21 – The Costume Designer is Terribly Wronged
On the day of the afternoon tea gathering, Lin Yaojia was dragged out of bed early in the morning by Lin Mu to pick out clothes.
Lin Yaojia’s eyes were bloodshot from exhaustion. She had stayed up late the night before reading a heart-wrenching novel, and the more tragic it got, the more she couldn’t put it down. By the time she finally went to sleep, dawn was almost breaking.
In contrast, Lin Mu was full of energy, wearing a form-fitting red dress, her skin smooth and delicate, with seaweed-like long hair cascading over her shoulders.
Lin Yaojia’s dark circles stood in stark contrast to her.
It almost seemed like she was the one in her forties.
“Mom, didn’t you say it starts in the afternoon?”
Lin Mu pulled her arm, speaking as if it were obvious, “First, we pick out a dress. After that, you take a bath, and then we do your hair. That should take up most of the morning.”
“…” Does it really have to be this elaborate?
Although Lin Yaojia also cared about her appearance, she was lazy.
She had originally thought she could sleep until noon and just change into her clothes before leaving.
She clearly didn’t understand the ways of the wealthy.jpg.
When Lin Yaojia left her bedroom, she found the stylist and manicurist already waiting downstairs.
Seeing her come out, they even greeted her with a smile, “Good morning, Miss Lin.”
“H-hello,” Lin Yaojia stammered, having never experienced such a scene before.
For the next while, she felt like a puppet, standing in the walk-in closet, trying on one outfit after another.
The stylist and Lin Mu chattered endlessly, as if Lin Yaojia wasn’t attending an afternoon tea but a world beauty pageant.
“Let’s go with this one.”
Half an hour later, Lin Mu finally made the decision.
In the mirror, the girl wore a simple yet finely crafted black dress. Her legs were slender and fair, giving her a somewhat aloof aura.
Yet within that aloofness, there was a sense of noble elegance befitting a wealthy young lady.
998 was well aware of Lin Yaojia’s past life experiences.
She had been a complete pauper, spending all her part-time earnings on novels.
It truly was a case of clothes making the man, and a saddle making the horse.
It shook its head and sighed.
Then, with sharp hearing, Lin Yaojia heard it and punched it against the wall.
Lin Yaojia was so tired she could barely keep her eyes open. “Mom, are we done yet?”
“Not yet,” Lin Mu replied dismissively before turning back to happily discuss hairstyles with the stylist.
“…”
If she had known, she would have just shaved her head bald.
Another half hour passed before the two finally settled on a decision.
Lin Yaojia sat in front of the vanity, letting the stylist work on her hair.
Lin Mu sat to the side, having one hand manicured with a new nail design to match her outfit while flipping through the latest fashion magazine with the other.
“What does the Huo family’s newly arrived son look like?”
Just as Lin Yaojia was nodding off, she suddenly heard this sentence and jolted awake as if pricked by a needle.
The stylist clicked her tongue, “A bit thin, but his features are quite delicate.”
“Delicate?” Lin Mu understood what that meant—it implied he wasn’t particularly striking.
The Lin and Huo families were business partners, and Lin Mu had a deep impression of the Huo family’s previous son.
In fact, probably every wealthy family in the capital remembered him well.
That kid had an exceptionally handsome face. After attending a few banquets, he caused quite a stir.
He received invitations from many fashion industry giants who wanted him to model.
Several wealthy ladies with daughters were also taken with his looks, considering him as a potential son-in-law.
“What a shame. The previous kid was really outstanding,” Lin Mu remarked with a sigh.
The stylist said, “If he had debuted as a celebrity, he would have become a top star in just a few years.”
Lin Yaojia wholeheartedly agreed.
The looks of Big Boss Huo are truly something else.
Even more outstanding than those famous handsome guys in the entertainment industry from her past life.
The absolute pinnacle of good looks, jpg.
Lin Yaojia originally thought Lin Mu was being too formal, but when she arrived at the banquet venue, she realized everyone was like this.
All those attending this banquet were wealthy ladies, each with no small fortune.
Each carrying bags worth six figures or more, wearing the latest styles of various luxury brands, with meticulously styled hair.
What they wore around their necks and on their hands glittered with gold.
Their makeup was flawless, and as they chatted and laughed, their movements were elegant, their words sharp, subtly mocking each other.
“Oh, Yunyun, is this the daughter you’ve been hiding in the countryside?”
A woman in a green gown, holding a glass of wine, smiled warmly as she turned her gaze to Lin Yaojia.
“Yes, that’s right.” Lin Mu smiled and gently nudged Lin Yaojia’s shoulder. “Come on, Yaoyao, this is Auntie Sun.”
“Hello, Auntie Sun.” Lin Yaojia quickly smiled.
The woman observed her for a few seconds.
This girl wasn’t bad-looking, with curved brows and eyes, appearing innocent and pure.
There was no trace of the rumored foolishness about her.
She subtly withdrew her gaze, feeling somewhat disappointed inside, but still maintaining a smile on her face. “Yunyun, your daughter is really adorable.”
“You’re too kind.” Lin Mu clinked glasses with her.
Lin Yaojia subtly sensed the awkward atmosphere and wisely pretended to be part of the background.
After the woman left, Lin Mu leaned close to Lin Yaojia and said, “She was my college roommate. Her family wasn’t well-off, so she married right after graduation and had twin daughters. After the divorce, she couldn’t find a satisfactory job, so she became someone’s mistress. Two years ago, she got pregnant with a son and married into the Li family.”
“Oh, I see.” Lin Yaojia, having gotten the gossip, glanced a few times at the woman’s retreating figure. The woman quickly found another lady to chat with, but that lady didn’t seem to welcome her and walked away after just a few words.
“She was your roommate in college… so her education should be quite high, right? How could she not find a satisfactory job?”
Lin Mu didn’t say anything. Lin Yaojia looked at her, puzzled, only to see Lin Mu forcing a smile. “Your mom went to a vocational college.”
“…”
Halfway through the banquet, Lin Yaojia, holding a glass of orange juice, went to the balcony for some fresh air.
The orange juice was freshly squeezed and very refreshing.
She took out her phone and idly scrolled through her social media feed.
The latest post was from Pang Meng: [Speechless. I just put on the suit I ordered last time today, and not long after, the sleeve ripped. My mom argued with the tailor while calling me a pig. She was so angry she didn’t even go to the banquet.]
Cheng Yan commented below: [Not going to the banquet, shouldn’t you be happy?]
Pang Meng: [But I couldn’t bear to miss the delicious food at the banquet (innocent face)]
Huo Songjin replied to him: [The sleeve ripping really isn’t the tailor’s fault.]
Pang Meng: [(knife)(knife)(knife)]
Lin Yaojia laughed and gave him a like.
Just as she was about to join in with a comment, light footsteps suddenly sounded behind her.
She instinctively turned around.
A young man in a suit, tall with long legs, his looks not particularly outstanding.
He met her gaze for a moment before lowering his eyelashes, breaking the eye contact.
“I’ll stand here for a while, I hope I’m not disturbing you?”
He spoke first.
Lin Yaojia nodded. “Not at all.”
She didn’t pay it much mind and lowered her head to type: [Hahahahaha the tailor is so wronged.]
“I haven’t seen you before?”
“Huh?” Lin Yaojia was taken aback. “I’ve always been living in my hometown before.”
The young man’s eyes flickered slightly. “You’re Uncle Lin’s daughter? The one who’s been raised in Yicheng all this time?”
“That’s me.” Lin Yaojia’s phone vibrated, and she glanced down at the message, casually asking, “So what’s your name?”
“Huo Chengyu.”