Chapter 70 The Fun of Barbie

The filming period for "Our Little Life" is nearly two months, and I'm leaving for Paris tomorrow. After such a long trip, I should at least let my family know.

Xia Mian bought a few clothes and went to Ren Xiping's place first.

Ren Xiping saw the large and small packages and didn't dare to touch them. She waved her hands repeatedly and said, "Mianmian, why did you buy so many clothes? I usually get dirty when I'm out selling things, so I can't wear them at all. Go and return them."

"It's okay, Mom, you wear it. I can earn money myself now."

Xia Mian opened his mobile banking balance and showed Ren Xiping the small amount of over 300,000 yuan—the large sum had been deposited into another card, and he was afraid Ren Xiping would misunderstand that he was a madman committing an illegal act.

Ren Xiping was overjoyed: "My Mianmian is so successful! She's earning more money than her mother could in a lifetime. Be careful while you're working alone out there, take care of yourself, and don't get sick. Oh, by the way..."

Ren Xiping took back the money that Xia Mian had stuffed under her pillow last time, untouched: "Mom has money on hand, we don't need so much. You can save it, buy something you like, or keep it for your future wedding."

Xia Mian had told her that she was getting married. He pushed the money back: "Take it, it's from my heart. I've already asked my agent to look for a house, and I'll bring you there once I find one."

Now that his own life is uncertain, he dares not let Ren Xiping live with him, for fear of harming her.

"It's so nice here, I really like it. I wouldn't be used to living anywhere else. You're getting married soon, and you'll need a lot of money, so listen to your mother and don't waste it."

Xia Mian paused in her sweeping, thinking: I wonder when I'll be able to get married in this lifetime.

No matter how much she pleaded, Ren Xiping refused to move. With her child not around, it didn't matter where she lived; it was pointless. Xia Mian secretly resolved that after the storyline was over, she would definitely buy a big house so she could be with her mother every day and fulfill her filial duty.

After Ren Xiping finished giving instructions, the Xia family was informed, and since some daily necessities were still there, Xia Mian rushed to the Xia family without stopping.

In the living room, Xia Mingzhao was holding two blueprints and discussing seating arrangements with Tang Wenhua.

“We need to reserve the third floor for Pingchuan,” Tang Wenhua said affectionately. “We’ll set up two layers of security at the stairwell, and then we’ll communicate well with the photographers and media on site, asking them to stay on the first and second floors and not go upstairs. We’ll give them more travel expenses, and they’ll definitely be willing to cooperate.”

Xia Mingzhao nodded: "This is the safest option, but I heard from A-Ting that Third Master might not be able to attend."

"Third Master attended the betrothal ceremony and gave you a unique gift. Whether you go this time or not is in accordance with etiquette. Your wedding is no different from the public one, so he definitely won't like it. Let's wait until we get to the Zhou family to offer him tea."

After Tang Wenhua finished speaking, he noticed that Xia Mian had returned and stuffed the blueprints back into Xia Mingzhao's hands.

She walked quickly to the door: "Mianmian, where have you been these past few days? I haven't seen you during the day."

"The company rented me an apartment for work convenience, and I've been living there ever since." Xia Mian didn't mention Longxi No. 1 to the Xia family, afraid that they would keep asking him about it.

"Is there anyone to take care of you? If you ask me, it's better to go home; your life will be more regular there."

“I have an assistant and an agent, and I’m going to be recording a new variety show in a few days,” Xia Mian paused, “and it will be the same show as Ming Zhao’s.”

"You're going too?" Xia Mingzhao then glanced at Xia Mian.

He emphasized the word "also," as if to say: Why do you do what I do? You're such a copycat!

Tang Wenhua suddenly remembered the scene after he took Xia Mian home, when Xia Mian threw a tantrum and insisted on staying in Xia Mingzhao's room.

Xia Mian does indeed enjoy taking things from Xia Mingzhao, including her boyfriend. If Zhou Pingchuan hadn't suddenly changed Xia Mian's target, she might have continued to cause trouble, disrupting her home.

"Mianmian is also participating, which means this variety show is attracting a lot of attention and will definitely become a hit in the future." Tang Wenhua wanted to tell Xia Mian to take care of Guan Zhaozhao and A Ting, since Xia Mian has been in the industry for a long time and has plenty of experience.

But when she thought of the complicated relationship between the three of them, she swallowed the words she was about to say—it's better not to take care of her. Who knows if Xia Mian will suddenly go crazy and start clamoring to date Zhou Ting again.

Xia Mingzhao wasn't afraid at all, and actually said, "On my wedding day, the program team will invite a few guests to the wedding. Mianmian, you must go. A-Ting and I are very grateful for your past care."

No, no, no, don't thank me. The thing the original owner regretted most in her life was probably liking Zhou Ting.

You two can be happy as you please. We little rats are living a peaceful life in the sewers, needing no witnesses.

Seeing that he didn't reply, Xia Mingzhao continued, "I also want to give you the bouquet, wishing you and Third Master a long and happy life together."

With the wedding date approaching, Xia Mingzhao has been discussing the ceremony with Tang Wenhua at home every day, so he must know about Xia Mian's wedding progress.

This statement is somewhat like bringing up a sore subject.

Xia Mian was in an even worse mood. He walked up to Xia Mingzhao, his bergamot-scented salon fragrance exuding a luxurious and pleasant aura: "Thank you. But whether you have my bouquet or not, Third Master and I will be together forever, in harmony and happiness."

Xia Mingzhao was forced to take a step back.

Seeing that things were not going well, Tang Wenhua quickly stepped in to mediate: "It would be great if Mianmian could go, after all, it's a big event for our Xia family, let's all join in the fun. It's okay if she can't go, work is more important. We're family, there's no need for so many rules, there's plenty of time in the future."

Xia Mian rolled her eyes, gave a few perfunctory replies, and went upstairs to pack her things.

I don't know if it was because of that mother and son, but Xia Mian didn't sleep very well that night and had several dreams.

In his dream, he seemed to be searching for something or chasing someone, but he searched until he was exhausted and chased until he was completely worn out.

The nightmare caused his breathing pressure to drop in the morning. After being picked up by Zhou Pingchuan's assistant Yu Heng and taken to the Gulfstream, he took out a blanket and pillow from his suitcase, covered his head with the Winnie the Pooh-printed blanket, kicked his legs, and collapsed into a daze.

Stylist Da Huang, however, touched the left and right sides excitedly and asked Yu Heng, "So there really is a Gulfstream! I thought it was just something made up in CEO romance novels."

“Yes,” Yu Heng replied politely. “This one was bought a long time ago and is a bit old. The engine is due for a major overhaul.”

"What can we do? It's an airplane engine, repairing it must cost a lot of money, right?"

"Yes, they're very expensive, so the boss just bought a Bombardier and a Falcon."

Dahuang was speechless.

Why don't you rich people just open your own instance? Why do you have to breathe the same polluted air as us working people?

Boys are naturally very interested in machinery. Da Huang was excited the whole way, but very mindfully, he didn't ask who the plane's owner was, nor did he ask about Xia Mian's relationship with the plane's owner.

He wasn't a novice student; he had worked in the industry for several years and already knew what to say and what not to say.

Moreover, before coming here, Wei Ge had instructed him that Xia Mian's fiancé was no ordinary man, so he was well-prepared to enjoy the benefits at public expense, which made him very happy.

After nearly eleven hours of flight, the plane landed smoothly at Charles de Gaulle Airport. The hotel suite butler was already waiting at the airport with a private car, while gifts and lookbooks from various haute couture brands were piled on the suite's dressing table.

Xia Mian ate something and asked Da Huang to help her with her skin and hair. Da Huang looked at the gifts, not knowing where to start. He realized that any one of them could be sold for one or two months' salary.

As he searched for the adapter and splints, his hands trembling, he asked, "Brother, is this the kind of extravagant and decadent life you rich people lead?"

"There's something even more extravagant and decadent, I'll take you there to experience it in a bit."

In truth, Da Huang understood that what appeared to be a life of extravagance and debauchery to ordinary people was merely a part of the daily lives of the wealthy. Since he would be working with Xia Mian for a long time, he said this to flatter her and make her happy.

But Xia Mian neither put on airs nor made any pretentious denials, so Da Huang breathed a sigh of relief and suddenly felt that life should be pretty good from now on.

Under Da Huang's skillful touch, Summer Sleep, draped in a Winnie the Pooh blanket, was transformed into a radiant young woman.

The trip was very tight, so Xia Mian declined the brand executives' lunch invitation and went straight to the workshop to start taking measurements and making mannequins.

Haute couture takes an extremely long time. After taking measurements, the brand sends the sample garment and mannequin to the customer. Only after the customer is satisfied with the fit can the formal production begin. This process can take as little as two or three months, or as long as six months or even a year for more complex designs.

So after ordering four suits, Xia Mian went to the store to look at ready-made clothes.

Upon learning of his impending arrival, the brand organized the store to be cleared out. In the vast three-story building, only he, like a jewel-encrusted little mermaid, swam among the beautiful clothes.

“Cela exclut les deux pièces......Essayez tout a (Let’s try the whole row after these two are out)”.

The sales assistants satisfied all my needs.

Perhaps he had slept well on the way, or perhaps the pretty clothes were more appealing to him, Xia Mian had Da Huang try on some of the clothes for him, and then put them on himself for the rest.

During this time, Zhou Pingchuan kept receiving notifications of credit card transactions. The frequency of these notifications made him want to throw his phone to his assistant again.

As Xia Mian continued browsing, she seemed to finally have a change of heart and realized that simply spending money without providing buyer reviews was essentially a freebie.

So when he tried on a pair of vintage tannins that really suited his taste, he struck a cool pose in the mirror, took a picture, and sent it to ATM.

Thinking of Ren Xiping's mention of "marriage," I withdrew my offer.

He wasn't in a hurry to get married, and Xia Mian sent the photos to Zhou Pingchuan again.

Thinking of Xia Mingzhao's mention of "a bouquet of flowers," I withdrew my thought.

Zhou Pingchuan held his phone, watching Xia Mian's back and forth on the other end.

Unfortunately, no matter how much Ren Xiamian struggled with her thoughts, she couldn't guess that Yu Heng had already packaged and sent each of her looks to Zhou Pingchuan's phone.

Zhou Pingchuan's growth trajectory was no different from that of any other boy, and perhaps even more monotonous. As a child, whenever he saw girls playing with Barbie dolls, he couldn't quite understand—what was so fun about dressing up a mannequin and combing its hair?

Even now, past his thirties, seeing the little rose constantly changing outfits, he has belatedly come to appreciate a bit of the charm of a Barbie doll.

Yes, it's really fun.