Today’s progress went more smoothly. Although two hours had been lost in the morning, at least the collaboration had been successfully secured.
Wen Mochuan invited the partners to lunch, but they had other plans and politely declined.
He didn’t insist, only extending his hand to shake the main person’s hand.
The partners were very satisfied with Wen Mochuan, his company, and its potential. Though they couldn’t join us for lunch, their attitude was sincere.
“Mr. Wen, we look forward to a pleasant collaboration,” they said.
Wen Mochuan’s calm smile was perfectly measured as he nodded, “Likewise.”
Once the business matters were settled, he got into the car and immediately asked Assistant Xu, “When is the next flight back to Shen City?”
Before Wen Mochuan even asked, Assistant Xu had already pulled out his phone to check the flights.
A few seconds later, he replied, “There’s a flight at 10:30, but it’s too soon. The next one is… two hours later.”
“Book the one just after noon,” Wen Mochuan said. If everything went smoothly, he could still make it to the end of the parent-child event at the Meimei Kindergarten.
Even if he couldn’t participate fully, showing up at the end would make Meimei happy.
Meanwhile, Jiang Yiyan was still shopping at the mall.
She hadn’t originally intended to use Wen Mochuan’s card, but as a newcomer without cash, she happened to have a supplementary card in her bag. After careful thought, she decided to use it to handle her immediate needs.
She could always repay him later.
The original Jiang Yiyan did have money in her phone, and checking her WeChat wallet, there was plenty of allowance. But she didn’t know the payment password, so she couldn’t access it.
Luckily, she had that card in her bag; otherwise, going out in the scorching sun today would have been pointless.
Jiang Yiyan didn’t spend much; she didn’t buy anything expensive, just a few summer outfits under a thousand yuan each at a reasonably priced mall.
She recorded every expenditure in her phone’s notes app.
Recalling a parent-child activity video she had seen yesterday, where parents needed to do physically demanding exercises, Jiang Yiyan decided she should wear sneakers to kindergarten in the afternoon.
She hadn’t noticed any sneakers in the wardrobe, so she promptly headed to the sports brand section of the mall.
Fortunately, several popular sports brands were grouped together. Jiang Yiyan tried them one by one, finally picking a pair that looked stylish and fit perfectly.
“This is it,” she said with satisfaction. “Wrap them up, please.”
Jiang Yiyan was carrying a bag from Xiang Nainai’s latest summer collection, and her outfit was from a small international brand.
The mall sales assistant, seeing her attire, immediately realized she was a wealthy person experiencing life in an ordinary setting.
Eagerly, the assistant introduced more shoes, hoping to sell several pairs at once.
Despite the enthusiastic pitch, Jiang Yiyan remained unmoved.
She didn’t stop the assistant from speaking, but when the introduction ended, she smiled politely, “No, thank you.”
Then she walked straight to the counter with her card.
The sales assistant was persistent, continuing to follow her, making a final pitch:
“Ma’am, the pairs you just tried on are really beautiful. Are you sure you don’t want two more? Or this new arrival—we only have one of each size, very limited. Would you like to try it?”
Having worked in a mall herself, though not in sales, Jiang Yiyan understood their difficulties.
She wasn’t irritated by the repeated pitches, but her plan was to buy just this one pair, so she didn’t waver.
“Not today, let’s check out. If I need more, I’ll come back,” she said firmly.
Seeing her decision, the assistant finally gave up.
Jiang Yiyan swiped her card, and the assistant handed over the packaged shoes with both hands, bowing politely, “Ma’am, enjoy your shoes. Please come again.”
Meanwhile, Wen Mochuan, sitting in the back seat on the way to the airport, had just closed his eyes to rest when a payment notification interrupted him.
The car was quiet, making the notification sound particularly sharp.
Assistant Xu glanced at him through the rearview mirror.
Wen Mochuan unlocked his phone, seeing yet another notification for a small expenditure from a supplementary card, and his brow furrowed.
It wasn’t that he minded his wife spending his money, but receiving multiple notifications for low-value spending in a short period was unusual.
He had been away in Jiang City for work, and she had been quietly at home, so he suspected she might be plotting something.
Wen Mochuan didn’t have the energy to argue or fuss over it, focusing entirely on business expansion, not wanting domestic matters to affect his mood.
After thinking briefly, he opened his contacts, found “Jiang Yiyan,” hesitated slightly, then gently pressed to call her.
At the mall, Jiang Yiyan, tired from shopping, had found a place to rest.
Her phone rang, and seeing “Husband” on the screen startled her, nearly causing her to drop it.
She knew that if she continued living under the original Jiang Yiyan’s identity, contact with Wen Mochuan was inevitable.
So, after a moment of mental preparation, she courageously pressed the answer button.
When the call connected, she didn’t speak immediately, waiting for him to start.
The line remained silent, testing Wen Mochuan’s patience. Just as he was about to hang up, the call finally connected.
There was still no sound. Wen Mochuan, after a few seconds of silence, spoke first, “Are you out?”
“Yes,” she replied matter-of-factly, “at a nearby mall.”
A brief exchange, and then silence fell between them.
In the past, Wen Mochuan had been quiet while his wife tried to engage him in conversation. Now, with Jiang Yiyan unusually reticent, the atmosphere felt different.
She felt the awkwardness but, against her better judgment, still expressed concern, “Is your work done? You’ve worked hard. When will you be back?”
Though she was genuinely tired from shopping, she wasn’t pretending to flatter him.
He didn’t ask more and simply said he had booked the 2:30 PM flight and was on the way to the airport.
Jiang Yiyan wasn’t actually concerned about when he returned; part of her secretly wished he would come back later. Receiving this response, she naturally adopted a neutral tone.
She nodded subconsciously, then added, “Be safe on the road.”
“Mm,” Wen Mochuan acknowledged, ending the call.
Hearing the dial tone, Jiang Yiyan inexplicably felt a sense of reassurance.
If all went well, he would be home before dinner. With that in mind, she set aside her rest, carrying her shopping bags home.
The parent-child event at Meimei Kindergarten started at 2:30 PM, and it was only 11:30 now. After lunch, she still had time for a short nap.
Wen Meimei didn’t come home for lunch. After eating alone, Jiang Yiyan went upstairs, showered, and let Meimei sleep during her afternoon nap.
She set an alarm for 1:40 PM.
Waking at 1:55 PM, Xiao Chen was already waiting outside with the car.
Seeing her outfit, Feng Ma hesitated to speak.
Jiang Yiyan noticed and asked, “What’s the matter?”
Feng Ma smiled, “Are you going like this today?”
Jiang Yiyan looked at herself over: a black ankle-length sleeveless dress with a loose white shirt over it, paired with the new sneakers she had bought. Her hair was in soft waves, minimal sunscreen, and lip gloss.
She had checked herself in the mirror before leaving and felt she looked fresh, energetic, and youthful.
“Does it look inappropriate? Or not nice?” she asked.
Feng Ma shook her head, smiling, “Not at all. You look beautiful. It’s just… different from your usual style.”
Previously, even at home, she had always dressed carefully, striving to appear her best for her husband.
Recently, her style and manner has become more casual.
Jiang Yiyan had her own reasoning.
“Styles always change. Staying the same isn’t necessarily better. Perhaps a new style will bring unexpected results,” she said meaningfully.
Feng Ma understood at once, nodding, “You’re right, Ma’am.” Everything she did was for her husband. The past meticulous efforts hadn’t garnered much attention, so perhaps trying a new approach would catch his notice.