Chapter 21: Wear It Well~
Morning sunlight gradually filtered through the gaps in the curtains, seeping into the room.
Li Yan sat on the living room sofa, feeling a bit lazy but unwilling to waste time. The fatigue from returning home earlier had mostly dissipated. He recalled last night’s experiences, then took a deep breath, as if trying to exhale all the unnecessary emotions clouding his mind.
He had initially planned to take it easy today, since tomorrow was his second driving test, and he had already prepared thoroughly. More practice would just be icing on the cake.
Yet, on second thought, with the exam early tomorrow morning and the afternoon likely to be less relaxed, it was better to handle buying his gear today rather than postponing it. Besides, the system’s “Morning Run Challenge” task was right in front of him. Although it was a seven-day consecutive challenge, since he had to complete it anyway, getting the equipment ready early and scouting the route this afternoon might be more prudent.
With this in mind, Li Yan stood up. He stretched lazily and walked into the bedroom to change into something simple—a black short-sleeved T-shirt and gray shorts, paired with ordinary sneakers. After all, he was just going to Wanxianghui Mall to buy new gear; casual wear would suffice.
His home was in a pleasant neighborhood in Luzhong City, and a taxi ride to Wanxianghui took about twenty minutes.
Before heading out, Li Yan opened his mobile wallet, which held a balance of several hundred thousand yuan—savings accumulated from years of careful financial management during high school. His sensitivity to money had changed; he no longer feared spending but approached it rationally—to spend where necessary and invest in meaningful things.
Clothes and shoes were essential investments that enhanced his image and served well in social settings.
He opened the Didi ride-hailing app and booked a car.
Before leaving, he poured himself a glass of plain water and drank it to clear his mind.
In a class group chat, some classmates were discussing the upcoming driving test. Wang Zhen was fretting, “I’m still a bit nervous.”
Li Yan glanced at the message and smiled, having grown accustomed to Wang Zhen’s anxiety. Wang would surely pass; he was just less organized and therefore more flustered.
Li Yan replied thoughtfully, “Don’t panic. I’m not going to the driving school today. You don’t have to overthink it—just perform as usual.”
Wang Zhen quickly responded, “Got it, bro!”
Li Yan chuckled, locked his phone, and saw that the car had arrived downstairs.
He went down, slipped into the vehicle with practiced ease, and told the driver to take him to Wanxianghui.
As the car started, the city’s scenery slowly receded beyond the window.
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Luzhong City’s urban landscape wasn’t top-tier but was clean and orderly.
Li Yan mentally planned his purchases: a few sets of sportswear, lightweight and comfortable running shoes, compression pants, and several pairs of athletic socks. Then he would check the Nike and Adidas stores upstairs to complete the full set.
He decided against buying camera accessories, since he already owned a Leica Q2.
He had bought that camera in his second year of high school, pursuing a junior he admired who loved photography.
He had gritted his teeth and spent over forty thousand yuan on it—a considerable sum.
The Leica Q2 was a full-frame fixed-lens camera equipped with a 28mm F1.7 Summilux lens, renowned for its superb image quality and elegant, minimalist body—a dream choice for serious photography enthusiasts.
Ordinary students never bought cameras of such caliber, but Li Yan didn’t mind; to him, it was an investment.
Though the relationship with that junior eventually ended, leaving Li Yan tired of her and breaking up, the camera remained, gathering dust in his possession.
Now that he had been admitted to Sichuan University’s Advertising program, the camera would come in handy for shooting material and completing assignments.
The car glided smoothly toward the mall, accompanied by soft music. About twenty minutes later, Li Yan paid the driver and stepped into the bustling Wanxianghui.
This mall was Luzhong City’s trendiest shopping center, filled with major sports brands and fashionable clothing stores.
Li Yan headed straight to the Nike flagship store, where the air carried a faint synthetic fragrance. New apparel and shoes were displayed prominently at the counter.
He selected two of Nike’s latest quick-dry T-shirts—one black, one white—along with two pairs of shorts priced around 399 yuan each, and T-shirts roughly 499 yuan apiece.
He also picked a lightweight jacket for the chilly mornings, priced at 699 yuan. Though pricey, the quality was excellent.
Next came a pair of Nike’s top-tier ZoomX running shoes, costing about 1,299 yuan—a lightweight, breathable shoe with excellent cushioning, a dream for long-distance runners.
Li Yan barely flinched at the prices; for him, this was no big deal.
After purchasing from Nike, he visited Adidas to find a backup pair of running shoes, settling on a pair from the Ultraboost series, priced around 1,199 yuan.
He also bought three pairs of sports socks at about 49 yuan each, totaling under 150 yuan.
On a whim, he added a baseball cap for 299 yuan.
In total, the haul cost nearly four thousand yuan, but Li Yan swiped his card with calm indifference.
With his gear secured, he wandered the mall a bit, bought a cup of lemon iced tea, and felt the day was quite pleasant.
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Then he thought about the afternoon’s plan—since he wasn’t practicing driving today, he might as well invite Gan Gan out for a shoot. Better to avoid seeing her before tomorrow’s test to stay focused.
He picked up his phone and messaged Gan Gan on WeChat: “Gan Gan, are you busy? I’m free this afternoon. Maybe we can shoot some material and check out your glass workshop?”
Less than two minutes later, Gan Gan replied with a voice message: “Oh, you want to come today? I have some errands this morning, but after two in the afternoon, I’m mostly free. Do you want to come?”
Li Yan smiled inwardly, well accustomed to Gan Gan’s straightforward yet changeable nature.
He texted back, “Great, I’ll be there around three. I’ll bring my camera and take some photos for you.”
Gan Gan sent a playful sticker: “Awesome! I’ll wait for you at the workshop.”
Gan Gan was a beautiful, cheerful girl with considerable local fame.
She rented a small studio in a cultural and creative park on the city outskirts, specializing in making and displaying glass art pieces. Occasionally, she hosted live streams or recorded short videos.
Her style was cute and sweet with a hint of flirtatiousness. Petite but well-proportioned, her voice was crisp, and her personality candid.
These traits earned her quite a reputation.
Li Yan had met her during a promotional event at an ancient village. She was invited to shoot a short film; he had tagged along and got to know her.
After a few interactions, a subtle, ambiguous rapport developed between them, though it never blossomed into a concrete relationship.
Wear it on~
Secretly take it off~
With Gan Gan’s fanbase, she was quite well-known locally.
At this time, Wang Zhen and Shen Qingyue were naturally still practicing at the driving school.
As for Li Yan, he had set his sights on something else.
He always believed life was about striving and pushing forward!