Half an hour later, the hangover tea Grace had ordered arrived, along with lunch.

  The three of them sat around the dining table. Aside from Grace, who was relatively fine, both Scarlett and Douglas wore the haggard expressions of a night spent drinking. Douglas, in particular, had thrown up twice that morning—his stomach was empty, his face pale.

  Scarlett took a few sips of congee and immediately felt a bit better. She glanced up at Douglas. "Finish eating and get lost."

  Douglas pretended not to hear her and instead grinned at Grace. "Grace, thanks for letting me crash here last night."

  Grace smiled wryly. "Well, I couldn't exactly leave you on the street."

  "Ha." Scarlett let out two cold laughs. "We should have left him on the street. I saw a news clip the other day—some guy got drunk, passed out on the street, and got assaulted by a homeless man."

  Douglas frowned deeply. "Can't you wish me well for once?"

  "I'm giving you fair warning. Guys like you, all soft and tender? You're exactly the type homeless men go for." Scarlett picked up her phone as she spoke, then her eyes lit up. "Sweetie! News on those shoes you wanted!"

  "The ones I mentioned? How much?" Grace asked eagerly.

  Scarlett consulted with the seller. "He says the price depends on the size. Popular sizes cost more. What size are Leo's feet?"

  Grace paused. "I forgot to ask. I'll find out now."

  She didn't have Leo on LetsChat. After a moment's thought, she opened the "TicTac Video" app, found her gifting history for Jonathan's livestream, and located his account.

  "Jonathan, this is Grace. Do you know what size shoes Leo wears?"

  Douglas, overhearing, couldn't help but ask, "Who's Leo?"

  "One of Grace's suitors. Didn't I tell you? The guys chasing her could circle our school track twice," Scarlett said bluntly.

  Douglas frowned. "You're full of it. If he's chasing her, shouldn't he be buying her things? Why is she buying him stuff? And shoes, no less!"

  This content has been misappropriated from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.

  He turned to Grace. "Do you know what buying a guy shoes means?"

  Grace blinked. "It means... buying a pair of shoes?"

  "It means you're making a move! Shoes are the most meaningful gift you can give a guy. You'd better not end up giving yourself away along with them!"

  "Don't listen to him, sweetie." Scarlett shot Douglas a withering look. "Besides, I think Leo's great. Way better than some people."

  Grace smiled but said nothing, unconcerned by their bickering.

  Jonathan replied almost instantly.

  "GRACE!!!!"

  "YOU'RE BUYING LEO SHOES??!!"

  "IT'S NOT THOSE SHOES, IS IT??!!"

  "OMG! OMG! OMG!"

  "THIS GUY MUST HAVE SAVED THE WORLD IN A PAST LIFE!!!"

  Jonathan's reaction was explosive. He sent message after message without getting to the point. Grace quickly interjected: "Calm down. So, what size does Leo wear?"

  Jonathan: "HAHAHAHA, I'm too hyped. Hyped for my bro."

  "He's a 44!"

  "I won't tell him. I want to see his face when he gets them!"

  Grace thanked him and relayed Leo's size to Scarlett.

  Scarlett immediately relayed it to the seller.

  "44 is a hot size. They want 2 Dollars!"

  Even Scarlett was stunned by the markup. Her eyes went wide. "The retail price was only around 20 cents? That's ten times the original price!"

  Douglas snorted. "That's why sneakers mean something different to guys. They're expensive and hard to get. If a girl goes out of her way to buy a guy limited edition sneakers? That's a knockout blow. Most guys wouldn't stand a chance."

  He actually had some connections with sneaker resellers—might even get a discount—but he wasn't about to help Grace buy gifts for another guy.

  "Fine. Get them."

  Grace didn't haggle over the price. 2 Dollars was steep by current standards, but for a globally limited pair that people lined up to fight over, a markup was inevitable.

  After eating and drinking the hangover tea, everyone's condition improved. Douglas didn't overstay his welcome; he proactively said goodbye to Grace and mentioned heading home.

  Grace walked him to the villa entrance. Scarlett, worried Douglas might say or do something inappropriate, pressed herself against the floor-to-ceiling windows in the living room, watching.

  "Grace, can I invite you out again sometime?"

  Standing at the gate, Douglas turned and looked at her.

  Grace smiled and nodded. "As long as you don't stop me from ordering male hosts."

  Douglas's face darkened. Competitive spirit flaring, he said, "I'm not worse than those male hosts, am I? I've got abs too. You can touch mine!"

  Grace's expression immediately turned serious. "See? I was joking, but you're taking it seriously. Douglas, there's no future for us. Don't waste your energy on me."

  Apparently not expecting such a definitive rejection, Douglas's expression froze. He was momentarily at a loss.

  He'd never been rejected by a girl so earnestly and firmly before. From Grace's tone, there seemed to be no room left for negotiation.

  Grace pressed her lips together, then continued. "As a friend? You're great."

  "Is this because of what Scarlett told you? Is that why you won't give me a chance?" Douglas grew anxious, uncharacteristically earnest in his self-defense. "I admit my dating history might be a bit... extensive. But you're different from them in my eyes. I really think you're special. You attract me."

  Hearing this, Grace simply shook her head with a smile. "I don't care if I'm 'different' in your eyes. Because in my eyes, all men are the same. I won't develop real feelings for you. Even if I agreed to be with you, it would only be casual—just playing around."

  Grace delivered this "shocking" declaration with such nonchalance that Douglas was completely thrown.

  He was the playboy who'd drifted through countless relationships without a scratch, always needing to toss out some sweet, insincere words to coax the girls along.

  But Grace just flat-out told him, "Even if we got together, I'd only be playing. No real feelings involved."

  Was this even possible?

  As he stood there stunned, Grace added, "Honestly, playing around with you wouldn't be the worst idea. But you're Scarlett's brother. So... I don't want to hurt you."

  Douglas blinked again, dumbfounded.

  "I don't want to hurt you."

  Wasn't that his usual go-to line with other girls? He never imagined that one day, he'd be on the receiving end of it!

  This was absolutely unheard of!