Chapter 13

The saleswoman clearly hadn’t expected someone as “ordinary” as Ji Nuannuan to talk back to her so directly. Her face turned red with anger, and she rushed forward to drive Ji Nuannuan out.

Before she could get close, a bodyguard behind Ji Nuannuan pinned her to the floor, her awkward position making the whole scene look ridiculous.

Ji Nuannuan was speechless. She had finally found a store with decent designs, only to be met with such a salesperson. What a waste of the designer’s hard work.

After all the commotion, Ji Nuannuan lost interest in shopping there. Still not seeing Ji Xinxin, she continued to wander aimlessly through the mall.

When she reached a relatively quiet corner, she began to feel a bit tired.

Originally, she just wanted to pick out a few outfits casually, but once inside this store, the clothes immediately caught her attention. The designs had the unique touch of the designer, with just the right control over detail and material.

They weren’t eye-catching at first glance, but the more she looked, the more she could feel the designer’s care and thoughtfulness.

A salesgirl wearing glasses followed Ji Nuannuan silently, not saying much, moving carefully.

Ji Nuannuan picked out a few dark-colored outfits and then said to the girl, “Pack up everything except these pieces.”

She then gave her the address of Four Seasons Nuan Garden. “Send them to this address.”

The girl looked up, visibly shocked, her voice trembling slightly as she spoke softly, “Miss, thank you.”

She was actually the designer of the clothes in this store. By all accounts, she never should’ve had the chance to rent a space in such a mall.

But since this corner was rather remote, the mall had lowered the rent, and only then, by scraping together what little money she had, was she able to rent this tiny space.

After a whole month here, Ji Nuannuan was her first customer. This meant the world to her.

If it hadn’t been for Ji Nuannuan today, she wasn’t sure if she could have continued on the path of being a designer.

That’s why she said “thank you,” instead of the usual “right away, dear customer.”

Before Ji Nuannuan could respond, a sharp, shrill voice came from behind.

“Sis? What are you doing here?”

Ji Xinxin tottered over in her high heels.

She was surprised to see Ji Nuannuan wearing a flowy dress, and even more surprised by the stylish and elegant clothes she was looking at. She hurried over.

“These clothes don’t suit you, Sis,” Ji Xinxin said quickly. “I’ve told you before—black suits you better. It makes you look more sophisticated.”

As she spoke, she grabbed Ji Nuannuan’s hand. “Come on, Sis, I’ll take you to a store that suits you better.”

Being pulled along by Ji Xinxin, Ji Nuannuan could only look back and give the girl with glasses a sweet smile.

They stopped outside another store, and Ji Xinxin said excitedly, “Look, Sis, the clothes here are high-end and totally your style.”

Ji Nuannuan followed her gaze. The brand was indeed high-end.

But the clothes inside were all clearly designed for older wealthy women—the kind with odd color combinations and outdated patterns Ji Nuannuan had seen before at her grandma’s house.

Ji Xinxin, not giving her a chance to refuse, dragged her straight inside.

She was quite satisfied with the selection and skillfully picked out the few light-colored outfits, then ordered the staff to pack up all the dark-colored ones.

The store clerk, thrilled to see such a generous customer, flattered them with a big smile. “You two must be such filial daughters, buying so many clothes for your mother!”

Ji Xinxin’s eyes flickered with a smug smile, but she shot the clerk a glare. “Get on with it.”

Ji Nuannuan hadn’t said a word since entering the store.

Noticing her silence, Ji Xinxin held up one of the outfits to Ji Nuannuan and said, “Sis, look! You’d look great in this.”

“But you’d need to go back to your old makeup style,” she added with a fake sigh of regret.

“Your makeup and clothes today just don’t match. Why the sudden change in style?”

Watching Ji Xinxin’s little act, Ji Nuannuan found herself impressed. Her “good sister” performance was so convincing, she almost didn’t want to expose it.

After all, life is a stage. Who doesn’t know how to act?

“I just felt like trying something new,” Ji Nuannuan said dreamily, staring at Ji Xinxin with sparkling eyes. “I really like your style too, Sis.”

“Huh? Mine?” Ji Xinxin was clearly flustered at being complimented on her fashion out of the blue.

Her style?

Ji Xinxin had always liked showing off her figure, often appearing in fashion magazines. She was a regular in the fashion world.

But for Ji Nuannuan to say she liked her look—it caught her completely off guard.

Ji Xinxin had always been envious of Ji Nuannuan. Even after living in the countryside for so long, her hands were still soft and fair, her face delicate, and her skin unblemished.

And though she hated to admit it, Ji Xinxin knew deep down—if Ji Nuannuan ever dressed up like her, she wouldn’t stand a chance by comparison.

That’s why she always made Ji Nuannuan wear dark, dull colors, and apply heavy, garish makeup. She thought that if she could just bury Ji Nuannuan’s beauty, she could keep her invisible.

Yet even then, Fu Jinghan still liked her.

That drove Ji Xinxin mad with jealousy. Not because she loved Fu Jinghan, but because she couldn’t understand—how could someone like him be attracted to Ji Nuannuan?

Wasn’t she now ugly and tasteless?

So when she found out from her mother in advance that Fu Jinghan was going to marry Ji Nuannuan, she rushed to insert Wei Yang into Ji Nuannuan’s life.

All to make sure that even if Ji Nuannuan gained Fu Jinghan’s attention, she would still be betrayed, abandoned, and disgraced in the end.

Looking at Ji Xinxin now, frozen in place, Ji Nuannuan fought back a laugh and said sweetly, “Sis? What’s wrong?”

“Ah, n-nothing!” Ji Xinxin was startled out of her thoughts, clearly flustered.

“Sis, with your figure, there’s no way you could pull off my style,” she quickly added, falling back into her familiar routine of belittling and manipulating.

“Really?” Ji Nuannuan blinked innocently. “Let me try, then. I think our figures are pretty similar, aren’t they?”

Seeing Ji Nuannuan ignore her “advice,” Ji Xinxin’s patience wore thin, and her tone turned sharp.

“I said it doesn’t suit you, so it doesn’t! A little ugly duckling trying to be a swan!”

Then she leaned in close, her voice cold and threatening, whispering in Ji Nuannuan’s ear:

“Or are you still dreaming about running away with Wei Yang?”