Chapter 43 - Suddenly, the dress came on, and Su Yi'an tried to pull it back in a coquettish manner...
However, Lin Xi later decided to attend the banquet.
Because Zhou Qi didn't know many people in Haicheng and knew nothing about business.
When Ji Jiali and the others get busy, they won't have time to take care of her at all.
She was so bored by herself that she begged Lin Xi to accompany her.
She had researched the venue; the resort hosting the dinner was located in a seaside town, and the organizers had not booked the entire venue. In addition to the formal cocktail party, guests could participate in the resort's self-service entertainment program.
If Lin Xi really doesn't like the party, she doesn't have to accompany Fu Qingli.
She accompanied Ji Jiali on a brief appearance, and then went out for a stroll with Lin Xi to watch a concert and a fireworks show.
This arrangement sounded reasonable and offered some options, which greatly appealed to Lin Xi.
Although Fu Qingli said she didn't need to compromise, she still felt that two people should compromise with each other when they were together, instead of him always spoiling her unilaterally.
Moreover, they were separated for six years.
Her impression of him was often still based on his student days.
Although he treated her the same way, the sharpness and indifference he occasionally revealed at work made her feel somewhat unfamiliar with him.
She also wanted to know more about him now, and about his current work and situation.
At the same time, I also want to know what his world is like, whether it is really as decadent and full of countless temptations as described in novels?
She couldn't deny that, deep down, those past lessons remained a hurdle, preventing her from feeling at ease.
She believed in Fu Qingli's character and his claim of loving her, but she had been abandoned once before, and she didn't know how to comfort herself that she wouldn't be abandoned a second time.
Even though she knew that these things couldn't be avoided by staying by his side, at least seeing him made her feel more at ease.
Seeing that Lin Xi had a strong interest in the resort's entertainment activities, Fu Qingli was happy for her to go out more, but after emphasizing that she shouldn't force herself, she stopped objecting.
With the itinerary set, regardless of whether you attend the banquet or not, you still need to choose your dress in advance, just in case.
Zhou Qi actively started making arrangements, holding her phone and discussing with Lin Xi: "Do you prefer the sales staff to come to our door, or should we go directly to the store to choose?"
Lin Xi had never had this experience before: "I don't understand these things, you can arrange it as you see fit."
"Okay, let's have them come to our door, that would be more convenient."
As he spoke, he walked to the side and started making a phone call.
Fu Qingli put down her phone and reached out to pat Lin Xi's head: "If you see something you like, buy a few more sets. I'm also preparing a formal dress, which will be delivered tomorrow morning. Then you can see which one you want to wear."
"good."
Lin Xi had been taken care of by Fu Qingli since she was a child, and she had great faith in Fu Qingli's judgment.
But Zhou Qi didn't care. She always felt that Fu Qingli looked like she didn't know what women liked, and her taste in dresses might be very straight-man-like. She still had to trust her.
But when the dress arrived the next day, she realized how naive her idea had been.
Fu Qingli ordered custom-made dresses and jewelry from M brand, and they have never produced any ugly clothes.
This time, for the first time ever, dress designer Cerfett also came to the door. She specially took a red-eye flight from Europe to Haicheng to have Linxi try on the dresses.
Actually, when the dress was brought out, Zhou Qi felt it was too simple, a common strapless design, with a light purple glossy fabric and a tulle skirt.
But when Lin Xi put it on, she could see the clever little details hidden in the design.
The Swarovski crystals around her chest were arranged in the shape of bellflowers, and the embroidery on the bilogen tulle hem was a song of purple roses from the ocean.
As Lin Xi walked, her skirt spread out and swayed, and the long, flowing purple ribbon at her waist looked like a bouquet of flowers from afar.
The matching jewelry was a set of gradient star sapphires that sparkled under the lights, perfectly complementing the color of the dress.
Seeing how Lin Xi looked in the dress, Servett couldn't help but praise her in broken Chinese: "Miss Lin, you look absolutely stunning in this dress, so incredibly beautiful!"
The exaggerated wording left Lin Xi both amused and exasperated.
But there's no denying that the dress really suits her; it fits her perfectly, as if it were tailor-made for her.
"Xiaoxi, as expected, Brother Fu is the one who understands you the most. This dress really suits you so well," Zhou Qi couldn't help but click her tongue like Zou Song. "Tsk, looking at it now, what were I choosing yesterday! I was even worried that he had a straight male's taste?!"
“Yes, yes, Mr. Fu really knows Miss Lin well.” Cerft nodded repeatedly in agreement.
His Chinese wasn't very good, so after a few sentences he switched to English, and when he got excited, he couldn't help but gesticulate wildly.
He spoke very quickly, using some slang, but Lin Xi understood him.
He said, "Mr. Fu started designing this dress seven years ago. It went through many revisions before it was finally finalized and made five years ago. A few days ago, Mr. Fu contacted me and said that Ms. Lin's figure was more slender and needed to have her size adjusted. I suggested that he take Ms. Lin to the site to take her measurements, otherwise it would be difficult to restore it to its original size after it was altered. But he said it wasn't necessary. I was worried that it wouldn't fit, but I didn't expect the size to be such a perfect fit!"
"Wow, this dress was designed by Brother Fu himself?" Zhou Qi asked Servett again in disbelief.
"Yes, Mr. Fu completed the first draft design and only made some minor revisions."
As a renowned designer, Cerft felt no shame in doing these follow-up tasks; on the contrary, he proudly stated, "This is truly the most perfectly designed and romantically meaningful gift I have ever seen!"
Zhou Qi asked curiously, "What's the meaning behind this dress?"
"Miss Zhou is definitely not married, right?"
Zhou Qi nodded.
“There is a wedding bouquet that combines ocean lilies and green bellflowers, which symbolizes ‘a vast life, but only loving one person.’ But flowers wither and fade easily, so Mr. Fu designed the two flowers on clothing so that they can bloom forever.”
Serft looked at Lin Xi. "Miss Lin, Mr. Fu told me that you two are already married. So this secret is no longer a secret. Mr. Fu said he wants his beloved to wear this dress when she accepts his proposal!"
"Wow~" Zhou Qi rested her chin on her hands, her face full of envy: "How romantic! I never thought that Brother Fu, who looks so cold, could say such romantic things!"
Lin Xi was moved for a moment, but was then overwhelmed by an indescribable sadness and helplessness.
Their marriage was rushed, and there wasn't actually a formal proposal ceremony.
Seven years ago, they were freshmen in college and had been together for less than a year.
At that time, he started designing this dress as a proposal gift. Does this mean that from the beginning, he wanted to marry her?
But if that's the case, why did he break up with me back then?
She knew from Fu Qingli and from others how much he loved her, but the more love she felt from him, the more hesitant and uneasy she felt about their relationship.
The door suddenly opened, and Fu Qingli pushed it open and came in: "Trying on clothes, how is it?"
He immediately spotted Lin Xi in the dressing mirror, wearing a light purple dress, with fair skin and alluring delicate collarbones.
He had imagined countless times how beautiful Lin Xi would look wearing it.
But he never expected her to be so breathtakingly beautiful. His breath caught in his throat for a few moments, and his heart skipped a beat.
It took her a long time to come to her senses, and she asked Lin Xi in a slightly hoarse voice, "Do you like it?"
Lin Xi snapped out of her daze, cleared her mind of the jumbled emotions, and smiled, pursing her lips: "It's very beautiful, I like it very much."
Fu Qingli's attention was entirely on her, and he didn't notice the fleeting glint of tears in her eyes.
He walked over, gently stroking her smooth, bare shoulder. Looking at the two of them standing together through the mirror, his gaze was tender as water: "How about we wear this set then?"
His voice carried a barely perceptible hint of tension.
"good."
Their gazes locked through the mirror.
A few seconds later, Fu Qingli couldn't help but turn to the side and kiss Lin Xi's lips, but mindful of the presence of others, the kiss was light and fleeting.
-
The party was scheduled for 7 p.m., but they set off in the afternoon.
With temperatures in the twenties and thirties and bright sunshine, it was perfect for enjoying the sea breeze and strolling through the market around the resort.
Of course, such leisure time belongs only to Lin Xi and Zhou Qi.
Fu Qingli and his group's main purpose for this trip was still the island hotel matter, so they stayed in their room to discuss the next steps.
Such a decadent setting may seem unsuitable for discussing work, but it is actually the most suitable for doing so.
In the heat of the moment, some things are decided on a whim.
"But I heard that Fu Wenxun and Su Qichao have both come to Haicheng these past two days. Could they also be here for this gathering?" Zou Song couldn't help but speculate, a little worried.
Ji Jiali shook his head: "I don't know. Logically, they shouldn't. They always prefer to cooperate with leading companies and look down on local entrepreneurs. But it's hard to say. This situation is special, and they might lower their stance."
He turned to Fu Qingli, "Brother Fu, what do you think?"
As Fu Qingli deleted messages from her phone, she replied nonchalantly, "I don't know, but let's be fully prepared."
However, given the constant danger of Fu Wenxun appearing at any moment, Fu Qingli dared not bring Lin Xi along.
Just then, she and Zhou Qi hadn't returned by the appointed time.
He discussed it with Ji Jiali and decided that neither of them would bring female companions, so that she and Zhou Qi could enjoy themselves outside in peace.
However, some messages spread at an astonishing speed.
Lin Xi sat in the mall's rest area, waiting for Zhou Qi to buy milk tea.
But then she heard Zhou Qi, who had only been gone for two minutes, call out to her: "Xiao Xi!"
She subconsciously looked up and saw Zhou Qi running towards her from a distance, her expression anxious, clearly indicating that something had happened.
"What's wrong?" She stood up.
Zhou Qi was already in front of her, handing her his phone to show her: "My friend sent a screenshot to Su Yi'an's WeChat Moments, saying that she's in Haicheng and is attending a banquet tonight. Do you think it might be the one my brother and his friends are attending?"
Lin Xi didn't speak, but her fingers tightened quietly, not even feeling the pain of her nails digging into her flesh.
So that's why Fu Qingli wouldn't let them pass?
Why?
Was he afraid she would see Su Yi'an? Or did he not want her to know that he had gone to see Su Yi'an?
Regardless of the cause, Lin Xi felt suffocated and unable to breathe smoothly.
But then Zhou Qi said, "No, I have to go check it out. I can't let her catch me and cause any more trouble!"
She didn't notice Lin Xi's condition; she was only worried that the previous two incidents would happen again.
Although Fu Qingli and his team have not yet found any evidence, it is an indisputable fact that Su Yi'an is the culprit.
She thought that Fu Qingli, Ji Jiali, and Zou Song were all people who needed to be careful in their actions. If Su Yi'an really made a scene in front of others, they would have a hard time dealing with her.
But when Lin Xi heard these words, she felt that the other woman knew something but couldn't be honest with her.
Some past events, no matter how much you want to forget them, cannot be easily forgotten.
When she was at a loss, Zhou Qi asked her, "Xiaoxi, do you want to come with me? I'll protect you!"
She patted her chest and assured him.
Zhou Qi's suggestion provided Linxi, who was adrift in the vast ocean, with a piece of decaying deadwood.
Even knowing that it's unlikely to give you any hope, you still want to grasp at it.
After the two returned to the resort, they went to their room to change their clothes before heading to the scene.
The dinner had been going on for over an hour.
The group meal had ended, and people gathered in twos and threes, sitting together and chatting purposefully.
In the shadows of a corner, some men and women with ulterior motives lurked among the crowd, discussing matters of love and romance.
Soon, they found Ji Jiali and Zou Song in the banquet hall.
The two were sitting and chatting with several middle-aged men, but Fu Qingli was nowhere to be seen.
Lin Xi was anxious and searched everywhere, but he was nowhere to be found in the brightly lit hall.
Having no other choice, Zhou Qi went over to clean up the mess that Ji Jiali was having with, asking, "Where's Brother Fu?"
Ji Jiali was quite surprised that they were suddenly at a cocktail party, but he couldn't spare the time to explain in detail, so he simply pointed to the back of the house and said briefly, "He's in the garden, but sister-in-law, it's not convenient to disturb him right now."
Inconvenient? What's inconvenient? How is it inconvenient?
Lin Xi didn't even have the patience to ask further. As soon as she heard where Fu Qingli had gone, she lifted her skirt and ran towards the garden behind the house.
Fu Qingli is really not hard to find. With his tall and straight figure and unique, aloof aura, even in the dim environment, he is a dazzling and eye-catching presence.
Turning the corner of the garden corridor, Lin Xi spotted Fu Qingli at a glance. He had his back to her, with broad shoulders, narrow hips, and a tall, slender figure.
Standing before him was Su Yi'an, dressed in a royal blue fitted fishtail gown, smiling radiantly as she spoke to him.
After exchanging only a few words, Su Yi'an smiled even more sweetly and tried to take Fu Qingli's hand in a coquettish manner.
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