Chapter 15 Ballet Shoes (Including VIP Announcement) "We have guests at home..."
Having finally made a female friend of the same age, Lan Jia was unwilling to let go easily, so she became overly enthusiastic, with a hint of ingratiation.
"Jingwei, come and see if you like it." Lan Jia handed her the gift box and led her to stand in front of a full-length mirror. "I saw it while traveling and thought it would suit you perfectly. There was only one pair in the whole store, so I bought it immediately!"
Ruan Jingwei smiled, thanked her, and opened the small box in her hand. Inside was a pair of dark green earrings, warm and slender teardrop-shaped, which appeared to be made of tourmaline, clear and flawless.
"It goes well with your dress too," Lan Jia praised sincerely. "Try wearing it."
Under her expectant gaze, Ruan Jingwei picked up the earring, held it up to her ears, put it on, and asked shyly, "Does it look good?"
The two sat together on the carpet, gazing intently at each other in the mirror. So close, yet it felt like looking at another version of themselves. Lan Jia put an arm around her shoulder, watching the earring shimmer among her dark hair, its luster a subtle, ethereal green.
Jingwei possessed a serene and elegant beauty that Jingwei could not match.
Meng Cenjun always complained that she had been a troublemaker since childhood, giving him headaches. Lan Jia's nature was hard to change, but she was also curious about the graceful beauty of others and gradually became obsessed with the blurry silhouette in her mind.
She probably felt a kind of psychological connection with Ruan Jingwei, a sense of "you have what I don't," wanting to embody what she couldn't do herself in an even more extreme way. She loved dressing up Ruan Jingwei; she admired her beautiful appearance. Back in school, whenever she had a new design, she would always ask Ruan Jingwei to come and try it on first. Lan Jia often said that Jingwei was her muse.
At this moment, Ruan Jingwei couldn't help but secretly look at Lan Jia. Her small face, no bigger than a palm, rested affectionately on her shoulder, her eyes curved into crescents, with a hint of infatuation in her smile, as if the creator were looking at his most perfect creation.
Actually, she's a very good person and treats her very well. There's nothing wrong with her. When I came to her house earlier, the servants were all very polite to her and doted on Lan Jia. With such a family background and the fact that she seems so pampered, and we even studied together, I was worried that she would suffer in the future because she always seemed so naive. But now it seems that I was overthinking it. There will be someone who will pamper her and protect her in the future.
In contrast, her status at home was such that her father and stepmother only cared about her younger brother, and her mother had remarried and had no time to care about her. Her younger brother was also spoiled and unruly, always finding amusement in competing with her. In such a large family, no one helped her or sided with her. Day after day, she was worn down to the point of being invisible.
She glanced at Lan Jia again, her expression complex, tinged with envy. Lan Jia was so wonderful, like a carefree daisy in the sunlight, but the closer she got, the more apprehensive she felt. The sun's rays, too dazzling, could also burn.
Lan Jia was so engrossed in Ruan Jingwei's beauty that she didn't notice her fluctuating thoughts. Suddenly remembering something, she patted Jingwei's shoulder and said, "Wait for me." Then she excitedly ran into the dressing room.
A short while later, she came out carrying a black dress.
“Montgomery?” Even through the dust bag, Ruan Jingwei recognized him at a glance. She was also a big fan of this romantic movie.
"Is it really the one from the movie?" She looked genuinely surprised.
Lan Jia nodded, eager to share her beloved item with her, "Jingwei, quickly try it on, it's a size four waist, you'll definitely be able to wear it."
Ruan Jingwei instinctively refused, "Lan Jia, this is too expensive." The antique dress was fragile, and she was afraid of damaging it.
"It's okay, it didn't cost me any money anyway, just be careful." She said half-jokingly, "If you break it, I can just make another one. The original is right here, it shouldn't be too hard to copy it."
Ruan Jingwei had also liked this dress for a long time, and upon hearing this, she was tempted, but still asked hesitantly, "Was it given to you by someone very important? Would it be inappropriate for me to wear it first?"
Lan Jia pouted, "My brother gave it to me."
"Your brother is so good to you." She said with a touch of emotion.
"That's all he's good at." He's never stingy when it comes to material things.
Lan Jia chuckled twice, seemingly unwilling to discuss it further, and urged her, "Jingwei, hurry up, I just want to see how it looks on me."
Ruan Jingwei finally agreed.
Lan Jia sat on the sofa waiting when she received a message notification. She opened the chat window and saw a message from a familiar snow mountain avatar: "Won't be back for dinner."
This profile picture is a landscape photo she took several years ago when she traveled to Switzerland. Lan Jia thought his old profile picture was too old-fashioned, so she changed it for him. She didn't expect him to still be using it now.
Scrolling up, her conversations with Meng Cenjun were pitifully few, almost entirely consisting of: not coming back, not forgetting to take your medicine, remembering the curfew, and occasionally a threat: don't let me disappear without a trace, or you know the consequences...
Such things are bland and tasteless.
Lan Jia initially intended to reply with a casual emoji as before, but upon thinking about the plan, she changed her mind.
At the PIONE Group headquarters, Meng Cenjun was holding his usual afternoon meeting. He had been away abroad for a few days and had a backlog of company matters waiting for him to handle. He expected to be home late for the next few days.
Department heads were reporting on their work progress in turn. Meng Cenjun, seated at the head of the table, leaned back in his chair, lightly tapping his fingers on the desk. Shortly after, his phone beeped. He waited a couple of minutes before checking the message, only to find a photo in the chat box.
On the plane, a lollipop was placed in the pink sunrise sky, blocking the sun's path.
He opened it, glanced at it, and casually pressed save.
Look up and continue listening to the finance department's work report.
A moment later, the notification sound rang again.
This is a portrait, taken while he was fast asleep on the airplane sofa bed. He was wearing an eye mask and sleeping, with one hand reaching into the screen and boldly sticking out two fingers above his head in a V-shape, like the horns of some kind of animal.
Meng Cenjun zoomed in on the document expressionlessly and silently clicked save.
Lan Jia stared intently at the chat box, but waited for a long time without receiving a reply. She secretly rejoiced, guessing that he was ignoring her again. She would have to make these small offenses more frequent in the future. She wanted to annoy him and make him avoid her.
Ruan Jingwei had already changed into her dress in the dressing room, but she wasn't in a hurry to go out. Instead, she curiously looked at Lan Jia's wardrobe.
The walk-in closet was very spacious, with cabinets reaching to the ceiling on both sides, displaying clothing for all four seasons in a neat and organized manner. A few were the latest seasonal styles from top luxury brands, but most lacked brand labels, yet the styles were simple and well-tailored, presumably custom-made. There were especially many bags and accessories; she recognized several discontinued antique pieces, meticulously maintained and displayed in glass cases, spotless and immaculate.
She had almost never seen Lan Jia wear these clothes. At school, Lan Jia's life was quite low-key and simple; she wore plain clothes she had made herself and carried a canvas bag she had made herself. Now, seeing this hidden side of her was unsettling. Having known her for so long, she felt she knew nothing about Yi Lan Jia. And had she never even considered being honest with her?
Did she actually consider her a good friend?
Wearing a black dress that trailed on the ground, Ruan Jingwei walked out slowly, her mind heavy with worries.
Lan Jia was slumped on the bench at the foot of the bed, half her body glued to the bed, aimlessly flipping between several apps. She casually lifted her eyelids, saw the figure in front of her, and stared blankly for a moment before straightening up and stammering, "You're so beautiful..."
Ruan Jingwei awkwardly lifted the hem of her skirt, smiled with pursed lips, and said, "At first I was worried that it would stretch and break, but I didn't expect it to be a little loose after I put it on."
“Western actresses have larger frames, Jingwei, you’re too thin.” Lan Jia stood up with a smile. “Let me see.”
She went behind her and compared her waist to her own; there was still room to spare. The dress featured a large open back design with several thin straps crisscrossing at the back, adorned with a few small black bows, adding a touch of innocence to its sexiness.
Looking at it from left to right, my professional instincts kicked in, and I couldn't resist taking action to straighten the tangled straps.
Ruan Jingwei stood still, feeling two soft hands moving behind her back. Warm fingertips occasionally brushed against her back skin, causing ripples of ticklish sensation.
The more tense her body became, the more acute the sensation became, leaving a deep imprint on her mind. It seemed that few people treated her with such tenderness, and few people gazed at her with such complete care and attention.
Ruan Jingwei gradually felt moved, and as if afraid of disturbing something, she whispered, "Lan Jia, you will definitely become a great costume designer in the future."
Lan Jia laughed heartily and asked, "Jingwei, what is your dream?"
She remained silent for a long time, then said with bitterness, "Not everyone is entitled to have a dream."
Lan Jia asked in surprise, "Then how will you live in the future?"
"I guess after I get married, I'll become a decorative vase at home, able to do nothing but be of no use." Her eyes stung, and after a pause, she continued, "In recent years, the family business hasn't been doing well, and my parents have been thinking about getting me married. They've recently been looking for a marriage partner for me."
"Are you really willing to spend your whole life with someone you don't like, or even a stranger?"
"Lan Jia, you don't understand, I had no other choice."
"Because of responsibility? Because they raised you, you have to sacrifice your entire life's happiness to repay them?"
Ruan Jingwei clenched her fists. In fact, this family did not bring her much warmth, but most people around her accepted the arrangement and continued to maintain their previous comfortable lives. Why should she be an exception?
"Perhaps my marriage partner is the right person for me? Over time, we'll develop some real feelings for each other." She didn't have any grand ambitions; she only wanted to live a peaceful and leisurely life in her own little home.
"In this vast sea of people, the probability is too small. Entrusting your life to luck is far too risky. Jingwei, you'll feel most at ease when you have your destiny in your own hands." Lan Jia shook her head disapprovingly behind her.
Although her words were heartfelt, they took on a different meaning for Ruan Jingwei. Ruan Jingwei immediately felt a slight aversion, thinking: Of course she has the freedom of idealism, she has no shortage of money or love, she's a hothouse flower who's been ignorant of the world since birth, how could she understand her difficulties?
But even though she thought this way, she couldn't show it. She was incredibly good to her, and as long as it wasn't just Lan Jia who was doing it, she was extremely unwilling to let the relationship develop any cracks.
Perhaps she was also a little afraid, afraid that she would think she was such a narrow-minded, sensitive and overthinking person.
Seeing that she avoided the topic, Lan Jia didn't say anything more. She couldn't interfere with other people's fate, so she just gave her a few words of advice, hoping that she could figure it out soon and that freedom is something you have to fight for yourself.
Just then, a knock on the door abruptly ended the conversation.
It was Aunt Ming, who came over with a plate of sliced fruit.
Seeing that the two were standing close together in front of the mirror, with similar heights, slender figures, and black hair and fair skin, they were quite close.
Lan Jia turned around and smiled sweetly: "Aunt Ming, I want Jingwei to stay for dinner tonight. Please ask the kitchen to make a few more desserts."
"You're always complaining about being afraid of gaining weight, so why are you breaking the rules now?" Lan Jia has a sweet tooth and had previously suffered from toothache from eating too much, requiring several terrified visits to the dentist, thankfully without any serious consequences. After Meng Cenjun found out, she strictly controlled how often desserts were made at home, causing Lan Jia to complain constantly.
"I'm in a good mood today, so I'm letting loose for once," Lan Jia chuckled.
Aunt Ming didn't expose her little scheme, but asked Jingwei with concern if she had any dietary restrictions.
Ruan Jingwei smiled at her, thanked her, and indicated that she wasn't picky.
Aunt Ming looked at her face and couldn't help but take a second look. The more she looked, the more she felt that the two looked alike. Their eyebrows, noses, and facial contours were almost like twins.
Of course, this is only in static imagery. If they were to move, one would find significant differences between the two. Lan Jia is carefree, her moods written all over her face, and when she is happy, she speaks with great enthusiasm. On the other hand, this Miss Ruan has a melancholy in her eyes, as if she has a heavy heart.
But just now, seeing their backs was truly confusing to her. If it weren't for the difference in their clothing, it would have been difficult to tell the two people apart at first glance.
Aunt Ming thought about it and decided not to bring it up again, since no girl wants to be reminded that she resembles another woman.
At 10 p.m., Meng Cenjun returned home after a social engagement and saw a pair of women's flat shoes neatly arranged in the entryway. They were black and resembled ballet flats. Lan Jia had mentioned them before; it seemed to be a brand currently popular among young women, but they must have been from last season. She had seen Lan Jia wear them a few months ago.
"Are there guests at home?" he asked Aunt Ming.
A note from the author:
Dear readers, this novel will be available for purchase starting Saturday with Chapter 16.
Three chapters will be released that day, and there will be small red envelopes (gifts) dropping in the comments section, so please show your support! ^ ^
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