Chapter 18 A dazzling young lady naturally deserves the most beautiful and perfect clothes...
Qin Man was still half asleep when she heard Qu Lan calling from the doorway, "Manman, get up quickly."
She asked vaguely what was wrong.
She only found out then that Qu Lan was taking her to a friend's birthday party today.
Qu Lan had mentioned this to her a few days ago, but she hadn't paid any attention. She never expected that she would actually have to go today.
Qin Man opened her sleepy eyes and casually pulled a piece of clothing out of the closet and put it on.
As she was brushing her teeth, Qu Lan, who was passing by, disapprovedly remarked, "Why are you still wearing this year's old style?"
Qin Man spat out a mouthful of toothpaste foam and replied, "Where would I get the money to buy the new model?"
Qu Lan was momentarily speechless, then continued, "Didn't you bring one back that day?"
Qu Lan feigned concern, but she had actually wanted to ask for a long time.
Qin Man's heart skipped a beat.
"That is..."
Qu Lan stared at her, waiting for her answer.
When asked about the origin of the dress, Qin Man felt guilty; she had gotten it from Jiang Xuchi.
She dared not think about the price behind the beautiful haute couture gown; she only thought that she had to dress up for the charity gala.
"It was borrowed from the student council at the school's charity gala."
Qu Lan was unclear about the responsibilities and powers of their student council. "Really?"
"real."
Qu Lan continued, "Then change into that one and come with me to the birthday party."
"Mommy, I don't want to go."
"You have to go whether you want to or not. It's Ms. Zhou's place. You think you can just run away?"
Qin Man was extremely unwilling, but Qu Lan's attitude was very firm.
They rarely attend such social events now, especially those frequented by the wealthy women Qu Lan used to know.
I have to go today, either because we have a very good relationship, or because the other party is very arrogant and I can't afford to offend them.
Regardless of the reason, Qin Man felt mentally exhausted.
Qu Lan said, "When it's a gathering of acquaintances, there's no need to be so formal, but you should still dress appropriately so as not to lose face. Go change quickly, I'll call a car."
Qin Man had no choice but to go back to her room and change into her dress.
This light blue fishtail halter dress complements her fair skin perfectly. The hem of the skirt is adorned with rings of rhinestones, and her long, smooth, black hair reaches her waist. The exquisite design highlights her beautiful figure.
Qin Man stood in front of the dressing mirror, looking at her still radiant self, and the empty space in her heart gradually grew larger.
She should have been like that, wearing bright, trendy new clothes, moving haughtily through every social scene.
Instead of the current dire situation, where even glancing at the dress is an eyesore.
Even though it was glaring, Qin Man couldn't bear to look away.
She misses those days.
She didn't want to shed her glamorous identity.
Qin Man took out her phone, hesitated for a long time, and then took a selfie, a half-body photo, and posted it on her WeChat Moments.
Her account hadn't been updated for six months, but suddenly a post appeared, and comments and likes poured in.
The message pop-ups above kept showing that someone had liked or commented on her posts. Qin Man locked her phone, grabbed her handbag, and went downstairs.
Ms. Zhou's birthday party was a small celebration, with only her close friends and family invited. The venue was her private villa.
When Qin Man and Qu Lan arrived, the party hadn't started yet, but people were already arriving one after another.
The melodious sound of a piano drifted from the center of the high-ceilinged hall.
This is a piece of music that Qin Man used to really like, ICARUS.
However, the guest was not very skilled at playing and made many mistakes. In the end, he stopped playing the piece out of embarrassment and left the piano bench.
Qu Lan gently nudged Qin Man, "Why don't you keep playing? Don't waste the piano skills you've learned over the past ten years."
Fearing her daughter might be reluctant, she added a few more compliments: "My daughter looks so beautiful today. She's never the kind of person who stands in the corner and gets ignored at banquets. That piano is your stage, go on!"
At this moment, Qu Lan desperately needs Qin Man to be more high-profile and outstanding, to make her the center of attention, so that she can socialize with those wealthy women.
Qin Man was also itching to try it.
She's never been one to like keeping a low profile, but a post she made today received a screen full of likes in just one morning. She hasn't felt this kind of happiness in a long time.
She has her own stage, and on that stage, she must be dazzling.
Qin Man walked to the piano and reached out to touch the keys.
The magnificent crystal chandelier cast dazzling light and shadows onto the black keys of the piano. Beautiful flowers were piled around the piano, and all eyes naturally focused on her. Her every move was being watched.
Qin Man recalled a birthday party she attended when she was a child. Her father was raising his glass with his business partners, praising his investment project, while her mother was chatting and laughing with the other ladies. As the birthday girl, she stood in the center of the hall and played a piece called "Dedicated to Alice" for everyone.
She was very young then, wearing an exquisite princess dress, while her brother Qin Chen, dressed in a neat little suit, clapped for her.
Many people applauded her, praising her cute and sweet appearance, saying she would definitely grow up to be a great beauty, and saying she was lucky to have such happy and loving parents, and a caring and clever older brother.
Her memory was like a beautiful dream, gradually fading away, and she would never have the chance to experience it again.
Qu Lan was very proud that her daughter was still so outstanding; she successfully finished playing ICARUS, a piece that the previous guest had not been able to play.
Many women praised Qin Man in front of her, saying that she was growing more and more beautiful, and then subtly mentioned their own children, expressing either envy or jealousy.
But at least this kind of topic is very safe and won't make Qu Lan feel uncomfortable, because of her family's financial situation, she's afraid that these rich ladies will start to look down on her.
After Qin Man finished playing the piece, she felt hot all over.
She suppressed her excitement and nodded to her mother, Qu Lan, from a distance. Qu Lan smiled at her and beckoned her over.
"Manman was absolutely stunning today."
As soon as she approached, a lady next to Qu Lan couldn't help but exclaim in praise.
"She plays the piano beautifully and is also very pretty," the lady continued. "Madam Qu takes good care of herself too. Indeed, daughters look better when they resemble their mothers."
Qu Lan smiled happily, looked at Qin Man tenderly, and reached out to tuck a stray hair behind Qin Man's ear.
Qin Man hadn't felt such a gentle gaze in a long time.
Qin Man had no intention of listening to their flattery and ingratiation. After obediently greeting them, she lifted her skirt and headed to the restroom.
The cold water from the bathroom flowed over her palms, temporarily calming the boiling blood in her body.
She walked out of the restroom and into the hallway.
"Sister Qin, you played very well just now. I am ashamed to say that I am not as good as you."
A boy's voice suddenly came from behind me.
Qin Man turned her head and saw the boy who had played the piano before her. Qin Man didn't recognize him, or perhaps they had met once before?
After all, he recognized her and even called her Sister Qin.
In the past, Qin Man cared about nothing but herself and her family, and could hardly remember the various passersby in her background. Only Jiang Xuchi stood out among them.
Qin Man nodded at him somewhat perfunctorily, not intending to continue the conversation.
But the boy wasn't intimidated by her attitude at all. "Little sister, have you forgotten me? Well, back when Qin Chen was still around, you were still young."
Qin Man glanced at him, her tone extremely cold: "Are you pretending to be my elder?"
"How could that be? Qin Chen used to keep a close eye on you. I'm not lucky enough to be your older brother."
The boy had a roguish smile, and judging from his carefree rich kid demeanor, it was almost certain that he was indeed one of Qin Chen's cronies.
Qin Man said irritably, "You want to be my brother?"
"Calm down." The boy leaned closer and whispered in her ear, "This banquet is so boring. Do you want to sneak out with your brothers? If your brother were here, he wouldn't be able to stand it anymore."
"I'm not going."
The boy raised an eyebrow: "Little sister, I didn't know you were so well-behaved."
"Don't call me sister." Qin Man glared at him, but this only made the boy laugh even harder.
"My name is Yin Haoyu, you can call me Brother Haoyu."
Yin Haoyu teased her, pretending to move closer, his hand almost touching her shoulder. Qin Man instinctively dodged to the side, bumping into a waiter who happened to be passing by.
The waiter brought over a plate of carefully prepared sauce and steak, which spilled all over half of Qin Man's dress.
Upon seeing this, Yin Haoyu's eyes widened, and he then laughed in a roguish manner, "Please, I was just teasing your sister, why is she so easily teased?"
Amidst the waiter's repeated apologies, Qin Man's mind went blank.
Yin Haoyu was still gloating from the side: "Do you want me to pay for your laundry? This dress is so beautiful, it would be a shame if it got dirty."
Qin Man's fingers, gripping the hem of her skirt, turned white as she squeezed tighter and tighter.
"Can I add you on WeChat?" Yin Haoyu asked.
"Need not."
Qin Man coldly uttered two words.
Yin Haoyu persisted: "Little sister, this dress is very expensive, please give your brother a chance."
"I told you I don't need you to pay for it!" After Qin Man shouted this, both of them fell silent.
After a long silence, Yin Haoyu said coldly, "Fine, my sister has a high sense of self-respect, so I won't bother you any longer. Ms. Zhou's banquet is about to begin, so you'd better hurry up and change your clothes."
Yin Haoyu, realizing he had made a fool of himself, gave her a deep look and then left.
The waiter, covered in sweat, knelt down and wiped Qin Man's skirt again and again, his white gloves stained with brown sauce.
No matter how much you wipe it, it's no use.
Qin Man wrinkled her nose, suppressing her emotions, and said, "Forget it, this dress is ruined anyway, you can go back to your work."
"Thank you, Miss! I'm so sorry!" The waiter knew it was no use and could only apologize repeatedly.
Qin Man didn't want to hear his apology anymore, so she waved and left.
In the lobby.
Qu Lan was so engrossed in chatting with the ladies that she completely forgot her daughter hadn't returned in a long time.
As the piano music resumed, a commotion suddenly broke out in the hall. Qu Lan followed everyone's gaze and saw a family walking in through the door. An elderly man was sitting in a wheelchair, and the young man pushing him from behind was dressed in a formal dark blue suit. He was handsome with striking features.
Two bodyguards followed behind them, and they stood discreetly in a corner after entering.
"Old Master Jiang is quite an extraordinary person. He saved the entire family when they were on the verge of bankruptcy. He was really lucky."
"His beloved grandson is behind him, isn't he? Oh my, he's so handsome."
One of the ladies next to Qu Lan said this.
Qu Lan smiled and agreed a few times, but she was actually quite unhappy inside. Why were they able to make a comeback, while Qin Weiguo's company was on the verge of bankruptcy, leaving her and Qin Man barely making ends meet, living one day at a time?
*
"Grandpa, Brother Xuchi." The girl who had been playing the piano stopped what she was doing when she saw Jiang Shuhai, gracefully adjusted her skirt, and walked towards them.
Zhou Yao leaned down and hugged Jiang Shuhai's shoulder, then looked up after the affectionate gesture.
She looked at Jiang Xuchi with bright eyes, very happy that he could come.
Zhou Yao is the daughter of the hostess of this birthday party. Ms. Zhou's older sister is married into the Jiang family. So, although Zhou Yao is not related to Jiang Xuchi by blood, she is considered a family member.
Zhou Yao: "Brother Xuchi, are you coming back to live at the old house again? Grandpa and I miss you very much."
Jiang Shuhai chuckled and teased, echoing the girl's words, "That's right, you've made her almost lovesick."
Jiang Shuhai still liked Zhou's bright and gentle youngest daughter very much. It wasn't that he intended to match them up, but he felt that her personality was very suitable for a dull person like Jiang Xuchi.
Recently, Jiang Shuhai has taken a liking to Zhou Yao and invited her to stay at his mansion.
However, by this time, Jiang Xuchi had already moved out because of his parents' situation.
Jiang Xuchi simply smiled and said, "It's not that exaggerated."
“That’s an exaggeration,” Zhou Yao smiled. “It’s just that I’ve been with Grandpa for so many days and haven’t seen you. It’s impossible not to miss you.”
Jiang Xuchi maintained his distant expression: "As long as you're by Grandpa's side, he's happy."
Jiang Xuchi glanced around at almost everyone in the hall, then lowered his eyes and looked at Old Master Jiang: "I'll be leaving for a while."
"This..." Zhou Yao looked at Jiang Xuchi's departing figure, feeling somewhat embarrassed.
Jiang Shuhai smiled kindly, patted her hand, and comforted her, "Never mind, let him be. Where's your mother? Today is her birthday, why hasn't the birthday girl shown up yet?"
Zhou Yao lowered her head and replied gently, "My mother is still upstairs. She will come out with the cake later."
Jiang Shuhai: "Okay, then I'll wait."
Jiang Shuhai can no longer control Jiang Xuchi, nor can he do so.
It was already quite an achievement for Jiang Xuchi to come back to the old house to see him, after all, his father had recently been making a fuss about bringing those two illegitimate children back, and Madam Jiang was crying and making a scene, causing chaos at home.
Jiang Shuhai, being old and soft-hearted, thought that since they were his son's bloodline, he agreed to let the two illegitimate children come over. Even though Madam Jiang was determined to get a divorce, she couldn't stop the two children from moving in. Jiang Xuchi, too lazy to deal with them on a daily basis, simply moved out and focused on his studies.
This is also why Jiang Shuhai admires him. He is calm and composed at such a young age, yet he is not soft-hearted or confused. Although they had some conflicts, he is, after all, his favorite eldest grandson, and he can understand his actions.
...
Qin Man did not return to the main hall.
Her clothes were stained, and she was too embarrassed to go over there, so she walked down the corridor to the back garden.
She found a quiet bench and sat down, looking down at the filthy hem of her dress, feeling utterly miserable. This dress was a gift from Jiang Xuchi for her to wear to the school's charity gala; now that it was ruined, she decided not to go.
So what if people talk about her? She's too lazy to explain; she's exhausted.
Qin Man caught a glimpse of someone walking this way out of the corner of her eye. She paused for a moment, then couldn't help but pull her skirt up to her thighs to cover the stain.
"Hiding here is so unlike you."
Jiang Xuchi's annoying voice rang in his ears.
At the same time, a suit jacket was draped over his shoulders, still warm from his body.
Qin Man kept her head down and didn't move, letting the suit jacket slide down her shoulders.
"Why aren't you saying anything?"
Qin Man still ignored him.
Jiang Xuchi wasn't annoyed. He sat down next to her and turned his head to look at her. Qin Man turned her head in the opposite direction to avoid his gaze.
One of her hands rested on her beautiful and elegant long dress, while the other hand was clenched into a fist and rested unnaturally beside her leg.
Jiang Xuchi didn't want to guess what she was thinking, so he reached out and turned her chin, forcing her to look at him.
"Let go!" Qin Man tried to break free, but only left a few red marks on her fair chin.
"Crying over a dress, that's not like you."
Jiang Xuchi noticed the stain on her skirt as soon as he sat down, and he also happened to hear the manager scolding the waiter as he arrived.
Therefore, he knew that Qin Man's dress was ruined, and it was the one he had given her that was ruined.
Qin Man couldn't stand his condescending judgment, and glared at him with bright eyes, "Then what do I look like? Tell me!"
Upon hearing this, Jiang Xuchi simply smiled.
His laughter seemed even more eerie under the moonlight.
"If you can't say it, let go."
Jiang Xuchi kindly let go of her hand, his fingertips sliding down into the air, pointing to the hem of the skirt, "I'll buy you another one."
"No need." Qin Man lifted her skirt and stood up.
Jiang Xuchi also stood up straight, picked up the suit jacket that was about to fall to the ground, and draped it over his forearm.
He blocked her way, standing there looking quite respectable. His hair had been styled by a hairdresser, with half of his bangs combed back, both concealing the scar and making him appear more mature.
"I'm not going to the party."
Qin Man really wanted to give up.
“The choice isn’t yours,” Jiang Xuchi said. “You’re the one who’s coming with me.”
Qin Man tried to find any signs of smugness or revenge in his expression, but she found nothing. Jiang Xuchi remained calm as he issued his orders.
On what grounds? Why?
Why should Qin Man listen to him?
Jiang Xuchi: "If you want to leave, I'll take you with me. My motorcycle is parked outside."
Qin Man was still struggling, but she actually felt that Jiang Xuchi was unusually considerate of her, as if he was taking care of her feelings.
Has she gone mad?
"What are your terms?"
"What."
"I ruined a dress, and besides, I don't want to owe you any favors. What are your conditions?"
Qin Man's aggressive manner was exactly the same as before. Jiang Xuchi suddenly laughed out loud. He hadn't thought about it in that way, but since Qin Man brought it up, he went along with it.
"Okay, come with me to my horse riding lesson tomorrow."
Qin Man's eyes widened. "Equestrian lessons?!"
Jiang Xuchi gave a faint "hmm," took half a step back, and looked at her with an amused expression.
Qin Man would probably never touch anything that required her to ride, like a motorcycle or a horse. She was afraid of such activities, and Jiang Xuchi specifically targeted her weakness.
Qin Man said irritably, "I don't want it, you can get another one."
"Then wear this dirty dress and dance with me at the party."
This makes it even less likely that she will accept this request.
Sure enough, negotiating with someone like Jiang Xuchi only yielded a few threats. She didn't know where Jiang Xuchi had learned all those skills, but he used them all on her; he was no longer the Jiang Xuchi who used to be bullied by everyone.
Qin Man was still thinking of refusing, but after much deliberation, she realized that she couldn't compete with Jiang Xuchi's shamelessness.
"Brother Xuchi, what are you doing here? Grandpa asked me to call you back, the banquet is about to start."
Qin Man was feeling awkward when a soft female voice came from not far away.
Jiang Xuchi clicked his tongue, turned around, and met Zhou Yao's gaze.
Zhou Yao curled her eyelashes: "Let's go, it's not good to stay here in the wind..."
Her voice stopped abruptly the moment she saw Qin Man.
Zhou Yao subtly observed Qin Man, but instead of being idle, she walked over and affectionately took Jiang Xuchi's arm.
Qin Man found it somewhat amusing that this subtle attempt to assert her dominance was so obvious. Did she even realize that she and her good brother had just been arguing?
Jiang Xuchi said calmly, "Zhou Yao."
Zhou Yao looked up: "Hmm?"
"Let go." Jiang Xuchi lowered his eyes and glanced at the hand she had taken out of her grasp.
Zhou Yao's movements visibly stiffened, and she subconsciously looked at Qin Man, her eyes showing both curiosity about Qin Man's identity and a hint of anger.
Then, she gave Jiang Xuchi a slight, cold smile.
"Jiang Xuchi, do you know how offensive those words are?" Zhou Yao still had some dignity, so she unusually stopped pretending to be gentle, shook off Jiang Xuchi's hand, and left without looking back.
Qin Man watched her retreating figure and asked, "Aren't you going to chase after her?"
Jiang Xuchi remained as deadpan as ever, saying, "I don't have the patience to coax every spoiled young lady."
Qin Man was taken aback and stared at him as if she had seen a ghost.
The person clearly ran away because of him, yet he casually uttered a spoiled remark.
Qin Man said unhappily, "I don't dance in dirty clothes."
The topic has been brought up again.
"Yes, of course the young lady should wear the most beautiful and perfect clothes."
Qin Man felt even more annoyed by his words, but she didn't refute them. "Of course."
She gave up struggling; it's just going with the flow, she can do that too.
"Will you prepare a prettier dress for me than this? I want one. Also, please send me the time and address of my horse riding lesson later."
Qin Man went all out.
She decided to get what she wanted in her relationship with Jiang Xuchi.
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