Chapter 498: Chapter 498

Under the guidance of Jiang Lingling, a fashion expert who knows luxury garments like the back of her hand, Wan Chu’er and Mai Qiqi bought loads of clothes, and Jiang Xiaoxiao also got two pieces.

It was only at the end did they arrive at the store housing the dress Jiang Lingling had eyed over fifty times. As soon as they entered, they saw the shop assistant teasing Jiang Lingling.

"Miss Jiang, here again? There’s only one left of your ’daughter’s’ piece, maybe today you’ll finally see her off to a ’good family.’"

The salesperson equated the dress to Jiang Lingling’s daughter, which illustrated how fond Lingling was of it; given her familiarity with the staff, those fifty visits were likely no exaggeration.

Lingling lifted her chin, proudly declaring, "Today, I’m personally taking my daughter home."

Wan Chu’er, Mai Qiqi, and the others had long been curious about the dress Lingling constantly had on her mind. They watched her head straight for the display window, only to see her suddenly turning pale with shock.

"Where’s my daughter?!"

Her frantic pivot to query the staff, as if her beloved ’daughter’ was truly missing, left Mai Qiqi agape in astonishment.

"I feel like it’s not her daughter that’s missing, but rather her lover," Qiqi mused, having only experienced the pain of a breakup, not the loss of a child.

The assistant quickly reassured, "She’s here, she’s here, just hanging on the rack, not in the window anymore." Another staff member hurriedly sorted through a pile of clothes on the rack, pulling out a dark green dress.

The dress was pricey, and seeing as Jiang Lingling, accompanied by two women laden with bags from other designer brands, expressed her intention to buy, the staff familiar with her daily visits naturally provided enthusiastic and careful service. Follow current novᴇls on NoveI~Fire.net

Seeing the dress, Jiang Lingling visibly relaxed, accepting the garment with joy and caution.

"Look, this is my daughter," she excitedly told Wan Chu’er and the rest.

Jiang Xiaoxiao chimed in with a laugh, "Try it on for us. We want to see what kind of dress deserves fifty or so visits from you."

"Actually, Miss Jiang has come sixty-two times," one of the employees interjected with a smile.

Mai Qiqi and Wan Chu’er also grew curious, eager to see what made this particular dress so special to catch the fastidious Jiang Lingling’s eye.

Without demur, Lingling smiled and said, "Sure, I’ll go try it on. You can browse around in the meantime. I’ll come out soon to give you my thoughts."

With that, she carefully carried the dress towards the fitting room.

Wan Chu’er and the others placed their shopping bags on the seats in the rest area, and Mai Qiqi collapsed into a chair with little energy left, saying:

"Chuchu, go take a look. I’ve got enough to show Granny back home; I can’t muster the strength to keep looking."

Wan Chu’er felt she too had bought enough clothes for the day, but catching sight of the two flimsy shopping bags at Jiang Xiaoxiao’s feet, she started rifling through the clothes on the racks.

Mai Qiqi pulled out her phone, busying herself with messaging someone, as Jiang Xiaoxiao craned her neck toward the fitting rooms.

Just then, another two people walked in, but everyone was preoccupied and paid them no special attention.

Wan Chu’er spotted an ivory knit set hanging up ahead, its style soft and ethereal yet carrying a hint of a distinct character - it seemed perfect for Jiang Xiaoxiao.

She chuckled silently to herself and reached for the outfit, but before she could touch it, a pair of fair hands snatched the clothes away first.

Chuchu’s smile faded as she raised her head to look at the person who took the clothes away.

Next to Lin Jiayi was actually Wei Feng!

It seemed that neither of the two opposite them had expected to encounter Wan Chu’er; a trace of melancholy flashed through Wei Feng’s stunned expression, but Lin Jiayi was the first to react with a soft, flirtatious smile:

"What a coincidence, sister-in-law, you’re shopping here, too? I thought you were in the Northwest, when did you get back?"

Wan Chu’er glanced at the clothes tightly grasped in her hand, replying indifferently, "I came back two days ago."

Noticing Wan Chu’er’s gaze, Lin Jiayi revealed an awkward smile and said:

"I didn’t expect we’d both fancy this outfit. In fact, when I first saw it at the magazine company, I fell in love with it right away, and only recently did I find time to invite Sister Wei Feng for shopping."

"Sister-in-law, I actually think that this outfit doesn’t really suit your style. I feel you’re more suited to cool colors, a more cool and detached style of clothing. This outfit is more ladylike."

In other words, she didn’t want to give up the outfit, not even intending to offer a polite gesture.

Hearing the commotion, Mai Qiqi and Jiang Xiaoxiao both noticed Lin Jiayi and Wei Feng, and both stood up and walked over.

"Cousin, Sister Wei Feng."

"Sister Wei Feng, Lin Jiayi."

Everyone was acquainted, so Mai Qiqi and Jiang Xiaoxiao greeted them first.

Wei Feng had already regained her composure and said with an easy smile, "Qiqi, Xiaoxiao, long time no see."

Lin Jiayi also spoke, "So it’s the three of you together?" Then she half-complained, "Xiaoxiao, how come you didn’t call me out for shopping? We used to hang out together all the time."

Jiang Xiaoxiao smiled back playfully, "Ever since cousin got herself a husband, when have you ever had time for us?"

Ever since Lin Jiayi got hold of Simon, a nobleman, her social circle began to shift towards these foreigners, often mingling with various foreign elites at their parties, all the while aspiring to be a noblewoman.

"Look at what you’re saying, that’s so formal. Today’s meeting was such a serendipity; let me host lunch at the Michelin restaurant on the top floor—Simon is a supreme member there." Lin Jiayi boasted subtly but gleefully.

"No need..." Jiang Xiaoxiao quickly declined. The relationship between Wei Feng and Wan Chu’er was quite awkward, and such an occasion was better avoided. However, Lin Jiayi interrupted her.

"Listen to me, I’ll go try on this outfit first, you guys wait for me, and meanwhile help me see how it looks. Sister-in-law just took a liking to this outfit too; let’s see how our tastes compare." Lin Jiayi said with a smile heading to the fitting room, "Sister Wei Feng, wait for me a moment."

Wan Chu’er instantly felt disgusted as if she had swallowed a fly but composedly said, "This outfit was selected for Xiaoxiao, I think it’s more suitable for her."

Everyone in the store could hear Wan Chu’er’s words, but Lin Jiayi just paused briefly and still entered the fitting room.

Jiang Xiaoxiao took Wan Chu’er’s hand, "Thank you, sister-in-law, since you’ve picked it for me, I definitely want to try it." Turning her head, she called for the clerk to bring another outfit suitable for her.

Between Lin Jiayi and Wan Chu’er, Jiang Xiaoxiao naturally supported Wan Chu’er. Not only because Wan Chu’er was her sister-in-law, but also because after some events Jiang Xiaoxiao had reservations about Lin Jiayi’s behavior and character.

Soon, the clerk brought over another identical outfit from a different rack, and after informing Wan Chu’er and Wei Feng, Jiang Xiaoxiao, with the outfit in hand, also entered the fitting room.