Chapter 5

Chapter 5

Today's progress was smoother, although two hours were wasted in the morning, the cooperation agreement was successfully negotiated.

Wen Mochuan invited the partner for lunch, but they had other arrangements and politely declined.

Wen Mochuan did not insist, instead, he reached out to shake hands with their representative.

The partner was highly satisfied with Wen Mochuan, his company, and its potential. Although they truly had no time for lunch, their attitude was sincere.

"President Wen, looking forward to a pleasant cooperation."

Wen Mochuan’s gentle smile was perfectly measured as he nodded. "Pleasant cooperation."

After finishing official business, once in the car, Wen Mochuan immediately asked Special Assistant Xu, "When is the next flight back to Shenzhen?"

Before Wen Mochuan asked, Special Assistant Xu had already taken out his phone to check flights.

A few seconds later, he replied, "There's one at 10:30, but we can't make it. The next one is... two hours later."

"Book the flight at twelve plus." If everything goes well, he could still catch the end of Meimei's kindergarten parent-child event.

Even if he couldn’t participate, just showing up would make Meimei happy.

.

Jiang Yiyan was still shopping at the mall.

Initially, she didn’t plan on using Wen Mochuan’s card, but as a newcomer without cash, she coincidentally had a supplementary card in her bag. After much consideration, she decided to use this card to solve her urgent need.

She could always pay him back later.

The original owner of the body had money in her phone; Jiang Yiyan checked her WeChat and found a considerable amount in her wallet. However, she didn’t know the payment password, so she couldn’t access it.

Fortunately, there was that card in her bag; otherwise, today’s trip under the scorching sun would have been in vain.

But Jiang Yiyan didn’t spend extravagantly; she only bought affordable summer outfits from a mid-range mall.

She recorded every expense in her phone’s notebook.

Recalling the parent-child interaction video she saw yesterday, which required parents to do some physically demanding tasks, Jiang Yiyan decided she should wear sneakers when going to the kindergarten in the afternoon.

Not seeing any sports shoes in the original owner’s closet, Jiang Yiyan promptly turned towards the sports brand section in the mall.

Thankfully, several common sports brands were located close together. Jiang Yiyan tried on different pairs and finally chose a comfortable and stylish one.

"This one," Jiang Yiyan expressed satisfaction. "Please wrap it up."

Jiang Yiyan carried a limited edition summer bag from Chanel and wore clothes from a niche international brand.

The salesperson in the mall, naturally experienced, recognized Jiang Yiyan’s attire and knew she must be a wealthy person experiencing life in a more modest setting.

So, the salesperson introduced other shoes to Jiang Yiyan, hoping she would buy more.

No matter how eloquently the salesperson spoke, Jiang Yiyan remained unmoved.

She didn’t stop the salesperson from introducing their products but simply said, "No, thank you," after the introduction.

Then, she headed straight to the cashier with her card.

The salesperson persisted, following her and making a final attempt.

"Lady, the shoes you tried on really suit you. Are you sure you don’t want to buy a couple more? Or this pair, it’s our latest seasonal arrival. Each size has only one pair available. Would you like to try these?"

Since Jiang Yiyan also worked in a mall, though not as a salesperson, she understood their difficulties and wasn’t too annoyed by the persistent salesperson.

However, her plan was to buy only one pair today, so she wouldn’t be easily swayed.

Jiang Yiyan said, "I won’t try them today. Let’s settle the bill. If I need more, I’ll come back."

Seeing Jiang Yiyan’s clear refusal, the salesperson gave up.

Jiang Yiyan paid with her card, and the salesperson handed over the wrapped shoes, "Here are your shoes, ma'am." She escorted Jiang Yiyan to the door, bowed, and said, "Have a nice day, ma'am. We look forward to your next visit."

Meanwhile, Wen Mochuan, on his way to the airport, was disturbed by a payment notification while quietly resting in the back seat.

The sound was particularly jarring in the quiet car.

Special Assistant Xu, in the passenger seat, looked at Wen Mochuan through the rearview mirror.

Wen Mochuan took out his phone and unlocked it. Seeing another consumption notification from the supplementary card, his brows furrowed.

It wasn’t the spending that bothered him, but the fact that he received several low-value consumption notifications today, all below a thousand, was odd.

In the past few days, while he was away on a business trip, she stayed quietly at home without causing trouble. He feared she might be planning something significant.

Wen Mochuan didn’t have the energy to argue or deal with her antics. His focus was entirely on expanding the company, and he didn’t want family matters to affect his mood.

After some thought, Wen Mochuan opened his contacts and found "Jiang Yiyan's" name. He hesitated for a moment before gently pressing the call button.

At the mall, after getting tired from shopping, Jiang Yiyan found a place to rest.

As soon as she sat down, her phone rang.

Upon checking, the screen displayed the word "Husband," almost causing her to drop the phone.

Knowing she couldn’t avoid interacting with Wen Mochuan while living as the original owner, Jiang Yiyan mentally prepared herself and mustered the courage to answer the call.

She didn’t speak immediately after the call connected, instead waiting for the other side to speak first.

The call went through but remained unanswered, and just as Wen Mochuan's dwindling patience was about to run out and he was about to hang up, the call suddenly connected.

After the connection, there was no sound, and after a few seconds of silence, Wen Mochuan spoke first: "Out? "

"Uh-huh." She wasn't surprised that he knew her whereabouts; if he wanted to know, he could find out from anywhere. "I'm at a nearby mall."

After this brief question and answer, both sides fell silent again simultaneously.

In their past interactions, it was always Wen Mochuan who spoke little, while his wife would try to engage him in conversation. Now, however, his wife had become quiet, and the atmosphere between them had changed.

Jiang Yiyan felt the awkwardness too. After some inner struggle, she still chose to ask about his well-being against her better judgment.

"Have you finished your business there? You've worked hard. When are you coming back?" The words were caring, but the tone did not match.

Because she was indeed tired from shopping, Jiang Yiyan had no interest in pretending to be ingratiating.

But she didn't care anymore. It was fine as it was.

Fortunately, the other side didn't ask any more questions and simply replied that they had booked a flight for 2:30 PM and were on their way to the airport now.

Jiang Yiyan wasn't actually interested in when he would return, and in fact, she secretly hoped he would come back later. Therefore, her response to his answer was naturally indifferent.

Jiang Yiyan nodded subconsciously, but realizing he couldn't see her, she added: "Be careful on the road."

"Mm." Wen Mochuan didn't say much else and hung up the phone directly.

Listening to the "beep beep" sound from the other end of the phone, Jiang Yiyan felt a strange sense of relief.

If there were no delays on the journey, he would probably be back before dinner. With this thought, Jiang Yiyan lost the mood to continue resting and returned home with her newly purchased items.

The parent-child activity at her daughter's kindergarten started at 2:30 PM, and it was only 11:30 AM. After lunch, she could still take a nap.

.

Wen Meimei didn't come back for lunch, so after eating alone, Jiang Yiyan went upstairs, took a shower, and went to sleep beautifully.

She set an alarm for 1:40 PM on her phone.

When she came downstairs at 1:55 PM, Little Chen was already waiting outside in the car.

Seeing Madam's different attire today, Feng Ma hesitated to speak.

Jiang Yiyan noticed that she had something to say and asked directly: "What is it?"

Feng Ma smiled and said: "Is Madam going like this today?"

Jiang Yiyan looked down at her outfit for the day and didn't see anything wrong with it.

A casual black ankle-length spaghetti-strap dress, covered by a loose white shirt. On her feet were the new sneakers she bought at the mall today. Her wavy hair cascaded down her back, and she had applied a bit of sunscreen and lip gloss on her face.

Before coming downstairs, she had admired herself in the mirror. This outfit was beautiful, full of vitality and youthful charm.

"Is there something wrong with it?" Jiang Yiyan countered. "Or is it not pretty?"

Feng Ma shook her head with a smile: "No, it's not that it's not pretty. Madam looks beautiful like this. It's just... different from the usual style." In the past, even at home, Madam would dress up carefully, always ready to present her best self to Sir.

But these past two days, Madam's clothing style and behavior... seemed different somehow.

She had become more casual, less concerned about her appearance.

Jiang Yiyan had her own explanation for this.

"Styles need to change. Staying the same isn't necessarily good. Perhaps, changing the style might achieve unexpected results?" Jiang Yiyan spoke meaningfully.

Feng Ma suddenly understood and agreed: "Madam is right." Everything Madam did was for Sir. Despite all her efforts in the past, she hadn't gained much favor from Sir. Perhaps, she was trying a different approach to catch Sir's attention.