Just as they were about to leave the living room, Zhou Yinghuai’s gaze swept past Xu Qiqi, who was tightly holding onto Cheng Fangqiu’s hand. Finally, he could no longer hold back and spoke, “Excuse me, is there any more water?”
This successfully caught the attention of the two women.
It was only then that Xu Qiqi noticed Zhou Yinghuai’s now-empty water glass. She smacked her forehead, feeling a little embarrassed as she said, “There is, I’ll get it for you.”
“Much appreciated.”
Zhou Yinghuai didn’t stand on ceremony. He got up and handed his glass to Xu Qiqi. The moment she headed toward the kitchen, his gaze locked straight onto Cheng Fangqiu. His cold and deep eyes darkened slightly with gloom, and when he spoke, his tone dipped slightly at the end, carrying a faint hint of grievance.
“Qiuqiu.”
He merely called her name, yet he pursed his thin lips tightly and stood there quietly, looking at her like an abandoned little puppy, pitiful and dejected.
Seeing this, Cheng Fangqiu’s heart trembled. She belatedly realized that from the moment they entered the house, she hadn’t spared Zhou Yinghuai a single glance. She had even nearly forgotten the purpose of their visit, too absorbed in chatting with Xu Qiqi.
Meanwhile, Zhou Yinghuai had been left alone the entire time, unable to get a word in edgewise. Putting herself in his shoes, he really did seem quite pitiful.
A faint trace of guilt spread through her heart. Turning her head, she saw that Xu Qiqi was still in the kitchen and hadn’t come out yet. So she stepped forward, took Zhou Yinghuai’s hand, and lightly traced his palm with her fingertip to comfort him.
“Sorry, I…”
“It’s okay, no need to apologize. I understand,” Zhou Yinghuai interrupted her, then considerately tightened his grip around her hand. “As long as Qiuqiu has me in her heart, that’s enough.”
His thoughtfulness only made Cheng Fangqiu feel even worse. “It’s almost time for lunch. Once I finish asking Qiqi about the guest list, we’ll head back to eat.”
The corners of Zhou Yinghuai’s lips subtly curled upward, just as he was about to respond when Xu Qiqi returned with a glass of water.
“Lunch? You guys should just stay and eat at our place today. My husband is great at making Rongzhou cuisine.”
Almost as soon as Xu Qiqi started speaking, Cheng Fangqiu abruptly let go of Zhou Yinghuai’s hand and took two steps to the side, putting some distance between them.
The intent to avoid suspicion was crystal clear.
The slight curve of Zhou Yinghuai’s lips instantly fell. His gaze toward Xu Qiqi darkened with a touch of grievance and displeasure. However, she remained completely unaware, merely handing him the glass of water before looping her arm through Cheng Fangqiu’s again.
Cheng Fangqiu looked at Xu Qiqi with some hesitation, then glanced at Zhou Yinghuai before tentatively saying, “Maybe next time. We came over so suddenly…”
“Don’t be so formal with me! We bought a lot of groceries today, there’s definitely more than enough to eat,” Xu Qiqi quickly reassured her, thinking that Cheng Fangqiu was worried about the ingredients.
Cheng Fangqiu parted her lips slightly, unable to think of another excuse to refuse. She considered using the guest list matter as an excuse to decline the invitation.
But before she could say anything, Xu Qiqi seemed to anticipate her words and interjected in time, “Oh right, when we got married, my husband got a personnel list from the factory’s HR department. But I don’t know where he put it. Once he gets home, I’ll have him find it for you.”
Her words left no room for argument, and Cheng Fangqiu truly didn’t know what else to say.
“Alright then, it’s decided! Qiuqiu, let’s go upstairs and take a look.”
Xu Qiqi blinked at her, noticing the slight hesitation on Cheng Fangqiu’s face. Her eyes flickered with thought before shifting her gaze toward Zhou Yinghuai. Something crossed her mind, and suddenly, her tone took on a teasing, almost sarcastic edge.
“Comrade Zhou, just have some snacks and fruit for now. My husband should be getting off work soon, so you two can chat later. I’m borrowing your wife for a bit—surely you’re not that petty, are you?”
Zhou Yinghuai frowned slightly, puzzled by Xu Qiqi’s sudden hostility. He didn’t look at her, though—his gaze remained fixed on Cheng Fangqiu.
“Qiuqiu, do you want to go? If you do, then go ahead.”
“Come on?” Xu Qiqi stepped between the two of them and clung to Cheng Fangqiu’s arm coquettishly.
Xu Qiqi’s enthusiasm was overwhelming—her entire body nestled close to Cheng Fangqiu’s side, her soft frame pressing against her. Those bright eyes, curved like crescent moons, shimmered as she gazed up at her with a sweet, expectant smile.
Cheng Fangqiu felt her heart soften into mush, utterly unable to say no.
After all, who could refuse a fragrant, soft, and beautiful girl?
Besides, she really was curious about Xu Qiqi’s wedding dress and the popular skincare products of this era. So, half-heartedly resisting, she followed her upstairs.
As she reached the staircase, she instinctively turned her head to look back. He was holding the glass of water, head lowered, his whole demeanor absent-minded and listless.
Cheng Fangqiu bit her lip as guilt surged up in her heart, spreading uncontrollably. She suddenly regretted her decision.
But facing Xu Qiqi, she still had to pull herself together and treat the situation with full attention—otherwise, it would be disrespectful to both sides.
Once they were upstairs and could no longer see the living room, Xu Qiqi, who had been chatting non-stop, suddenly fell silent. She grasped Cheng Fangqiu’s hand with a serious expression and asked with slight concern, “Is your husband restricting who you can be friends with?”
“Huh?” Cheng Fangqiu was stunned for a moment before she reacted, instinctively refuting, “Of course not.”
“Really? It just feels a bit strange to me.” Hearing how firmly Cheng Fangqiu denied it, Xu Qiqi didn’t dwell on the thought. “That’s good, then. Otherwise, that would be way too scary.”
But Cheng Fangqiu, on the other hand, suddenly felt a flicker of doubt. The person involved is often oblivious, while an outsider sees clearly. Now that Xu Qiqi pointed it out, she also felt that something seemed a bit off.
Thinking carefully, the things Zhou Yinghuai had said earlier were practically ‘green tea’ talk—using a pitiful little expression to say, “As long as Qiuqiu has me in her heart, that’s enough…”
If it weren’t for Xu Qiqi blocking her escape route with conversation, she probably would have already been filled with guilt and sympathy, rushing back home with Zhou Yinghuai by now.
That’s completely a scheming dog! And she actually thought he was just an aggrieved little puppy!
When they had first arrived at the Chang household, he had been perfectly normal. It was only after Xu Qiqi started clinging to her that Zhou Yinghuai started acting strangely.
No way… Could it be that this jealous king even gets jealous of a girl?
Cheng Fangqiu rolled her eyes internally, deciding that she would have a good talk with him once they got home. Although it wasn’t as extreme as what Xu Qiqi suggested—restricting her friendships—since if he really didn’t want her to be friends with Xu Qiqi, he wouldn’t have let her come here in the first place.
But Zhou Yinghuai’s possessiveness, which leaned a bit toward obsession, really needed some correcting. Otherwise, if she kept indulging it, it would only grow worse over time.
With that thought, she took a deep breath, gathered her focus, and listened attentively to Xu Qiqi’s introduction.
Upstairs, there were two bedrooms, one bathroom, and a study. Xu Qiqi led her into the master bedroom. The large balcony she had seen from outside was part of this room. Upon entering, the right-hand side had a full row of wardrobes, while on the left was a bed and a dressing table.
The bed was covered with a pink floral four-piece set, but it was unkempt, looking quite messy.
Xu Qiqi clearly hadn’t remembered this detail. She quickly rushed over to pull the covers, smoothing them out as best as she could, then gave an awkward laugh. “I woke up too late today, so…”
All thanks to that bastard Chang Yan’an! He had kept her up until the middle of the night, yet had the nerve to wake up refreshed in the morning and head off to work. He wouldn’t be back all day, leaving her alone, exhausted enough to sleep straight into noon. She hadn’t even had the energy to make the bed.
“Sit here for a bit. I’ll go get my wedding dress.” Feeling a little embarrassed, Xu Qiqi decisively changed the subject.
Cheng Fangqiu, catching on, tactfully sat down on the chair in front of the dressing table. Instinctively, she glanced at the items on the table—all the usual things girls used: skincare products, hair ties, hair clips, bracelets, necklaces…
After scanning everything, her gaze finally settled on a plush toy in the upper left corner of the dressing table—a small rabbit with snow-white fur, clearly well cared for by its owner.
“That was a gift from my best friend. He went to Shanghai for school.” Xu Qiqi had just taken out the wedding dress from the wardrobe when she turned around and noticed Cheng Fangqiu staring at the little rabbit. Her eyes softened slightly.
Hearing her voice, Cheng Fangqiu turned her head and smiled. “It’s really cute.”
“His taste was only good this one time! You don’t even know the kind of weird stuff he used to give me.” Xu Qiqi’s words were filled with mock disdain, but her tone was light and amused.
Cheng Fangqiu saw right through it but didn’t say anything, merely chuckling softly before shifting her gaze to the wedding dress in Xu Qiqi’s arms. The sight made her eyes widen in admiration. “It’s gorgeous!”
“Hehe, all thanks to the design you gave me.” Xu Qiqi laid the wedding dress out on the bed so Cheng Fangqiu could see it more clearly. “This is the most beautiful dress I’ve ever worn. Two of my cousins even said they wanted to borrow it for their own weddings, but I couldn’t bear to lend it out.”
Xu Qiqi was truly gifted at offering emotional validation, showering her with compliments about her aesthetic sense and design skills. Cheng Fangqiu felt so flattered that she almost couldn’t handle it.
“Qiuqiu, actually, I’ve been wanting to ask you something for a long time.”
Cheng Fangqiu was in a good mood at the moment. Seeing that Xu Qiqi genuinely had something to say but seemed hesitant to bring it up, she said, “Aren’t we friends now? What’s there that a friend can’t ask?”
Hearing her words, Xu Qiqi’s slightly tense body relaxed instantly, and the smile at the corner of her lips deepened. She gestured for Cheng Fangqiu to wait a moment, then turned to her wardrobe, pulling out two dresses and hanging them neatly on hangers. Holding one dress in each hand, she displayed them to Cheng Fangqiu.
“Do you notice anything?”
Hearing this, Cheng Fangqiu compared them for a moment before slowly speaking, “Same fabric, different styles.”
Almost instantly, she recognized that the dress in Xu Qiqi’s right hand was the one she had designed for her last time, while the other dress was not her design.
“And?” Xu Qiqi’s eyes sparkled as she pressed on.
Cheng Fangqiu pursed her lips, hesitated for two seconds, then tentatively said, “One is beautiful, one is ugly?”
As soon as she finished speaking, Xu Qiqi jumped up in excitement. “Exactly!”
“Qiuqiu, you have no idea how many people have asked me where I bought this dress! They all want to buy the same one.” Xu Qiqi’s tone was filled with unconcealed excitement. She casually tossed the dresses onto the bed, then ran over to Cheng Fangqiu, her beautiful eyes wide with enthusiasm. “Just the other day, someone even offered me a hundred yuan for it, but I couldn’t bear to sell it.”
“A hundred?”
Cheng Fangqiu’s eyes also widened in disbelief. She had only casually designed a dress based on Xu Qiqi’s figure and appearance, without putting in much effort—yet it was this popular?
“Yeah! Those cadres’ daughters are just rich and clueless.” Xu Qiqi blurted out instinctively, but as soon as she said it, she smacked her lips together—wasn’t she indirectly insulting herself too?
Seeing that she realized her own blunder, the two exchanged a look and burst into laughter.
“So I wanted to ask if you’d be willing to design some clothes for them if you have time?” Xu Qiqi finally got to the point, then quickly added, “Of course, there would be payment.”
“Selling design drafts?” Cheng Fangqiu’s mind was sharp—she immediately understood what Xu Qiqi was getting at.
“Exactly! I’ll be responsible for arranging meetings with them, and you just need to pick fabrics and sketch designs. Each design draft will sell for ten yuan. We can do an 80-20 split, or even 90-10.”
Xu Qiqi’s eyes sparkled. “We’re at home every day doing nothing anyway, so why not go shopping with them, have some meals, and kill time? Plus, we won’t even have to spend our own money.”
Hearing this, Cheng Fangqiu couldn’t deny that she was tempted. However…
“Qiqi, how did you even come up with this idea? You shouldn’t be short on money, right?”
Xu Qiqi’s smile faded slightly. She hesitated for a moment, initially wanting to make up a casual excuse to brush it off, but looking into Cheng Fangqiu’s eyes—those sharp, perceptive eyes that seemed to see through everything—she sighed and chose to tell the truth.
After all, whether between friends or business partners, the most important thing was trust. If she started with a lie, this relationship would inevitably crumble in the end.