“Oh, that. I just went for a quick visit because I run out of my pills. Yang Liqing just accompanied me,” she explained, but deep inside, she wanted to tell him what was bothering her.
Shen Yi stared at her as if trying to figure out if she was telling the truth or not. He then nodded but didn’t say another word. Both of them continued to eat in silence with Lu Xinyi occasionally glancing her husband’s way. She didn’t like to hide things from her husband., but she needed to hear Zhao Xi’s opinion first before coming clean to Shen Yi.
An hour later, the couple met Kang Wei and Zhao Xi. The doctor beamed up as soon as she saw Lu Xinyi step outside Shen Yi’s car and greeted her with enthusiasm.
“Xinxin, are you alright? We’ve seen the news. Please don’t take those nasty rumors to your heart. They don’t know what they’re talking about.” Zhao Xi took both of Lu Xinyi’s hands and consoled her.
Lu Xinyi was glad that Zhao Xi was here. She really needed some confidante to hear her out.
“I’m okay, Zhao Xi. No harm was done yet, but I know Shen Yi wouldn’t let this pass so easily.” Lu Xinyi saw her husband talking seriously with Kang Wei. She had no idea what they’re talking about, but it was the first time she saw Kang Wei this serious.
“It’s fine, Xinxin.” Zhao Xi reassured her, “If Shen Yi hasn’t told you, my husband is a lawyer. These rumors about you will stop soon. They’ll get at the bottom of this.”
“I sure hope so,” Lu Xinyi sighed. “These rumors have been ruining our time together.”
“Are you sure that was the only thing that bothers you? You look paler than usual.” Zhao Xi asked, releasing Lu Xinyi’s hand so she could have a better look at her.
“Now that you mention it, I have something to discuss with you.”
—
It was already late in the afternoon. The sun had been hiding behind the clouds, but Shen Yi and Kang Wei weren’t done yet talking about their business together. That left Lu Xinyi spending the rest of the day with her newly acquired friend.
Zhao Xi invited her to go shopping with her while waiting for their husbands. Apparently, her brother was celebrating his birthday that weekend, and needless to say, Zhao Xi needed to find a good gift for him.
Shen Yi had agreed easily to Zhao Xi’s request to take Lu Xinyi with her. Zhao Xi was patient enough to explain Lu Xinyi that she had nothing to worry about because she wasn’t infertile. Her hormones were just in a mess recently and had nothing to do with her body not being able to conceive a baby.
“So are we getting a gift for your brother this time, or do you need to shop for more clothes and shoes for yourself?” Lu Xinyi teased Zhao Xi while adjusting Zhao Xi’s shopping bags on her hands. The doctor herself had five shopping bags on her arm.
Holy deity of shopping. How could women spend so much money within hours? Lu Xinyi had no idea. Zhao Xi was swiping her cards without batting an eyelid on those price tags!
As President Shen’s wife, Lu Xinyi should be doing the same thing. Money wasn’t even an issue for her husband, and she could buy whatever she might want anytime.However, Lu Xinyi didn’t feel the need to spend the money she didn’t work and earn by herself. She could spend all Shen Yi’s fortune on foods, but she was starting to get conscious of her weight and image, something she’d never paid attention before.
“Oh, hush, Madam Shen. We still have enough time for that!” Zhao Xi grinned. “Oh, look there’s a cute shop over there!”
She grabbed Lu Xinyi’s elbow with her free hand and dragged her inside the store. Lu Xinyi tried not to roll her eyes. She was glad that she was able to change her outfit to a pair of flats and denim jeans. Her sundress replaced with a black turtleneck, hidden beneath a coat to fend off the coldness of the afternoon.
Without bothering with formalities, Zhao Xi dropped her shopping bags at the corner and checked the stall of trendy dresses near the dressing room. Lu Xinyi was left on her own devices as she waited for Zhao Xi to finish her shopping spree. She cast an awkward look at the clerks as Zhao Xi took several dresses from the racks before going to the dressing room.
Lu Xinyi felt a sudden change within the store. Some customers were blatantly staring at her while the clerks were gossiping with one another. They probably had recognized her from those articles, but who cares? They could stare all they want, but that didn’t mean she would let them humiliate her.
A few minutes later, Zhao Xi came out from the dressing room with a big smile. She twirled around to show off her new dress as it billowed out around her.
“How do I look?” she winked at Lu Xinyi.
“You look wonderful!” Lu Xinyi exclaimed. Somehow, this dress reminded her of Xia Yuhan’s collection. Looking around, she cursed inwardly as she realized they were in Starlight Collection which was owned by her cousin, Sun Feiyan.
Now, she knew why she was receiving such weird stares from these people! The clothes she was wearing came from Xia Yuhan’s clothing line, Flair Apparel, the main competitor of Starlight Collection.
She’d recently purchased Flair Apparel from Xia Yuhan from the money she got from the festival’s competition, and while the transfer of ownership wasn’t final, Lu Xinyi should refrain herself from getting in trouble with Sun Feiyan’s Starlight Collection.
“Uhm, Zhao Xi, do you think we can go and check out your stuff? We can find matching shoes to go with that dress at the other store.”