Chapter 296: Without a Man to Host, the Family Has No Face

It was just after 8 p.m., and summer nights were long. Lin Cuiping, still unwilling to give up, asked again, “You really won’t go get your hair permed? You’re getting engaged tomorrow!”

Xie Yunshu hesitated, tempted but uncertain. “Better not…”

But Lin Cuiping had grown up with her and could read her mind easily. With a sly grin, she deliberately provoked, “Xie Yunshu, don’t tell me you’re scared? Ha! What a coward—afraid of a perm!”

“Who says I’m scared?”

Xie Yunshu’s eyes widened. “I just don’t think it’s necessary!”

The goading worked. Lin Cuiping’s methods had always been effective on her—and vice versa.

“If you’re not scared, then come with me. If you dare go with me to perm our hair, I’ll call you ‘big sis’!” Lin Cuiping shot her a sideways glance. “The barbershop’s still open. Two people get five yuan off!”

Xie Yunshu snorted coldly, “Fine! I’ll go. You better start calling me ‘sis’!”

“Let’s go! If you chicken out, you’re a big stick with a man whose pants are full of holes!” Lin Cuiping cackled and dragged her off toward the alley.

Xie Yunshu: “……”

What the hell? What does getting a perm have to do with ragged pants or lousy men?

Once she was finally seated in the salon chair, doubt crept in. Tomorrow, Shen Subai’s parents were coming. Would getting her hair permed seem too forward? Too vain?

And what would Shen Subai think? Would he think she was trying too hard to please him?

She sat like there were pins beneath her, until Lin Cuiping murmured from the side, “Ragged pants, remember…”

Xie Yunshu sat up straight. “Shut up!”

The salon owner had excellent skills. Seeing Xie Yunshu’s jet-black, shiny hair, she trimmed soft bangs and left delicate curls framing her ears. From the ears down, the hair became large, soft waves.

Xie Yunshu already had a small, delicate face. The new hairstyle made her features even more refined and alluring. Her big, sparkling eyes, when they curved into a smile, carried a hint of seduction. Compared to her old straight hair, there was now a graceful charm that couldn’t be described.

The owner nodded in satisfaction. “You’re so pretty. If you put on lipstick, you’d outshine a movie star.”

Lin Cuiping nearly exploded with jealousy. “Boss, how about you straighten her hair again? I think it looks awful!”

Ugh, she should never have brought Xie Yunshu here. She was already prettier, and now she looked even better!

Xie Yunshu shattered the charm the moment she opened her mouth. “Lin Cuiping, do you want me to pry open your round butt?”

Lin Cuiping instinctively covered her rear. “If you dare touch me, I’ll tell Shen Subai how you used to say Lu Zhibo was the most handsome. Let him spank your butt open!”

They bickered all the time. Back when Lu Zhibo got married, Lin Cuiping couldn’t stand it and muttered constantly about Xie Yunshu. Xie Yunshu retaliated by saying Lu Zhibo was the best-looking man she’d ever seen.

At that time, she still harbored a girlish admiration for Lu Zhibo. Who would’ve imagined what happened later?

If Shen Subai heard that now, he’d probably drink vinegar by the bottle.

Lin Cuiping had successfully gotten the upper hand. Xie Yunshu gritted her teeth. “Fine! I’ll spare your dog life. Sit still and shut your mouth while you get your perm!”

Lin Cuiping’s hair wasn’t as long as Xie Yunshu’s. The salon owner trimmed it to shoulder length before perming it into large waves.

The new look covered her round face and gave her a more mature, classic vibe—almost like an old Shanghai beauty. Surprisingly, it was quite flattering.

Lin Cuiping was thrilled. She admired herself from every angle in the mirror, stroking her cheeks. “With a face like this, I’ll drive those stinking men wild!”

Especially that scumbag Feng Qiang—let him choke on it!

She really did look great after the makeover. Xie Yunshu gave her a playful smack on the rear. “Don’t forget the lipstick tomorrow. Keep it classy, don’t embarrass me!”

By the time they got back from the salon, it was past 10 p.m. Xie Yunshu slipped into the house, feeling strangely self-conscious. Like a thief, she tried to sneak to her room with her head covered—only to be caught in the courtyard lights.

Li Finlan and Xie Mingcheng stared at her in surprise.

“Jie?” Xie Mingcheng blinked, then smiled. “You look really pretty like that.”

Li Finlan also stepped forward and touched her hair. “Yes, very pretty.”

Xie Yunshu bit her lip. “Isn’t it a bit… much?”

Li Finlan just smiled and pointed at a paper bag on the stone table. “Xiao Bai asked Manager Tian to bring this over. He said he’s going to the airport tonight to pick up Qinglian and the others, so he couldn’t come himself.”

Inside was a red cheongsam.

That night, Xie Yunshu slept poorly. Afraid of ruining her new curls, she didn’t dare lie on her side. She rested her neck on a pillow and let her hair dangle off the bed like a ghost, stiff and motionless the whole night.

Just as she finally dozed off near dawn, someone knocked.

“Yunshu! No sleeping in today—Qinglian and the others should be arriving any minute!” Li Finlan called through the door.

Her daughter had been working hard lately. Normally she was always up before eight, but today it was already half past eight and she was still asleep!

Li Finlan felt bad for her, but today wasn’t a day to rest.

She never guessed the reason her daughter slept late was to protect her hairstyle.

Xie Yunshu crawled out of bed with dark circles under her eyes. The first thing she did was run to the mirror to check her curls. Thankfully, the perm was holding up—just a bit of water and it bounced back into shape.

After washing up, Li Finlan didn’t even let her eat breakfast, hurrying her to change and get ready.

Then came a knock at the door.

Aunt Li Taohong had arrived early, whispering to Li Finlan, “Baoliang was afraid of embarrassing Yunshu, so he refused to come. But without a man on our side, how will this look?”

She had heard that some wealthy families took engagement ceremonies even more seriously than weddings. The bride’s side was already seen as marrying up—how would it look if no man showed up?

Yunshu’s father had passed early, her uncle-in-law was in poor health, and although her uncle Li Dayong wasn’t in prison yet, Yunshu would never let him come.

Li Finlan finally realized the problem—and began to panic. “If only Yunshu had a brother…”

Mingcheng was too young. It wouldn’t be appropriate to have a teenage boy represent them at a formal event—that would be disrespectful to the groom’s side.

Though she knew Shen Subai and Su Qinglian probably wouldn’t mind, Li Finlan didn’t really understand Commander Shen.

A high-ranking official coming to propose marriage—and no man to host on their side—it really did look undignified. Back when Yunshu married Lu Zhibo, no formal proposal had happened at all. Just a matchmaker dropping by, and it was settled.

Li Finlan regretted now how much she had overlooked this.