Freya
She stepped back into this familiar territory, wearing a beautifully tailored black velvet gown. The hem swayed gracefully as she walked with ease.
Shang Wu wore a perfectly appropriate smile as she exchanged pleasantries with her long-absent colleagues and media.
Aying followed beside her, quickly and quietly reminding her of the people and things she needed to pay attention to.
"Freya, it's been a long time!" A familiar female editor came up to her and gave her a warm hug. "You look great, you can't tell you just had a baby."
"Thank you, Sister Cindy," Shang Wu replied with a smile, "It's good that someone is taking good care of me at home."
"I heard it's a little princess? Congratulations!"
"Thanks."
A simple greeting and kind wishes eased her tense nerves a little.
However, not everyone is well-intentioned.
As she walked with her champagne glass toward the area showcasing the works of this year's emerging designers, a few whispered remarks, carried by the air, clearly reached her ears.
"...Freya? She came out so quickly? I thought she was going to stay at home and take care of her husband and children."
"Women, after having children, inevitably shift their focus. Look at her previous Misty Forest series, now... it's hard to say."
"Spiritual energy is extremely fragile; once it comes into contact with the mundane realities of daily life, it's probably..."
The two men speaking were young male designers dressed in avant-garde style, their eyes filled with a hint of disdain as they looked them over.
Shang Wu stopped in his tracks.
Aying's expression changed, and she was about to step forward, but Shang Wu gently stopped her with a look.
She turned around, still wearing that polite smile, and looked calmly at the two people.
"Designer Li, Designer Wang, it's been a long time."
The two men were taken aback by her direct greeting, and a hint of embarrassment flashed across their faces.
Shang Wu didn't give them time to react and continued, her tone neither humble nor arrogant: "It seems you two are quite knowledgeable about spiritual energy. However, as far as I know, true inspiration comes from all experiences in life, including love and creation."
The experience of nurturing a life, and the resulting perception of its depth and power, is a treasure that some superficial people may never understand.
She nodded slightly, her eyes bright: "As for my new work, I hope you two will give me your guidance when it comes out."
After saying that, Shang Wu stopped looking at their flushed and pale faces, turned gracefully, and walked to the other side.
A few low chuckles and admiring glances could be faintly heard from the surroundings.
Ah Ying followed closely behind, whispering with a sense of satisfaction, "President Shang, you're so handsome!"
Shang Wu took a sip of champagne; her fingertips felt slightly cool, but her heart was warm.
She knew this was just the beginning.
The minor incident seemed to have passed, and the exchange continued.
When Shang Wu talks to people, he sometimes needs to turn to the side or raise his hand to signal.
The velvet dress was originally designed to be fitted at the waist, but because her postpartum figure had not fully recovered, and due to her movements, the fabric on one side would occasionally lift slightly, revealing a small section of her waist.
She didn't care.
Then a slightly shrill female voice rang out, with an exaggerated feigned surprise.
"Oh dear! Freya!"
The sound was quite loud, attracting the attention of many people nearby.
Shang Wu turned her head and saw a woman wearing a sequined miniskirt and with exquisite makeup.
Luo Xue.
The designers who have always disagreed with her and are somewhat competitive.
Luo Xue was pointing at her side waist, her face showing a mixture of surprise and sympathy, but actually schadenfreude.
"These aren't stretch marks, are they?" Luo Xue raised her voice to make sure more people around could hear. "Oh my god, they're so obvious... It's such a waste of this nice dress."
She paused, her gaze filled with undisguised malice as she scanned Shang Wu from head to toe, lowering her voice, yet still loud enough for those nearby to hear clearly.
"Tsk, I wonder if someone like President Lu is still willing to be close to you now?"
In an instant, Shang Wu felt all the blood rush to her head, and her ears were ringing.
The postpartum marks she herself was still trying to adapt to and accept were pointed out in such a harsh way in public, and Lu Rang was also implicated.
Shang Wu's face turned slightly pale, and her fingers gripped the wine glass so tightly that her knuckles turned white.
The surroundings fell silent instantly, with various gazes—some of sympathy, some of curiosity, and others simply watching the spectacle.
Aying was trembling with anger. Just as she was about to speak, a deep and calm male voice sounded from behind her.
"Whether I am willing to be intimate with my wife seems to be none of the concern of outsiders."
The crowd automatically parted to make way.
Lu Rang, dressed in a crisp dark gray suit, walked over with a tall, straight figure and a stern face.
He didn't even glance at Luo Xue, but walked straight to Shang Wu's side, and very naturally reached out to put his arm around her waist, his warm palm covering the side of her waist that he had pointed to.
His actions carried an air of absolute possessiveness and protection.
Shang Wu felt the warmth and strength from his palm, and her frozen heart trembled violently, then was enveloped by a great sense of security.
Lu Rang then raised his eyes, his gaze like a cold arrow, and shot towards Luo Xue, whose face had instantly turned ugly.
“As for the stretch marks you mentioned,” he said solemnly, “they are the medals my wife gave us for bearing our daughter.”
Lu Rang paused slightly, his gaze sweeping over the silent crowd before finally settling on Luo Xue's face, his tone carrying an undisguised sarcasm.
"In my opinion, it shines brighter than any fine clothes or jewelry. It's a real pity that Miss Luo seems to only understand design and not humanity."
"You!" Luo Xue trembled with anger, her face flushed red.
Amidst the disdainful and even mocking gazes around her, she could no longer stay. She stomped her foot angrily and practically fled.
The farce came to an abrupt end.
Lu Rang withdrew his gaze, looked down at Shang Wu in his arms, his eyes softening instantly, and asked in a low voice, "Are you alright?"
Shang Wu shook her head and leaned against his strong arms, all the embarrassment and anger she had felt earlier turning into deep emotion.
He came, and when she needed him most, he defended her in the most direct and powerful way.
Why are you here?
"I'm done with my work, I'll come pick you up." Lu Rang's tone was calm, as if the sharp-tongued person from just now wasn't him.
He took the wine glass from Shang Wu and placed it on the waiter's tray. He nodded to A Ying, then put his arm around Shang Wu and calmly left amidst the admiring or envious gazes of the crowd.
Once inside the car, the outside world is shut out.
Shang Wu leaned back in her chair and let out a long sigh of relief.
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