Chapter 95: Buying a Ring
Chu Feng returned to the modern world after spending three days in the alternate realm. Illya, having grown fond of this world, came back with him again.
Shortly after returning, Chu Feng received a call from Lin Zhihao. After a brief discussion, he decided to leave Illya at home watching TV while he delivered goods to the Crescent Woodcarving Shop on his own.
“I’m heading out,” Chu Feng said, a little worried, looking at Illya.
Illya nodded. “Okay.”
He sat obediently on the couch, looking like an innocent student. But remembering how he had figured out how to watch explicit romance videos all by himself—particularly chaotic group ones—while he was away, Chu Feng found the contrast a bit jarring.
Still, he thought he was an adult. Even if he watched that kind of thing, it wasn’t a big deal.
“Come back soon!” Illya waved cheerfully.
Chu Feng smiled, grabbed his keys, and left.
*
At the Crescent Woodcarving Shop, business had been average lately but still profitable. Lin Zhihao had become chattier in the past few days and spoke confidently about shop matters.
“Cousin, that boyfriend of yours—he’s your boyfriend, right? He’s really pretty!”
Chu Feng looked confused. “You’ve seen him?”
Lin Zhihao nodded and showed him a video titled ‘Gorgeous Foodie Crushes Popular Pretty Boys’. The footage showed Illya at a café, devouring more than ten cakes in one go. His eating wasn’t exactly elegant—he even did a one-bite trick—but his beauty made it all adorable. The video had gone viral, though some netizens claimed it was fake or heavily filtered.
“The person sitting across from him is you, right? Even though most shots focus on him, you’re in some of them.”
Chu Feng: …Am I famous now just by being near Illya?
Lin Zhihao tilted his head. “I mean, if your boyfriend looks like that, it’s understandable.”
Chu Feng hesitated. “Grandpa hasn’t seen this, has he?”
“I didn’t show him, but who knows if Lin Yuan did. This video’s everywhere.”
Chu Feng rubbed his forehead. “Whatever. If Grandpa sees it, so be it.”
Lin Zhihao: Cousin’s really given up resisting, huh?
“Seriously though, where did you even meet someone that gorgeous? Doesn’t seem like he’s from this world.”
Chu Feng: …He really isn’t.
Chu Feng thought to himself that although Illya looked convincingly human, his beauty was too exceptional. Next time they went out, he’d need a disguise—maybe sunglasses.
“What’s his name?” Lin Zhihao asked.
“Illya…”
“Doesn’t sound local. Foreign? Maybe mixed-race? A lot of people say only mixed-race people look that stunning. When did he enter the country? Does he have an ID?”
Chu Feng: …He’s undocumented. Mixed-race? You could say that—human and elf mix.
Lin Zhihao stared at him. “Cousin… you’re not just smuggling goods, are you trafficking people too?”
Chu Feng: …
After finishing things at the shop, Chu Feng went home and found Illya watching a children’s educational program. He was relieved—at least he wasn’t constantly glued to inappropriate content. That said, he felt oddly disappointed. Watching the occasional risqué film wasn’t necessarily a bad thing.
“All done?” Illya asked.
Chu Feng nodded. “Yep. Just a quick delivery and payment.”
Illya blinked. “So can we go out now?”
Seeing it was still early, Chu Feng agreed. “Sure.”
“Let’s go to the mall!”
Chu Feng muttered to himself: The mall again? What’s so interesting about it? But it clearly fascinated Illya.
He figured it was still better than hanging around dwarves, who had begged for planes and tanks after seeing his toy models. He had money, yes—but fighter jets weren’t exactly available off-the-shelf.
At the mall, Illya noticed, “Why does it feel like more people are staring at me today?”
Chu Feng suspected it was because of the viral video. Don’t tell me she’s a trending internet celeb now…
He bought him sunglasses. Illya frowned. “This feels weird.”
“Just wear them,” he insisted.
Reluctantly, he agreed. But to Chu Feng’s surprise, the sunglasses seemed to attract even more attention.
Sighing, he thought: So this is what it’s like when someone’s too beautiful. Even sunglasses don’t help.
“Forget it,” he said, resigned.
Illya took them off. “Something wrong?”
“Nothing,” Chu Feng replied. Let them stare.
Just then, a soft voice called out, “Chu Feng.”
He turned around and was surprised to see Shen Yue. “Sister-in-law! Hello!”
Shen Yue smiled and walked over. “Out with a friend?”
Chu Feng nodded. “Yeah.”
“Your friend is really handsome!”
“He’s alright, he’s alright.”
Chu Feng thought to himself: I wonder how things are between Shen Yue and Chu Jinhui now. I didn’t see her during the Mid-Autumn Festival. Maybe their relationship hasn’t smoothed over yet.
As Chu Feng chatted with Shen Yue, his phone rang.
He answered it and frowned.
Shen Yue looked at him and asked, “What’s wrong?”
“My car got hit.”
Shen Yue looked puzzled. “Where did you park it?”
Chu Feng sighed helplessly. “In the parking lot.”
Even in a parking lot, his car had gotten hit. Apparently, some driver mistook the gas pedal for the brake. What bad luck—to run into a parking lot maniac even scarier than the ones on the road. How bad could their driving be?
Shen Yue said, “You go handle it. I’ll look after him for you.”
Chu Feng looked at Illya, hesitating.
Illya smiled and said, “Go ahead. I’ll be fine.”
Chu Feng nodded. “Alright then, be careful.”
“I will.”
Shen Yue smiled at Illya. “You two seem really close!”
Illya nodded.
“That looks like the recent internet celebrity,” someone nearby said. It was Bao Tongyu approaching.
Shen Yue nodded. “He’s a friend of my brother-in-law.”
Bao Tongyu smiled. “I see.” She glanced at Illya, her eyes showing a hint of admiration. “Didn’t you come to help me pick jewelry? Come give me some advice.”
Shen Yue nodded and looked at Illya. “We’re going to check out some jewelry. Want to come?”
Illya followed them to the jewelry counter. The sales assistant greeted them warmly and started recommending pieces.
Bao Tongyu was preparing for her upcoming wedding and had come ahead of her fiancé to scout out jewelry.
“Yueyue, what do you think of this diamond ring?”
Shen Yue glanced at it. “It’s nice. The design is elegant and it sparkles—suits you well!”
Bao Tongyu sighed. “It’s nice, but it’s over thirty thousand. My stingy fiancé might not go for it.”
Shen Yue laughed. “Talk him into it. You only get married once.”
“You’re right.”
“Sir, is there anything you’re looking for?” the sales assistant asked.
Illya blinked. “Just browsing.”
“Looking for a ring for your girlfriend?” she asked.
Shen Yue chuckled. “He doesn’t have a girlfriend—but he does have a boyfriend.”
The assistant kept her smile. “Would you like to look at couple’s rings for men? Our store is known for great value and quality—you won’t be disappointed.”
Illya didn’t fully understand but nodded. “Sure!”
He picked a ring and slipped it onto his finger. “This one’s really pretty.”
Shen Yue smiled. “It is.”
She thought privately: Chu Feng’s partner looks all innocent, but he’s got expensive taste. Out of all the rings here, he picked the most expensive one.
“Which finger do you want to wear the ring on?” the assistant asked.
“Which finger is it usually worn on?”
She smiled. “Typically the ring finger.”
Illya didn’t know which one that was, but nodded. “Then the ring finger.”
Shen Yue furrowed her brow. A ring for the ring finger? Has their relationship already reached that stage?
Bao Tongyu eyed Illya and thought: Must be a foreigner—so open-minded!
“How long have you known Chu Feng?” Shen Yue asked casually.
“For a while now,” Illya replied.
“Are you two close?”
“Yes,” Illya nodded.
Shen Yue probed, “How is he good to you?”
Illya thought for a moment. “He buys me whatever I want.”
Bao Tongyu laughed. “Then he’s definitely good to you.”
“Really?” Illya asked, curious.
She nodded. “If a man’s willing to spend on you, it means he likes you.”
Illya nodded thoughtfully, half understanding.
