Qian Dailan was not very used to the expensive high heels on her feet.
Although they weren’t too high—probably around six centimeters—they were still uncomfortable.
Beautiful and expensive shoes didn’t necessarily mean comfort.
Moreover, her feet had already developed blisters yesterday, and even though she had put on band-aids, walking still felt uncomfortable.
Yang Quan had mentioned that there were slippers prepared in the car for ladies, but he suggested she wait until after the meal to change into them.
Qian Dailan didn’t think it was necessary.
She had a simple purpose for coming here—to break up, as gracefully and peacefully as possible, without making a big scene.
After all, they had once been in love.
She had planned everything.
After finishing the meal, she would have a proper conversation with Ye Xijing and then go home.
Tomorrow was her day off, and she planned to visit a bookstore, maybe even check out some affordable spoken English training courses nearby.
She realized her spoken English was a bit poor and needed more practice—preferably in a British accent, because it sounded sexier.
The waiter, dressed in a white shirt and gray vest, opened the dazzling glass door reflecting the sunlight.
As a girl in black attire and dark curly hair stepped in, the passing glances, the casual gazes, and even those engaged in conversation all paused momentarily, falling into brief silence.
She didn’t need any jewelry; she was the most dazzling gem herself.
As soon as Qian Dailan and Yang Quan stepped into the restaurant, they could feel the intense gazes.
She had long been used to being the center of attention.
It didn’t surprise her, nor did it make her uncomfortable.
Standing at the entrance, she glanced around but didn’t see Ye Xijing.
Among all the people, the only ones she recognized were Liang Wanyin and Wu Ke.
They were sitting close together, which made sense since they were cousins.
However, for some reason, Wu Ke looked a bit surprised, while Liang Wanyin’s reaction was even more exaggerated—her eyes widened, her eyebrows furrowed, as if she had seen something unbelievable.
“All the seats have been arranged. Xijing is sitting with his parents and stepmother,” Yang Quan whispered to Qian Dailan.
“Brother Xiyan and Ms. Ye didn’t want to sit with Mr. Ye, so they were given a separate table. Don’t worry, this table is full of Brother Xiyan’s friends.”
Qian Dailan replied in a low voice, “Thank you. I was a bit worried before, but since you said they’re all Brother Xiyan’s friends, I have nothing to fear.”
Yang Quan chuckled and led her to the table.
Qian Dailan noticed that every seat had a name card tucked between floral decorations, handwritten in elegant penmanship.
But hers didn’t have a name—just two words: “Close Friend.”
She thought about it and understood.
This seat was probably a last-minute arrangement, reserved for unforeseen circumstances—like her, the soon-to-be ex-girlfriend of Ye Xijing.
To her right was Ye Xiyan’s name, but he wasn’t there.
Instinctively, she looked to her left and clearly saw the name on the card: Ye Jianhe.
She froze.
Ye Xiyan’s mother?
“Qian Dailan?”
A gentle voice called out to her.
She looked up and saw Wu Ke approaching.
The two round tables were close to each other.
Wu Ke walked steadily in the high heels that Qian Dailan had picked for her.
The purple dress she wore shimmered like a layer of sweet frost on a grape.
“You’re finally here,” Wu Ke said warmly, hugging her.
“I thought you weren’t coming today. Xijing didn’t mention anything—are you the surprise gift for tonight?”
Her embrace was soft and fragrant.
Before Qian Dailan could get up, Wu Ke pressed her shoulders back down into the seat.
Across the table, a muscular man in a white T-shirt laughed, “Ke-jie, what’s going on? You have such a beautiful friend and never introduced her? I thought she was a celebrity.”
“This is Xijing’s girlfriend,” Wu Ke teased, smiling.
“You’re a little too late.”
“Qian Dailan,” she introduced herself confidently.
“My last name is Qian, ‘Dai’ as in Mount Tai, and ‘Lan’ as in orchid. I’m not a celebrity—just a sales associate at the JW store on Dawang Road.”
“Miss Qian, nice to meet you.”
Zhang Nan looked at her with a kind smile and extended his hand for a handshake.
“I’m Zhang Nan, ‘Nan’ as in nanmu wood, and one of the founders of Zhe He Games.”
Qian Dailan joked, “One of? So is there a ‘number two’?”
“Here he comes.”
Zhang Nan shifted his gaze behind her and said with a smile, “Xiyan, what’s going on? Did you mess up the seating? How did Xijing’s girlfriend end up at this table—are you trying to break them up?”
Qian Dailan turned slightly and saw Ye Xiyan.
He was wearing a gray pinstriped shirt today, without a tie, paired with black dress pants.
Besides the watch on his wrist, he wore no other accessories.
Ye Xiyan walked over, stopped two steps away from her, and gave a polite compliment, “That dress suits you.”
“Thank you, brother,” Qian Dailan replied.
Ye Xiyan exchanged greetings with Zhang Nan and the others.
Qian Dailan couldn’t understand their conversation—it was like a different world to her—so she quietly sat down and studied the unfamiliar silverware before her.
Seeing the knife and fork, she suddenly realized that Western cuisine wasn’t just about McDonald’s, KFC, or Pizza Hut.
Nearby, Wu Ke asked, “Brother Xiyan, why isn’t Aunt Ye here yet?”
“She’s not coming tonight,” Ye Xiyan replied.
“Why?”
“No reason,” Wu Ke pursed her lips and smiled.
“It’s just that last time she mentioned an ancient manuscript, and my dad found it. But a few pages are missing… I was wondering if Aunt Ye would still want it, or maybe tonight I could—”
Before she could finish, a voice interrupted.
“Dailan???”
Ye Xijing hurried over, looking shocked at Qian Dailan.
He had seen her in many ways—barefaced with just a ponytail, wearing inappropriately heavy makeup that he had wiped off for her with a wet tissue, and even with eyebrows plucked too thin or unevenly shaped.
But he had never seen her like this.
He had always known she was beautiful.
But he didn’t know she could be even more beautiful.
“You…”
Ye Xijing stared at her, slightly dazed, struggling to find words.
“How did you get here?”
Qian Dailan replied, “By pumpkin carriage.”
“Pumpkin carriage?”
Wu Ke was puzzled.
“What does that look like?”
“You might want to ask Yang Quan,” Ye Xiyan smiled and then turned to Ye Xijing.
“Go back. Dad is looking for you.”
Ye Xijing kept looking at Qian Dailan.
His lips moved as if he wanted to say something, but there were too many people around.
It wasn’t the right time.
He reached out, trying to hold her hand, but she dodged.
That evasion gave him a bad feeling.
Behind him, Ye Pingxi called his name—it was time for dinner.
He had no choice but to leave, glancing back at her again and again.
All he could see was her back, the little black dress, the pale skin.
She looked like a silent swallowtail butterfly.
Wu Ke glanced at the empty seat reserved for Ye Jianhe, then carefully at Qian Dailan, who was now chatting with Zhang Nan.
After hesitating for a moment, she returned to her own seat.
Liang Wanyin, shocked, almost couldn’t contain her voice.
“Cousin, I haven’t seen her for a year, and… wow. She’s changed so much! Why is she sitting next to Brother Xiyan? Did he bring her? Since when were they this close?”
“Don’t talk nonsense,” Wu Ke warned.
“Xiyan is kind. He probably just felt sorry for her since she’s Xiyan’s future sister-in-law. Don’t forget, he’s been sponsoring underprivileged children in poor areas. He probably just sympathizes with her for having to drop out of school so young.”
“Really?”
Liang Wanyin murmured thoughtfully.
“But would someone give their future sister-in-law such expensive dresses and shoes? Would Liu Bei buy dresses for Zhang Fei’s wife? Wait, did Zhang Fei even have a wife?”
“Not sure. Probably,” Wu Ke replied.
Wu Ke couldn’t help but glance back.
She saw Qian Dailan chatting and laughing with Zhang Nan, while Ye Xiyan’s university roommate, Sun Mingchi, also joined the conversation with a smile.
Ye Xiyan, however, was neither talking to Qian Dailan nor looking at her.
Instead, he was focused on listening to Yang Quan beside him.
Even though they were seated next to each other, they didn’t seem close.
In fact, they deliberately kept a distance, with no eye contact or physical interaction, as if there was an invisible boundary between them—like the Chu River and Han Border in chess.
“Dailan is Xijing’s girlfriend, so of course Xiyan, as his older brother, would take care of her more,” Wu Ke told Liang Wanyin.
“Don’t start rumors—it wouldn’t be good for Xiyan’s reputation. He’s not the type to be swayed by beauty.”
“I know,” Liang Wanyin couldn’t help but look at Qian Dailan.
She seemed to glow, dazzlingly beautiful.
How could a girl be this stunning?
She sighed, “What was that awful makeup she used to wear last year? If she had dressed like this earlier, it would’ve been so much better… Honestly, her low education level isn’t a big deal. She could totally enter the entertainment industry.”
Even before entering the entertainment industry, Qian Dailan had already successfully handed out six customized business cards from her store.
Just then, she heard a quiet chuckle from beside her.
“Dailan, do I get a business card too?”
Ye Xiyan unfolded the napkin that had been elegantly folded into a swan and placed it over his lap.
“You’re expanding your business to my friends now, but you won’t give me one?”
“It’s not that I don’t want to give one to you, Brother,” Qian Dailan was in a great mood after meeting potential clients.
She also unfolded her white napkin and placed it on her lap, then leaned in slightly to whisper, “To be honest, the store doesn’t have clothes that match your style.”
She continued, “You have a great figure and you’re tall, but our brand’s largest men’s size only goes up to 185 cm. The pants would be too short and wouldn’t match your long legs.
Plus, the shirts are too casual, with colors that are too playful—they wouldn’t suit someone as steady and composed as you.”
She had always been good at adjusting her words depending on who she was speaking to.
Sweet talk rolled off her tongue effortlessly.
However, she wasn’t sure if Ye Xiyan would buy into it.
But that didn’t matter.
Most men had an unprecedented level of self-confidence.
No matter how much they were praised, they always took it as something they rightfully deserved.
When dealing with men, if you wanted to flatter them, you didn’t have to hold back—unlike women, who tended to be more humble and modest.
“This is the first time I’ve seen a sales associate speak like this about their own products,” Ye Xiyan commented nonchalantly.
He focused on the first dessert, picked up a spoon, and whispered without looking at her, “Do you say this to every customer? How do you even make sales, Dailan?”
“It’s because you’re good to me, Brother,” Qian Dailan mimicked his actions, picking up a spoon as well.
“I’m only being honest with you.”
She added with a playful smile, “If you treat me so well and I still try to sell you pants that are too short, wouldn’t you be heartbroken?”
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