One of the best things about self-guided travel is that there’s no fixed schedule. You can stay out as late as you want, and it’s totally fine to sleep in the next morning. Early that morning, Zuo Ning went out for a jog with Lu Chenghe, then had a breakfast that didn’t suit his taste at all. He nearly dashed back to the room to make himself a bucket of instant noodles. It wasn’t until around noon that the Lu family’s eldest brother and his partner finally came downstairs.
Lu Chenghe immediately slapped his hand over Little Pudding’s eyes, turning his head away just as he was staring intently at Chu Hang. “What are you staring at?”
Zuo Ning leaned against Lu Chenghe, tilted his head up, and whispered into his ear, “I just feel like… today, our big sister-in-law has this gentle aura. Super different!”
Lu Chenghe glanced down at him. “What’s so different? You’re imagining things.”
Zuo Ning pouted and gave a little humph. He then pulled out several travel guides and waved them toward the couple. “Big brother, big sister-in-law, do you two have any plans today?”
Chu Hang looked at them with a smile. Today, the younger two were wearing another set of matching outfits—simple white shirts and casual jeans. Though the styles weren’t identical—Lu Chenghe’s was a bit more mature, while Zuo Ning’s leaned youthful—the matching belts and watches made the two look especially close.
Seeing how clingy the two of them were, Chu Hang chuckled again. “We’re thinking of visiting an exhibition today. Some original masterpieces can only be seen here in Milan.”
Zuo Ning let out an “oh” and looked at Lu Chenghe. “We’re going shopping today. We only brought one suitcase of clothes when we came, so today we’re going to look around and maybe buy some shoes, too.” As he spoke, he stuck out his foot and gave it a shake. “It’s all Chenghe’s fault. He told me there was a weight limit and tricked me into not even packing an extra pair of shoes.”
Chu Hang laughed. “Then go shop to your heart’s content. A lot of things here are more complete in stock than back home. In a few days, we’ll be heading to Tuscany for a self-driving trip. It’s not as urbanized over there, so if there’s anything you want, better get it while we’re still in the city.”
Zuo Ning nodded eagerly. “Mm-hmm! Then big brother and big sister-in-law have fun today, too!”
After waving his paw and watching Big Brother and Big Sister-in-law leave, Zuo Ning couldn’t wait any longer and dragged Lu Chenghe out the door, too. How could you come to Milan and not walk down those streets lined with luxury stores? Even though Zuo Ning didn’t like shopping much and wasn’t picky about what he ate or wore, the thrill of being able to splurge was still a source of joy.
But imagination was one thing—reality was another. The moment they stepped into that bustling street and saw the packed crowds, Zuo Ning turned to Lu Chenghe with a bitter expression. “Are all the people who can afford to travel abroad just rich as hell? Are they even spending money? Look at them—everyone’s carrying so many bags they can’t even hold them all. Or is it that stuff here is super cheap, and if you don’t buy it, you’re missing out big time?”
Those stores that barely had customers back home were now so full it felt like “crowded” didn’t even begin to cover it—it was like a full-blown night market scene in China.
Lu Chenghe looked at Little Pudding, who stood dazed on the sidewalk, unsure whether to go in or not. Holding his hand, he led him along a side street at a slower pace. “It’s not necessarily all for themselves. You know there’s a job now called ‘daigou’—personal shopper.”
Zuo Ning asked in confusion, “I’ve never really understood it. I see a lot of daigou people posting product price tags in their WeChat Moments. So people can just do the currency conversion themselves. If the daigou fee is too high, no one would buy from them. But if it’s too low, who even knows if they can cover the plane ticket and hotel costs. So, do daigou actually make money or not?”
“There’s no such thing as a job that doesn’t make money. Good thing you don’t plan on going into business. With that head of yours, you’d probably lose your shirt.”
Zuo Ning huffed and squeezed Lu Chenghe’s hand tighter, following him from store to store to browse. The last time Lu Chenghe took him shopping like this, he was still a dog—he couldn’t even speak up for what he wanted. Now that he finally had the chance, of course, he was going to enjoy it to the fullest.
If you never left the country, it might be fine, but once you did, you’d truly realize just how wealthy and powerful the Chinese had become. Walking down the street, at least one in every ten people was Chinese. And in those stores that were bursting at the seams, more than half the shoppers were Asian. The way they threw down cash for purchases was so carefree and generous, it was like they had banks at home.
Zuo Ning tugged on Lu Chenghe’s hand. “Hey, what if I go into a store, point at this, this, and this, and say I don’t want them, then tell them to wrap up everything else for me. Would that make me look super tacky and dumb?”
Lu Chenghe chuckled. “You can give it a try.”
Zuo Ning rolled his eyes. “Do I look that dumb to you?” No sooner had he finished speaking than he pointed excitedly at the store behind Lu Chenghe. “Rainbow ice cream!”
He was just about to rush over and buy it when Lu Chenghe caught him and pulled him back. “It’s all artificial coloring. Not allowed.”
“But I saw people recommending it! They said it’s really good…”
Before he could finish, Lu Chenghe was already dragging him away. Zuo Ning kept glancing back longingly. It was just one small cup of ice cream—eating a bit of food coloring wasn’t going to kill him! Supposedly, it was fruit-flavored. Maybe it didn’t even have coloring. He pouted, full of resentment.
For that moment, Zuo Ning was annoyed at how strict Lu Chenghe was being. But in the next moment, he found himself desperately wishing Lu Chenghe would come take control of him again. Unfortunately, he couldn’t find him anywhere. As if it were fate, it seemed the story wouldn’t be complete until they got separated at least once.
It wasn’t like they got swept apart by the crowd. Sure, the street was busy, but not so packed that a simple turn would make someone vanish. What happened was: Zuo Ning came out of the restroom and realized he couldn’t find Lu Chenghe where he had been waiting.
Before going in, Lu Chenghe had clearly been standing next to a big potted plant by the bathroom entrance. But when Zuo Ning came back out, not only was Lu Chenghe gone, but even the potted plant had disappeared!
He looked around in a daze. It was just a quick bathroom trip—he had handed his bag to Lu Chenghe before going in, and his phone was inside that bag. All he had in his pocket now was a nearly empty pack of tissues, with only two sheets left. He stood there for a moment, starting to panic when there was still no sign of Lu Chenghe. He was on the verge of tears. Getting lost on the streets of Milan—would the police even help if he tried reporting it?
Lu Chenghe had promised to keep an eye on him. Zuo Ning didn’t even dare to let go of his hand when walking down the street. So, how had they still gotten separated?
He fumbled through his pockets again, hoping to find any loose change he hadn’t used up yet—and ended up pulling out a card. He had no idea when it got put in there, but he was certain there was money on it. As long as he had money, he wouldn’t panic. Worst-case scenario, he’d just find an ATM, withdraw some cash, and take a cab back to the hotel himself.
After waiting a little longer and still not seeing any sign of Lu Chenghe, Zuo Ning simply decided to go look for him himself. After all, this street wasn’t that big—maybe he’d bump into him somewhere.
On the other side, after waiting a long time without seeing Little Pudding come out, Lu Chenghe began to worry that something might have happened. He simply went into the restroom to look. In tourist-heavy shopping districts like this, the restrooms were always packed. The men’s restroom was a bit better—fewer people. He stepped inside and called out, but there was no response. When he came out, he noticed there was another exit on the other side. He frowned and walked over, but still no sign of Little Pudding.
He didn’t even need to guess. Zuo Ning had clearly gone out the wrong exit without realizing it, and when he didn’t see Lu Chenghe waiting outside, he’d probably panicked and gone running around looking for him.
Lu Chenghe felt a headache coming on. Seriously, I take my eyes off him for one second, and he starts acting up.
After wandering for a bit, Zuo Ning ended up back at the ice cream shop they’d passed earlier. Seeing the UnionPay logo at the counter, he couldn’t resist and went in to buy an ice cream. Licking it happily, he turned and headed toward the busiest street again—maybe he’d run into Lu Chenghe there.
Not long after Zuo Ning left the shop, Lu Chenghe arrived. He looked around inside but didn’t see Little Pudding, so he went off to check other nearby food vendors.
And so the two of them kept missing each other by just a step or two—almost meeting, but always just out of sync. Meanwhile, Zuo Ning strolled along, happily licking his ice cream and shopping as he went. He still remembered Lu Chenghe’s sizes, and worried that if he bought something too cheap, Lu Chenghe wouldn’t want to wear it. So with his limited knowledge of luxury brands, he went with the rule: buy the most expensive one. He shopped with great enthusiasm.
On the other end, Lu Chenghe was getting a steady stream of transaction notifications. That card he’d slipped into Little Pudding’s pocket—along with some loose cash—had been meant for emergencies, just in case they got separated. Now, watching each transaction come in, Lu Chenghe was practically fuming, ready to grab that brat and give him a good spanking.
He gets separated from me and isn’t even the slightest bit worried—and still has the mood to shop? This little thing seriously has no sense of danger.
Coming out of a store, Zuo Ning couldn’t help but let out a long breath—he felt like he’d just carved a bloody path through a crowd of personal shoppers. Looking at all the things he’d bought—several sets of clothes, several pairs of shoes—his hands were so full that he could barely carry all the shopping bags.
He looked around, trying to see if there was a bench nearby where he could rest for a moment, maybe empty a few bags and throw out some packaging. That’s when his sharp eyes caught a familiar figure walking through the crowd.
Zuo Ning immediately dropped everything to the ground, jumped up, and waved, shouting loudly: “Chenghe! Chenghe! Lu Chenghe! I’m over here!”
Lu Chenghe turned his head and saw the little troublemaker he’d been searching for all afternoon, now hopping up and down excitedly, his face flushed red.
With a cold face, Lu Chenghe walked over—only to have a small cannonball slam straight into his chest.
Zuo Ning threw himself into a bear hug around Lu Chenghe: “Didn’t I say I’d find you? Weren’t you waiting for me at the restroom door? Why did you leave? I didn’t see you when I came out. I was almost scared to death!”
Lu Chenghe glanced at the pile of shopping bags Zuo Ning had tossed on the ground not far away. “So you were ‘scared to death’ while shopping?”
“Well, I was looking for you! Of course, I kept walking and looking around. And when I saw some nice clothes and shoes—things I meant to buy anyway—I just picked them up while I was at it. But you still haven’t told me—why did you leave? Why weren’t you waiting for me at the door?”
Lu Chenghe set him down. “You walked out the wrong exit because you can’t tell left from right, and now you’re blaming me?”
Zuo Ning blinked innocently. He knew it. He’d seen a big potted plant at the entrance when he went in, and when he came out, it was gone. While clutching Lu Chenghe’s hand, he giggled and kept chatting nonstop, telling him about everything that had happened since they’d gotten separated—including how a few Chinese tourists had recognized him and even asked for photos and autographs.
“You don’t even know! When they recognized me, I was totally stunned. I kept thinking, who are they talking about? Took me a while to realize they meant me. I told you I’d get popular one day—see? It’s finally happening!”
Watching him ramble on like that, Lu Chenghe had originally wanted to lecture him properly: they got separated, and instead of borrowing someone’s phone or asking a store to make a call, he just wandered off shopping without a care in the world. But seeing how excited he was, like he’d just returned from some grand adventure, Lu Chenghe decided to save the scolding for later—maybe once they got back.
That night, back at the hotel, Zuo Ning dumped out everything from all the shopping bags. Clothes and shoes were piled all over the bed. From the mountain of things, he fished out a few beautifully decorated little boxes, held them in his hands, and handed them to Lu Chenghe. “Guess what these are!”
Lu Chenghe gave them a casual glance, but before he could even answer, Little Pudding had already opened one of the boxes. “Dun dun dun dun! Condoms! I specially picked the best ones! I don’t even know what brand they are, but they weren’t cheap at all—over seventy euros each! I’ve never seen condoms this ridiculously expensive before, so I couldn’t help but buy a few more. At least now I’ve seen what high-end ones look like!”
Watching his Little Pudding show off his “treasure”, Lu Chenghe felt a vein twitch on his forehead, and a distinct itch in his palm.
