Perhaps it was because Meng Ruozhao's act of protecting Pei Jiangmu really angered Mrs. Chen and her daughter.
They had selected several design drafts but found none of them suitable.
Finally, Mrs. Chen said, "We still have some things to attend to today, so we'll leave first. Please inform us when you have new designs, Boss Meng."
"Of course, Mrs. Chen, Miss Zhou, take your time."
Meng Ruozhao politely saw them out of the door.
The two got into the car under her watchful eyes and soon drove away from the street.
Inside the car, the atmosphere was a bit delicate.
Zhou Zhou, fiddling with her newly done nails, spoke up unhappily.
"Mom, don't you think there's something special between that Boss Meng and Pei Jiangmu?"
"Zhou Zhou!"
Mrs. Chen suddenly interrupted her daughter, her voice tinged with a hint of barely perceptible nervousness and sternness.
She quickly glanced at her daughter's young and heedless face through the rear - view mirror.
Suppressing the irritation and a hidden worry in her heart, she tried to make her tone sound calm.
"Don't pry into other people's private affairs. You're still a kid."
"Boss Meng said that Pei Jiangmu is just a part - timer here. You can't just say things like 'there's something special' casually."
"Okay."
Zhou Zhou pouted, obviously unconvinced, but seeing her mother's unhappy face, she didn't press further.
Then she thought of something and asked again.
"When shall we come here to make clothes next time? I really like the waistline design of the dress Boss Meng modified for me last time."
Mrs. Chen tightened her grip on the steering wheel. Staring straight ahead, she deliberately made her tone light and casual.
"The clothes from 'Fuyunxuan' are nice, but mom recently found a new custom - made clothing store."
"I heard the master there has better skills and the materials are more novel and unique. We'll go there from now on and stop coming to 'Fuyunxuan'."
"What?"
Zhou Zhou opened her eyes wide in surprise, looking utterly confused.
"Mom, didn't you always say before that coming to 'Fuyunxuan' to make clothes was a good chance to get close to President Yan?"
"You said that if we came here often, we might run into President Yan and establish some connections..."
Mrs. Chen's heart skipped a beat, as if her daughter had hit on her most hidden scheme.
That was exactly what she had thought before.
Climbing up to the Yan family was a ladder that many people dreamed of.
She had been cultivating the connection with Meng Ruozhao for a long time.
She had ordered clothes from here many times.
And every time she ordered clothes, she deliberately chatted a bit more to try to get closer.
All this was just to get a chance to contact the circle that Yan Qiubai belonged to.
Meng Ruozhao's designs were really unique, which had earned her a lot of face in the circle of ladies.
However, after coming here so many times, she had never once seen Yan Qiubai.
More importantly, now...
The image of Meng Ruozhao and Pei Jiangmu talking to each other, the look in their eyes, uncontrollably flashed through Mrs. Chen's mind.
And Pei Jiangmu's unusual intimacy.
Even Zhou Zhou, who was inexperienced in the ways of the world, had noticed something strange.
Not to mention her, who was an expert at seeking advantages and avoiding disadvantages.
Just as she had thought before.
Did Yan Qiubai know that Meng Ruozhao had a man with impeccable looks and temperament working in her store?
If he did, what would he think?
Just thinking about the possible upcoming storm...
A layer of cold sweat instantly broke out on her back.
Who was Yan Qiubai?
He was the current head of the Yan family and Meng Ruozhao's rightful fiancé!
With the power of the Yan family and their protection of Yan Qiubai.
Once this "scandal" was discovered and his wrath came down.
Wouldn't they, these "marginal people" who had made clothes at 'Fuyunxuan' and had some interaction with Meng Ruozhao, be implicated?
The Yan family could crush them as easily as crushing an ant!
The "opportunity to climb up" instantly became a "hot potato".
Was it worth taking the risk of being resented by the Yan family and even possibly going bankrupt for the sake of that illusory chance of making connections?
Mrs. Chen was a smart person. She instantly made the decision that was most in line with her own interests: she must draw a clear line immediately!
She naturally couldn't explain all these twists and turns and the weighing of pros and cons to her inexperienced daughter, who had been spoiled by the family and was a bit lawless.
Zhou Zhou was young and outspoken. If she accidentally let something slip, the trouble would be even greater.
"Ahem."
Mrs. Chen cleared her throat and tried to maintain an air of nonchalance.
"Things were different before. Now we've found a better store."
"We don't have to contact President Yan through Boss Meng. There will always be other opportunities."
"Listen to mom. We won't go to 'Fuyunxuan' anymore."
Her tone was unshakable.
Although Zhou Zhou thought her mother's sudden change of attitude was strange, seeing her firm face, she didn't dare to ask more.
She just mumbled, "Okay, it's a pity that I haven't even talked to that cute guy yet."
Mrs. Chen secretly heaved a sigh of relief, but her heart felt as if a stone was weighing on it.
She took one last look through the rear - view mirror at the gradually receding sign of the 'Fuyunxuan' Qipao store, her eyes full of complexity.
The shortcut to climb up to the Yan family had been cut off by her own hands.
But compared with the risk of getting burned, this loss was worth it.
She just hoped that Meng Ruozhao wouldn't really cause any fatal trouble.
On the other side, in the workshop of 'Fuyunxuan'.
After seeing off the guests and comforting the frightened Ai Gao, Meng Ruozhao felt her temples throbbing.
Besides Mrs. Chen's dissatisfaction, the plagiarism accusation was like a heavy boulder pressing on her heart.
She needed to calm down and sort out her thoughts to find out where the problem exactly lay.
She pushed open the door of the workshop, ready to start organizing the order materials and design drawings for Miss Liang.
However, the sight in front of her made her stop short.
In the workshop, Pei Jiangmu's tall figure was standing with his back to her, slightly bent over.
He was holding a rag and carefully wiping the huge workbench.
The scattered scraps of cloth, thread ends, and small tools on the table had all been carefully gathered to one side.
The floor beside had also been swept, and even the leaves of the half - dead green plant in the corner had been wiped until they shone.
His movements were not very quick, probably because his hand was hurting.
But his expression was extremely serious.
Moreover, the air - conditioner in the workshop was set at a relatively high temperature, and his forehead was covered with fine beads of sweat, which rolled down his well - defined jawline.
Even more eye - catching was that the gauze wrapped around his right hand was stained with some red again, which was extremely startling against the white gauze.
"Pei Jiangmu!"
Meng Ruozhao's heart tightened. She rushed over in a few steps and snatched the rag from his hand. Her voice was clearly filled with blame and concern.
"What are you doing? Who told you to do this? Do you not want your hand anymore?"
Pei Jiangmu was stunned by her sudden action and then straightened up.
Seeing the undisguised worry on her face, a faint warmth flashed deep in his eyes.
But on the surface, he still looked as cautious and nervous as ever.
He casually wiped the sweat from his forehead with the back of his hand.
The movement tugged at his wound, and his eyebrows twitched slightly, but he quickly relaxed them.