Chapter 54

Chapter 54

In the end, the qipao that Shu Yao had her eye on was purchased by Jiang Xu at fifty times the original price from Jiang Yiyan. He thought he had won the beauty's smile with his hefty sum, but little did he know that he was actually pushing Shu Yao further away.

The qipao was successfully bought, but Shu Yao didn't seem particularly happy. On the contrary, she felt quite awkward. This was something Jiang Yiyan didn't want; no matter how expensive or good it was, it was still something Jiang Yiyan had given up.

Jiang Yiyan immediately sent Jiang Xu the card number, and after staring at her coldly for a moment, Jiang Xu made a call right in front of her. Soon after, Jiang Yiyan received a text message from the bank on her phone.

Not a penny more, not a penny less—it was exactly fifty times the price of the qipao she had resold to Jiang Xu.

"Alright." With such a large sum in her account, Jiang Yiyan was in high spirits. Feeling better, her service attitude naturally improved as well.

She carefully placed the folded qipao into a garment bag and then presented it with both hands. However, instead of giving it to Jiang Xu, she directly handed it to Shu Yao.

"Yao Yao, this is yours now. Take good care of it." At that moment, her face was full of smiles.

Shu Yao's mood, however, was the exact opposite. But Shu Yao never threw tantrums or showed displeasure. No matter how unhappy she was, she would silently bear it and always present a good temper to others.

"Okay, thank you." Shu Yao took it with a shy smile, then hurriedly said goodbye, "Yiyan, I'll be going now. Bye." And with that, she quickly left.

Jiang Xu naturally followed her closely.

After Jiang Yiyan appeared, Yu Wenlai saw that she could handle the situation, so he didn't say much. It wasn't until Jiang Xu and Shu Yao left that Yu Wenlai, somewhat gossipy, asked, "Do you know them?"

Jiang Yiyan shrugged indifferently, "Not only do we know each other, but we're also quite familiar." However, she didn't elaborate on the nature or extent of their relationship, only saying, "There are two more pieces. Let me try them on."

Yu Wenlai was tactful and didn't ask too many questions. Seeing that Jiang Yiyan didn't elaborate, he stopped being nosy.

As expected, both qipaos fit perfectly. Looking at Jiang Yiyan in the qipao, Yu Wenlai couldn't help but praise her again, "Yiyan, you really have the figure for qipaos. No matter what style, they all look great on you."

Jiang Yiyan was also very satisfied with her body. Perfect proportions, slim where it should be, curvy where it should be—everything was just right.

But there's an old saying: beauty before twenty-five is given by your parents, while beauty after twenty-five is earned through self-care. No matter how beautiful one's appearance, neglecting maintenance can lead to rapid aging.

It wasn't that she didn't enjoy life; rather, she simply didn't have the money. Now that she had money, her first thought was to find a high-end spa for some skin care after these two busy days.

Again, she marveled at how wonderful it felt to have money.

Although the money was essentially "extorted" from Jiang Xu, since both parties were willing, she didn't feel guilty spending it.

.

Around five o'clock, Meimei, feeling bored after playing, called her father using her smartwatch.

During their conversation, Wen Mochuan learned that his wife had gone to the qipao store today.

Wen Mochuan knew his wife's deadline and had kept track of it. Clearly, today was not her deadline.

So, Wen Mochuan started probing his daughter for more information, "Did Mom tell you why she went to the qipao store today?"

"I don't know." When Mom left, Meimei was still sleeping. She only found out when she woke up and asked Auntie Fang Fang.

"But I can ask Auntie Fang Fang for you." Without waiting for her father's response, she hopped off the sofa and ran to the kitchen, "Auntie Fang Fang, what did my mom go to the qipao store for?"

Feng Ma was cooking, and Fang Fang was helping with cutting vegetables and washing dishes. Hearing the question, she casually replied, "She didn't say specifically, just mentioned she was going out. When I asked where, she said the qipao store and then drove off."

Although Wen Mochuan had already heard Fang Fang's answer, Meimei thought her father hadn't heard it, so she repeated it.

Meimei, unaware of her father's intentions and the complexities of adult relationships, continued talking about herself. Meimei was a chatterbox, and if you didn't hang up, she could talk for hours.

But Wen Mochuan's mind was elsewhere. After soothing his daughter briefly, he said, "Dad has to go back to work now. We can talk more when I get home."

"Okay." Though disappointed, Meimei complied, "Dad, come back early." Then she kissed the smartwatch, "Bye, Dad."

Wen Mochuan smiled affectionately, "Bye."

After ending the call with his daughter, Wen Mochuan tidied up his desk and left the office with his briefcase.

When Wen Mochuan arrived at the qipao store, Jiang Yiyan was still there. Although they had known each other for a short time, they got along well.

Together, they discussed work-related matters or casual topics, always finding common ground.

Moreover, Yu Wenlai was polite and humorous, making Jiang Yiyan find him interesting.

When Wen Mochuan arrived, he saw his wife smiling warmly. Dressed elegantly in a qipao, she looked gentle and graceful—a side of her he had never seen before.

Although he was a latecomer and his sudden appearance didn't seem to catch their attention, Wen Mochuan didn't hesitate. He walked in and asked, "What are you talking about? You seem so happy."

Surprised by Wen Mochuan's unexpected arrival, Jiang Yiyan asked, "Why are you here?"

Wen Mochuan was already standing in front of her. Given their height difference, he had to lower his head to look at her face. So, he kept his eyes lowered and answered seriously, "Meimei said you were out, so I came by on my way home."

Jiang Yiyan didn't suspect anything and explained, "The qipao I ordered was ready, so Wenlai called me to try it on." She then stepped back a bit and asked for his opinion, "How does it look? Is it nice?"

Wen Mochuan's gaze softened as he looked at her and nodded, "Very nice."

Jiang Yiyan knew she looked good; Yu Wenlai had already praised her extensively. Therefore, Wen Mochuan's simple "nice" didn't impress her much.

Wen Mochuan's gaze lingered on Yu Wenlai, who nodded in acknowledgment.

Since Wen Mochuan's arrival, Yu Wenlai had become noticeably quieter, unlike his earlier chattiness.

Jiang Yiyan checked the time and, seeing it was past five, said, "I'll go change."

Yu Wenlai suggested, "Since you've already changed, why not wear it home?"

Jiang Yiyan suddenly remembered something. She and Fang Fang were running an account together, and some videos of her wearing qipaos had recently gone viral. Fang Fang had been studying the platform and concluded that to grow the account, the content needed to be consistent. In other words, they should continue posting similar content.

Thus, they planned to focus solely on qipao-related content on their account. They would give it a try, and if it worked, great; if not, they would explore other options.

In the age of social media, maintaining such an account alongside their regular work seemed beneficial and harmless. Why not give it a shot?

So, if we change back now, we'll have to change again when we get home. It's just too much trouble. So, let's just not change at all.

"Then let's go home like this; it saves the hassle of changing back and forth."

Wen Mochuan stood silently by, but when his wife made this decision, he instinctively glanced over at Yu Wenlai again.

Yu Wenlai always had a faint smile on his face. He knew Wen Mochuan was looking at him again, but he ignored it. Seeing them off, Wen Mochuan politely escorted them to the door.

Before leaving, Jiang Yiyan mentioned work: "Don't worry. I'll definitely hand in those sketches before the deadline."

Yu Wenlai wasn't concerned about this at all and nodded. "I naturally believe in you."

"Okay, see you later. Bye." Jiang Yiyan waved at him.

"Bye," said Yu Wenlai.

They exchanged a few more words, and Wen Mochuan stood quietly watching without saying anything. Not until his wife finished saying goodbye did Wen Mochuan follow her out.

Just before leaving, he glanced at Yu Wenlai once more.

Regardless of what he thought inside, Wen Mochuan bid farewell to Yu Wenlai out of politeness. Yu Wenlai remained gentlemanly, treating both Jiang Yiyan and Wen Mochuan with the same courteous demeanor.

But the more so, the more Wen Mochuan felt that Yu Wenlai was a person of deep and unfathomable thoughts. Someone who shows no emotion can be very difficult to deal with if they become your adversary.

Yu Wenlai was an enigma, hard to fathom.

But Wen Mochuan had thoroughly investigated his background and found nothing unusual.

There were no parking spaces near this street, so Jiang Yiyan parked her car in an underground lot across the road. It would take a few minutes to walk there.

Fortunately, this was an old street lined with trees that had grown tall over the years, providing ample shade from the sun.

After leaving the shop, Jiang Yiyan asked Wen Mochuan, "Where's your car?"

Wen Mochuan was still preoccupied with his thoughts and replied somewhat absentmindedly, "Little Chen drove me here. He had something else to do later. Since you had a car, I let him go first."

"Oh, okay." Jiang Yiyan merely asked out of curiosity.

Wen Mochuan, tall and well-built, wore a white shirt tucked into his suit pants, with a belt accentuating his waist. The stark contrast between black and white drew attention while also highlighting his upright posture. His outstanding physique, combined with his handsome face, made him stand out even more than the young actors in TV dramas.

And beside him stood Jiang Yiyan, dressed elegantly in a qipao, adding to the scene's allure.

Passersby couldn't help but glance their way.

The sight of a handsome man and a beautiful woman was pleasing to the eye, and no one could resist taking a second look.

Jiang Yiyan, feeling proud and enjoying the envious glances, held her head high.

Wen Mochuan seemed accustomed to such attention and paid little heed to it.

When crossing the street, where the sun was particularly bright, he showed extra consideration by walking on the side that would shield her from the sun. His tall frame provided some shade, protecting her from the scorching sun.

Fortunately, the street wasn't wide, and they soon reached the entrance of the underground garage.

Jiang Yiyan's car was parked at the edge of the garage, visible upon entering. But another issue arose: while the qipao looked beautiful, driving in it was quite restrictive.

Being a new driver, wearing inappropriate clothing would make the drive exhausting.

At this moment, Jiang Yiyan regretted not thinking ahead. If she had, she would have changed her clothes first.

Standing by the car, Wen Mochuan noticed her predicament and offered, "Let me drive."

Without hesitation, Jiang Yiyan handed him the keys gratefully.

"Thanks for understanding." She then headed straight for the passenger seat.

Wen Mochuan got into the driver's seat, fastened his seatbelt, and saw that she was struggling with hers due to the constraints of her attire. Without hesitation, he leaned over, took the seatbelt from her hands, and fastened it for her.

This sudden closeness and physical contact made Jiang Yiyan hold her breath, barely moving.

Fortunately, the process was quick. He came close, fastened the seatbelt, and left, leaving behind a faint scent of his cologne.

Jiang Yiyan seemed to react belatedly. Only after the car started moving towards the garage exit did she manage to utter, "Oh, thank you."