Chapter 38: 38 《Follow》

38 《Follow》

Xie Shiyu didn't go to the company today; the matters requiring his decision on the new project have already been settled, and the remaining things can naturally be handled by his subordinates.

It's already the end of September, the weather has turned a bit cool, and today he happens to have free time, so he thought of taking her to the Embroidery Clothes Workshop to order a few autumn outfits.

He didn't take her to the mall because he saw that her clothes were mostly Chinese Zen style, guessing she would prefer simple and comfortable attire.

Early this morning, he specifically went to ask Xu Airu, after all, women indeed pay more attention to this than men do.

When his mother heard he was going to have clothes made for Tushan Jiu and even wanted the embroidery shop people to come over to take measurements, she immediately felt his eldest son wasn't exactly sharp.

With such a good opportunity and him having free time, if he doesn't go out on a date, does he still want to pursue his wife?

Xie Shiyu's original plan was to wait until Tushan Jiu finished taking her measurements, then take her out for a stroll in Nan Cheng.

But after hearing his mother's words, he humbly accepted her advice, sought Tushan Jiu's opinion, and then left.

Unbeknownst to him, this also exactly matched Tushan Jiu's wishes.

Although she came from Yun Shi to Nan Cheng with two large suitcases, she actually didn't have much stuff.

She had thought that while she could dress casually on the mountain, in Nan Cheng she still needed to be more careful.

Leaving aside that she is Xie Shiyu's fiancée, just as Tushan Jiu, when she goes out she represents the face of the Tushan clan, so naturally she should be more dignified.

But when Xie Shiyu arrived at the Embroidery Clothes Workshop, the samples the boss brought out were all new Chinese-style designs, not much different from her usual clothing style, just more refined, and her heart felt as if lightly scratched by something.

She realized Xie Shiyu really took good care of her.

In these few short days, he understood a great deal of her tastes, preferences, and even her personality, and he feared she might feel uncomfortable.

She also heard Xie Jingting say that the people around him—whether special assistants or secretaries, even the entire CEO office—were all male, and he was very observant of male virtue.

A man who is wealthy, good-looking, and has a good personality is hard not to like.

But she knew he was doing this only because of the engagement; he was merely fulfilling the responsibility he owed for their engagement.

Anyway, he certainly couldn't have fallen in love with her at first sight.

"What's wrong? Are you looking at me because you don't like it? Have the boss switch to another sketchbook."

Xie Shiyu's voice brought Tushan Jiu back to her senses.

She embarrassedly withdrew her stare, awkwardly touched the tip of her nose, and said, "Not needed for now."

Her gaze returned to the sample sketchbook in her hand.

Tushan Jiu dislikes dragging things out; she flipped through the sketchbook page by page, lightly tapping the designs she liked: "This one, this one, and this one—I'll order a set. Hey, this pattern is also nice—is this Shu embroidery stitch?"

Boss Wu Mo exclaimed in surprise: "Yes, I have some Shu embroidery skills; I didn't expect this miss to know about it."

She really likes the phrase "walking clothes hanger," and Tushan Jiu is exactly that.

Don't let her current loose clothing fool you; after years in the custom clothing business, she can tell at a glance that her figure is well-proportioned.

As a designer, she naturally hopes her works can be presented in their most perfect state.

Therefore, she is especially enthusiastic toward Tushan Jiu.

Tushan Jiu shook her head: "I don't know this; it's just that an aunt I know can do it, and later she often made clothes for me to wear."

Wu Mo asked again: "And then what happened?"

Nowadays, inheritors of intangible cultural heritage are few and far between, and few young people like this dull, tedious craft, causing many skills to be on the verge of being lost.

So upon hearing that someone else also knows this, she couldn't help feeling a mutual sympathy.

"Uh..." How could she say that—was she supposed to say that aunt wasn't human but a ghost?

Tushan Jiu instinctively turned her pleading gaze toward Xie Shiyu beside her.

Xie Shiyu had been quietly listening to her speak; seeing her look over, those somewhat clear and lively eyes blinked at him, his throat felt itchy, and his Adam's apple slid up and down.

He lightly coughed to cover his awkwardness, then helped her out: "Boss Wu, my mother said your workshop recently designed a new cheongsam set; could you bring it over for us to see?"

Wu Mo, who has been running a high-end custom shop in Nan Cheng for many years, is naturally a smart person; she smiled and said okay, then went to fetch the clothes from the back room.

Tushan Jiu secretly let out a breath of relief: "Thank you."

Xie Shiyu gave a light laugh, ruffled her head, and said, "You're welcome."

Tushan Jiu, whose head had been rubbed again, didn't move her head; her eyes slowly lifted to look at Xie Shiyu's hand that hadn't yet been withdrawn.

She thought this gesture of his was becoming more practiced, yet she didn't dislike it.

Moreover, she just noticed his hands were also quite nice-looking.

He really is someone you can't find any fault with.

Her dazed appearance was fully taken in by Xie Shiyu's eyes.

Xie Shiyu lifted his hand from her head and flicked her forehead with a finger.

Tushan Jiu, surprised by this action, covered her forehead, her red lips slightly parting.

A pleased laugh escaped Xie Shiyu's throat, his voice softer: "Don't stare—look and see if there are any other styles or patterns you like; make a few more sets, and later we'll go to the mall to check if any brands have something you like."

With a swish, Tushan Jiu's face turned red; she hurriedly grabbed a sketchbook at random and began flipping through it, saying, "Okay, okay."

This sketchbook only had skirts; Tushan Jiu thought they were pretty good and selected a few sets.

Wu Mo brought out that cheongsam set and displayed it for Tushan Jiu to see.

"This is a newly signed embroiderer of our workshop, Teacher Mu Ling's embroidery piece—this white floral patterned embroidery, with red rose blossoms that in the Republic of China era symbolized the emblem of free love; this work is titled 《Follow》."

"However, this dress cannot be altered; if you like it, I can help you place an order with Teacher Mu Ling—she doesn't see clients, and up to now I've only met her once online." Saying this, Wu Mo's tone sounded regretful.

As soon as Xie Shiyu's gaze landed on that cheongsam set, it was drawn to the roses embroidered on it.

His brow twitched slightly—were these flowers perhaps too vivid?

He wouldn't lightly judge someone else's design effort.

He turned to Tushan Jiu and asked, "Do you like it? If so, let's order a set."

Tushan Jiu looked for two seconds, nodded, and said, "I like it—just this set, buy it!"

Wu Mo said embarrassedly: "This set is a sample, not for sale; moreover, as a sample it's already been touched by many people. Why don't you wait a bit? If it's custom-made, it won't take long—at most half a month to have it delivered to you."

What she didn't say was that Mu Ling's attitude toward this cheongsam was very firm.

Even the contract was specially marked, stating it could only be used as a sample display, not for sale.

Tushan Jiu looked at the red rose on the cheongsam and narrowed her eyes, "Since that embroiderer doesn't sell, then I won't take it; the ones I picked earlier are enough, Xie Shiyu, let's go back."

Xie Shiyu noticed Tushan Jiu's small movement out of the corner of his eye, and he roughly guessed what was going on.