After saying goodbye to Shi Wan and Ji Meng, Zhou Yun drove to a quiet alley in downtown Kyoto, stopped in front of a retro-style villa, and slowly opened the car door.
Looking up at the sycamore trees sprouting new buds, Zhou Yun noticed that the leaves along this path were all yellow when she last visited. She took a deep breath and pushed open the door.
A clear bell rang, and everyone in the shop looked up. Upon seeing the newcomer, they all smiled politely at him.
Just then, a chubby-faced little girl walked up to them enthusiastically and said, "Miss Zhou, you've arrived."
After a polite greeting, she poured Zhou Yun a glass of warm water. "The same as always, not too hot, not too cold, just right." As she spoke, she winked playfully at Zhou Yun.
"Hmm." He said, walking to the sofa in the innermost room and sitting down without saying anything.
"Ms. Zhou, the wedding dress you ordered last time was delivered this morning. Please wait a moment, I'll go get it now, and we'll try it on later to see if any alterations are needed."
"good."
When the staff took out the custom-made wedding dress, Zhou Tun's eyes narrowed and his hands paused slightly.
“Ms. Zhou, Mr. Morton only has one studio in China. The group called him back to China, which is why it has taken you so long.”
"How about we try it now?" the staff member said to Zhou Yun.
The woman on the sofa slowly placed the blanket on the table, responded softly, and had a calm expression.
As the curtain of the fitting room was drawn back, the staff around Zhou Yun were shocked by the wedding dress she was wearing.
Zhou Yun's appearance is flamboyant and somewhat aggressive. The retro satin fabric, combined with her jet-black wavy hair and sexy red lips, perfectly embodies the term "retro beauty".
Ignoring the compliments from those around her, Zhou Yun smiled, but her eyes remained devoid of warmth.
Morton's design style is quite bold and unrestrained, with a wide-open back that shows off a beautiful waistline and perfectly reveals the lines of the shoulders and neck.
Looking at himself in the mirror, he paused for a moment, then said, "Xiao Chen, wrap it up."
“Miss Zhou…why don’t you let your husband try on his suit too? You’re so beautiful, your fiancé must be very handsome, right?” Xiao Chen looked at Zhou Yun with expectant eyes. Such a beautiful young lady, her fiancé must be good too.
"Yes, Miss Zhou, you are so lucky. Your fiancé has made such an expensive wedding dress for you. He really loves you."
Other shop assistants also came forward to compliment Zhou Yun.
Zhou Yun gave a bitter smile, her lowered eyes filled with sadness. She didn't want to explain, and glanced at the shop assistant, "Xiao Chen, come in and help me change."
Last autumn, Meng ran to her company and grabbed her, saying, "Sister Xiaoyun, I have a secret, no, it's my brother's secret."
Zhou Yun, who had been pulled out of the meeting room, rubbed her temples with a helpless expression.
Ji Meng's surprise turned out to be nothing more than photos of beautifully packaged jewelry boxes, along with a mysterious announcement: "Sister Xiaoyun, my brother wants to propose to you!"
"What?!"
"Don't panic, he's definitely planning a proposal party in the next couple of days."
"How romantic! I never expected my brother, a man of such a reserved nature, to be so romantic!" Ji Meng exclaimed, her eyes sparkling.
“You know that Ji Chu returned home to inherit the family business instead of getting married back then.” Zhou Yun thought of how Ji Chu was willing to give up his career abroad and return to China to inherit the family business in order to avoid being pressured by his family to get married, so she did not believe Ji Meng’s so-called marriage proposal.
"Look! Look! What brand is this? And look again, the J&Z pattern on this ring!" Ji Meng zoomed in on the photo, and the gold lettering printed on the exquisite box made Zhou Yun's heart skip a beat.
"This is..." He looked at Ji Meng in confusion. This little girl had actually opened the gift box without permission.
"Yes! It's that wedding ring brand. They've been impossible to get in China these past few years, let alone a custom-made one like this."
"My brother is proposing! You can finally rightfully be my sister-in-law! Isn't it your birthday in a week? He'll definitely propose to you on that day!" Ji Meng shouted excitedly, startling Zhou Yun.
But she knew Ji Chu well. He was aloof and distant. Although he would give her gifts on her birthday and holidays, creating surprises was not his style.
Back then, the elders of the Ji family even made it a condition for their children to return and inherit the family business, so that they would not be forced into marriage by the family.
They had been dating for seven years at that time. It was common for wealthy families to arrange marriages, and they would usually set a wedding date after a few more blind dates.
But from the moment she and Ji Chu started dating, almost no one knew about their relationship except for Ji Chu's few close friends and Ji Meng.
Even after dating for seven years, he resolutely chose to return home to inherit the family business, refusing to be forced into marriage by his family.
But she was willing to follow him. She had already prepared herself not to get married, but Ji Meng showed her the ring, which rekindled her hope.
At the time, she actually believed the girl's nonsense. Ji Meng described countless scenes of Ji Chu proposing to her and even dragged her to this bridal shop to customize a wedding dress.
Zhou Yun, who hadn't originally intended to come, was immediately captivated by the various custom-made items on display as soon as she stepped into the store.
In addition, Ji Meng kept whispering in her ear that this was Mr. Morton's only design store in China, and that her brother would definitely be captivated by such a beautiful wedding dress.
So, with a heavy heart and gritted teeth, I decided to have this wedding dress made to order.
On her long-awaited birthday, she didn't receive a marriage proposal.
What I received was only a congratulatory phone call from across the world and a pair of exquisitely crafted high heels with an outrageously high price.
Thinking of this, Zhou Yun's gaze returned to the mirror. She didn't want to see herself in her current disheveled state anymore, her long eyelashes concealing the disappointment in her eyes.
"Xiao Chen, wrap it up."
"Okay." Xiao Chen glanced at Zhou Yun with good judgment and wisely kept quiet.
When no response was received from Zhou Yun, everyone dispersed and went about their own business.
Just then, the crisp sound of the doorbell rang again.
Two figures appeared at the door. The man was tall and slender, wearing gold-rimmed glasses. His features were deep and handsome, but his expression was calm and indifferent behind the glasses.
The petite and lovely girl beside him had a sweet and delicate face.
Zhou Jin nestled against Ji Chu like a little bird, and Ji Chu raised his hand to protect her in his arms, his movements careful as if afraid that the girl in his arms might bump or get hurt.
The shop assistant hurriedly stepped forward to greet them and courteously led the two to the second-floor meeting room.
As I passed by the changing room, I happened to see Xiao Chen carrying Zhou Yun's wedding dress out.
"Brother Ji Chu, that wedding dress...it's so beautiful." As she spoke, she walked up to Xiao Chen and stared intently at the wedding dress in her hand.
Xiao Chen looked at Zhou Jin with a troubled expression. "Miss, this wedding dress is a custom-made one. My client booked it a year ago. Why don't you take a look at some other wedding dresses?"
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com