320 - I Don’t Want to Be Turned Into the Female Protagonist by the System

Chapter 320: A New Debuff Su Qi listened carefully as Bai Miao described the two recent pickpockets. One acted as a cover to block the view of others, while the other used a long pair of tweezers to steal her phone right out of her hoodie. She was left speechless—such seamless teamwork, yet they chose a life of petty theft? When Lu Ran heard her daughter lost her phone, she wasn’t too surprised. Given her daughter was wearing a suspicious hoodie outfit yesterday, with its big pockets and her head perpetually down as if trying not to be noticed, it made sense she’d become a target. Lu Ran, too, had experienced theft in shopping centers. Her most upsetting incident was when a thief actually slashed her bag and stole her phone from inside. The phone wasn’t expensive, but the limited edition Prada bag, worth 160,000 Yuan, was. Ever since it was ruined, she’d been regretful for quite some time. Losing the phone didn’t bother her; she could just buy her daughter another one as long as she was okay. But hearing Su Qi say that her phone was snatched back from the thief by Bai Miao, who even managed to subdue the culprits on the spot, made Lu Ran admire Bai Miao even more. The girl was a true equal among heroes in Lu Ran’s eyes. Seeing her mom’s eyes sparkling, Su Qi could already predict her next words—it’s just about introducing her third brother. As expected, Su Qi stopped her mother before she could speak, looking at the long queue for takoyaki, lost in thought. Finally, Lu Ran led the two of them to a uniquely flavored barbecue restaurant. Drinking the Snow Nai tea her mom bought, Su Qi found the fruity milk tea quite tasty, with large, refreshing strawberry bits inside. From the tea’s name, it seemed evident that the shop owner must be an old fan of anime; otherwise, why would they name the store after an anime character from Sailor Moon? Lu Ran, watching her daughter enjoy the strawberry milk tea wholeheartedly, felt that if she could just dress up her daughter in a cute little dress, she’d look even more adorable. The expenses at Intime Plaza in Zhe City were quite high, and one barbecue meal cost a whopping 400+. Su Qi thought it was still cheaper back home in Su City. At least it wasn’t that expensive. Watching her daughter clutch the bill with a little distressed expression, Lu Ran silently tucked the tea receipt into her bag. Snow Nai tea was at least 28 Yuan each, and the three of them had just spent a total of 108 Yuan. If her poor daughter knew how pricey the milk tea was, she might lose interest in shopping altogether. The three first wandered through some jewelry shops. Having been forced into buying jewelry by her mom last time, Su Qi firmly refused to step into the stores this time. In the cosmetics store afterward, her mom forcibly bought her ten red lipsticks. Without giving her the option to refuse—and under the threat of a tantrum—Su Qi silently accepted them. Looking at the ten red lipsticks, just with different shades, made Su Qi realize how meticulous women could be, and how profitable the business of women's products truly was. She didn’t look at the receipt for the ten lipsticks, but compared to the one An Ning’s wife bought her, these seemed much smaller. She figured they'd be cheaper too. But still, ten lipsticks should cost over a thousand Yuan, right? After accepting the lipsticks, Su Qi, holding the small shopping bag from the cosmetics store, became extra cautious, frequently checking her pocket for her phone, having learned from her previous theft experience. Lu Ran noticed this subtle behavior, suddenly realizing that her daughter didn’t even carry a purse. She pondered; as a girl, how could her daughter go without a purse? Hence, Lu Ran took them to the luxury section on the first floor of Intime City. Seeing the seemingly ordinary bags priced in the six digits left Su Qi’s worldview a bit shattered. Her mom, meanwhile, seemed to think it was a bargain. This didn’t quite match the thrifty mother she remembered. Su Qi didn’t realize that Lu Ran and Su Lu Jun had always followed the principle of raising their son frugally and their daughter luxuriously. Previously, Su Lu Jun hadn’t retired. Spending extravagantly could have easily led to criticism. Now, having transformed into a daughter and with her spouse retired, Lu Ran felt the need to compensate her daughter. She wanted only the best for her. She had her eye on a Prada shoulder bag and was about to ask her daughter if she liked it when she saw her daughter frantically shaking her head. Bai Miao then pulled her away. Lu Ran found her daughter’s refusal to let her buy a bag adorable but also a bit pitiful, knowing the prices probably scared her. Lu Ran decided to give her daughter some of her own collected bags when they got home, but she’d say they were cheaper than they were. Then she left the store to catch up with her daughter. The sales assistant watched this scene with a heart heavy, for yet another potential sale was lost. Breathing a sigh of relief after leaving the luxury section behind, Su Qi was immediately pulled by her mom and Bai Miao toward the final destination. The last stop in any girl’s shopping spree must be the clothing section—clothes shopping brought life to the experience. However, stepping into the women’s clothing store, Su Qi sensed something was off. Her mother and Bai Miao were coming at her with plenty of little dresses, triggering a premonition of impending doom. Surely they didn’t intend for her to try them on, did they? It turned out Su Qi's hunch was spot on. She was promptly ushered into the fitting room by the pair. Holding a pale pink girly dress, Su Qi contemplated deeply. Wearing this would surely activate a debuff—there was no way she could do it! Outside the fitting room, her mother and Bai Miao coaxed her, "Xiao Qi, let us know if you need help!" "Big sister’s here to help you dress, too." Faced with their insistence, Su Qi felt a headache coming on. Just now, she had already refused to buy jewelry or luxury bags. If she refused again, not to mention Bai Miao, her mom would definitely be upset. Besides, last time in Zhe City, Su Qi had also accompanied her mom trying on clothes. Refusing now would seem out of place. Looking at the pastel pink dress in hand, Su Qi hesitated before asking the System Lady, "System, isn’t this an unavoidable situation? Can you not apply a debuff this time?" The System Lady remained silent, but then there was a 'meow' sound reminiscent of a small cat, followed by a wheel of fortune appearing in the lower left of her view, covered in debuffs. Emmmm, now Su Qi finally understood the feeling of being caught between a rock and a hard place! Yet, she didn't linger in this feeling for too long. Her mom and Bai Miao soon came under the curtain into the fitting room. Seeing the locked curtain, Su Qi felt like she should complain to the store. Couldn’t they just have a door lock? Three minutes later, the System Lady’s indignant young girl’s voice declared, "Hmph, due to the host's unauthorized wearing of non-system-approved clothing, a debuff called ‘Grin and Bear It’ has been applied."