Beside Tang Wan was a beautiful woman of a certain age, dressed in a Hangzhou silk cheongsam, with a graceful figure. Every gesture exuded charm. Xu Keke had always admired Tang Wan's ability to pretend nothing was wrong.
Tang Wan took the initiative to come over with the beautiful woman, greeting them. Their familiar attitude made anyone who didn't know the situation think they were very close friends.
Unfortunately, she ran into Xu Keke and Zhou Xiangnan. Neither of them were the type to be overly polite. Xu Keke always believed that the one who starts the trouble is the one who's at fault. If Tang Wan had just pretended not to know her and let it go, that would have been fine; everyone could save face. She couldn't just chase after her and cause trouble for no reason.
But since she deliberately came over and pretended to be familiar with him, Xu Keke wouldn't let it go so easily.
Tang Wan pretended not to notice the cold faces of the Zhou aunt and niece, and even smiled ingratiatingly at Zhou Xiangnan, saying, "This is my mother, she's come from our hometown to attend my wedding. I was originally planning to attend Miss Zhou's wedding, but now we're on the same day. What a coincidence!"
Tang Wan's hair had grown longer and was permed with delicate curls, making her look very fashionable. However, because she had been dressed in men's clothing recently, her change to women's attire gave her a dashing and spirited air. She resembled a handsome young man with delicate features, dressed in women's clothing.
"Miss Tang is getting married?" Xu Keke pretended not to notice her neglect and took the initiative to start a conversation with her.
“Yes,” Tang Wan replied perfunctorily, not chatting with Xu Keke any further. Instead, she turned to her mother and said in her hometown dialect, “Mother doesn’t know, this Miss Zhou Shaoqiu was originally betrothed to someone. It’s just that the engagement was broken off. She was the one who had an ambiguous relationship with Mingkai at the beginning.”
Xu Keke smiled at her, not blaming her for her rudeness, "Miss Tang, are you still going to marry Mr. Ji?"
Tang Wan looked at her in surprise, as if she had been offended. "What do you mean by this, Miss Zhou? Of course I'm marrying Ming Kai."
"Oh, that's good. I saw Mr. Ji buying a whole set of jewelry for a lady at the jewelry store the other day. By the way, it's the one in the magazine. I thought you two had broken up."
Hearing Xu Keke mention this, Tang Wan smiled somewhat reluctantly, "You misunderstood, that's Mingkai's sister. He took his sister to buy it."
"Sister? Is it his sister, or your sister?"
"What? What do you mean?" Tang Wan didn't understand at first and was about to ask again. Her mother patted her hand gently, "They've brought out your dress, go try it on. You can chat with your friends later, don't make them wait for you."
Tang Wan glanced at Xu Keke, smiled and greeted Zhou Xiangnan and Zhou Dao, then got up and followed the people in the store inside.
“My daughter, Awan, is being irresponsible and has offended you both. I apologize to you on her behalf.”
After saying this, the beautiful woman stood up and bowed respectfully to the two of them.
Xu Keke glanced around and noticed that the other customers were all looking at them. Xu Keke smiled and said, "Women in this world don't have it easy. If you don't have the magnanimity to help others achieve their goals, then don't have the intention to ruin things for others. Knots that can be untied don't need apologies and no one will hold it against you. But things that can't be untied can't be explained in just a few words."
Zhou Xiangnan sat to one side with a faint smile, without saying a word.
The beautiful woman had originally intended to say those words to Zhou Xiangnan, but she hadn't expected to be lectured by a child like Xu Keke. She maintained her polite smile, "Then I won't disturb you two any longer. I'll go wait for A-Wan over there."
After she left, Xu Keke and Zhou Xiangnan exchanged a smile, but tacitly remained silent.
Tang Wan came out after changing her clothes and noticed that her mother wasn't sitting there. She looked around the shop before finally spotting her mother sitting elsewhere. "Mom, what are you doing here? I've been looking for you everywhere!"
"Did they say some nasty things?"
Tang Wan turned to look in the direction of the Zhou family aunt and niece. The shopkeeper had brought out the wedding dress. The dress was indeed beautiful, and as soon as it was brought out, the surrounding customers all crowded around it. Tang Wan, being a girl at heart, also wanted to go and take a look, and even thought about saying a few flattering words to Zhou Xiangnan.
Her mother grabbed her arm and said with a smile, "Don't bother others. We'll go back if there are no problems."
She then turned to the tailor who had followed her out and said with a gentle smile, "Thank you for your trouble!"
"No, Mom, they're actually..."
"Alright, take a look and see if there's anything else that needs changing. If there's nothing else, let's go back."
Tang Wan was about to explain when her mother interrupted her.
The clothes had already been measured and adjusted, so there was no need for further alterations. Tang Wan gave the address and asked the shop to deliver them to the Tang family's mansion in Shanghai today. Tang Wan went inside to change her clothes, and then the mother and daughter walked out.
As she passed Zhou Xiangnan and Xu Keke, the beautiful woman stopped and nodded politely to them, saying, "Miss Zhou, please take your time trying it on. We'll be going now."
Beautiful women are naturally likable, especially as they age and lose their threatening presence. Coupled with their good manners and humble manners, Xu Keke noticed that the guests around her looked at the beautiful woman with admiration and praise.
Tang Wan and her mother got into the car. Just as she was about to bring up what had just happened, the beautiful woman fixed her gaze on her with sharp eyes.
The driver, who was driving, happened to see it in the rearview mirror and was so shocked that he didn't react for a long time. That vicious look just now...was that from their concubine?
The driver thought he was seeing things, so he looked again. His eyes met the beautiful woman's in the rearview mirror. She smiled gently at him, startling him so much that he quickly looked away. His heart pounded in his chest. He felt like he'd seen a ghost.
Upon returning to the Tang family mansion and entering the house, the beautiful woman slapped Tang Wan across the face. Startled, Tang Wan took a large step back, shrinking back and standing there motionless.
"Once you got to Shanghai, you forgot everything I taught you. The more insignificant or disrespectful someone is, the more polite you should be. On the contrary, the more you should curry favor with those people, the more aloof you should be. Didn't I teach you that?"
Didn't I tell you not to talk nonsense in front of outsiders? You can't let people think you're two-faced; that's a huge taboo. You actually said that in front of the tailor and the driver. If they tell the guests, and the other concubines in the family, your reputation will be completely ruined.
Also, I don't know what grudge you have against those two women from the Zhou family. Remember this: once a grudge is formed, it can't be resolved unless it's a matter of life and death. The only thing that can be resolved is a misunderstanding.
Tang Wan felt like she had returned to her childhood; it had been a long time since her mother had scolded her like this. Recent setbacks had eroded her confidence, and being scolded by her mother like this left Tang Wan feeling completely lost.
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