Chapter 8: Constant-Temperature Clothing
As Jiang Jue watched him, the tense line of his mouth softened ever so slightly.
After a few moments, Chu Yang stepped out of the home goods store with a broad, satisfied smile and a bounce in his step. “All done! Blankets, sheets, and pillows are all taken care of. I can finally get a warm night’s sleep instead of roughing it on the freezing floor!”
He clapped his hands together in triumph, but his eyes soon drifted toward the boutique next door, where an array of colorful dresses was on display in the front window.
“Hmm…” He stroked his chin thoughtfully. “Should I grab a few women’s outfits while I’m at it? What if I run into someone special down the road and get a girlfriend?”
The idea made his eyes light up, and he nodded in deep appreciation of his own foresight. “I really am a considerate, top-tier guy. When it comes to thinking ahead, nobody does it better than me!”
Without a second thought, he ducked into the shop, grabbed a light blue dress off the rack, and held it against his own frame to gauge the size. “I wonder how tall my future wife is going to be,” he muttered. “Will this fit her? Is it going to be too loose, or too tight?”
Standing out in the corridor, Jiang Jue stared at Chu Yang holding a women’s dress up against his chest, his expression one of utter disbelief, as though he were watching a lunatic.
Catching that bizarre look, Chu Yang quickly dropped the dress back onto the rack, waving his hands in a flustered explanation. “Ahem… Brother Jiang, don’t get the wrong idea! I don’t have any strange hobbies. I was just thinking ahead! Clothes like these will definitely come in handy later. It’s called being prepared!”
He put on his most innocent, sincere expression, then couldn’t resist leaning in with a playful smirk. “By the way, Brother Jiang, do you want to pick out a few pieces for my future sister-in-law too? You could choose some pretty ones to win her over when the time comes!”
“No need,” Jiang Jue answered flatly, tearing his gaze away. His voice remained cool and devoid of emotion.
Turning on his heel, he headed straight for the stairs leading to the second floor without breaking stride.
“Fine, no need then…” Chu Yang muttered under his breath, watching the tall figure walk away. “Why the cold shoulder, as if I insulted his ancestors… What a spoilsport.” Scratching his head, he hurried up the steps to catch up.
The layout of the second floor had a completely different vibe from the open fashion floor below. Most of the storefronts displayed rugged brand logos, catering specifically to outdoor sports, mountaineering, and heavy winter gear.
Racks were packed with down jackets, hardshell coats, fleece liners, and thick hoodies. The colors were far more practical and muted than the bright summer displays on the ground floor, dominated by shades of charcoal, slate gray, navy blue, and army green.
“Now we’re talking!” Chu Yang’s spirits lifted immediately, his eyes darting across the storefronts as he began to search.
Before long, his attention was captured by a high-end technical outdoor outfitter. The mannequin by the entrance wore a sleek, insulated hardshell jacket that looked both high-tech and exceptionally warm.
He slipped into the shop and quickly spotted a true goldmine along the back wall: three full display racks of neatly packaged nano-constant-temperature thermal underwear.
He picked up a dark gray set and unfolded it. To the eye, the fabric looked as thin and lightweight as regular base layers, but it felt noticeably smooth, silky, and resilient to the touch.
He leaned in to read the technical specifications on the tag: Utilizes patented phase-change materials to intelligently regulate heat by absorbing or releasing energy alongside fluctuations in body temperature, maintaining skin surface temperature within a steady, comfortable range…
“Holy crap! This is absolute top-tier gear!” Chu Yang’s eyes practically glowed with excitement. He turned toward Jiang Jue, grinning from ear to ear. “Brother Jiang, look at this! It regulates temperature on its own! It’s tailor-made for this crazy weather when it swings between freezing and boiling on a whim! We have to grab as much of this as we can carry. We can wear it ourselves, and if we run into reliable allies later, we can use it to build good will!”
Without wasting another second, he began sweeping the shelves, stuffing at least ten sets of every size—from Small all the way to Triple-XL—straight into his storage space.
“This is amazing. No more worrying about catching pneumonia in a snowstorm!” Chu Yang felt a massive weight lift off his chest, thoroughly relieved about surviving the plunge in temperature.
Naturally, he didn’t forget about Jiang Jue. Digging through the stacks, he pulled out an XXXL set and pushed it straight into Jiang Jue’s arms. “Brother Jiang, this is your size! Head into the fitting room and put it on right away so you don’t freeze. The sleet outside is only getting heavier, and we can’t have our main powerhouse catching a cold!” His voice was full of genuine concern, his eyes wide and earnest.
Jiang Jue looked down at the neatly folded fabric in his hands, then looked back up at Chu Yang. The boy’s cheeks were flushed with a healthy pink from all the excitement, and his bright eyes practically beamed with the eager expectation of a puppy waiting for praise.
Jiang Jue remained silent for a couple of seconds, his dark eyes lingering on Chu Yang’s face before he gave a slight nod.
“…Thank you,” he said in a low, quiet voice.
It was only two words, but they made Chu Yang freeze on the spot before his grin stretched from ear to ear, as if he had just won the lottery.
“Oh, come on, Brother Jiang! No need to be so formal between us!” Chu Yang waved his hand dismissively with an airy tone, though inside his head, he was cheering wildly: Yes! The boss said thank you to me again! Does this mean my ranking in his inner circle just went up? I’m one step closer to securing my spot beside this golden ticket!
Outside the windows, the storm showed no sign of letting up. Sleet lashed against the glass with increasing violence, driving the ambient temperature down and sending a biting draft through the corridors of the mall.
Carrying a dark gray set of the thermal underwear, a matching weatherproof hardshell jacket, and a fresh pair of black leather tactical boots he had plucked from a display, Chu Yang ducked into the nearest fitting room.
Inside the narrow stall, he stripped off his filthy, blood-stained tracksuit and tossed it aside.
The full-length mirror reflected his lean, well-proportioned frame—his legs were straight and pale, his skin smooth, still carrying the youthful softness of someone in their early twenties.
He glanced down at his lower half. Things were well-developed and undeniably solid, giving him a quiet surge of masculine pride.
When his hand brushed across his stomach, however, he let out a soft sigh. It was soft to the touch; while he wasn’t carrying extra weight, there was no sharp abdominal definition to speak of—just a smooth, flat layer of skin that felt nice to touch, but lacked edge.
“Guess I really need to start doing core workouts,” he muttered, poking at his abdomen. “Living in an apocalypse without proper muscle tone makes me look too much like a pushover. My intimidating presence is practically zero!”
A sudden gust rattled the stall door, sending a sharp chill through the air. Shivering, Chu Yang pushed his vanity aside and quickly picked up the thermal base layer.
The high-tech fabric felt cool against his fingertips at first, but the moment it settled over his skin, a gentle, soothing warmth radiated outward, making him feel as though he had stepped into a soothing warm bath.
Over that, he pulled on the dark gray hardshell jacket, pulling the zipper straight up to his chin with a crisp zip that sealed out the drafts completely. Finally, he slipped into the heavy black tactical boots, pulled the laces taut, and took a firm, grounding step onto the floor.
Looking at his reflection, Chu Yang’s eyes sparkled with satisfaction.
The sharp, tailored cut of the tactical coat accentuated his broad shoulders and straight back while making his legs look even longer. The slightly slender frame he had fretted over now looked crisp, agile, and full of youthful vigor.
He turned from side to side, admiring himself with a pleased grin as he brushed back his messy bangs. “Not bad at all! Good gear really makes the man. I look surprisingly sharp in this!”
Straightening his collar, he pushed open the stall door and immediately saw Jiang Jue leaning against the corridor wall a short distance away, his sharp eyes steadily sweeping the area.
Chu Yang froze, his brief bout of self-admiration instantly fading into pure awe.
Jiang Jue had changed into the exact same dark gray jacket, but the effect was on an entirely different level.
Standing at a commanding 1.9 meters, he naturally radiated an overwhelming sense of authority. The tactical coat was filled out perfectly by his broad shoulders, narrow waist, and lean, muscular build, every line of his posture humming with coiled, explosive power.
Where the outfit gave Chu Yang a fresh, capable charm, on Jiang Jue it looked lethal and imposing—a cold, hardened armor that warned the entire world to keep its distance.
A few strands of dark hair fell across Jiang Jue’s brow. In the dim light of the corridor, his deep-set eyes were razor-sharp, his nose high and straight, and his thin lips set into a firm, unyielding line.
Just by standing there quietly, he looked like a mastercrafted blade resting in its sheath—its lethal edge hidden, yet pulsing with a presence so sharp that nobody dared come close.
Chu Yang clicked his tongue in silent admiration. As expected of the novel’s main character. That build, that aura… it’s unreal. Normal people don’t even stand a chance!
“Brother Jiang!” Chu Yang shook off his daze and jogged forward, his tone bubbling with enthusiasm. “This gear is amazing. It’s so warm, I can’t feel the chill at all. Let’s finish clearing out the rest of the stock, yeah?”
Jiang Jue’s gaze rested on Chu Yang’s bright face for a fraction of a second before giving a subtle nod.
“Mm.”
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