Chi Qingwei tucked the stray strands of hair behind her ear and shot her a look, saying, “Even though I’ve never been in a relationship myself, I’ve seen enough people who have. I should at least be able to pick up on something.”
Then, as if disdainfully, she added, “Did you feed all those romance novels you used to read to the dogs? How can you not understand even this?”
Chi Xi pouted, “But you confiscated all my books before I even had a chance to read them!”
She wasn’t allowed to read them, and now she was being blamed for it? Chi Xi felt she had never been so unfairly treated.
Chi Qingwei: “…”
“That just shows you lack intuition,” Chi Qingwei replied, slightly embarrassed. She stood up to pour herself a glass of water and said, “Don’t just hang around here. Use this time to read a few of the books Mu Yu likes. Maybe then you two will have something to talk about.”
Hearing this, Chi Xi felt even more wronged and said with a pitiful expression, “She likes medical books! Even if you tell me to read them, I wouldn’t understand a thing!”
It wasn’t that she hadn’t tried. She could recognize all the words individually, but when strung together, what did they even mean? And there were so many technical terms she had no idea what they referred to.
Chi Qingwei: “…”
She had miscalculated. For a moment, she had forgotten that Jiang Mu Yu’s biggest hobby was reading medical books.
The Chi Family Estate.
“Sir, the young lady has been paying special attention to an alpha lately,” Butler Fu said, standing beside the man seated on the sofa.
The man’s hair had turned gray, but his features were still handsome and gentle. Though age had brought some wrinkles, he exuded a mature masculine charm. Even now, it was easy to imagine how dashing he must have been in his youth.
Chi Yuandong carefully folded the newspaper and set it aside, looking up at Butler Fu in surprise. “An alpha?”
“I always thought she didn’t like alphas or omegas.”
Due to Chi Qingwei’s extreme sensitivity to scents, aside from a few close individuals, she never allowed anyone else to get near her.
She detested the idea of other people’s pheromones clinging to her. If she encountered a scent she disliked, she would grow so uncomfortable that her face turned pale and her body trembled.
Because of this, no one dared to pressure her into using artificial pheromones to manage her heat cycles.
And for this very reason, Chi Yuandong had always assumed that if she were to choose a lifelong partner, she would pick a beta since betas had no discernible pheromones.
“She’s an alpha, and a top-tier one at that. In terms of rank alone, she’s a perfect match for the young lady,” Butler Fu refilled Chi Yuandong’s tea and continued, “Moreover, based on the timing of the young lady’s heat cycle, she spent those days with this alpha.”
Chi Yuandong was taken aback, his eyebrows shooting up. His emotions were complex partly pleased, partly irritated.
He was relieved that his daughter had finally opened up to someone, which would be beneficial for her nearly uncontrollable pheromones. But as a father, he couldn’t accept anyone who dared to “disturb his precious cabbage”!
Having served Chi Yuandong for decades, Butler Fu knew exactly what he was thinking and added, “However, the guards protecting the young lady did not detect the scent of a mating mark on her.”
Chi Yuandong was taken aback. No mark? That meant his daughter hadn’t been marked by her. So what had they been doing during this estrus cycle? Embroidering flowers?
Were young people nowadays so capable of restraint?
“Who is that alpha? Send me her information, in detail,” Chi Yuandong said. He needed to know the background of anyone who got close to Chi Qingwei, only then could he feel at ease.
He had only this one daughter, and the entire family regarded her as the pearl in their palm. They truly feared she would melt if held in their mouths and shatter if cradled in their hands, wishing they could tuck her into their pockets at all times to keep her safe. After the accident in her childhood left Chi Qingwei with such lingering trauma, the family was both haunted by fear and filled with regret. They made it a point to discreetly vet every friend she made afterward.
“Understood. The information is being compiled and will be sent to you once it’s ready,” Butler Fu replied.
Future Technology.
Shen Zuofeng smiled, her eyes crinkling as she typed her reply: “Okay.”
Chi Qingwei had asked her to observe her preferences on her own wasn’t that an implicit agreement to spend more time together? After all, to observe, they had to meet in person, right?
Setting her phone down, Shen Zuofeng gazed out through the floor-to-ceiling window at the world outside, feeling a sense of calm settle over her. She was gradually learning to accept this world.
In the past, Shen Zuofeng had felt a subtle detachment from the world around her. But now, she was slowly trying to integrate into it.
At three in the afternoon, Shen Zuofeng sat in the back of the car, with Cai Meilin driving up front.
“Boss, I’ve already notified the people at Jinchuang Fashion,” Cai Meilin said.
“Good. We’ll head straight to the factory area when we arrive,” Shen Zuofeng nodded.
She was now on her way to Jinchuang Fashion, a company under Chi Qingwei’s name. Since the two companies had reached an agreement, she hadn’t yet visited, so she decided to take advantage of her free time today to check on the progress.
When they arrived at the entrance of Jinchuang Fashion’s factory area, they found it to be vast, with even the gate occupying a considerable amount of space.
“President Shen,” a middle-aged beta in a suit stepped forward to greet them as soon as they got out of the car. “I am Jiang Huaisheng, the person in charge of Jinchuang.”
“Hello, Mr. Jiang. This is my assistant, Miss Cai Meilin,” Shen Zuofeng shook his hand, noting his receding hairline. His face didn’t look particularly old just how much pressure was he under?
“Let me give you a tour. The goods are already in accelerated production. At the current pace, we should be able to complete the entire order in about twenty days,” Jiang Huaisheng led the way, stopping before an electric sightseeing cart used within the factory. “It’s a bit of a walk from here, so let’s take the cart.”
Since external vehicles weren’t allowed inside the factory area, Shen Zuofeng’s car was parked outside.
“Thank you for your trouble. This progress is actually faster than I expected,” Shen Zuofeng remarked with some surprise. After all, the order volume was substantial, and the craftsmanship required for traditional clothing, with its intricate details, usually demanded more time than ordinary garments.
“Haha, we’re operating in three shifts now. We’ll do our best to complete this batch as quickly as possible while ensuring quality,” Jiang Huaisheng took the wheel himself. The cool breeze of late autumn swept by, bringing with it a refreshing crispness without any hint of chill.
Jiang Huaisheng led them to Workshop No. 2, where the entire workforce was currently dedicated to fulfilling the order for Future Technology.
Having received Chi Qingwei’s explicit instructions, Jiang Huaisheng was paying close attention to this batch of goods, doing everything possible to coordinate the schedule and ensure timely delivery.
Since founding the company, Chi Qingwei had handed over its management to him, with him reporting the situation to her quarterly. She had never interfered with his management before, so this special instruction made Jiang Huaisheng take it very seriously.
Shen Zuofeng knew this was undoubtedly because of Chi Qingwei, and she felt deeply moved.
The three of them entered the workshop, which was divided into several sections. Up ahead, Shen Zuofeng saw the fabric-cutting area, where thick stacks of cloth were neatly arranged. Machines cut the fabric into various shapes along marked lines, followed by printing, stitching, quality inspection, and packaging. Step by step, a beautiful traditional garment was produced.
Shen Zuofeng examined the clothes draped on the mannequins, checking the fabric and craftsmanship. Both were excellent, perfectly bringing to life the traditional attire she had envisioned.
“Very good,” Shen Zuofeng smiled softly. In this world, there was now another connection to that other world.
Having lived twenty-three years in that world and twenty-five in this one, she couldn’t say she was particularly attached to the former. Still, knowing that her original world was that one, having more ties between this world and the original felt like a way to preserve memories of the past.
As she looked at the vibrant traditional attire before her, Shen Zuofeng suddenly wondered how Chi Qingwei would look wearing it.
She was certain it would be just as stunning.
An idea sparked in Shen Zuofeng’s mind, she suddenly wanted very much to see Chi Qingwei wearing the clothes she had designed.
To see the garments she designed worn by the person she loved, what a deeply satisfying thought.
Shen Zuofeng bit her lip lightly. She wanted to design clothes exclusively for Chi Qingwei, pieces that would be made only for her and never mass-produced for sale.
As this thought took hold, inspiration began to stir in her mind, and she felt a sense of urgency.
Taking a deep breath, she suppressed the excitement for now. It was better to focus on the task at hand, and this idea could wait.
Later, she and Cai Meilin followed Jiang Huaisheng through the entire workshop and visited the finished product warehouse to randomly inspect some garments. No issues were found, which greatly relieved Shen Zuofeng.
Time was tight, and they couldn’t afford any setbacks.
And for this, Chi Qingwei deserved much of the credit.
“President Shen, it’s almost six o’clock. Let me treat you both to dinner,” Jiang Huaisheng offered, taking a sip of water. He had been running around the workshop with them all afternoon and was exhausted, yet the two women showed no signs of fatigue. Glancing at their high heels, he couldn’t help but feel a surge of respect. Truly, the people the boss had asked him to pay attention to were anything but ordinary.
“No need. If anyone should treat, it should be us. We’ve caused you quite a bit of trouble with this,” Shen Zuofeng said. “I’ve reserved a table at Huayue Hotel. It’s the perfect time to head over now.”
“President Shen, you’re too kind,” Jiang Huaisheng replied, not pressing the matter further.
Shen Zuofeng tugged at her coat as the sky darkened. During the day, she hadn’t felt anything, but now that evening was approaching, a chill seemed to creep in, making her skin prickle slightly.
“We’ll be there soon,” Cai Meilin noticed her action.
“It’s fine. You should dress warmly too, the weather is getting colder,” Shen Zuofeng shook her head, looking at Cai Mei, who wasn’t wearing any more layers than she was.
Was the cold just a psychological effect? Otherwise, how could the body of a top-tier alpha be afraid of a little autumn chill?
Shen Zuofeng felt indignant on behalf of her alpha physique.