Chapter 84 The scars on the cheongsam will fade, but they will never disappear
However, Chang Xile was not prepared, but Fang Xinai and Ren Qing woke her up at seven o'clock the next morning.
Chang Xile turned over, put the back of his hand over his eyes, and muttered: "There is no early morning snack today? ... Sleep a little longer..."
"Xile, do you want to go shopping? My sister Ren and I saw on the Internet that there is a vintage clothing street on Chaotian Road, a few kilometers away from our school. There is a cheongsam shop there that is said to be amazing. Let's go shopping." Ren Qing and Fang Xinai bet that Chang Xile would be very interested, so they dared to wake her up.
"Hmm... what does he look like?" Chang Xile took the phone from Ren Qing from between the bed rails. As the screen scrolled, her sleepy eyes brightened. She sat up and smiled foolishly, "Then I'll go."
Fang Xinai wailed, not because she didn't want Chang Xile to join. Ren Qingze patted her shoulder with a smile, "I accept the bet and admit defeat. You'll be responsible for carrying the bags today, Xiao Ai."
The three of them went to a nearby snack street to have breakfast first. They ordered two baskets of dumplings together. Chang Xile drank the spicy soup in small sips, his eyes blank, obviously not awake yet.
When they reached the Revlon store, they pushed open the door to the sound of soft, Wu dialect, a Jiangnan tune. Rows of cheongsams in a variety of patterns were neatly arranged, leaving Chang Xile feeling dizzy. The store wasn't large, but it was tastefully decorated and kept very clean.
Perhaps because it was early, there were no customers in the store yet. The owner, who had been watching TV, heard the doorbell ring and came out with a smile, asking, "Good morning, are there any young ladies looking for clothes?"
"Let's all take a look." Fang Xinai was very good at dealing with elders and outsiders. She smiled and pulled Ren Qing and Chang Xile inside.
"Okay, if there's any clothes you can't get or if you want to try them on, just let me know." The boss was also very easy-going and happily went back to his seat to watch TV.
Ren Qing immediately picked out a light green, waist-hugging cheongsam with a tassel pattern. She tried it out in the mirror before going into her room to try it on. Fang Xinai, on the other hand, had her eye on a light purple jacquard cheongsam with three-quarter sleeves. She waited for Ren Qing to change, and seeing that Chang Xile hadn't made up her mind, she started choosing for her.
"This one is too old-fashioned...and this one is a bit too plain. What color do you like?" Fang Xinai asked.
Chang Xile subconsciously said, "Blue, right?"
Fang Xinai glanced at the pile of cheongsams and picked up a light blue cheongsam with small floral patterns. Chang Xile shook her head: "It's not this color."
Ren Qing had already changed and came out. Chang Xile pushed Fang Xinai to change clothes and said, "I'll pick some myself. It's okay."
Ren Qing's cheongsam suits her well, giving her a delicate and elegant look. The proprietress smiled and asked her, "Can I do your hair up? This dress really needs your hair up, it adds to the look."
Ren Qing nodded, and the boss began to put her hair up. Chang Xile continued to look at the clothes herself. Choosing clothes was also a matter of fate. Anyway, she was here today to broaden her horizons and help the two of them check things out.
But when she looked up, she saw a lake blue, five-quarter-sleeved cheongsam hanging on the ceiling of the window. It was embroidered with bamboo leaf patterns. Her eyes lit up as soon as she saw the color. She asked the shopkeeper, "Boss, can I try this dress on?"
"Of course." The boss had just finished styling Ren Qing's hair. She used a wooden hairpin to hold Ren Qing's hair up, then showed the girl a mirror and walked towards Chang Xile. "Wait, I'll take it off for you."
"You have good taste, little girl! This dress is my favorite." Fang Xinai had just finished changing and came out. The boss smiled and gently pushed Chang Xile's shoulder, saying with a smile, "Go try it on."
"Sister Ren, Xile, does this dress suit me?" Fang Xinai came out and exaggeratedly praised Sister Ren's hairstyle, "Your hair is so well done! Boss, can you give me one too——"
The boss looked at her with a smile on his face for a moment and said, "You'd look better with a braid."
Chang Xile entered the fitting room. It was her first time wearing a cheongsam, and she was afraid of damaging the dress, so she was very cautious with every move. This process took quite a while, and when she came out, the two people outside were already preparing to pay.
They heard the jingling and clashing of beads, knowing the person inside had finished trying on their clothes and emerged, turning to look. The girl emerged with a smile on her face. Her pale, pale, pale cheongsam, which could have looked old-fashioned, accentuated her fair skin. The sweeping bamboo leaf pattern didn't steal the show from its owner, but rather accentuated her elegance. With her right hand, she parted the beaded curtain separating the two rooms, revealing her lotus-shaped arms beneath her half-sleeves, drawing the eye back to her radiant eyes. The owner of those eyes smiled brightly, and the air of aloofness and nobility that had been there before vanished in an instant, leaving behind a spirit-like figure.
Fang Xinai's eyes lit up when she saw Chang Xile. She walked up to him, took Chang Xile's hand, and looked him up and down, praising him, "When you brought the clothes in just now, I was worried that the color was too dark and the pattern was too big for you to hold. But now it seems that it really suits you!"
She turned to look at the boss who had just been chatting with them and asked, "Sister, what hairstyle would go with her clothes?"
The shopkeeper studied Chang Xile intently for a moment, remaining silent. She selected a white jade pearl-inlaid hairpin from the dressing box on the counter, pulled back the hair on Chang Xile's temples, and finally secured it with the hairpin. This revealed Chang Xile's snow-white neck and beautiful ears, instantly making her outfit look fresher.
She pinched her chin and thought for a while, then said, "Shall I draw some thin eyebrows for you?"
The dressing box was fully stocked with everything she needed. She picked out her eyebrow pencil and began to draw Chang Xile's eyebrows. Chang Xile didn't dare to move, but just tilted her head back obediently, feeling the faint fragrance of this beautiful boss rising from above her head.
Finally, the boss took out a petal of rouge and asked Chang Xile to apply it to her lips. When the job was done, looking at the surprised expressions of Ren Qing and Fang Xinai, Chang Xile took the mirror from the boss. The person in the mirror had picturesque eyebrows and eyes, and rosy lips that showed off her charm. She looked like someone who had walked out of the Republican era.
Chang Xile felt like she almost didn't recognize herself. But when she glanced at her left cheek in the mirror and saw a small, almost invisible scar, she came to her senses.
The boss smiled and pinched her small earlobe, saying, "Actually, it would be even more perfect if you wore a pearl earring here. But I see you haven't pierced your ears."
Chang Xile nodded and subconsciously touched her earlobe.
Fang Xinai, a pioneer who got her ears pierced right after the high school entrance exam, curiously asked Chang Xile, "Oh, Xile, you haven't pierced your ears yet. Are you afraid of the pain? I tell you, it's actually nothing. It doesn't hurt at all."
Chang Xile smiled, shook her head and said nothing.
When checking out, the boss repeatedly emphasized that the hairpins and barrettes were for them: "When I saw you, I felt like we were destined to be together. Come back and play next time when you miss me."
A few of them were reluctant to wear the makeup and hairstyles that their boss had carefully done for them, so they just went back to school dressed like that.
Chang Xile always felt like she had forgotten something when she was walking on the road. She would always feel confused when she woke up in the morning.
After they finished lunch, Ren Qing took out her camera to take pictures. The three of them tossed around in the dormitory for a while. Chang Xile still felt a little uneasy. When she took out her phone and looked at it, she found several unread messages, then she suddenly remembered: "Hey! I have to go to the auction this afternoon."
Sihanoukville: [The auction is scheduled for 6pm. I'll pick you up early so we can have dinner together.]
Sihanoukville: [Can we meet at 3:30?]
Fang Xinai also remembered this incident. She said, "Isn't it still early? There's still an hour left."
Chang Xile stood up and was about to change his clothes, but Fang Xinai held his hand and asked, "What are you doing?"
"Change your clothes." Whenever she was about to go out, Chang Xile would habitually want to change back into her daily outfit.
"No, just go like this." Fang Xinai shook her hand, reluctant to take off such beautiful clothes. "Clothes are bought to be worn. If not now, when will you wear them?"
Chang Xile pondered for a moment and felt that what she said made sense. Sometimes people can change their outfits, otherwise how can they know which styles suit them? She sat back in her chair and replied to Dai Xigang:
[good. ]
When Chang Xile appeared at the school gate, Dai Xigang was still wearing the same black suit. As soon as he saw Chang Xile, his eyes flashed, and he kept glancing at Chang Xile even after he opened the car door for her and sat back in the driver's seat.
Chang Xile felt uncomfortable being stared at. She asked, "Is it strange that I'm dressed like this?"
"Not at all." Daisy Port denied it quickly. He paused before emphasizing, "Very, very beautiful. It suits you very well."
Chang Xile smiled and complimented him back, "Right? I think people can sometimes be brave enough to step out of their comfort zone. The pink suit you wore when you sent me back last time was really nice and suited you very well!"
"Really?" Daisy Port couldn't help laughing. "It's so rare to hear you praise me."
Without waiting for Chang Xile to speak, he continued, "I burned paper money and a leash for Shanyan as you instructed, but I didn't expect to dream about her at night."
"What do you mean?" Chang Xile asked.
Daisy Port recalled, "In the dream, she seemed like an animal trainer or something. Holding a bunch of small animals in her hands, she said to me with a smile, 'Brother, this is the most thoughtful thing you've done since you sent me something. I really need these leashes; they're very helpful for my work. Please send me more in the future!'"
He imitated Dai Shanyan's intonation so vividly that Chang Xile could almost imagine Dai Shanyan's proud and spoiled little look.
"Then, the little animals behind her all started chirping in unison, probably saying thank you together." Daisy Port shuddered slightly and said self-deprecatingly, "What a strange dream, right? Maybe I was worried too much during the day, which is why I had such a nonsensical dream."
"No." Chang Xile looked at him and said seriously, "Maybe these are what Shanyan wants to say to you."
When Chang Xile heard that there were all kinds of small animals in the dream, he became very sure of it.
By the time they finished their meal, Chang Xile didn't seem to have much of an appetite. Her heartbeat inexplicably quickened as she thought about the painting she might see at the auction that evening.
Is she nervous?
But it was clear that she could only witness the auction, not actually buy it. What was there to be nervous about when the dust had already settled?
When the two entered, Dai Xigang took out the invitation and handed it to the doorman. At this time, the doorman on the other side came to meet them from behind.
"Oh, I urged my dad to hurry and finally made it to the auction. It was so frustrating." The man's voice was very familiar, and the frivolous tone made Chang Xile feel disgusted from the bottom of his heart.
She turned around in shock and saw Chen Moxin's smiling face.
He stood in front of Chang Xile and Dai Xigang slowly, looked at her carefully, and said with a chuckle, "It seems that I haven't been in there too long. The wound on my school sister's face hasn't healed yet."
Dai Xigang had no impression of Chen Moxin, but he was keenly aware of the tense atmosphere surrounding the woman next to him. He looked down and saw Chang Xile's hands clenched so tightly that her nails were almost digging into her flesh.
But her expression didn't change at all, and her smile even grew wider. She asked, "You begged your dad to bail you out. Is that something you're really proud of?"
Chen Moxin's face immediately turned as dark as the bottom of a pot.
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