Chi Yu saw Qing Mian's eyes glistening with tears. He immediately tossed the dress in his hand aside casually and hugged her to comfort her.
"Why have you turned into a little crybaby again?"
If he hadn't said anything, it would have been fine. But as soon as he said this, Qing Mian's tears fell one by one like broken pearls.
Chi Yu reached out and gently wiped the tears from the corners of her eyes. He said softly, "Why does just one dress make our little princess shed tears?"
"…It's not just one." Qing Mian raised her hand and wiped her face randomly. She said in a muffled voice.
"Oh, right, it's two~" Chi Yu deliberately elongated the ending sound and looked at Qing Mian dotingly.
Qing Mian was both crying and laughing. This was not about how many dresses at all! She rolled her big eyes at Chi Yu.
Chi Yu gave a soft laugh and ruffled her hair. "Go and try it on?"
Qing Mian let out a soft "um" and then nodded. Suddenly, she seemed to remember something. "I'll go and try it in the room! You sit here nicely."
Before Chi Yu could react, she grabbed the dress and ran into the bedroom.
Chi Yu watched her hasty back and smiled faintly.
…
Inside the bedroom, Qing Mian took off her clothes. Immediately, her body full of scars was reflected in the mirror. The bright eyes that were shining just now were instantly covered with a layer of mist, and the light in her eyes gradually faded.
If Chi Yu saw her like this, he would definitely mind.
At this moment, Qing Mian really wanted to rush out immediately and show her scars to him.
But she was afraid. She was afraid of losing everything she had now. She was afraid that Chi Yu would disappear from her life.
She was afraid of returning to the lonely days of the past.
She had to admit that she had unconsciously gotten used to a life with Chi Yu.
In the living room, Chi Yu was looking at the manuscript on his phone screen.
He had designed this dress during the years he was abroad. He had revised it many times. The original intention of designing this dress was just to fulfill a dream of his own.
At first, he thought of giving it to her as a wedding gift on her wedding day. He never thought that one day this dress would really be worn on her body.
On the day when they confirmed their relationship, he immediately dug out this manuscript.
He wasn't a professional designer, and there were many places that needed to be revised and improved. He was originally worried that he wouldn't be able to let her wear it on her birthday. Fortunately, after staying up several nights, he finally managed to produce the dress.
Chi Yu imagined Qing Mian walking out in the dress. The corners of his mouth were even harder to suppress than an AK.
…
Not long after, Qing Mian slowly walked out of the room in the dress.
She didn't know if it was Chi Yu's intention or just a coincidence. The two dresses he gave her were both relatively conservative, with a low degree of skin exposure, but they could perfectly outline her figure.
When Qing Mian walked out, her emotions were obviously much calmer than when she went in.
Chi Yu immediately noticed her abnormality. He stepped forward and asked carefully, "Don't you like it?"
Qing Mian shook her head and then nodded.
Chi Yu was puzzled, but he quickly said, "If you don't like it, we'll change it."
"No." Qing Mian waved her hands repeatedly. "I like it very much. It's just… I'm a bit reluctant to wear it."
"Maybe I'll collect it and wear other dresses on my birthday tomorrow." Qing Mian's voice became softer and softer. "Is that okay?"
She even thought her request was a bit strange. As she spoke, she became less and less confident.
But she really liked it. She wanted to collect it properly. In this way, even if Chi Yu saw her embarrassing side in the future and left her, she would still have something to remember.
Chi Yu was really shocked by her train of thought. Even he, who was usually glib, was momentarily at a loss for words.
Looking at his expression, Qing Mian guessed that he probably wouldn't agree.
Who would have thought that the next second, Chi Yu would decisively say, "Sure."
"Aren't you angry?" Qing Mian blinked.
When she was still in Qingyuan before, Shen Yu'an had also customized many dresses for her. But when she didn't want to wear them out, although Shen Yu'an would agree, there would always be a bit of unhappiness on his face.
But Chi Yu didn't.
"Why should I be angry?" Chi Yu asked rhetorically as a matter of course.
"The dress is yours. You have the right to decide how to use it."
"Qing Mian, it's just a dress. You're the protagonist tomorrow."
"Even if you wear pajamas, you'll still be the most eye - catching princess at the whole event."
Qing Mian used to hate the word "princess".
Everyone knew that she was adopted by Shen Yu'an. Every time people called her "little princess", there was always a hint of mockery, either intentionally or unintentionally.
But when this word came out of Chi Yu's mouth, she didn't feel any discomfort.
He was so sincere that it seemed as if she was really a genuine princess.
"Will you be happy if I wear this dress on my birthday tomorrow?"
Hearing this, a hint of pity flashed in Chi Yu's eyes. He looked at Qing Mian seriously. "If you're happy wearing this dress, then I'll be happy."
These words were like a huge stone thrown into a calm lake, causing huge waves.
Qing Mian opened her mouth and reached back to touch the zipper on her back. She just wanted to tell him about her embarrassing side now, no matter what the outcome was.
"Chi Yu, actually I—" Just as Qing Mian was about to speak, a sudden ringing of a phone interrupted her.
Chi Yu took out his phone, glanced at the caller ID on the screen, pressed the screen - off button, and put the phone back in his pocket. He turned to look at Qing Mian. "What's wrong? What did you want to say just now?"
Qing Mian's fingers paused. She slowly put her hand down, shook her head, and forced a smile. "It's nothing."
Chi Yu glanced at the watch on his wrist. "It's getting late." He gently pinched Qing Mian's face. "Go to bed early. I have something to do early tomorrow morning. Wen Xi will come to pick you up and take you to the hotel."
"Okay." Qing Mian nodded obediently, waved to Chi Yu, and said, "Good night."
After Chi Yu walked out of the house, he immediately took out his phone and called back the number he had just hung up.
…
At the same time, on the other side.
Shen Yu'an was sitting gloomily in his study when his phone suddenly rang.
"Why are you calling me so late?" Chi Yu's voice came from the other end.
Shen Yu'an turned his head and looked at the wedding characters pasted on the French windows. Suddenly, he became irritable. Instead of answering Chi Yu's question, he asked, "Were you with Qing Mian just now?"
People really do laugh out loud when they're speechless. Chi Yu was entering the password on the combination lock with one hand and holding the phone with the other. "No, Shen Yu'an, are you okay? Did you call me just to ask me this?"
Shen Yu'an was choked and speechless. He pursed his lips. "Why did you call all the guests away?"
The same group of guests couldn't attend two banquets at the same time. He only found out tonight that Chi Yu had invited all the guests from his wedding to Qing Mian's birthday banquet.
Although this was a question, there was not a trace of anger in Shen Yu'an's voice.