Ming Shu emerged from the funeral hall just as the first rays of dawn broke across the horizon. The early light cast a warm, golden hue over her snow white clothes. Exhausted, she let out a yawn, the mournful strains of funeral music still echoing in her ears.
Her young secretary pulled the car up to the entrance. “President Ming, the office has been arranged. Would you like to head to the company first?”
The first thing Ming Shu had done upon returning to the country was purchase a building in the city center. Yes, purchase. Acquiring a landmark skyscraper in the heart of a district where land was worth its weight in gold was a quiet testament to her company’s power.
Ming Shu checked her watch. “Let’s go to the office. Chuiyun won’t be awake at this hour anyway.”
Leaning back in the rear seat, Ming Shu yawned again, her eyes misty with fatigue. The exhaustion softened her usual icy demeanor. Behind her rimless glasses, her eyes fluttered shut, her head swaying slightly with the movement of the car. The secretary drove with extra care, hoping to let her boss catch a few moments of sleep.
Just as Ming Shu was about to drift off into a deep slumber, a piercing ringtone jolted her awake. The phone on her lap buzzed incessantly. She opened her eyes, a flash of annoyance crossing her face.
It was an unknown number.
She tapped to answer, her voice flat. “Hello, who is this?” Her private number was rarely leaked; she didn’t usually deal with nuisance calls.
“Hello, this is Yang’s Tailor Shop. Am I speaking with a relative of Ms. Su Chuiyun?”
Hearing the first half, Ming Shu’s brow furrowed in confusion, her irritation replaced by curiosity. Yang’s Tailor Shop was a famous time honored brand with roots tracing back to the Qing Dynasty imperial courts. During the Republican era, they had adapted to offer custom Western style wedding dresses.
“Su Chuiyun?”
The name hung in the air, plunging the car into an eerie silence. The secretary caught a glimpse of Ming Shu’s frigid expression in the rearview mirror and felt a sudden chill.
“I am her family,” Ming Shu said. “What is the matter?”
The representative from the shop was polite, explaining in a few sentences that Ms. Su had ordered a wedding dress six months ago. They were calling for a follow-up to see if the dress fit or if further alterations were needed.
That single sentence caused the atmosphere in the car to drop to freezing. The secretary marveled at the shop’s ability to hit every single one of Ming Shu’s triggers.
Six months ago, she and the boss were still in the Northern Hemisphere with no intention of returning.
Ming Shu suppressed her emotions. “Why do you have my number? Did Su Chuiyun not leave an alternative?”
“We found that five years ago, you customized a wedding dress at our shop and later applied for a refund. At that time, Ms. Su’s number was left as the contact, so we took the liberty of calling. We apologize for the intrusion.” The clerk’s voice grew hesitant. “I thought perhaps you two were planning to hold the wedding again, which is why a new one was ordered…”
At the mention of five years ago, Ming Shu’s fingers tightened.
“Yes, that is the plan,” Ming Shu replied curtly before hanging up.
She tossed the phone onto the back seat. Her eyes were closed, but her fingers tapped rhythmically and heavily against her knee, a clear sign of her foul mood.
“Miss Su must have been looking forward to marrying you. Boss, why aren’t you happy?” the secretary asked, trying to lighten the mood.
Ming Shu replied, “She probably wanted to marry Song Xi.”
“But since you’ve returned, Miss Su hasn’t given Song Xi the time of day,” the secretary pointed out. “She even kicked her out of the garden.”
This was the point that made Ming Shu hesitate. If her “sister” had shown blatant affection for Song Xi, Ming Shu would have stepped back. But Su Chuiyun seemed to have no feelings for the woman at all.
Finally, Ming Shu closed her eyes and muttered, “The little liar.”
Back at the garden estate, Su Chuiyun was staring blankly at the wedding dress.
There really is a wedding dress.
When Su Chuiyun woke up, she found three missed calls from “The Tailor Shop.” She had been asleep and forgotten to call back. Now, her head throbbed with a sense of impending doom.
Chen Yue stood behind her. “You’ve been staring at it for half an hour.”
For a blind person, the word “staring” shouldn’t apply, but Chen Yue often felt that Su Chuiyun wasn’t truly blind that she had her own way of perceiving the world.
Su Chuiyun: I wish I were actually blind right now.
Some people are alive, but dead inside. She was one of them.
Su Chuiyun’s gaze remained vacant. “This dress… throw it away.”
Chen Yue replied, “Does that include the debt on the company books?”
To customize this dress, the original owner had charged 230,000 yuan to the company account, nearly draining her personal savings. Every diamond and feather was hand-sewn. It was staggeringly expensive.
Su Chuiyun felt her heart bleed. “Can you… can you sell it?”
“A second-hand wedding dress?” Chen Yue remarked. “You certainly have a mind for business.”
“…”
Su Chuiyun felt the sting of a corporate worker’s disdain for poverty. She checked the lining; thankfully, there were no embroidered initials.
Chen Yue continued, “The new maid has been found. Auntie Wang wants to see you at the station. It seems her son used the embezzled money to tip a live-streamer… Ming Shu happens to be a shareholder in that streaming company.”
Su Chuiyun frowned. “Why see me? Does she think my sister earned her son’s money? If she has a problem, she can go to labor arbitration. You gave her the N+1 severance, right?”
“I did,” Chen Yue said, pausing. How are you so familiar with labor arbitration procedures?
Bai Li knocked and entered. “Miss, a new batch of Taihu stones has arrived in the courtyard. Would you like to come and have a look?”
Bai Li immediately covered her mouth, remembering Su Chuiyun’s eyes.
Su Chuiyun wasn’t offended. “Sure, let’s go ‘look.’ Or rather, let’s go feel them.”
Just as Su Chuiyun was about to stuff the wedding dress into the deepest corner of her wardrobe, a cool, indifferent voice rang out behind her.
“What are you hiding?”
The rhythmic thud-thud of Ming Shu’s high heels echoed against the hollow wooden floor. Su Chuiyun froze like a cat caught by the scruff of its neck.
“Sister…”
“Don’t call me sister. I’m not your sister.”
Su Chuiyun’s movements faltered. She was wearing the necklace Ming Shu gave her, the earrings Ming Shu gave her, and the diamond ring Ming Shu gave her. The girl in the wheelchair looked frail and beautiful. Her smoky grey eyes, though sightless, seemed to shimmer.
“Sister, I ordered a wedding dress. Since I can’t see, I don’t know if I look good in it.”
Going for broke, Su Chuiyun maneuvered her wheelchair toward Ming Shu. Like a puppy caught in the rain, she reached out and grasped Ming Shu’s pinky finger.
“Sister, do you want to see me in it?” She improvised frantically. “I really want to wear it for you.”
The look in Ming Shu’s eyes shifted. If this dress had been intended for someone else, Su Chuiyun wouldn’t be acting so desperate for her approval.
Ming Shu asked, “You wanted to wear a wedding dress for me six months ago?”
Su Chuiyun smiled brilliantly while crying internally, terrified of saying the wrong thing and being buried alive by Ming Shu.
“To be honest, when I ordered it, I didn’t think I’d ever get to show you. You were abroad… I thought I might never see you again in this life.”
Su Chuiyun took Ming Shu’s hand. “I just felt… that we should have a wedding photo together.”
Ming Shu looked down at the girl who looked like she was on the verge of tears. Does she have any idea how cute she looks when she’s lying?