Mr. He didn't know how long he had been standing at the door.
He seemed to have turned into a motionless sculpture, just gazing at the road Shen Qingqing had left on. Even though he could no longer see anything, it was as if he could still see through that road.
He saw the past he could never return to.
...
In the car, silence spread.
Fu Jingshu knew his wife was in a bad mood. He held her slightly cold fingertips, "I will get the necklace back for you."
Shen Qingqing, however, shook her head, "This time, I don't want to use forceful means anymore."
Mainly, facing Ning Xin, she didn't have complete confidence.
This woman held too many secrets. To this day, she couldn't be entirely sure what the relationship between Ning Xin and Pei Xi was. If Pei Xi was involved in this matter, it would become complicated.
Fu Jingshu was silent for a moment, a cold glint flashing in his eyes, "Then what do you plan to do?"
Shen Qingqing hummed, quickly coming up with a solution, "Let's first find out who this old friend Mr. He mentioned is."
Someone who could make Mr. He lend out his treasure must have an unusual relationship with him.
"Alright, I'll investigate."
Fu Jingshu never said no to his wife's decisions, and this time was no exception. Coincidentally, they encountered a red light ahead, and the car stopped. He took out his phone from his pocket and dialed Lin Mo's number.
Shen Qingqing's lips curved slightly. She rested her chin on her hand by the car window, her inner irritation still lingering.
However, with her husband's indulgence and affection, she felt much better.
When they arrived at the entrance of the Fu family villa, Fu Jingshu hung up the phone and stopped his wife, who was about to get out of the car, whispering, "Lin Mo just mentioned on the phone that Ning Xin is going to attend a banquet recently."
Shen Qingqing's head snapped back.
Fu Jingshu asked, "Are you going?"
"Yes, of course, I'm going."
Shen Qingqing didn't hesitate.
She was already looking for an opportunity to confront Ning Xin.
Putting aside past grievances, for her mother's遗物 (yí wù -遺物), she had to go.
"Good, I'll accompany you."
Fu Jingshu pulled her into his arms, stroking her soft and smooth cheek. The sensation in his palm was intoxicating, and he couldn't bear to let go.
"I'll have someone prepare a dress for you first."
"Okay."
Shen Qingqing agreed almost immediately, even with a hint of eagerness, "When is the banquet, and who else will be there besides Ning Xin?"
Seeing the unconcealed anxiety on her face, Fu Jingshu chuckled softly.
"Don't rush, let's try on the dress first."
He glanced at the time. It was still early, so there was no need to rush back. After all, the children had already been sent to kindergarten and art class, and the elderly madam and Fu Tingsheng at home didn't require their company.
So, Shen Qingqing simply didn't get out of the car.
Fu Jingshu started the car, and it slowly merged into the traffic, heading directly to a dress shop. It was a high-end custom dress boutique.
The price for custom-made items was naturally very high, but besides custom orders, they also had many other styles, various types, strapless, mermaid skirts, and so on...
It was dazzling.
But Shen Qingqing wasn't visiting for the first time.
She and Fu Jingshu, one tall and the other short, a perfect match, were immediately greeted by the manager upon entering. Without the couple even speaking, the manager brought out the best and most expensive dresses in the store.
"Master Fu, Madam, these are all the styles we have in our store besides the custom-made ones. Please take a look and pick whichever you like. You can try them on."
Any other woman would have been overwhelmed and unsure of which to choose.
Shen Qingqing scanned the display but found them all rather uninspiring.
The general manager's scalp tingled. Had the dresses not met the madam's standards?
Just as he was thinking, he saw the tall, imposing, and expressionless man suddenly turn to look at Shen Qingqing. His left hand naturally rested on his wife's slender waist, and his stern eyebrows seemed to melt like ice and snow.
"You don't like any of them?"
"Not exactly." Shen Qingqing shook her head. The dresses here were all beautiful, but none reached her desired standard; they still felt a little bit lacking.
"Then let's look at other stores."
Fu Jingshu said this as he turned to leave with his wife, not even glancing at the dresses the general manager had presented, nor needing any explanation.
The general manager was suddenly anxious but didn't dare to forcefully stop them, only following behind, chattering and inquiring.
"What is it that the madam is not satisfied with? What kind of dress do you want? You can tell me, and I will definitely help you find what you like, even if I have to retrieve it from a branch store!"
He glanced at the date and then said,
"Or, are you attending a banquet, or a wedding? Is there enough time? If you're not in a hurry, perhaps you could try a custom-made one..."
Seeing her dry throat from talking, Shen Qingqing pondered for a moment and finally stopped.
She stopped, and Fu Jingshu naturally stopped as well.
The general manager's face lit up. "Madam, please tell us your requirements. I will do my utmost to satisfy them!"
Shen Qingqing sighed softly. She didn't want to make things difficult for her. Going to another store would be too much trouble, and she wasn't in the mood right now. So, she casually scanned the dresses, her gaze finally settling on one.
"This one." Kuaishuge
The general manager turned to look.
It was a light purple bubble dress, with large, light purple peony flowers embroidered from the shoulder all the way to the hem. These were all hand-embroidered, and the qipao was also very expensive.
The general manager looked at the sales assistants beside him and immediately reprimanded them.
"What's going on with you all? How could you bring out this qipao?"
The sales assistants then realized their mistake and lowered their heads. They didn't dare to argue back when being scolded.
Shen Qingqing had initially just thought that among the pile of dresses, this one was somewhat presentable, but she didn't expect it to be a problematic one.
"What, is this qipao not for sale?"
The general manager shuddered and quickly said, "Madam Fu, you have excellent taste. You immediately spotted the best one here. But you might not know, this qipao was placed in our store by a renowned designer. It wasn't originally for sale. The designer said that if someone who liked this qipao appeared, it would mean that person and the qipao were fated. If not, it would remain as an exhibit here."
A sales assistant quickly apologized.
"I'm so sorry, I'm so sorry. It was my oversight. I was thinking of bringing out all the dresses and didn't see that this exhibit was also displayed among them..."
The manager scolded, "Useless! You can't even do this small thing right, what can I expect from you? Your salary will be deducted later, and if you make such a mistake again, you'll be fired."
His stern words almost made the sales assistant cry.
Shen Qingqing intervened, smoothing things over, "Forget it, it's not a serious matter. That designer didn't say it wasn't for sale. Now that I want to buy this qipao, it's exactly what the designer intended, isn't it?"