Upstairs, Shen Qingyu finally crawled out from under the covers.
She took a shower, changed into loungewear, and by the time she went downstairs, it was almost ten o’clock.
Aunt Liu warmed up some congee and shrimp dumplings for her. She sat at the dining table and ate slowly. Manlin Jiang had gone out to the law firm and said she would return around two in the afternoon. Shen Huaiting was on the phone in the study, his voice faintly audible as he arranged the afternoon work handover.
After finishing breakfast, Shen Qingyu took the honey water Aunt Liu had poured for her and sat on the living room sofa, lost in thought.
The sky outside was still gray—typical of winter in Jingbei, where sunny days were rare and everything was cloaked in a cold, ashy hue.
She took out her phone and glanced at the address for tonight—the Pei family’s private club, located in the eastern part of the city, about half an hour’s drive from her home.
At half past three in the afternoon, the doorbell rang.
Aunt Liu went to answer the door. A woman in her early thirties entered, followed by a young assistant carrying two large cases. Her name was Qing Fang, a well-known stylist in Jingbei’s social circles and an old acquaintance of Manlin Jiang.
“Sister Jiang,” Qing Fang greeted with a smile as she stepped inside, swiftly changing into slippers. “Traffic was a bit heavy, I hope you haven’tt been waiting long?”
“It’s fine,” Manlin Jiang said, rising from the sofa. “Qingyu is upstairs. I’ll take you up.”
When they went upstairs, Shen Qingyu was sitting at the vanity in her bedroom, her hair draped over her shoulders, wearing loose loungewear, and scrolling through her phone with her legs crossed. Hearing the knock, she looked up and saw the stylist entering with her mother. Instinctively, she straightened her posture.
“Qingyu, you can call her Sister Fang,” Manlin Jiang introduced. “I mentioned her to you—she’ll be doing your styling for tonight.”
“Hello, Sister Fang,” Shen Qingyu smiled, putting on a well-behaved expression.
Qing Fang gave her a quick once-over, professionally assessing something. She had seen plenty of socialites and young heiresses, but this one was somewhat different—even bare-faced, her complexion was exceptionally flawless, her features delicate and clean, with a scholarly air between her brows. She was naturally pretty without makeup. But tonight’s occasion required refinement.
“Your natural features are really good,” Qing Fang complimented her. “Your skin still looks this good despite jet lag—you must take good care of it regularly?”
“Just the basics,” Shen Qingyu replied.
“Then let’s start with makeup,” Qing Fang said, opening her case, which was neatly packed with various cosmetics. “Sister Jiang, do you have a preferred style, or shall I decide?”
Manlin Jiang leaned against the doorframe, arms crossed, thinking for a moment. “Just elegant and poised—not too plain, but not too heavy either. She’s young; too plain won’t command presence, and too heavy might seem frivolous. You can handle the rest.”
Qing Fang nodded and turned to Shen Qingyu. “Then I’ll begin.”
The makeup process took longer than Shen Qingyu had expected.
Qing Fang started with a full skincare routine—toner, serum, moisturizer, sunscreen, and primer—layering each step patiently, as if painting a canvas. Then came the foundation, applied with a brush and blended meticulously with a damp sponge. Concealer was dabbed under her eyes, completely covering the faint shadows left by jet lag.
“Your eyebrow shape is lovely; it doesn’t need much adjustment, just a little grooming,” Qing Fang said as she traced Shen Qingyu’s natural brow line with an eyebrow pencil, slightly lifting the arch to add a touch of boldness compared to her bare-faced look.
The eye makeup took the most time. Qing Fang chose a warm brown eyeshadow palette, starting with a light shade as a base, then blending a slightly darker shade at the outer corners, and finally adding a touch of shimmer to the center of the eyelids to make the eyes look deep but not exaggerated. The eyeliner was drawn extremely thin, with just a slight extension at the outer corners. After curling the lashes, she applied two coats of mascara, making each lash distinct and fanning out like tiny brushes.
“Your eyes are very pretty,” Qing Fang said, stepping back to assess the effect. “You have deep double eyelids and an elongated eye shape, so you don’t need heavy makeup. Just emphasizing the contours a little is enough.”
The blush was a soft apricot-pink, swept across the cheekbones as if it were a natural flush from within the skin. For the lipstick, she chose a muted rosewood shade, applying a thin layer and blotting it lightly with a tissue to remove any excess, leaving behind a gentle and long-lasting base color.
“All done, take a look,” Qing Fang said with a smile.
Shen Qingyu looked at herself in the mirror and froze for a moment.
The makeup wasn’t heavy, but every detail was just right. Her features were still her own, but her overall aura had been brightened—not in a grand, evening-gown kind of way, but with a subtle, refined elegance. It was as if she had always looked like this, just in particularly good form today.
“It looks really beautiful,” Shen Qingyu said sincerely.
Qing Fang smiled and said, “Next, we’ll do your hair. Once that’s done, you’ll look even more stunning.”
The hair styling was quicker than the makeup.
Qing Fang didn’t pin her hair up but instead used a large curling iron to create a few loose waves, starting from below the ears and curling all the way to the ends. After curling, she gently tousled the hair with her fingers to make the waves look more natural and relaxed, finishing with a light spritz of hairspray at the ends.
“Your face is small, so wearing your hair completely down might look too soft. Let me pin it back a little,” Qing Fang said, taking a pair of pearl hair clips from her kit and pinning the hair on the right side behind her ear, revealing the line of her neck.
Shen Qingyu looked at herself in the mirror and suddenly felt a little unfamiliar.
The kind of unfamiliar that looked good.
“Alright, makeup and hair are done,” Qing Fang said, clapping her hands. “What dress do you want to wear? Let me help you pick.”
Manlin Jiang took the pale yellow dress from the closet door and handed it to Qing Fang.
Qing Fang gave it a quick once-over and nodded.
“Pale yellow is a tricky color, but your daughter has fair skin, so it suits her complexion well,” she said, holding the dress up to Shen Qingyu for comparison. “The cut is also perfect—fitted at the waist but not tight, with the hemline reaching the knees to show off the calves. It’s elegant without looking old-fashioned.”
The dress had a smooth, flowing texture that shimmered softly under the light. The round neckline revealed just the right amount of collarbone, neither too much nor too little. The sleeves were slightly puffed, tapering at the cuffs to make her arms look slender. A thin belt of the same color was tied into a simple bow at the waist.
“Go try it on,” Qing Fang said, handing her the dress.
Shen Qingyu took the dress to the walk-in closet to change. When she walked out, Qing Fang was tidying up the items in her kit. Looking up as Shen Qingyu approached, she paused for a moment.
“Wow, you look beautiful,” Qing Fang said, her tone sincere. “Really, truly beautiful.”
The pale yellow made her skin appear even fairer, and the dress hugged her curves smoothly and naturally. The hemline reached just above her knees, revealing a pair of straight, slender calves. Paired with nude or light apricot heels, the overall effect would be perfectly harmonious.
“Where are the shoes?” Qing Fang asked.
Manlin Jiang took out a pair of nude-colored stiletto heels from the shoe cabinet. The heels were about seven centimeters high, and there was a small metal buckle on the vamp—simple and elegant.
“These,” Manlin Jiang said.
Qing Fang took them and glanced at them, nodding. “The color matches the dress perfectly, and the heel height is just right—steady to walk in.”
Shen Qingyu sat down to put on the shoes, then stood up and took a few steps. Seven centimeters wasn’t too high; she was used to wearing heels of this height and walked naturally.
“What about accessories?” Qing Fang asked.
“Let me see.” Manlin Jiang opened the jewelry box and rummaged through it, pulling out a pair of delicate pearl earrings and an extremely thin necklace with a large diamond pendant.
“Just these, nothing too elaborate,” Manlin Jiang said, handing over the earrings and necklace. “She’s young—simplicity looks better on her.”
Qing Fang took the earrings and helped Shen Qingyu put them on. The pearls were small, just glowing softly on her earlobes. Once the necklace was fastened, the diamond settled perfectly in the hollow of her collarbone, complementing it beautifully.
“Perfect,” Qing Fang said, stepping back to look her over from head to toe. “Truly perfect. Elegant, graceful, sophisticated—not flashy but absolutely eye-catching. Tonight’s star is undoubtedly you.”
Shen Qingyu looked at herself in the mirror and suddenly felt a sense of unreality.
The person in the mirror was her, yet not quite her.
Manlin Jiang stood behind her, her gaze filled with pride, satisfaction, and a touch of emotion.
“Good,” Manlin Jiang said. “Just like this.”