Chapter 99:
Zhao Hesong interjected, “There’s also some merit for me, right?”
“You just passed on a message.”
“Isn’t passing on a message merit?”
They hadn’t exchanged a few words before they started bickering.
Meng Shuyou spoke up, “Thank you, Mister Zhao, and thank you for speaking up for me yesterday.”
“No big deal.” Zhao Hesong said, “No need to be so formal, just call me by name. Since you’re Brother Zhou’s person, you’re one of us.”
“Okay.”
Winnie pulled Meng Shuyou to sit down, “Good thing you’re okay, Yaoyao. I even wondered if you’d been trafficked by human traffickers to some deep mountains.”
Not exaggerating at all, there have been frequent news reports lately about those damned human traffickers selling pretty girls to the mountains, trapping them there for life.
Meng Shuyou curved her lips, “In that case, I should be grateful that I didn’t fall into the hands of human traffickers.”
Winnie couldn’t help complaining for her, “Speaking of which, are you really their biological daughter? How could your dad do that?”
Meng Shuyou was helpless, “I also hope I’m not their biological daughter.”
Unfortunately, she had no choice about her birth.
Meng Zhenhua was simply one to favor sons over daughters; he wasn’t any better to Meng Yan either.
“Forget it, forget it, no more on this.” Winnie asked, “Is there anywhere fun in Bin City? School starts if we don’t play soon.”
“Yes, didn’t you always want to experience tie-dyeing? We can go this afternoon.”
“Great, I want to dye a skirt for myself to wear.”
“We can also get ink wash dyeing manicures.”
“You know me so well! I was just thinking of changing my manicure!”
Girls together seemed to have endless topics to talk about; Pei Yuzhou and Zhao Hesong sat beside them like decorations.
During the wait for food, Winnie pulled out her mobile phone to search for manicure styles and accidentally came across gossip news about the Meng Family. She passed it to Meng Shuyou, “Yaoyao, look.”
#Shocking Scandal in Wealthy Family, Breaking Off Engagement Has Hidden Story#
#False Pregnancy, Real Breaking Off Engagement#
#Meng Family and Xu Family Marriage Alliance Canceled, Real Reason Is…#
“Who would’ve thought the Meng Family young lady would try to marry into the Zhao Family with a false pregnancy? So desperate to snag that marriage?”
“I heard Meng Yan always thought highly of herself in the social circle, arrogant and overbearing in private. Who would like a woman like that?”
“I just want to say it’s embarrassing, serves her right.”
“Wasn’t the Meng Family planning a marriage alliance between Meng Shuyou and the Xu Family? Why was that canceled too? Clicked in because of the title, ended up with a bunch of nonsense analysis.”
“Meng Shuyou was originally set for a marriage alliance with the Xu Family. Both families were in a private room discussing the marriage when Second Young Master Zhao suddenly came to snatch the bride.”
“Is what upstairs said true or fake?”
“Of course it’s true. My friend works at that restaurant and saw it with their own eyes. Second Young Master Zhao openly confronted the Meng Family and Xu Family for Meng Shuyou. Maybe after all this, the Meng Family will still ally in marriage with the Zhao Family.”
“Is gossip in the wealthy family circle this exciting? Meng Yan just broke off engagement with Second Young Master Zhao, and now Meng Shuyou is involved with him.”
“Meng Shuyou studied abroad in America, and Second Young Master Zhao has long been in America managing the branch company. These two must have been secretly dating abroad.”
Winnie was speechless yet amused, “Zhao Hesong, the rumors have turned into you snatching the bride, and even say you and Yaoyao have a secret love affair. They made it sound pretty real.”
Pei Yuzhou held the tea cup, his gaze deep and cold.
Zhao Hesong cursed, “Fuck, who’s screwing me over! These people are so bored they make up rumors!”
Winnie advised, “Forget it, ignore them. That’s just how the internet is; it’ll die down once the hype passes.”
Zhao Hesong pulled out his mobile phone, “No way, I’ll get those nonsensical discussion posts blocked.”
Didn’t they see how bad someone’s face looked right now?
“You can control comments?” Winnie was shocked, “Capital lives up to its name.”
Zhao Hesong glanced at her, “Doesn’t capital still have to stay in your blacklist?”
Winnie: “…”
–
In the afternoon, Meng Shuyou and Winnie went to a nearby town.
Summer vacation had just ended, so there were far fewer tourists.
The local customs were simple and honest, with antique charm. The buildings were historic, with gray bricks and dark tiles, mottled walls, and winding bluestone slab paths.
Winnie held up her action camera along the way to record, “We’re really here at the perfect time. Not many people, and the weather is great.”
After crossing the bridge and another street, they reached the tie-dyeing workshop.
Various tie-dyed fabrics were drying in the courtyard, each with unique patterns, blue and white contrasting, as if the Cangshan Mountains and Erhai Lake were dyed into the cloth.
The boss came up to ask, “Are you two beautiful ladies here to experience tie-dyeing?”
Meng Shuyou nodded, “We want to dye two dresses.”
The boss led the way ahead, “Come inside first to pick styles.”
Floor-to-ceiling racks held pure white T-shirts, shirts, and dresses.
The boss had other things to do, “You pick first; call me when you’re done.”
Meng Shuyou: “Okay.”
Winnie looked at each one, her fingertip lightly tapping the clothes, and picked a satisfactory one, “Yaoyao, this halter long dress would look absolutely stunning on you!”
Meng Shuyou hesitated, “This one’s a bit revealing.”
“Huh?” Winnie was puzzled, “Why’ve you gotten so conservative? It’s just exposing the back; formal dresses reveal more than this.”
Meng Shuyou didn’t know how to explain. She wasn’t conservative; her back was covered in kiss marks, impossible to show in public.
“Not convenient.” she said.
Winnie caught on, lowering her voice to ask, “How intense were you two?”
Meng Shuyou’s ears flushed slightly, too embarrassed to answer, “Hurry and pick yours.”
Winnie deliberately sighed lightly, “Sigh, envious of Mister Pei. He eats well.”
Meng Shuyou was amused, “Doesn’t Mister Zhao eat well?”
“My figure isn’t as good as yours. You’re so slim yet busty and curvy, and so pure-looking.” Winnie said shamelessly, “If I were a guy, Mister Pei wouldn’t stand a chance.”
Meng Shuyou laughed, “Hurry and pick; it’ll be too late to dry the clothes.”
“Fine.”
In the end, they each picked a dress and a headscarf.
The boss took them to the backyard for tie-dyeing, where an elderly lady taught them the steps.
First design the pattern to dye, then use different binding methods to form unique patterns, soak in plant-extracted indigo dye for coloring, with multiple dips, oxidations, and air-drying.
The boss said, “The dresses might not dry until evening. You can go browse other places first.”
Winnie checked the time, “Then we’ll get manicures and come back.”
Meng Shuyou thought the same.
The manicure shop was on another street, with no other guests, so no waiting.
They got similar styles, Chinese-style ink wash dyeing with simple hand-painted details, done in three or four hours.
Winnie found a movie on her mobile phone to watch, so as not to get too bored.
After the manicures, it was already past six in the afternoon.
The sun was about to set, the sky like amber, clear yellow gradients, blazing and gorgeous.
They returned to the tie-dyeing workshop to pick up the clothes.
The afternoon sun was strong, and the dresses were already dry, the patterns even prettier than imagined.
Before it got dark, they changed into the clothes and hurried to take photos.
