Madam Lu sat on the sofa next to Yue Ling in silence. Her excited expression from earlier was now replaced with one of unresponsive. Her brain couldn’t seem to process the words that the retired model had said about excluding the wedding dress.
Feeling like an eternity had gone by, she finally remembers to blink her eyes and breathe. She stares at Yue Ling for a quick second then shifts her attention to the piece of paper in the girl’s hand.
She furrows her brows at the beautiful wedding dress and didn’t understand.
The design of the dress was beyond anything she has ever seen. Any woman who sees it would no doubt want to wear it at their wedding. Even she wished that this dress was the one she wore when she married her husband.
Unable to comprehend Yue Ling’s reason, she looks back at the girl and parts her lips to ask. However, when she saw the faint look of despair in Yue Ling’s eyes, she stops herself.
She takes the design paper from Yue Ling’s hand and set it down on the table. She held her daughter-in-law’s hand with both hands and smiles.
"I am curious about your reason, but no matter how curious I am, I am sure you have your reasons. Since you say that you do mind, then I understand."
Even if she doesn’t ask the reason, she can guess that this dress held a happy, yet painful memory for Yue Ling.
Her words fell and she gently squeezes the slender hand she was holding. Her smile also widens, and she looks back down at the many designs scattered on the table.
"There are plenty of wedding dresses to choose from. I will have this dress removed from the list."
Yue Ling felt relief knowing how understanding Madam Lu is. If Madam Lu had asked her for the reason, she would have told the middle-aged woman the truth, but since she (Madam Lu) did not pry into the subject, she (Yue Ling) will leave it at that.
She wanted to thank Madam Lu for being understanding, but the second she parted her lips, a maid enters the living room to inform them.
"Madam, Miss Han, dinner is ready."
Being interrupted, Madam Lu and Yue Ling turned their head to look at the maid. Both women decide to leave the discussion about the wedding dress for later.
"Let’s go. I have prepared many dishes for you."
Madam Lu spoke her words naturally with a smile. It was like Yue Ling was her flesh and blood daughter. She stood up from the sofa and takes Yue Ling’s hand as she leads both of them to the kitchen.
However, before they could move, she caught sight of Yue Ling looking back at the table scattered with designs.
She sighs with a smile that reaches her eyes and gently tugs the retired model away.
"Don’t worry. I have asked my stylist to gather all the wedding dresses for you to try on tomorrow."
Yue Ling calmly nods her head, but inside, she was struck speechless. All the designs that had been displayed in front of her were more than 100. Does that mean she will have to try on all the dresses to pick right now?
Thinking this, she realizes something. Instead of trying all the dresses, she can try a few since Madam Lu had taken the time to prepare them. Afterward, she can just tell the middle-aged woman that she would like to design her own wedding dress.
As she returns from her thoughts, she had already entered the dining room with Madam Lu. To her surprise, Lu Tian and Old Lu were already seated at the table waiting for them.
"Ah Ling, how about sitting next to me?"
Madam Lu asked her question, but she gave no room for Yue Ling to answer as she was already leading her (Yue Ling) to one side of the table. Even Lu Tian who was going to ask his wife to sit next to him was ignored.
Left with no other choice, Yue Ling could only agree again. As she sat down, she didn’t forget to look across the table to Lu Tian and gives him a reassuring smile.
While Yue Ling proceeds to have dinner with the Lu family, in another part of Imperial, Liu Shan had not left the abandoned factory.
The sound of keyboard clicks throughout the entire place as Qin Jun, Kira, and Song Jing Li stand behind him. All four men had their eyes glued onto one monitor with multiple codes that floated across.
With a final click on the keyboard, Liu Shan stares at the screen and his eyes scan the codes like he was reading a book. Once he reached the end, he leans back on the chair and crosses his arms over his chest with a ’hm.’
"Is it done? Were you able to find out who it is?"
Song Jing Li asked as he stares at the same screen. He looked like he understood what was going on, but truthfully, he was at a complete loss.
He never cares to pay any attention to anything that involved hacking because it was Kira’s job. Of course, he would stand by and watch with everyone, but all he could see were a bunch of numbers and letters.
His reason for even standing here is because Qin Jun and Kira were here.
Like their young friend, the two older men held the same question. Qin Jun and Kira look away from the screen to the assistant.
"So, were you able to?"
Although Liu Shan could feel the faint tension from the three men’s stare, he remained unfazed. He ponders in thoughts to himself before sighing another ’hm’.
Unable to take the silence, Kira blurts out in frustration. Ever since they ran into this problem, he had been doing his best to hack without rest. However, no matter what he did, he was always led to a dead end.
Since they’ve asked Liu Shan for help, he could, right? Compare to his (Kira) hacking skills, the assistant is like a master while he is a student.
However, to another disappointment, Liu Shan heaves another long sigh and frowns without a word.
Frustrated beyond anything, Kira smacks his forehead and rubs it before reaching into his coat to take a cigarette. He lit the end and inhales a mouthful of tobacco to calm himself down.
"Bro, your silence is killing us. Do you or do you not know who it is?"
Oblivious that his silence is making the three men behind him anticipated, Liu Shan slowly raises one hand. He stroked his chin like he had a long beard and his eyes narrow at the monitor screen.
"This person is good."
He held his chin and lightly taps his lip with the index finger.
Qin Jun, Kira, and Song Jing Li stare at the assistant with heavy eyes. All three men felt like someone had taped their eyes close making it hard to keep them open.
Three voices sound all together causing Liu Shan to break free from his own world. He finally remembers where he was and glance right to left like he could see the three men behind him.
Feeling a small chill creep up his spine by their intense gaze, he presses his lips tightly together as his shoulders glide up and his neck shrunk in like a turtle.
He sounds a sarcastic chuckle and answers.
"Heh, I also don’t know."