Chapter 11 Unfortunately, there has never been...

Upon arriving at the Chen family home, Xu Jialan and Shi Xinyu worked together to help Chen Yaoan back home.

The Chen family home was unusually quiet; all the lights in the rooms were off.

After escorting Chen Yao'an back to her bedroom, Shi Xinyu wanted to apply medicine to her, so she sent him to the living room.

After standing in the living room for a while, Xu Jialan noticed that, apart from the bedroom where Chen Yaoan was staying, the other two bedrooms were locked.

It gives people the creeps.

When Shi Xinyu came out, he couldn't help but ask, "Why were both bedrooms locked?"

Shi Xinyu pointed to the bedroom on the east side, "Aunt Zhou isn't in good spirits, and I'm afraid she'll run away at night. As for that room, no one lives there."

Xu Jialan recalled that Zhou Yao's mental state was indeed quite unstable during that meal.

After a while, he realized, "Are there only three women in this family?"

Chen Yaoan had mentioned to her that Xu Jialan had taken Grandma Yan, who had fallen, to the hospital a few days ago, and Chen Yaoan had even invited him to their home for a meal. So she wasn't surprised that he asked this question, and instead asked him in return, "Did you just find out?"

_

The next morning, Chen Yao'an felt a splitting headache as soon as she opened her eyes.

She vaguely remembered drinking too much last night, but couldn't remember how she got home.

She was sitting on the bed in a daze when Shi Xinyu's phone call came in.

Her first question was, "Is the injury on your arm any better?"

Upon hearing this, Chen Yao'an glanced at her arm, where there were marks from medication, clearly the work of Shi Xinyu. "Hmm, it's better now."

Shi Xinyu paused for a moment, then asked her, "Did your mother hit you?"

Chen Yaoan remained silent.

Both of them remained silent for a while.

Shi Xinyu changed the subject first, "By the way, Xu Jialan drove us home last night."

"Xu Jialan?"

Chen Yao'an felt her mind was a complete mess and she couldn't remember anything.

After hanging up with Shi Xinyu, she didn't dwell on these unimportant questions. She quickly washed up, ate, and then rushed to the store.

A new batch of clothes arrived yesterday, and she hasn't had time to sort them yet. She still needs to try them on, take photos, and upload them to her social media accounts.

There aren't many customers in the store in the morning, so Chen Yaoan quickly tried on a few items, leaving only the main attraction for the day: a cheongsam.

In recent years, traditional Chinese style has gradually become popular. She had stocked it a few times before and it sold well. However, this was her first time trying a cheongsam. After all, some cheongsam styles are quite selective in terms of who can wear them, and it is not easy to achieve the desired effect.

After changing her clothes, she put on makeup, styled her hair into a simple bun, and inserted a jade hairpin.

The cheongsam fit her fairly well. She took a few photos from different angles in front of the mirror, but before she could upload them, people came into the store.

Chen Yaoan turned his head and saw that it was Xu Jialan.

What brings you here?

Xu Jialan remained silent for a moment, his gaze fixed on her, his eyes gradually darkening.

The bamboo-green cheongsam she's wearing today suits her perfectly; her skin is like jade, and her waist is as slender as a willow swaying in the breeze.

Xu Jialan casually looked away.

"Didn't you tell me to come over when I have time and take my measurements?"

Chen Yao'an naturally noticed his scrutiny, felt a little awkward, and quickly turned around.

"I'll go change my clothes first, wait for me."

With that, he went into the locker room.

When Chen Yao'an came out again, he looked normal.

He had a serious attitude towards his work.

She stood in front of Xu Jialan with a soft measuring tape and first measured his shoulder width.

Xu Jialan was more than a head taller than Chen Yaoan, and when he looked down, he could see her hairline perfectly.

Chen Yao'an changed her position and stood facing away from him. "Stretch out your arms."

Xu Jialan did as instructed.

Next was the neck measurement. Chen Yao'an wanted to wrap the measuring tape around Xu Jialan's neck, but Xu Jialan was too tall, so she had to stand on tiptoe to wrap both hands around his neck.

However, this makes the two of them stand too close.

Chen Yao'an was so focused on the matter at hand that she was completely oblivious to everything else.

Xu Jialan couldn't help but let his gaze linger on her face.

He recalled the eye contact they had exchanged the previous night.

He then looked into her eyes; he was particularly fond of them now.

Chen Yao'an's eyes were slightly upturned at the corners, giving them a sharp edge and adding to her coldness. She was beautiful yet aggressive, but also inadvertently revealed a hint of vulnerability.

Chen Yao'an finished quickly, writing down all the dimensions in her notebook. "The dimensions are all measured. I'll show them to you after I finish the first draft. You can make any requests you have, but it will take a while."

"It's okay." He had plenty of time to wait for her.

Chen Yao'an stopped talking, while Xu Jialan stood there calmly, showing no intention of leaving.

Chen Yaoan let him be and went about his own business.

Xu Jialan walked around the store for a while, then naturally sat down on the sofa and started scrolling through her phone.

Seeing that he showed no sign of leaving, Chen Yaoan asked curiously, "Don't you have anything to do?"

"No."

"..."

Judging from his clothes, Chen Yaoan knew that he came from an ordinary family, since an average family could not raise someone with such an air about them.

No wonder he lives such a dissolute and carefree life.

I don't know if he didn't understand what she meant, or if he was just shameless.

Chen Yao'an let him sit there in the shop.

When guests arrive, she greets them. In their spare time, the two occasionally exchange a few words, but most of the time they remain silent.

Unexpectedly, it turned out to be harmonious.

When Chen Yaoan was busy, Xu Jialan's gaze would always fall on her.

Watching her patiently help customers choose clothes and offer her opinions, I felt an unexpected sense of peace.

It was strange to have a big man sitting in the women's clothing store. Every customer who came in would glance at him, so Xu Jialan didn't stay for long.

He stood up from the sofa, looked at Chen Yao'an and said, "I'll come another day."

Come another day? What for?

-

Xu Jialan didn't come again after that day.

Chen Yaoan spent several days drawing the first draft of Xu Jialan's clothes and then sent it to him.

Xu Jialan remained silent for a long time before finally calling her back.

She asked him, "Have you looked at the design drawings I sent you?"

"I've seen it."

"Is there anything you're not satisfied with? You can tell me."

"Hmm... I'm not entirely satisfied with the overall picture," Xu Jialan said after a moment's thought, her voice still languid from just waking up.

Judging from his tone, he seemed dissatisfied with everything.

Chen Yao'an was taken aback. She was quite confident in her design. Although people have different aesthetic tastes, it didn't mean she should completely reject it.

"Are you dissatisfied with everything?" Chen Yao'an was still somewhat frustrated.

Xu Jialan paused for a moment, then said, "It's not that bad."

Tell me what you're not satisfied with, and I'll change it.

"It's hard to explain in a few words, so let's meet and talk."

"When would you be available to come to my shop? We can discuss this in detail."

It was already afternoon, but Xu Jialan had only just gotten up. He was casually dressed in his pajamas and was lounging lazily on the sofa, his tone tinged with weariness, "I'm afraid I don't have time. I've been quite busy lately."

Zhang Ting was sitting opposite Xu Jialan. When she heard this, she looked up at him, and for a moment she didn't know what he meant by being busy.

This young master has never actually gone to work since he arrived here. Although he holds a position in the company, it's just a title.

So, he came here today to report on his work. When he arrived, the young master had just gotten up. After he gave a few brief reports, the young master became impatient.

On the other end of the phone, Chen Yao'an said, "Shall we talk about it later?"

"But I can't wait."

"Why can't you wait?" He probably doesn't need those two outfits of hers.

“Of course I have my reasons.” He paused for a moment. “Otherwise, come to my house now and we’ll talk face to face.”

"But I still need to watch the shop now."

Xu Jialan said slowly, "Then forget it, I won't bother. I was just joking about it anyway."

He probably knew that Chen Yao'an agreed so readily because she felt she owed him a favor.

Sure enough, Chen Yao'an became a little anxious, "No... I'm coming over now."

After hanging up the phone, Xu Jialan sent Chen Yaoan an address.

Zhang Ting looked at Xu Jialan, who had a smug look on his face, and asked him, "Which girl have you set your sights on this time?"

Xu Jialan hasn't been here long, but he's had quite a few relationships. To date, as far as he knows, he's already had several girlfriends.

"You haven't seen it."

"As someone who's been through it, I have to give you some advice: you need to be more serious about relationships. You never know when you might fall for someone, and everything you do today could become a knife in your heart later!"

Zhang Ting has been through this herself; she is now married and has children, so she has a deep understanding of this issue.

Xu Jialan smiled, unconcerned. That's just how relationships are; there's no such thing as unwavering devotion or being irreplaceable. He'd dated so many women, and none of them were indispensable to him for life. Everyone could live perfectly well without the other.

"That day will never come, why aren't you leaving?" Xu Jialan felt that Zhang Ting was talking too much nonsense and started to shoo him away.

"I still have work to say."

Originally, the Xu Feng Mansion project was to be managed by him and another project manager, but the higher-ups said that the head office would send a person in charge, so the other manager was assigned to another project.

Zhang Ting originally thought that since the person was sent by the head office, he should be very capable. However, he did not expect that the person who came was the chairman's own son, a rich young master who only held a nominal position in the company. He was overwhelmed with work, not only having to take full charge of the project but also having to take care of this rich young master. He was extremely busy all day long.

Since both of them are project leaders, and Xu Jialan is the main person in charge sent by his superiors, he has an obligation to report to him.

Xu Jialan was busy with his own things and let Zhang Ting talk about work, to which he only gave a few perfunctory replies.

When Chen Yaoan arrived at Xu Jialan's place, Zhang Ting had just finished reporting her work and hadn't left yet. It was Zhang Ting who opened the door for her.

Seeing that a stranger opened the door, Chen Yao'an thought she had come to the wrong place and asked, "Is this Xu Jialan's house?"

Zhang Tingren was very kind. He smiled at her and said, "Yes, he's inside. Come in."

"good."

As soon as she entered, Zhang Ting introduced herself to her: "Hello, I am Mr. Xu's colleague, my name is Zhang Ting."

Mr. Xu?

Chen Yao'an was taken aback when she first heard this title.

"Hello, my name is Chen Yaoan."

"You guys chat, I'll be going now."

"good."

Zhang Ting quickly disappeared through the doorway.

Xu Jialan appeared in the living room at just the right moment. "You've arrived."

"Um."

"Sit down," Xu Jialan said as she walked toward the sofa.

Chen Yaoan followed.

As soon as she sat down, Chen Yao'an looked around the room. The room was designed in a very simple style, and the furniture seemed ordinary, but each piece was not something that ordinary people like them could afford.

Chen Yao'an quickly withdrew her scrutinizing gaze, not forgetting the purpose of her trip.

She took out her tablet and laptop from her bag and asked Xu Jialan, "Tell me what you're not satisfied with."

She opened her design drafts and handed them to him.

Xu Jialan took it, glanced at it a few times, and then offered a few of her opinions.

Chen Yaoan wrote them all down in her notebook.

Xu Jialan's hand on the screen didn't stop. She accidentally flipped through her previous design drafts, which included both everyday and designer styles.

Although he was uneducated and incompetent, he had attended a few fashion shows with friends and met a few designers, so he believed he had a good eye for fashion.

He couldn't help but praise you, saying, "If you had stayed in Beijing back then, you might have become a pretty good designer by now."

Chen Yao'an's hand, which was writing, suddenly stopped. The hand gripping the pen unconsciously tightened, and the fingertips turned white.

Will it?

If she hadn't come back, perhaps she really would have achieved her dreams and aspirations and become an outstanding designer.

Unfortunately, there are no "what ifs" in the world.

She kept her head down and didn't speak for a long time.

Before Chen Yaoan could reply, Xu Jialan looked up from in front of the screen at her.

She was staring blankly at the notebook in front of her, her eyes somewhat somber.

The moment he looked over, Chen Yaoan quickly snapped out of her thoughts and snatched the tablet from his hand.

"Any other suggestions? If not, I'll change it as you suggested."

"No."

Chen Yaoan nodded and continued to take notes.

Remembering her family situation, Xu Jialan guessed, "Did you come back because you had to take care of your family?"

Chen Yao'an didn't answer. She suddenly stood up from the sofa and looked at him indifferently. "Since we've finished talking, I'll go back now."

She started packing her things.

Xu Jialan didn't stop her, but instead said, "I'll take you."

Chen Yao'an neither agreed nor disagreed, letting him follow.

The two didn't talk much on the way, and Xu Jialan escorted her all the way to the entrance of the residential area.

Back home, Xu Jialan noticed a pen that Chen Yaoan had left on the coffee table earlier.

He had been to her shop a few times. He remembered that there was a bookshelf in her shop's workspace. She glanced at it casually and saw that it was full of books related to clothing design, as well as many fashion magazines. However, those magazines were all quite old, and the pages were yellowed.

Chen Yao'an's look from just now suddenly flashed into Xu Jialan's mind.

He took out his phone and called Xu Yan.

As soon as the call connected, Xu Jialan began making her request, "Send me a copy of the fashion magazine your company subscribes to every month."

Xu Yan's company is a design firm, and they update their fashion magazine almost every month.

Xu Yan on the other end of the phone looked completely bewildered. "What do you need that for?"

"Don't worry about it, I need both domestic and international ones, and send me all the new ones that come out in the future."

When did you become so interested in fashion?

"Should I send it to someone else?"

“t-send”.