Two days later, early in the morning, it was the day of the blind date, and Xu Zao started fiddling around in her room very early.
She rummaged through drawers and cabinets, and finally pulled out a brand new red sweater dress!
It was the very same one that Lin Yao's brother, Lin Yan, brought back from Huacheng!
Lin Yao pushed the door open to urge her, but when she saw the familiar red on Xu Zao's body, her expression changed instantly.
"Zao'er! Your...your skirt?!"
Lin Yao's voice rose, filled with disbelief, shock, and anger.
"Isn't this my one? Didn't you say you couldn't find it after washing it once? I was so upset about it! How did it end up here? You...you must have secretly hidden it?"
She suddenly remembered that ever since Xu Zao came, her face cream, pearl earrings, and other items had either been lost or could not be found.
Now it seems that Xu Zao was probably behind it all.
A surge of anger, as if he had been deceived, welled up inside him.
Xu Zao was applying cheap lipstick in front of a small mirror when she heard this. Her movements paused, and a hint of panic flashed across her face as if she had been caught red-handed, but it was quickly replaced by a sense of self-righteousness.
She turned around, tugged at her skirt, and spoke with a hint of disdain and a touch of smugness.
"Oh, sister-in-law, it's just a dress, why are you making such a fuss! I found it under the bed when I was packing my things the other day, it probably fell down. It looks pretty new, it's such a waste to leave it unworn, I can wear it to my blind date today, it'll make our family look good!"
"you!"
Lin Yao was so angry that her chest heaved, and her hand pointing at her trembled.
"That's mine! Even if you think it's nice, you should at least ask me first, right? How can you take it without asking?"
"Alright, alright! Stop making all that noise!"
Xu Shu walked in with a frown, interrupting impatiently.
"It's no big deal! You're the sister-in-law, and Zao'er is your sister-in-law. What's wrong with using a few of your things? Why are you being so strict with family? Zao'er is right, it's a waste to leave things unused! Today is the important day for your blind date, don't argue over such a small thing!"
He completely sided with his sister, looking at Lin Yao with reproach in his eyes, as if she were the one who was being unreasonable.
With her brother's support, Xu Zao felt even more confident. She looked at herself in the mirror again and deliberately spoke in a sickeningly sweet voice.
"That's right, sister-in-law! When I marry well, I'll buy you even better things! This dress fits me perfectly, doesn't it, brother?"
At this moment, she no longer had any of the usual demeanor of trying to please her sister-in-law; all that carefulness had vanished.
All that remained was their insatiable greed, as if taking Lin Yao's things was perfectly justified.
As Lin Yao watched the brother and sister singing in unison, a chill ran down her spine.
She opened her mouth, but ultimately said nothing. She just clenched her fists tightly, her nails digging deep into her palms.
She silently turned around and quickly packed up the rest of her belongings.
If we don't put it away properly, it might get "picked up" by someone else someday.
The family, each with their own thoughts, set off for the city.
Xu Shu pondered how to appear respectable yet dignified in front of her "future brother-in-law," while Xu Zao was immersed in fantasies of soon rising to prominence.
Lin Yao was like a lost soul, her mind replaying Xu Shu's biased words and Xu Zao's self-righteous face, feeling more and more aggrieved the more she thought about it.
At the entrance of the state-run hotel, Lei Ming, dressed in a crisp railway police uniform and standing tall, had already arrived early.
He stood at the doorway somewhat absentmindedly, his gaze casually sweeping across the street scene. Clearly, he didn't have high expectations for this blind date and was simply going through the motions arranged by his aunt.
Just then, a "ding-a-ling" sounded in the restaurant, the curtain was lifted, and a bright red figure walked out.
That figure, that walking posture, it was indescribably neat and beautiful!
Lei Ming's heart skipped a beat, and he almost jumped out of his chest.
Isn't this Zhou Qiqi?
Upon closer inspection, Zhou Qiqi was wearing a close-fitting red wool dress.
The neckline was perfectly cut, revealing just a small section of fair collarbone, not too much, not too little, making it look particularly delicate;
The skirt was very form-fitting, making her waist look slim, and then it flared out slightly at the bottom, making her legs look straight and long;
The most wonderful thing was the sleeve; a section of it was missing, revealing half of the wrist, which was as tender as a freshly peeled bamboo shoot, indescribably charming.
She herself was even more striking, with fair, radiant skin and eyes that seemed to hold water. Just standing there, she was even more beautiful than the beauties in the shop window posters.
Carrying a lunchbox and walking briskly, he was clearly there to buy food from the state-run restaurant.
Lei Ming's eyes lit up instantly, and he almost instinctively went to greet him: "Comrade Zhou! What a coincidence!"
Zhou Qiqi looked up at the sound and was somewhat surprised to see Lei Ming. She politely stopped and said, "Comrade Lei? Hello."
She wore a polite smile, but her eyes betrayed a hurried pace.
"I'm here to buy some food; I need to rush to pick up Zhouzhou from her art class."
"Oh, I understand! You're busy."
Lei Ming nodded quickly, but then he remembered his brother, who worked in the provincial government, telling him this morning about a woman named Zhou Qiqi who had contracted a production line and designed a popular sweater dress.
He kept wondering if it was Zhou Qiqi, whom he knew, so he quickly asked her.
Lei Ming was Zhou Qiqi's savior; he was a good person, Zhou Qiqi didn't deny.
Seeing this, Lei Ming's eyes shone even brighter.
"Is it really you?! Congratulations! I heard your designs are really popular right now! You're amazing!"
"Thanks, I was just lucky."
Zhou Qiqi smiled modestly and added another sentence.
"The people in the military dependents' area don't know about this, you..."
Before he could finish speaking, Lei Ming confidently interrupted.
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