Chapter 9

“What?! The full moon banquet?” Zhu Jia’s eyes widened in surprise. In the original storyline, Mo Yichen only revealed his son to the public when Xiao Wen was a few months old. But now, for some unknown reason, the plot had shifted, and Mo Yichen was planning to announce it earlier.

“Yes,” Mo Yichen nodded slightly, his expression neutral.

Zhu Jia asked, “Do I need to prepare anything?”

Mo Yichen gave her a deep look, his expression unreadable. “No. Just say what needs to be said.”

Zhu Jia immediately understood, smiling, “Got it! Don’t worry, I’ll handle it!” She even winked at him.

Mo Yichen frowned imperceptibly, “If you have any questions, contact Assistant Lin.”

“Mm-hmm,” Zhu Jia nodded eagerly.

Zhu Jia watched as Mo Yichen left, then let out a light snort. This guy’s personality was so stiff and moody, as if speaking a single extra word would kill him. She’d never dealt with someone like him before. She was naturally lively and outgoing, and most of her friends were similar.

Zhu Jia actually loved making friends and enjoyed a lively atmosphere, but after being here for a while, she realized the only people she could chat with were Xiao Wen and Aunt Liu. The original Zhu Jia didn’t have many friends, and now her WeChat only had Assistant Lin and a few occasional brand salespeople messaging her—such a far cry from her university days, when her WeChat was flooded with messages.

Zhu Jia felt a bit out of place and lonely. She secretly planned that after getting used to life with her little one, she would go out more often to socialize and meet new friends.

The next morning, Assistant Lin contacted Zhu Jia to try on a dress for the full-month banquet. Since the dress shop was not far from her home and the time required wouldn’t be long, Zhu Jia thought it over again and decided not to bring Xiao Wen along. She entrusted him to Liu Yi for an hour or two.

Driver Lao Xu arrived on time to pick her up in the familiar black Bentley. Zhu Jia opened the back door, only to be startled to find Mo Yichen sitting inside. His demeanor was as cold, aloof, and meticulous as always, but beside him stood a baby car seat, and on it were the giraffe and panda rattles that Zhu Jia had bought last time. There were also two yellow rubber duckies lying next to his long legs.

Zhu Jia couldn’t help but feel that the scene before her was both absurd and awkward, and her eyes curved into a smile. Mo Yichen, noticing her gaze, shifted his legs uncomfortably, inadvertently pressing one of the yellow ducks, which let out a squeaky sound.

Zhu Jia couldn’t suppress her laughter, her eyes sparkling and her shoulders shaking slightly, as though she had seen something particularly amusing. Mo Yichen glanced at her and turned his face away, saying, “Get in the car.”

The baby car seat took up nearly half of the space in the back, leaving no room to sit. Zhu Jia then opened the passenger side door and sat down.

She hadn’t expected to run into Mo Yichen in the car today. Was he also going to try on clothes? Zhu Jia quickly dismissed the thought, recalling that when Assistant Lin had sent her the details of the dress shop yesterday, she noticed that the store specialized in women’s gowns.

After a 15-minute drive, they arrived at the dress shop. As expected, when they reached their destination, Mo Yichen did not get out of the car. Driver Lao Xu said, “Madam, I’ll drop Mr. Mo off at the company and come back to pick you up later.” Zhu Jia smiled and nodded, then walked into the dress shop.

Mo Yichen watched her retreating figure from the car window. Today, Zhu Jia was wearing a light green dress, her hair casually pinned up, and she looked like a fresh little green leaf, her steps light and carefree like a harmless deer wandering in the woods.

Mo Yichen rubbed his forehead. He had picked up a few important documents from home this morning and happened to be riding in the black Bentley back to the company. He hadn’t been in this car for a long time, and he was surprised to find it filled with colorful baby toys and a car seat.

After spending more time with Zhu Jia recently, Mo Yichen had gotten used to such things. Apart from the car, there were even more “baby traces” at home: animal toys scattered across the living room sofa, baby educational flashcards placed on the dining table, several baby strollers neatly arranged at the entrance, and sometimes when Xiao Wen played downstairs, children’s songs could be heard looping on the speakers all day long.

Zhu Jia entered the dress shop and was greeted by a woman in a black suit. “Hello, Mrs. Mo, I’m Mary, the store manager.” She extended her hand in a gesture to invite her in.

Zhu Jia nodded slightly. “Hello, Mary.”

The shop was much larger than Zhu Jia had expected. Full-length mirrors surrounded the space, and mannequins displayed all kinds of beautiful dresses. Zhu Jia’s eyes widened as she looked around. She had rarely worn skirts as a child, so as an adult, she had a particular fondness for them, although she had never worn such exquisite gowns before.

Mary led her upstairs to a spacious fitting room. Several dresses had already been prepared for Zhu Jia to try on, and Mary helped her change. Zhu Jia initially felt a bit shy, but some of the dresses were difficult to put on by herself, so she had to ask Mary for assistance.

The first dress was a heavily designed pink puffball dress. Zhu Jia felt awkward in it, and it was too extravagant for her, making her look like a pink Barbie doll.

The second and third dresses were simple strapless gowns. Though Zhu Jia had a small frame and looked slender, her body was naturally curvy, and the strapless dresses accentuated her figure, making her look even more exaggerated, which she didn’t want to reveal at Xiao Wen’s full-month banquet.

After trying on three more dresses, Zhu Jia finally found one she was happy with: a pale yellow off-shoulder floor-length gown with a flowing drape. The design was modest, but the fresh color made the dress look lively and elegant.

Zhu Jia smiled at her reflection in the mirror. Her lips were rosy, her skin smooth, and her face delicate. Although she was naturally sultry and alluring in appearance, her clear, bright eyes gave her an innocent and pure look, softening her overall aura.

“Zhu Jia!? Is that you?” A voice came from behind her.

Zhu Jia turned in surprise and saw two girls—one tall, one short—trying on dresses. She quickly recalled that they were the Qian sisters from the Qian family, who were somewhat wealthy newcomers to the local scene. The two girls looked similar, with the taller one named Qian Lu and the shorter one named Qian Meng. They had known the original Zhu Jia for a long time, though their relationship was never very friendly.

“Qian Lu, Qian Meng?” Zhu Jia blinked in surprise.

“Looks like you don’t recognize us anymore,” Qian Meng sneered.

Zhu Jia blinked and said, “Really? I don’t think so.”

Qian Meng’s eyes flicked to Zhu Jia, then she suddenly smiled maliciously. “Have you heard the latest gossip? We’re going to the Mo family’s full-month banquet soon. It turns out Mr. Mo has secretly gotten married and had a child—his son is already a month old!”

Qian Meng watched Zhu Jia closely, remembering how in the past, mentioning Mo Yichen would always make Zhu Jia act defensively, and she loved teasing her about trying to climb the social ladder by pursuing him.