What exactly determined the increase in this countdown time?
Yu Wan pondered endlessly but couldn’t figure it out, eventually deciding to simply stop thinking about it.
As long as the final outcome was good, that was all that mattered.
It’s just that her hand was genuinely red, tingling with a faint pain.
Seeing Xie Mingyan’s completely unperturbed expression, Yu Wan couldn’t bring herself to suspect him.
After all, he was fastidious about cleanliness, and she was the one who had insisted on holding his hand. Perhaps she really had used too much force—it likely had nothing to do with him.
She completely failed to notice the shadowy darkness concealed deep within Xie Mingyan’s eyes.
With the countdown increased, Yu Wan was in high spirits. Even after washing up and heading downstairs, a smile lingered on her face.
Although the servants were all attending to their duties, from the moment Yu Wan descended, their glances kept drifting in her direction.
Especially when they saw Xie Mingyan following her downstairs—their curiosity and desire for gossip were barely containable.
Xie Mingyan had actually spent the night in the young lady’s room.
The young lady seemed to be in a particularly good mood today.
Could it be that the illegitimate child had really risen through his looks?
Did this mean they needed to change their attitude toward him—no, toward Xie Mingyan?
Maybe they should wait and observe a little longer?
Yu Wan sat at the dining table, facing an exceptionally lavish breakfast.
To ensure the young lady’s satisfaction, their chef had scoured delicacies from all over. There was nothing the young lady couldn’t eat—only things she didn’t feel like eating.
After taking a sip of porridge, Yu Wan seemed to remember something and beckoned to Xie Mingyan.
“Come over and sit with me for breakfast.”
Hearing this, Xie Mingyan walked over and took a seat across from her.
Yu Wan turned to the servant beside her and said, “Wang Ma, bring him a set of utensils.”
“From today onward, prepare breakfast for two. He’ll be joining me from now on.”
Wang Ma immediately sprang into action.
The servants exchanged glances, their eyes conveying mutual understanding.
What was there left to observe?
Starting today, their attitude toward Xie Mingyan would shift immediately.
After all, in this household, the young lady’s attitude dictated everything.
But what about Xie Shiyuan?
Who cared? If the young lady started favoring him again, it wouldn’t be too late for them to switch sides then.
They were, after all, the young lady’s people. Wherever her favor blew, they would naturally follow.
Yu Wan enjoyed her breakfast in high spirits, occasionally glancing up at the person across from her.
Although she had disliked him before, she had to admit—his face was quite pleasing. There was a phrase for it, wasn’t there? A feast for the eyes.
For the sake of that face, her dislike could certainly lessen a little.
.
“Young lady, the custom-made clothes you ordered earlier have arrived.”
As soon as the words were spoken, a group of people entered carrying garments.
Custom-made clothes?
What clothes?
She had bought so many clothes that she had genuinely forgotten about some things.
“Have you forgotten? You said that Young Master Xie prefers a fresh and gentle style, and you felt your current wardrobe didn’t match, so you specially placed this order.”
This wasn’t the only custom order—there had been many high-end custom pieces before.
Although this particular shop was average, Young Master Xie had once complimented it, so the young lady had continued ordering from them ever since.
The servant had blurted it out almost without thinking, only realizing what she had said after the words had already tumbled out.
Oh no. Xie Mingyan was still here. Was it inappropriate to say that? Thinking about his relationship with Xie Shiyuan, she inwardly panicked.
He wouldn’t deliberately make things difficult for me in front of the young lady, would he?
Just then, Xie Mingyan’s gaze fell upon Yu Wan.
In Yu Wan’s eyes, his expression was clearly saying:
“Is this what you call not liking Xie Shiyuan anymore?”
This felt like a direct challenge to Yu Wan.
Yu Wan: “…”
Xie Mingyan’s eyes shifted away from Yu Wan, sweeping over the entire row of clothes displayed before them, as if offering thoughtful advice.
“These clothing styles don’t seem very suitable for you.”
Yu Wan shot him a sidelong glance: As if I needed you to tell me that.
In her previous efforts to win Xie Shiyuan’s affection, she had desperately tried to emulate a gentle, delicate aesthetic – both in her clothing choices and manner of speech.
And what had she gained from it? Mockery, telling her not to try imitating others to get his attention.
Yu Wan: Was the plot controlling me before written by an idiot?
The clothing delivery staff remained unaware of the change in Yu Wan’s expression, still enthusiastically describing the garments.
From design to fabric quality to craftsmanship, they praised them to the skies.
“Miss Yu, would you like to have someone try these on for you now?”
This was a cash cow – everyone in the industry knew how she desperately imitated others’ clothing styles to chase after Young Master Xie.
This entire row of clothes could make them a fortune.
Yu Wan: “No need!”
Why bother trying them on? She didn’t want to see these clothes at all right now.
“I don’t want any of these clothes.”
The delivery staff: “??!!”
“Miss Yu, is there something about our service that dissatisfied you?”
“These are exactly what you requested – we delivered everything according to your specifications.”
“As the esteemed young lady of the Yu family, you can’t go back on your word.”
Watching their panicked expressions, Yu Wan curled her lips slightly, her fingers tracing lightly over the clothes.
“With this quality, you dare call it haute couture?”
“Over ten million,” Yu Wan’s lips curved faintly before she turned her gaze to them, asking softly, “Do I look like the kind of stupid person with more money than sense to you?”
Cold sweat broke out on the person’s forehead. When Yu Wan first approached them for custom clothing, they had been apprehensive, not daring to quote too high a price.
Later, they discovered this young lady didn’t care about money at all, and since she kept buying clothes from them, their greed grew.
Considering industry rumors, they thought she was just a lovesick fool chasing after Young Master Xie – why not take advantage?
They never expected to crash and burn this time.
“Your previous inflated quotes constitute price fraud, don’t they? I wonder how long that would get you in prison?”
The staff members turned pale with fear.
“Take your garbage and get out!”
They didn’t dare mention payment in front of Yu Wan anymore, scrambling away with the clothes in disarray.
“And all the clothes in my walk-in closet – dispose of all of them.”
She didn’t want to see that trash anymore – it dirtied her eyes.
Previously, to gain Xie Shiyuan’s attention, Yu Wan had relentlessly imitated Yu Xiayue’s clothing style, resulting in her current closet being filled with nothing but white garments as far as the eye could see.
“Young lady, are you really sure you want to get rid of all these?” the maid asked cautiously.
These were all clothes the young lady had painstakingly collected, previously treasured beyond measure.
They worried the young lady was just speaking in anger.
“Throw them out!” Yu Wan declared firmly. “These, these, and these – dispose of everything.”
Yu Wan didn’t care how the staff handled these items—as long as they disappeared from her sight.
Annoying!
Since Yu Wan had spoken, the servants swiftly began clearing everything away.
The same thought surfaced in everyone’s mind simultaneously: The young mistress seemed serious this time.
Watching the items in the walk-in closet gradually diminish felt like her past foolish behaviors were being erased bit by bit.
Satisfying.
However, Yu Wan realized a serious problem: if all these were discarded, her walk-in closet would be practically empty.
Custom orders would take time, and the new collection hadn’t arrived yet.
Suddenly, her gaze fell upon Xie Mingyan beside her.
She looked him up and down.
“I’ll take you shopping for clothes,” Yu Wan’s eyes lit up.
This way, she’d have someone to accompany her shopping, carry her bags, and the countdown wouldn’t decrease either.
Killing three birds with one stone!
Besides, Xie Mingyan was nominally her husband now, which meant he represented her face—Yu Wan’s reputation. He couldn’t appear too shabby.
“You’re my person now. Don’t embarrass me.”
“It’s settled then.” Yu Wan immediately took action after speaking.
This time, she didn’t bring the chauffeur. Xie Mingyan drove while she comfortably sat in the passenger seat, heading directly to the largest shopping mall.
Yu Wan hadn’t gone shopping much recently, so her spirits were high today. She visited every luxury boutique.
As the eldest daughter of the Yu family, her high-profile behavior made her notorious. Everyone knew she had chased after Xie Shiyuan like a lovesick puppy, but this didn’t dampen the sales associates’ enthusiasm toward her.
When they saw Yu Wan, they practically wanted to enshrine her. Though her reputation was poor, it didn’t change the fact that she was their cash cow.
“Miss Yu, look—these are all the latest pieces from this season. They’d suit you perfectly.”
To serve customers well, they made sure to understand the preferences of regular VIP clients.
Naturally, she knew Yu Wan had favored elegant, gentle styles before—though they never quite matched her personality.
Yu Wan’s beautiful eyes swept across the row of clothing before she let out a light laugh.
It seemed her image had become too fixed—even luxury store staff assumed she wanted those funeral-parlor-style outfits.
With a raised eyebrow, Yu Wan turned to Xie Mingyan: “What do you think?”
Seeing her mischievous expression, Xie Mingyan knew exactly what answer she wanted to hear: “None of them suit you.”
Sure enough, as soon as he spoke, Yu Wan smiled, her eyes curving like crescent moons—utterly captivating.
“Did you hear that? He said none of them suit me.” Yu Wan waved her hand. “Pick something else.”
Seeing this, the sales associate understood completely—Yu Wan wasn’t satisfied with any of these.
It appeared some gossip in their circles wasn’t entirely accurate.
For instance, the claim that Yu Wan was hopelessly in love with Xie Shiyuan.
But the man standing beside her now…
The sales associate stole a glance at Xie Mingyan, her mind swirling with speculation.
Had Miss Yu shifted her affections? Was this her new flame?