day—it's practically empty. Not even any decorations. It's way too bare. Let's find something for it. My treat."
Now that she mentioned it… it was true. Jiang Bai hadn't really bought anything for himself. He didn't need much. His biggest expense was just eating out once in a while.
His room looked exactly the same as the day he moved in—barebones, plain, and kind of shabby. Not exactly befitting Wangsheng's latest rising star.
"I'll take you up on that, then," he said with a smile.
"Oh right, Director," Jiang Bai added. "Is it okay if I switch rooms? I want one like Mister Zhongli's—a courtyard, doesn't have to be big. Just a bit of land. I want to plant some Sweet Flowers…"