Jiang Qiuyi stared at him for a moment and noticed that Lu Mingcheng seemed completely unbothered.

She thought about it and found it unsurprising.

After all, from Lu Mingcheng’s perspective, her expenses were barely a drop in the ocean.

With that in mind, Jiang Qiuyi felt not the slightest twinge of guilt.

She mulled it over for a moment, glancing at the storefronts on the first floor out of the corner of her eye. Then, she tentatively asked. “If I make another purchase, you wouldn’t mind, would you?”

Lu Mingcheng replied. “I wouldn’t.”

Jiang Qiuyi raised her eyebrows slightly, her face lighting up with delight. “Oh.”

With Lu Mingcheng’s approval secured, Jiang Qiuyi led him straight to a high-end luxury brand store.

Earlier that afternoon while chatting with Sheng Qingni, she had mentioned this brand’s autumn and winter collection. Several dresses with Chinese-inspired elements had caught her eye. She’d always wanted to buy them for study and inspiration, but they were just too expensive.

Now, with Lu Mingcheng—a walking ATM—by her side, there was no need to worry about the price.

When the two of them arrived, there were only a handful of customers in the store.

Noticing the manager accompanying them, one of the sales associates hurried over nervously. “Manager, is there something wrong?”

The mall manager waved a hand dismissively and turned to Jiang Qiuyi. “Madam, would you like an introduction to the collection?”

“No need.” Jiang Qiuyi replied calmly making her way toward the most expensive section of the store.

The manager understood immediately and glanced at the staff. “Carry on with your work.”

Although he didn’t reveal Lu Mingcheng’s identity, the sales associate, though curious, wisely refrained from asking further questions.

Jiang Qiuyi walked over and quickly found the dresses she had been eyeing.

Her eyes lit up as she turned to the man who had followed her. “What do you think? Do they look good?”

Lu Mingcheng glanced at them and gave a nonchalant “Hmm.”

Jiang Qiuyi: “…”

She paused for a moment, no longer expecting Lu Mingcheng to offer any sort of praise.

Turning away, she looked at a nearby sales associate. “Hi, could you wrap these up for me?”

The sales associate blinked in surprise. “Huh?”

Momentarily stunned, she wasn’t accustomed to customers being this decisive.

After a brief hesitation, she asked softly. “Miss, aren’t you going to try them on?”

Jiang Qiuyi smiled and glanced at Lu Mingcheng. “Do you have time to wait for me to try them on?”

“…” Lu Mingcheng paused slightly, studying her for a moment before replying in an even tone. “If you want to try them on, go ahead.”

Hearing this, Jiang Qiuyi’s lips curled into a faint smile. “Alright, then I’ll try them all, one by one.”

At her words, Lu Mingcheng’s brow twitched, and he suddenly had a bad feeling.

It took less than five minutes for Lu Mingcheng to regret his decision.

He initially thought that women trying on clothes was merely about checking if the size fit. It turned out to be far more complicated than that.

At the moment, Jiang Qiuyi had changed into a strapless, light purple dress. The bodice featured a layer of softly dyed tulle, adorned with delicate sequins that sparkled under the light.

The skirt wasn’t overly voluminous, but it wasn’t too slim either.

Jiang Qiuyi examined herself in the mirror for a long while before turning to ask. “What do you think?”

Lu Mingcheng paused slightly, his gaze sweeping from her shoulders down to her collarbones.

Her skin was fair and smooth, and under the purple hues and soft lighting, it appeared almost ethereal with a touch of gentle elegance that was hard to put into words.

Retracting his gaze, Lu Mingcheng replied coolly. “It’s not bad.”

Hearing this, Jiang Qiuyi muttered to herself. “So, it’s still not quite good enough.”

She glanced at the mirror again before turning to the sales associate. “Does this dress come with a matching waist belt?”

“Yes, it does,”

The sales associate spoke softly. “It’s a small crystal belt. I’ll get it for you.”

Once the waist belt was added, Jiang Qiuyi was finally somewhat satisfied.

However, after trying on one dress, there were still several more to go.

Lu Mingcheng glanced at his watch and noticed that just trying on dresses had already taken nearly an hour.

By the time everything was purchased and they were ready to leave, it was already 5 PM.

Lu Mingcheng still had to return to the office to handle some urgent matters.

Jiang Qiuyi had no intention of accompanying him. After shopping all afternoon, she was feeling a bit tired.

She scanned her surroundings and pointed to a nearby spa. “I’m going to get a massage.”

Lu Mingcheng followed her gaze and nodded. “I should be done around six.”

“Got it,” Jiang Qiuyi replied. “It won’t take too long.”

After parting ways with Lu Mingcheng, Jiang Qiuyi entered the spa and had a massage, briefly relieving the soreness in her calves.

By the time she finished, Lu Mingcheng had wrapped up his work as well.

On the way back to the Lu family’s ancestral home, the couple sat in silence.

This was their usual dynamic—minimal communication.

Jiang Qiuyi turned to look out the window, taking in the scenery. The Lu family’s ancestral home was located halfway up a mountain making transportation quite inconvenient.

However, the air here was fresh, and the views were stunning—an ideal place to live.

As the car drove into the estate, Jiang Qiuyi lifted her gaze and saw the cluster of houses before her.

The Lu family was rather traditional but the ancestral home was a modern-style estate, vast and expansive. Beside the main building were smaller, neatly arranged houses, some for the servants and others for the younger generation, like Lu Mingcheng, to reside in.

The gardens within the estate were surrounded by mountains, with ancient trees towering above, winding streams, and pavilions connected by curved walkways. It felt like stepping into a dream of ancient times.

The first time Jiang Qiuyi visited, she had the distinct feeling of being “Granny Liu entering the Grand View Garden”—awed and overwhelmed.

Nervous, stunned, and flustered—it was a complete mess.

After that, she had been extremely uneasy, her nerves stretched taut.

As they got out of the car, the servants were already there to greet them.

“Young Master, you’re back.”

The two entered the house, where Zhen Ping was sitting in the living room.

Hearing the sound of their arrival, she turned her head with a warm smile. “Are you tired?”

Lu Mingcheng replied. “Not tired.”

Zhen Ping glanced at him, then gave him a scrutinizing look. “You’ve lost weight from all that business travel recently.”

Lu Mingcheng wasn’t particularly comfortable with Zhen Ping’s displays of closeness. He scanned the room briefly before asking in a calm voice. “Where’s Dad?”

“He’s upstairs in the study.” Zhen Ping replied. “He’s waiting for you.”

Lu Mingcheng nodded. “I’ll go check in with him.”

Zhen Ping nodded as well. “Don’t talk for too long—dinner will be ready soon.”

“Got it.”

Once Lu Mingcheng left the living room, Zhen Ping turned her attention to Jiang Qiuyi.

When she noticed Jiang Qiuyi’s outfit and makeup, she paused, slightly surprised.

In her memory, her daughter-in-law always wore understated makeup, keeping her appearance simple and subdued.

But today, it wasn’t just her makeup that had changed—her entire style of dress was noticeably different.

Suddenly, Zhen Ping recalled the rumors circulating outside over the past couple of days.

After a brief hesitation, Zhen Ping called out. “Qiuyi, come sit down.”

Jiang Qiuyi responded with a soft “Okay” and added, “Mom.”

Zhen Ping nodded and gestured to the seat beside her. “Mingcheng just returned from his business trip. It must have been tiring for you to take care of him.”

Jiang Qiuyi smiled gently and replied in a warm tone. “I’m Mingcheng’s wife. Taking care of him is my duty.”

Zhen Ping: “…”

Her expression stiffened slightly, but she nodded. “Yes. Mingcheng works very hard, so you should try to be more understanding of him.”

Hearing this, Jiang Qiuyi’s eyes curved in a smile as she obediently said. “Of course, Mom. I’m very understanding of him.”

Understanding that he makes so much money and doesn’t know where to spend it—so she helped him spend some.

Zhen Ping felt something was off about her words but couldn’t quite pinpoint what.

She responded with a faint “Hmm,” then added lightly. “I heard you bought a car a couple of days ago?”

Jiang Qiuyi nodded. “Yes.”

Zhen Ping frowned, puzzled. “There are so many cars in the garage already. Why did you suddenly decide to buy another one?”

Jiang Qiuyi blinked innocently and said in a soft voice. “Mingcheng told me to buy it.”

Zhen Ping: “?”

She paused for a moment, visibly surprised. “He did?”

Jiang Qiuyi, completely unfazed, nodded confidently. “Yes.”

Zhen Ping’s lips moved as if to say something, but she only managed an awkward laugh. “Well, if that’s what he wanted, then so be it.”

Jiang Qiuyi smiled politely.

As the two were chatting, Lu Mingcheng and his father, Lu Rong, came down from upstairs.

“Finished talking?”

Lu Rong nodded and glanced at Jiang Qiuyi.

Understanding the look, Jiang Qiuyi greeted him with a polite. “Dad.”

Lu Rong nodded and turned to Zhen Ping. “Is the kitchen still not ready?”

Zhen Ping smiled. “It’s just waiting for you two to come down.”

She then instructed the servants. “Bring the food out.”

The rest of the Lu family hadn’t returned yet, so it was just the four of them for dinner.

Lu Mingcheng was the only son of the Lu family. Although he had many cousins, they belonged to different branches of the family and were not part of Lu Rong’s direct line.

During meals, the Lu family typically didn’t engage in much conversation.

Jiang Qiuyi, naturally, kept quiet as well.

^_^