Chapter 12 – Madam seems to be angry
“No problem at all.” Now, Lu Xi could openly and honestly get a good look at the young man and choose styles based on his appearance and temperament.
He felt very different from Xie Heng.
If Xie Heng was like a reckless young wolf, the boy in front of her looked very polite and refined, even when wearing a school uniform while shopping— a perfect example of a ‘other people’s child1.’
Lu Xi seriously picked out three outfits and specifically chose a casual tie to pair with the first set.
Yang Yihan showed a delighted expression, thanked her, and then instructed Xu Jiaming, “You should try it on for Mom too.”
Xu Jiaming frowned helplessly, thanked Lu Xi, and went straight to the fitting room.
“Luckily, I met you. I know nothing about fashion,” Yang Yihan said.
What’s so special about that… Lu Xi envied her instead. How did she manage to make her son so obedient? Did it need to be cultivated from an early age?
The assistant on the side asked, “Sister Yang, are you satisfied with this dress? Or do you want to try another one?”
Yang Yihan frowned.
Just thinking about it was annoying. She had to attend a small private gathering in a few days, where many celebrities would be present, meaning her outfit couldn’t go wrong.
She would be particularly noticed tonight.
It was also unfortunate that last month, one of her red carpet outfits was a major failure, and she was mocked online for several days. Even now, she was still being ridiculed in collections of celebrity fashion mishaps, which was infuriating.
Her styling team had made several mistakes this year, so Yang Yihan fired them. Her agent got her a new team, but she was still uneasy, always worrying that it was someone from a rival camp sent to sabotage her.
This dress… she couldn’t tell if it was good or not, but she had developed PTSD, always fearing something would go wrong.
“It’s very pretty and suits you,” Lu Xi said, generously complimenting as she looked at Yang Yihan in the mirror.
Yang Yihan asked, “Really?”
Lu Xi naturally replied, “Yes, I’ve been watching your movies since I was a kid, so I have some understanding of your style. However… some details need attention.”
“You’ve been watching my movies since you were a kid?” Yang Yihan was a little surprised. Lu Xi looked so young, could Lu Xi really have been her fan since childhood?
Realizing she had misspoken, Lu Xi pressed her lips together.
In fact, they were about the same age. Before Lu Xi’s transmigration, Yang Yihan had just released a new movie. At that time, Yang Yihan was twenty-four, at the prime of her acting life. Now, Yang Yihan was a mother.
Lu Xi quickly changed the subject.
“You have long legs, which are perfect for ankle-length dresses. You can pair it with a thin belt to visually raise the waistline.
“This dress has a restrained, cool vibe with a large area of dark color. It’s better to leave some skin exposed at the neck.
“It’s best not to wear too push-up bras, as they will ruin the dress’s elegance…
“Hair accessories shouldn’t be too extravagant. Simply use a hairpin to tie your hair at the back, but tuck the hairpin in…”
Lu Xi rattled off several suggestions. Yang Yihan listened intently and immediately had her assistant and the store staff adjust the dress according to her advice.
The two boys changed quickly and soon came out just as Yang Yihan was getting her new look. Her assistant, several store staff, and the manager were all gathered around her.
Taking advantage of the chaos, Lu Xi paid for the clothes she had picked out for Xie Heng earlier, intending for him to wear them for her in the future.
Yang Yihan didn’t notice her leaving, but Xu Jiaming did. He politely smiled at Lu Xi and said, “Thank you, sister, for helping me pick out the clothes.”
Lu Xi was overjoyed. No matter the time or place, being called sister by a handsome young man was always delightful!
“Goodbye!” She said cheerfully, bidding him farewell.
Xie Heng looked bewildered.
Lu Xi also helped Xu Jiaming choose clothes? What happened while Xie Heng was changing?
“Why does he call you sister?” It feels so strange, it gave me goosebumps.
Lu Xi glanced at him sideways. “Because I’m young, beautiful, and cute. I’m sensible and well-behaved. Why, are you jealous?”
Xie Heng’s face turned red.
Choosing clothes for others, she’s really meddling too much.
He deliberately said, “If you want, I can call you sister too.”
Better than calling her Mom.
“Sure,” Lu Xi said indifferently. “Then you’ll have to call your Dad Brother from now on.”
“…” Xie Heng imagined that scene. His Dad would probably be unable to resist hitting him.
???
His stepmother is really scheming to get him kicked out!
On Sunday night, Yang Yihan went to a private party hosted by a friend. Because this friend also knew Xu Jiaming, she specially brought him along.
She knew her son didn’t like such occasions, but he still came. Since divorcing her ex-husband, who soon remarried and moved abroad, ignoring Xu Jiaming, she had been working out of town most of the time. Although she cared about her son, it was limited. So this time, she wanted to spend more time with him and take him out to have fun.
Fortunately, Xu Jiaming was very sensible and never worried her about his grades.
Tonight, both she and Xu Jiaming wore clothes they had chosen from the store yesterday.
At the party, within ten minutes, more than five people had already complimented her dress, and even some high-ranking executives from an agency showed interest in Xu Jiaming, asking if he wanted to enter the entertainment industry.
Yang Yihan politely declined. She didn’t intend for her son to enter the industry; he should decide his own future.
Little did she know, soon after she arrived, she caught the attention of an elderly foreign gentleman.
Louis KC, a famous designer. The dress Yang Yihan was wearing was his creation.
He was known in the industry for his bad temper, being hard to deal with, and having high standards. He rarely lent his haute couture to celebrities, feeling that others couldn’t carry the essence of his designs.
Unexpectedly, tonight brought a pleasant surprise.
He walked straight up to Yang Yihan. “Miss Yang, I really like your and your son’s outfits today. At least my designs weren’t wasted.”
He always spoke bluntly, and others had to flatter him because he was indeed talented.
Yang Yihan was somewhat flattered, not expecting such praise from this master.
“Thank you, a fan helped us with the outfits. She has a good eye.” Yang Yihan replied with a smile, briefly explaining their experience of choosing clothes yesterday.
Louis’s eyes lit up. “Can you give me her contact information? I’d like to meet her.”
“She didn’t leave any contact information,” Yang Yihan said, feeling a bit disappointed that the fan had left yesterday.
The old man frowned.
He instructed his assistant to find this person.
The fan had bought something from the store, so there would be a record. It would be easy to find her.
“Fire that French boy. I want to hire her as my assistant,” Louis finally smiled for the first time that day.
The assistant was very efficient and found Lu Xi’s contact information early the next morning.
She called Lu Xi to explain her purpose, “Hello, Miss Lu, sorry to bother you. I am the assistant to Mr. Louis, the founder of the KC brand. Are you available to come for an interview?”
There was a three-second silence on the other end of the line, followed by a mutter, “The scams these days are getting more and more creative.”
Then the call was hung up.
Assistant : “…”
Lu Xi couldn’t be blamed for being overly cautious. She had received no less than ten scam calls in the past few days, some pretending to be from the police station, others from financial companies, and it frustrated her to no end. And now someone was impersonating a celebrity?
The issue of information leaks was indeed very serious in this era.
Lu Xi couldn’t bother with this right now; she had more pressing matters to attend to.
She had just received a call from the dean of Xie Heng’s school. He had been in a fight with some students from another school, over a girl—the school flower of Mingli High School, who was rumored to be Xie Heng’s girlfriend.
Lu Xi was bewildered.
This brat, so young and already in a romantic relationship? And fighting over a girl? Was this some kind of teenage drama?
In her dream, she didn’t recall any plot involving Xie Heng dating.
Moreover, though he was handsome, his stubborn, straight-man attitude—could he really find a girlfriend?
His biological mother was skeptical.
“Are you sure she’s his girlfriend?” Lu Xi found it hard to believe.
The dean said, “That’s what the students are saying, and there’s a lot of discussion on the forum as well.”
He sounded casual about it, not taking teenage romance too seriously, unlike when Lu Xi was in school, where it was strictly prohibited.
Lu Xi was puzzled, “Is there? I searched his name on the forum and didn’t see those posts.”
“The admins delete the posts.” The dean didn’t expect Xie Heng’s stepmother to care so much about him, to the extent of checking the forum for his news. It seemed there was a misunderstanding before—stepmothers weren’t always bad.
So that’s how it was.
Lu Xi wasn’t being nosy; she just wanted to know about Xie Heng’s love life. “Can I have access? I’d like to see.”
The dean readily agreed.
Considering the donation Xie Heng’s father, Xie Yizhao, made to the school, and Xie Yizhao’s influence, the dean couldn’t refuse Xie Yizhao’s wife’s request.
With access, Lu Xi smoothly logged into the forum with an admin account. This time, when she searched Xie Heng’s name, a lot of content she hadn’t seen before appeared.
He indeed had a rumored girlfriend, and it was an older female student?
The girl was in her second year of high school, the school flower of Mingli High School. Some posts included candid photos—tall, beautiful, pure in temperament, and dressed maturely.
Lu Xi : …Such a beautiful girl must have many admirers. Why did the girl choose her silly son?
She continued scrolling like a CP fan looking for sweet moments.
First post was titled: [Just saw the school tyrant bring breakfast for the school flower, with high-definition photos!
[I came to school early today. Guess what I saw? Xie Heng bringing breakfast and drinks for the school flower! They were standing under the cherry blossom tree by the Siyue Building, the scene was really picturesque, like a school romance drama, with petals flying! I’m really KDL2!]
The post included a photo, very blurry, but you could see the boy in the picture was Xie Heng.
The girl stood opposite him, he looked down, handing her something.
Petals were falling from above, and they were the perfect height difference, like a scene from a pure teenage love movie.
Second post was titled : [Afternoon basketball league: The school tyrant only drank the water passed by the school flower! A beautiful love story!]
[Ahhh, did you guys see the basketball game just now? Xie Heng was so handsome, I’m saying it first! I believe he’s dating the school flower. So many girls offered him water, but he only drank the one she gave him! That’s a girlfriend’s privilege!]
Third post, posted three hours ago, was deleted quickly after just a few replies.
[Xie Heng got into a fight with some guys from another school in the back alley of the South Gate Snack Street. He was alone, and there were four or five of them. I saw the school flower crying nearby. It seemed like he was fighting because of her!]
Lu Xi was confused by all the scattered gossip.
Is the girl really Xie Heng’s girlfriend? Unknown.
Why did Xie Heng get into a fight? Unknown.
But the fact that he knows how to bring breakfast for a girl? Lu Xi suddenly saw him in a new light.
And felt a bit of inexplicable relief.
When Xie Heng got into trouble, the school notified not only Lu Xi but also Xie Yizhao.
Lu Xi soon received a call from Xie Yizhao’s assistant: “Madam, Xiao Heng got into a fight outside and hurt his head. He’s being stubborn and refusing to go to the hospital. Could you please come and persuade him?”
“…” His head is injured and he’s not going to the hospital, does he think he’s invincible? Lu Xi was speechless and asked irritably, “What about Xie Yizhao? That’s his son too, why isn’t he handling this?”
Li Xiao was stunned by her question.
He had seen Lu Xi before, on the night she was saved on the cruise. She was a particularly young girl. How long had it been? And she had already become Mrs. Xie.
The assistant didn’t know what was going on. He had his boundaries and, no matter how curious he was about his boss’s private affairs, he would never pry.
But this new wife of his boss… she’s quite something.
Even over the phone, the assistant could sense her displeasure, “Mr. Xie is going on a business trip this afternoon, his flight is in two hours.”
A business trip… well, there’s nothing to be done about that.
Lu Xi couldn’t say anything about such a legitimate reason. After all, she got half of whatever Xie Yizhao earned.
“Got it.” Lu Xi hung up, leaving the assistant stunned.
The madam seemed to be angry…
When Xie Yizhao was ready to head to the airport, the assistant got in the car with him and reported, “I’ve spoken with Madam. She’ll handle the Young Master’s issue, but…”
The assistant hesitated.
Xie Yizhao closed the tablet on his lap and put it aside, speaking calmly, “Is there a problem?”
“Not really, it’s just that Madam seemed a bit upset.” Assistant Li spoke very cautiously, fearing his words might be misinterpreted as an attempt to sow discord.
- Chinese parents usually compare their children to other people’s children who are better than their own, in hope to motivate their children to become better too. The term ‘other people’s child’ here refers to the best child around that the parents of other children use as comparison. ↩︎
- KDL is a Chinese slang that means “I just saw / heard / read something cryptic that proves how sweet-in-love my ship is, omfg!” ↩︎