Volume One, Chapter 20: A Chance Encounter at the Mall

More than half an hour later, after receiving a call from Wen Yu, Shen Shuhe headed straight to Starlight Mall.

“Shuhe, is there anything you want to buy?”

“Not really…”

The two of them rode the escalator as Shen Shuhe glanced around, feeling rather uninterested.

At the moment, she didn’t need anything.

Unexpectedly, Wen Yu suddenly grabbed her, “No way! You’re the one who absolutely needs to shop!”

Shen Shuhe blinked. “Huh?”

Wen Yu held onto her arm. “Your wardrobe is full of suits and formal sets.”

“Of course, my dear, you look good in anything, but you’re about to enter the entertainment industry! You can’t keep dressing like some mundane office worker every day!”

Shen Shuhe thought for a few seconds and asked sincerely, “Isn’t being a model in the entertainment industry also working?”

They’re all jobs, just different roles.

Wen Yu was momentarily speechless.

“Anyway, you have to buy some beautiful clothes! From now on, I’m going to dress you up beautifully and dazzle that lousy Pei—let him regret it!”

Shen Shuhe was speechless.

Wen Yu, refusing to listen, dragged Shen Shuhe into a formal dress boutique.

Originally, she planned to pick up some outfits for herself, but ended up eagerly trying dresses on Shen Shuhe.

Shen Shuhe looked at Wen Yu gesturing excitedly in front of her. “So, who’s actually buying clothes here?”

“Both of us!” Wen Yu said, holding a red fitted gown close to her chest. “Sweetheart, you’ll look stunning in this! Hurry and try it on!”

The store clerk nearby added, “This dress just came back yesterday, there’s only one left. Miss, you have a tall and slender figure, it will definitely look beautiful on you!”

“Shuhe, go try it on!”

Helpless, Shen Shuhe took the dress and went back into the fitting room.

At that moment, three people passed by outside the store.

“Yinyin’s mommy, Auntie, is that my mom?”

Xiao Yu suddenly pointed at a certain shop and shouted.

Song Qingyin and Pei Leyao looked over at the same time.

Song Qingyin had arranged to meet Pei Leyao, but since Pei Jingmo had a meeting that evening, she was only able to pick up Xiao Yu.

“That really is that woman!” Pei Leyao’s cheerful mood instantly vanished.

She glanced up at the store’s sign.

It was a niche domestic formalwear brand.

Normally, she wouldn’t even look at this store, much less go inside.

“Qingyin, let’s get away from this jinx!” Pei Leyao pulled on Song Qingyin’s arm, eager to leave immediately.

Song Qingyin didn’t respond but fixed her gaze on the store’s name.

She had just seen Shen Shuhe that morning and hadn’t expected to run into her again so soon.

Then she looked inside at the figure there.

If she wasn’t mistaken, it was Shen Shuhe’s close friend.

What were these two doing buying formal gowns…?

“Qingyin, why aren’t you leaving?”

Hearing Pei Leyao’s puzzled voice, Song Qingyin’s eyes flickered slightly as she looked at her.

She smiled faintly. “Leyao, Miss Shen is, after all, Xiao Yu’s mother. They had a little disagreement yesterday, and since we ran into them now, let’s take Xiao Yu over to say hello.”

Pei Leyao knew about the incident; Xiao Yu had told her on the way.

But she wasn’t happy about it.

“What disagreement? She’s clearly being unreasonable!”

“She just said she didn’t acknowledge Xiao Yu as her son. Is there such a mother in the world?!”

Hearing Xiao Yu’s words earlier about Shen Shuhe refusing to acknowledge him because of a few sentences had almost driven her mad.

“Qingyin, I think Shen Shuhe is just looking for trouble, knowing Xiao Yu is close to you, she deliberately says those things to annoy us!”

“Leyao, don’t say that.” Song Qingyin soothed her, still gentle and calm. “Miss Shen isn’t that kind of person.”

“If you don’t want to talk to Miss Shen, just stay behind me. I’ll take Xiao Yu over to say hello.”

With that, Song Qingyin held Xiao Yu’s hand and walked toward the store.

Xiao Yu glanced at his aunt, then looked ahead with a frown.

Song Qingyin noticed and asked, “What’s wrong, Xiao Yu? Are you feeling unwell?”

Xiao Yu had originally planned to say his stomach hurt, but remembering what Pei Jingmo said last night, he pursed his lips and shook his head.

Dad said that if there’s anything, we should communicate honestly and not lie.

So he looked up and asked, “Yinyin’s mommy, can we not go over there…?”

Song Qingyin finally noticed his unease.

Since Pei Leyao mentioned Shen Shuhe, Xiao Yu’s expression hadn’t been natural.

She recalled what happened last night and understood something.

But what did all this truth or falsehood have to do with her?

Still wearing a gentle smile, she softened her voice to coax him, “Xiao Yu, be good. After all, she is your mother. She won’t care about what happened last night.”

“I’ll take you to say hello to your mom, and you must be polite.”

Without looking back at Xiao Yu, she straightened up and walked toward the store.

Xiao Yu could only follow, pouting and unwilling.

Mother is so annoying. She said she didn’t like shopping, so why did she come out today and just happen to be at the same mall as them?

Inside the formalwear boutique.

With the clerk’s help, Shen Shuhe zipped up the dress and stepped out.

The moment she appeared, Wen Yu and the store staff all gasped softly.

“So beautiful!”

“This dress is made for this lady!”

“No, it’s this lady who brings out the true value of this dress!”

Shen Shuhe felt embarrassed by the continuous compliments.

Turning to look in the mirror, her eyes brightened.

It had been a long time since she’d worn a formal gown, especially a fitted one.

By this light, she truly did look quite beautiful in it.

“How do you like it, darling? You’ve even impressed yourself, haven’t you?” Wen Yu teased with a smile.

Shen Shuhe patted her hand.

“Really gorgeous!” Wen Yu couldn’t help but praise again.

Shen Shuhe’s proportions were naturally excellent — over 1.7 meters tall, with a model’s figure, legs from neck to toe.

The red gown was as dazzling as flames, exquisitely tailored to fit her perfectly, the smooth lines outlining her graceful silhouette.

The fabric was soft, shimmering under the lights with elegant brilliance and fine beauty.

The dress had a trailing hem, swaying gently as she moved, like a mermaid drifting through the sea, stirring the heart.

Wen Yu’s arm rested on Shen Shuhe’s shoulder, admiring her stunning reflection in the mirror, feeling once again she had made the right choice signing her.

Like a boss, she declared, “We’re taking this one!”

The clerk immediately responded, “Certainly, Miss!”

“This dress best showcases the wearer’s curves, and with this lady’s figure, it’s a perfect match!” the clerk praised generously.

Just as Shen Shuhe lifted the hem to head back into the fitting room, two familiar voices sounded behind her.

“Miss Shen looks really good in that dress!”

“Mom, good afternoon…”

Shen Shuhe and Wen Yu turned to see Song Qingyin holding Xiao Yu’s hand, walking in calmly.

They exchanged a glance, calm on the surface but with complicated emotions flickering in their eyes.

How could it be such a coincidence?