Chapter 26: Birthday party

When Lin Yiwei walked out of the convenience store, a light drizzle was falling from the sky. The autumn and winter seasons in Qinggang City are often rainy, and during such continuous, gloomy rainy days, the wind seems to pierce into the skin like needles, the cold penetrating to the bone.

A black SUV was parked at the door. Even though Lin Yiwei knew nothing about luxury car brands, she could recognize this car at a glance. This was because she had chosen it herself; among the flashy race cars and supercars in Xie Bo’s garage, which resembled a car show, she had picked out this relatively understated SUV. Xie Bo always used this car to meet Lin Yiwei, so much so that not only could she recognize its emblem, but Xie Bo’s image would also come to mind whenever she saw a similar type of SUV on the streets.

There is a psychological concept called the “anchoring effect,” which means that when a person continuously reinforces another person’s impression of something, an anchor is set. Upon seeing something related, one immediately thinks of that associated person. Repeated enough times, this can even create the illusion of falling in love. She felt that Xie Bo was intentionally and unintentionally planting such anchors in her mind…

Holding her umbrella, she deliberately walked past the car parked by the curb. After she had walked about ten meters, the SUV started its engine and slowly followed behind her. Not hurrying, as if joining her for a stroll.

Finally, Lin Yiwei could not bear it anymore and stopped walking. “Mr. Bo, what brings you here?”

The dark car window slowly rolled down. The man’s profile was sharp; he rested one hand on the steering wheel, casually tapping his fingers: “Waiting for you, to pick you up.”

He was unusually dressed in a shirt and black trousers, the collar casually open, revealing his slender neck. He even wore those rimless, moonlight silver glasses. These glasses, too, had become an anchor Xie Bo planted in Lin Yiwei’s mind, so much so that whenever she saw a boy wearing the same type of glasses on the street, she would unconsciously compare him to Xie Bo. Regrettably, no boy of the same type had so far matched his refined yet degenerate charm.

At that moment, Lin Yiwei must have had a brain freeze to have mistaken him for a gentle, obedient “little puppy.”

“Get in the car,” Xie Bo said simply, without any superfluous words.

Lin Yiwei replied, “I need to go back to school, there’s a club activity later.”

“If you don’t want me to splash water all over you, get in the car.”

Seemingly to match his cool and refined appearance today, even his tone of voice was light and airy, though what he said made little sense, Lin Yiwei looked down at her white dress and decided to obediently get in the car.

After she got in, Xie Bo leaned over to fasten her seatbelt, noticing a faint bite mark on her earlobe: “How long has it been, and it still hasn’t healed.”

“So you don’t know your own strength?”

Xie Bo knew her delicate constitution and, mischievously wanting to leave another mark on her neck, was stopped by a firm slap from Lin Yiwei before he reluctantly desisted.

Without further conversation, he directly took her to SKP.

The semi-open park-style sunken TOD shopping district is home to many high-end luxury fashion stores.

“What are we doing here?”

Xie Bo didn’t respond to her question. After parking the car, he led her to the MSKU store.

The salespeople at this luxury store are well-trained. They can identify and address the sons and daughters of the leading families in Qinggang City, linking faces to names to make them feel at home.

Xie Bo seldom visits women’s luxury boutiques, but the staff still recognized him immediately and greeted him with a warm, spring-like smile—

“Master Xie, you’ve arrived. We’ve just received a new collection of autumn and winter items. Would you like to take a look?”

Xie Bo took Lin Yiwei’s wrist and pulled her into the store.

The girl frowned and struggled a bit but couldn’t free herself and had to let him lead.

“Which item did she pick last time?”

The staff’s face changed slightly upon seeing Lin Yiwei.

Such luxury brand stores don’t actually host many customers daily, and given Lin Yiwei’s exceptional looks, of course, she remembered her…

Initially, she didn’t pay attention because a quick glance revealed that this girl’s spending power was not within msku’s usual client range.

She didn’t expect to see her again, this time walking with Xie Bo, the third son of Qinggang City’s wealthiest Xie family.

The staff felt anxious and regretful, fearing that Master Xie might trouble her.

She quickly retrieved the Chanel-style suit dress that Lin Yiwei had inquired about and presented it diligently: “This one.”

Xie Bo looked over the dress, frowning and disdainfully said, “What terrible taste. How can this Chanel style look good? It’s terribly outdated.”

Lin Yiwei: …

She hadn’t planned on buying it; she couldn’t afford it anyway.

And what’s wrong with the Chanel style? She thought this style looked good, giving off the vibe of a well-mannered girl from a good family.

Pure and kind.

Disliking the piece, Xie Bo casually tossed it back to the staff and started picking other items he found appealing off the racks.

He gathered some suits, coats, and dresses… placing them up against Lin Yiwei to see how they looked—

“Go try these on.”

“No.” Lin Yiwei stubbornly refused. “I’m not your Barbie doll to dress up as you wish. Where’s my dignity in that?”

Knowing she wouldn’t comply easily, Xie Bo snaked an arm around her neck from behind and took out his phone, snapping a photo of them together in the mirror—

“Want to save face, right? Believe it or not, I can announce you as my girlfriend on social media right now.”

Lin Yiwei: …

Seeing his maliciously playful expression, she quickly stepped forward to snatch the phone: “Xie Bo! You… you dare!”

Xie Bo threw the clothes at her, his eyes lifting with a clear threat.

Frustrated, Lin Yiwei had no choice but to take the clothes to the fitting room and try on each one he had picked out.

Xie Bo was incredibly picky, rejecting various styles of dresses, until finally, there was one he found barely acceptable—

“Not bad, it’s passable.”

Lin Yiwei: …

His taste in fashion was brutal and simplistic.

After rejecting so many dresses she thought were fine, he was satisfied with just a tight, black, low-cut, short dress that highlighted her cleavage…

“I’m not wearing this, I’d rather die,” Lin Yiwei told him. “In your dreams.”

“Wearing it outside might not be appropriate,” Xie Bo’s intense gaze unabashedly swept over her figure. “We’ll buy it for you to wear at home.”

“I told you, I’m not your Barbie doll!”

He pinched his phone between his fingers, smiling lightly: “Seems like you can’t wait to make our relationship official.”

“Fine, fine, fine!” she snapped, changing out of that dress and tossing it to the staff. “Pack up the other dresses I tried on just now. I’m taking all of them.”

Although Xie Bo wasn’t particularly fond of the earlier selections, he bought everything she wanted—clothes, dresses, and even matching shoes and bags.

Lin Yiwei had a naturally good figure, and with a little dressing up, she nearly looked flawless in Xie Bo’s eyes.

He was so exacting, yet she seemed to hit all the right notes for him.

A crush that came on strong.

Xie Bo really wanted her again.

Unable to fulfill this desire, he could only vent by buying her things, letting out that pent-up energy.

Lin Yiwei, carrying bags big and small, followed him. Xie Bo, ever the hands-off manager, didn’t even think to help.It simply wasn’t his habit.

Until a sweet couple holding hands walked by, with the boyfriend not only carrying several bags for his girlfriend but also her small handbag.

Xie Bo then belatedly realized something and turned to look at Lin Yiwei, who was laboring under the weight of her shopping: “Sweetie, is it heavy?”

Lin Yiwei replied, “A sweet burden.”

Xie Bo picked up her fluffy rabbit handbag, taking it for her, indicating that he could also be a competent partner.

She said sarcastically, “I’m really touched.”

“No need to thank me.”

“Do you want to pick some more?”

Xie Bo hung up her handbag and glanced over the various bags she was carrying, seeming to seriously consider his options.

Lin Yiwei simply stretched out her hand and passed all the bags to him: “Adults don’t make choices, they take everything.”

“That makes sense,” Xie Bo said and simply scooped her up princess-style, along with all her bags, holding her securely.

Lin Yiwei was speechless…

Feeling the gazes of passersby pretending not to see but glancing surreptitiously, she lowered her voice urgently, “Put me down! It’s so embarrassing!”

“No.”

Xie Bo carried her through the entire SKP mall; Lin Yiwei was socially dead, collapsing in his arms and feigning unconsciousness.

The next day, on the TalkTok campus forum’s second-hand market section, a batch of very affordably priced genuine MSKU dresses and high heels appeared.

With tags uncut and the original packaging and receipt included, they triggered a buying frenzy among the girls.

When Li Du sent the post to Xie Bo’s phone, he was in class and glanced at the screen absent-mindedly.

He realized she had put all the clothes he bought her up for sale online, not keeping a single item.

It wasn’t the first time; there had been that beret incident…

Xie Bo was furious, but by now, he was used to it.

Not only was he intentionally or unintentionally setting mental anchors for Lin Yiwei, but she was also, in turn, raising his tolerance threshold for her.

“If she wants to sell, let her sell, as long as I feel good spending the money, it doesn’t matter.”

Xie Bo had bought her at least a dozen dresses and coats; Lin Yiwei sold them at half price, earning a tidy sum.

This money, of course, she kept, otherwise how could she live up to this man’s “kindness.”

Lin Yiwei spent a few thousand yuan on a regular daily dress that wasn’t up to the standards of Chi Xiyu’s banquet, but if it was too expensive, beyond her financial reach, Chi Xiyu would suspect.

She didn’t mind being ridiculed by those high-society ladies; this dress was quite appropriate.

With the rest of the money, Lin Yiwei saved it all, as her living expenses for the next few years of university and… if she had the opportunity to study at the Royal College of Art in London in the future, she wanted to prepare a study fund for herself.

Lin Yiwei did not want to live a life of poverty; she also aspired to strive toward that distant and sacred mountain.

On Chi Xiyu’s birthday, Lin Yiwei rode with Xu Qianxi to Chi Xiyu’s home.

Xu Qianxi was eager to show Lin Yiwei their affluent lifestyle, detailing how luxurious and extravagant Chi Xiyu’s semi-mountainous Chinese courtyard house was.

In reality, no such boastful “introduction” was needed; Lin Yiwei could see for herself how richly opulent the Chinese villa, with its water-surrounded walkway and courtyard, was.

The courtyard was wrapped in atmospheric mist, quite Zen-like.

Passing through the winding covered walkway toward the entrance, they reached the twin armored doors, and beyond them lay a huge ornamental stone and a staggered garden path.

The main house was a sunken-style Chinese courtyard with three floors above ground and two below.

In such a residence, if one needed to hide a person… Lin Yiwei felt it would be more than sufficient.

Such a layered, sprawling estate could hide a mountain of gold without anyone noticing.

The yard was lively with the distant sounds of laughter and clinking glasses.Young ladies and gentlemen from high society were gathered on the garden lawn, celebrating today’s birthday girl—Chi Xiyu.

She was dressed in a large, multi-layered pouf skirt reminiscent of a cake, her long hair styled into an exquisite and adorable bun, with a few curled strands framing her face.

Standing beside a beautifully ornate three-tiered cake, Lin Yiwei couldn’t help but feel as if a princess from a fairy tale had stepped out of the pages of a book.

Indeed, living in such a grand mansion and garden was akin to the treatment and enjoyment of a princess…

It was impossible not to feel envious. No one present could hide their envy of Chi Xiyu, including Xu Qianxi, who also came from an elite circle and looked at her with great admiration.

A renowned pianist was playing famous world pieces in front of a pristine white Steinway piano in the garden.

Chi Xiyu welcomed Lin Yiwei, took her around for a tour, and introduced her as her “best sister” to everyone.

Chi Xiyu’s friends, sharp-eyed and discerning, could not fail to notice that Lin Yiwei came from a lower social stratum.

Through Lin Yiwei, she flaunted to everyone that she didn’t mind the wealth gap or befriending girls from lower classes.

Lin Yiwei didn’t mind being Chi Xiyu’s showpiece, and she played along with a cheerful smile.

Chi Xicheng was upstairs in the gaming room, annoyed by the noise from the garden that even his headphones couldn’t block.

He really hated it when his sister hosted parties at home.

She would invite a bunch of boring young aristocrats who crowded around her, showering her with pleasing and flattering words, making herself out to be a princess.

What was the point?

Anyway, he had no interest in participating in her “princess games.”

Chi Xicheng yawned, walked over to the floor-to-ceiling windows, stretched lazily, and looked out at the back garden.

There, he saw the girl Chi Xiyu was leading by the hand…

She was meticulously dressed, wearing light makeup—different from her usual bare-faced look. Her hair framed her face in delicate tendrils, her cheeks full, her skin porcelain white as if it could drip water, and a beauty mark between her brows added a touch of cold allure.

Was it her?Chi Xicheng saw his sister holding her hand, introducing her to her friends.

He smirked—”Really fucking interesting.”

…

Lin Yiwei had been on display for over half an hour when she whispered to Chi Xiyu, “Xixi, can I take a tour of your house? I’ve never seen such a big, luxurious house.”

Chi Xiyu glanced at her, her tone not without pride, “What’s there to see about this house… I’m sick of it.”

Before she could finish, Chi Xicheng casually walked over: “Sis, you have such a pretty friend. When did you make her acquaintance?”

Lin Yiwei was startled—she hadn’t expected Chi Xicheng to be at home!

She had just heard from Xu Qianxi that when his sister threw parties, he usually stayed away!

She instinctively hid behind Chi Xiyu.

Knowing her brother’s reprehensible character, Chi Xiyu warned, “Brother, you better not mess with Weiwei, she’s my best friend.”

“Best friend? Are you sure?”

“Yes.”

Chi Xicheng, knowing his sister’s jealous nature, squinted at the defensive Lin Yiwei and countered,

“Do you know about her affair with Xie Bo?”