Several photos came through.
In them, Chu Li wore a black bespoke suit, an exquisite pocket square tucked into his breast pocket. Qin Yunshu’s fair wrist rested in the crook of his arm. She wore an elegant qipao, her long hair pinned up with a hairpin, and she exuded a gentle air.
They looked like a perfect couple.
Pain stabbed Qin Xingwan’s heart. She was still lying in the hospital after miscarrying, and he was accompanying Qin Yunshu to the Perfume Conference.
And there was that dress…
The qipao was a lustrous, pearly white and worth a fortune.
It was the outfit Qin Xingwan had planned to wear to the Perfume Conference. Lin Qingya had designed and made it herself, spending half a month on it.
Two days earlier, Lin Qingya had told her the dress was ready. If nothing had happened, Qin Xingwan would have picked it up yesterday.
Now Qin Yunshu was wearing it.
There was no need to guess. This was Chu Li’s doing.
Gritting her teeth, she got out of bed and messaged Lin Qingya: “I’ll come over now. Have someone bring a dress to the hotel for me.”
Lin Qingya replied with a single word: “Okay.”
Half an hour later, Qin Xingwan arrived at the hotel hosting the Perfume Conference. Lin Qingya had been waiting outside.
When she saw Qin Xingwan, she was startled. “Xingwan, why do you look so pale?”
Qin Xingwan didn’t hide what had happened. She told Lin Qingya about her miscarriage.
Lin Qingya was furious. “What a pair of scumbags. How dare they treat you like this? Come on. I’ll get revenge for you.”
Qin Xingwan stopped her. She was grateful for Lin Qingya’s support, but some things she had to deal with herself.
“I’ll change first. Could you do my makeup, too?”
“Of course, Xingwan. No matter what, I’ll be right there with you.”
With Lin Qingya beside her, Qin Xingwan changed into the dress and had her makeup done. She simply pinned up her hair, then made sure she looked reasonably well before the two of them walked arm in arm into the banquet hall.
The Perfume Conference was a major event in the industry, held once a year.
As the chief perfumer of Chu Group, Qin Xingwan had received an invitation long ago.
But for the past three years, she had rarely appeared in public, so few people knew her.
As they made their way inside, all Qin Xingwan heard was praise for Qin Yunshu. People said she was every bit the chief perfumer of Chu Group: not only could she create top-tier perfumes, she was beautiful as well. No wonder President Chu never brought her out…
They had mistaken Qin Yunshu for Qin Xingwan.
With Qin Xingwan on her arm, Lin Qingya announced loudly, “The woman beside me is the real chief perfumer of Chu Group, Ms. Qin Xingwan.”
Everyone exchanged bewildered looks.
Qin Xingwan walked straight up to Chu Li and Qin Yunshu.
Qin Yunshu quickly pulled her arm out of Chu Li’s and explained, “Sister, don’t misunderstand. You weren’t feeling well, so I asked A-Li to be my escort.”
A faint look of surprise crossed Chu Li’s handsome, distinguished face. “What are you doing here?”
Qin Xingwan didn’t look at him. She fixed her gaze on Qin Yunshu, her voice icy. “Miss Qin, do you have to wear someone else’s dress to a banquet?”
Qin Yunshu’s face flushed at once. She lowered her head, too embarrassed to look up, and tried to explain. “Sister, my dress got dirty. A-Li asked Miss Lin to lend me this one.”
Lin Qingya rolled her eyes, showing no courtesy. “I never agreed to lend it to you. You took it by force. And if I’d known Chu Li was taking it for you, I would never have let him leave with the dress.”
At the time, Lin Qingya hadn’t been able to get in touch with Qin Xingwan, so she’d brought the dress to the venue herself. Chu Li happened to see it and immediately asked to borrow it.
Lin Qingya refused, but Chu Li simply snatched the dress from her. Thinking he was taking it for Qin Xingwan, Lin Qingya hadn’t pursued the matter. Only later did she see Qin Yunshu wearing it.
Qin Yunshu bit her lip in embarrassment, her eyes reddening as if she were about to cry.
Chu Li reached out, shielding Qin Yunshu. “It’s just a dress.”
Qin Xingwan met his eyes, calm and resolute. “Qingya designed this dress especially for me.”
It was the outfit she’d planned to wear to make a grand entrance at the conference.
She had been thinking of divorcing Chu Li and wanted to build up her connections, so she’d decided to attend the Perfume Conference.
She never imagined something like this would happen.
Chu Li came over and put an arm around Qin Xingwan’s shoulder, his low voice carrying a hint of tenderness. “You’re not well. What are you doing here?”
Qin Xingwan was deeply disappointed. Once again, Chu Li was changing the subject for Qin Yunshu’s sake.
She had been standing in front of him for five minutes, but he hadn’t once asked how she was feeling. Now, in order to protect Qin Yunshu, he was deliberately changing the subject.
It was disgusting.
She slipped out of Chu Li’s deliberately tender touch and looked only at Qin Yunshu, her lips curving slightly. “Miss Qin, wearing someone else’s dress without the owner’s permission is unethical.”
Countless curious gazes turned toward them.
Mortified, Qin Yunshu instinctively edged closer to Chu Li.
“Xingwan, just consider the dress a gift to Yunshu. I’ll have someone bring you the latest designs from this season tomorrow. You’re not well, so go back to the hospital and rest.” Chu Li spoke to Qin Xingwan as if granting her a favor.
“No.” Qin Xingwan shook her head, a faint, composed smile on her face. “From now on, I’ll decide what happens to my things.”
Her husband and her family belonged to Qin Yunshu. She wouldn’t fight or compete for them anymore.
But she wouldn’t give up what was hers—not even a fraction.
Like this dress. If she didn’t want to give it away, she wouldn’t.
“Xingwan, I only brought Yunshu with me because you weren’t feeling well.” Chu Li’s expression turned cool. He was convinced his wife was jealous because he’d accompanied Qin Yunshu to the Perfume Conference.
But her jealousy was completely out of place.
“I don’t care about that. Now, please give me my dress back.” Qin Xingwan didn’t care about Chu Li’s attitude.
She hadn’t come here to win her husband’s heart back from Qin Yunshu. She only wanted her dress.
Lin Qingya folded her arms and sneered. “President Chu, you’re so generous. You can have someone bring Miss Qin the latest designs from this season. Why insist on keeping someone else’s dress?”
“Xingwan, do you really have to make a scene here?”
Chu Li didn’t understand. For the past three years, Qin Xingwan had been a gentle, perfect Mrs. Chu.
Why had she changed like this?
“I’m only asking for the dress that was mine to begin with,” Qin Xingwan repeated. She had no intention of making a scene at all.
If Qin Yunshu took off the dress and gave it to her now, she would leave immediately without looking back.
“I’ll go change.” Qin Yunshu lowered her head and tugged at Chu Li’s clothes. “Don’t argue with Sister.”
Chu Li’s gaze sharpened, his eyes full of disappointment in Qin Xingwan.
He took Qin Yunshu by the wrist and led her away.
Qin Xingwan lowered her eyes, her expression calm.
Lin Qingya was furious and muttered, “Bastards.”
“It’s okay, Qingya.” Qin Xingwan had already come to terms with it. The baby was gone, and things between her and Chu Li were over. Getting angry about all this would only hurt herself.
After waiting about half an hour, Qin Yunshu returned in a pink dress. She came over and held out the bag she’d been clutching in her palm to Xingwan, biting her lip with a wounded expression.
“Sister, here.”
Qin Xingwan took the bag and handed it to a passing server. “Please throw this in the trash.”