The study room was not lit, only the light from outside shone in.
Shen Yanchen stood by the window, his fingertips glowing with a faint red light, almost burned out.
He took one last drag, exhaled the white smoke, and extinguished the cigarette butt in the ashtray on the windowsill, which already had several butts in it.
As he exhaled the white smoke, he let out a long breath, then took out his phone, found an unnamed number in the call log, and dialed it.
A woman’s voice answered.
"Did I call the wrong number?" That was the woman’s opening line.
Shen Yanchen got straight to the point: "Are you free tomorrow night?"
"I wasn’t, but if it’s you, I can make time."
Shen Yanchen didn’t hesitate: "Then make time for me. I’ll come pick you up at seven in the evening."
The woman was straightforward: "Okay, I’ll wait for you."
Originally, because of Lu Jixi’s relationship, he didn’t want to get involved with the Lu family anymore. But after thinking it over, this woman was the only one who knew her place and what to do and what not to do.
The next day, Gu Qimiao spent the whole day knitting a scarf in her studio.
In the evening, she had a party to attend, and Shen Yanchen had one too, so he didn’t pick her up, and they were both busy with their own things.
A little after five, Fang Shaobei came knocking on her door.
"Get ready, it’s time to go. I’ll take you for a little makeover."
Gu Qimiao put down the knitting needle and pointed to the blue bag on the other end of the sofa: "No need to go out for a makeover, I brought my dress."
Fang Shaobei raised an eyebrow, "Oh? Change into it and let me see if it’s up to standard."
Gu Qimiao thought proudly to herself, Shen Yanchen has a good eye!
She quickly stood up, picked up the box, and walked to the small partition: "Wait a moment!"
Fang Shaobei sat on the sofa, patiently waiting for her.
After about five minutes, the small door was pushed open. When he saw that flash of blue and she turned around, giving him a slightly shy smile, he admitted that he was surprised by her beauty.
He raised an eyebrow and walked over. She asked him shyly for his opinion: "How is it? Looks good, right?"
Fang Shaobei’s hand rested on her shoulder as he turned her around, then nodded, "Hmm, good taste."
Gu Qimiao looked up at him, puzzled: "What’s wrong?"
Fang Shaobei shook his head: "Nothing."
If he wasn’t mistaken, this dress was hand-embroidered. Judging by the logo on the box, it was the work of a master, definitely not something just money could buy.
Just a guess, but it should have been a gift from Shen Yanchen?
"Are you hungry now?"
Gu Qimiao responded honestly: "A little."
"What do you want to eat?"
"But I want to save my appetite for something good later!"
Fang Shaobei smiled helplessly, "Then let’s go now."
Gu Qimiao put on her high heels, placing the necklace and hair accessory in her bag.
Fang Shaobei grabbed her black backpack and carried it himself, disdained: "Wearing such a fairy-like dress and still carrying a backpack, how disgraceful."
Gu Qimiao didn’t care, putting on her white cotton jacket: "Who cares? Nobody’s watching anyway."
The car stopped halfway, taking her to a styling salon where she had her makeup done and hair pinned up.
It was a simple fishtail braid that matched her dress today, making her look like an ethereal fairy untouched by the mundane world.
"Sir, would you like to choose a hair clip for this beautiful young lady? We have many new styles in."
Fang Shaobei was about to say yes when Gu Qimiao quickly said: "No need! I have my own."
She opened Fang Shaobei’s backpack, took out a small box containing the hair clip, and handed it to the stylist: "Use this one, please."
The hair clip was shaped like a small branch, adorned with a few exquisite little leaves. The branch was inlaid with dark blue gems and the leaves were accented with tiny, delicate white diamonds.
The moment the stylist took out the hair clip, she was stunned...