Chapter 38: It Looks Better Without It On

When Gu Yan received the call from Xu Yuan, she was curled up on the sofa in Shen Yanhui's study, flipping through an art book.

She didn't have many other hobbies; when she was free, she liked to look at art books, visit art exhibitions, and go out to various places to sketch.

Xu Yuan said, "Miss, the cheongsam is finished. It's the third version, altered according to the measurements you provided. Tailor Li says this is the most perfect one yet."

"Oh, it's finished... Then send it over to Man Island." Gu Yan closed the art book.

There was a two-second silence on the other end of the line.

"Man, Man Island?" Xu Yuan's voice tightened, "At Mr. Shen's place?"

"Mm."

"... I'll go right away."

Half an hour later, Xu Yuan stood in the front hall of the main residence on Man Island, holding four brocade boxes in her hands. Her back was held straight, but she didn't dare let her eyes wander.

Gu Yan came down the spiral staircase and laughed out loud when she saw her like this: "Xu Yuan, is it really necessary?"

Xu Yuan took a deep breath: "Miss, this is Mr. Shen's residence."

"So what? Isn't it still a place where people live?" Gu Yan took the brocade boxes and casually opened the first one.

A smoky pink silk cheongsam slid out, shimmering with a pearl-like luster under the lights. The collar was embroidered with fine, dense lotus vine patterns using thread of the same color; from a distance, it looked like a subtle pattern, and only up close could one see the exquisite detail.

"Go try it on." Gu Yan shoved the cheongsam to Xu Yuan and took another one for herself.

Xu Yuan held the cheongsam, looked at Shen Yanhui standing by the window with his back to them talking on the phone, and her voice trembled: "Me? Change, change here?"

"Go to the guest room." Gu Yan pushed her, "Hurry up."

Xu Yuan walked away, moving almost in a stiff, synchronized gait.

Gu Yan took the hazy blue one to the master bedroom. The material was silk crepe, and the collar was an improved small stand-up collar, inlaid with a circle of tiny seed pearls. The frog buttons were emerald green, carved into tiny magnolia buds.

She put it on and turned around to look at herself in the mirror.

The waistline was cinched perfectly, and the slit at the hem was just right. As she moved, the pearls at the collar shimmered in and out of sight.

The bedroom door was pushed open.

Shen Yanhui walked in; he had already hung up the phone.

His gaze landed on her and stopped.

Gu Yan turned around, hands behind her back, and tilted her head slightly: "Does it look good?"

He didn't speak, just walked closer.

He raised a finger and touched the pearls at her collar. His fingertip was warm, brushing against the skin on the side of her neck.

"It looks good." He finally spoke, his voice somewhat low.

"Really?" She took a step forward, almost pressing against him, "You aren't just humoring me?"

Shen Yanhui's palm rested on the small of her back; the silk material of the cheongsam was incredibly slippery. With a slight force, he pressed her entire body into his embrace.

"Really." He lowered his head, his lips almost touching her earlobe, "Every single pearl looks good."

Gu Yan's heartbeat quickened slightly, but she remained stubborn: "Then wait for me to try on the other two."

She pulled back from his embrace and went to get the second one.

Xu Yuan happened to be coming out of the guest room and stopped dead in her tracks when she saw Shen Yanhui standing at the bedroom door.

She was still holding the smoky pink cheongsam, her gaze darting quickly between her Miss and Mr. Shen, before she lowered her eyes.

Gu Yan put on the second one.

It was moon-white auspicious cloud silk, embroidered with silver thread outlining dragonflies and lotus leaves. As she moved, the dragonfly wings seemed to flutter.

"How about this one?" She spun around in front of him.

Shen Yanhui leaned against the doorframe, his gaze deep: "It looks good."

The third one was dark green velvet, sleeveless, and reached her ankles. The back featured a cutout design, spliced with sheer fabric of the same color, faintly revealing the outline of her shoulder blades.

When Gu Yan put this one on, Xu Yuan gasped.

"Miss..."

"Shh." Gu Yan winked at her, then walked over to Shen Yanhui.

He didn't speak, just reached out, his fingertips gently brushing the sheer fabric on her back. The movement was very light, as if he were afraid of breaking something.

"Is this one the best looking?" She asked, turning her head while standing with her back to him.

Shen Yanhui's hand stopped at her waist.

"They all look good," he said.

Gu Yan turned around and glared at him: "You're humoring me."

He chuckled softly, his palm tightening at her waist, pulling her back into his arms.

"I'm not humoring you." He whispered against her earlobe, his voice pressed so low that only she could hear, "It's just that I think... you look better without it on."

Gu Yan's face turned red instantly, and she pinched his arm: "Shen Yanhui!"

He let her pinch him, only circling her tighter.

Xu Yuan stood not far away, eyes fixed on her own nose, though her heart was in turmoil.

She truly admired her Miss to death; Mr. Shen's aura was so cold and sharp, yet she could still act spoiled with such composure.

As expected, the brave are the first to enjoy beauty.

However...

Xu Yuan's gaze cautiously darted toward Shen Yanhui again.

She had been by Gu Yan's side for so long and had seen countless people fawn over the daughter of the Gu Family, but someone like this Mr. Shen...

There was no one.

That kind of look, the possessiveness in those actions, and that desire that was almost overflowing.

She didn't even dare to look any longer.

Gu Yan finally broke free from Shen Yanhui's embrace to go change back into her own clothes.

Xu Yuan hurried forward to help tidy the qipao, her hands trembling.

"Good-for-nothing," Gu Yan laughed at her in a low voice.

Xu Yuan gritted her teeth: "Miss, please stop making fun of me."

After tidying the qipao, Gu Yan told Xu Yuan to go back first.

After seeing Xu Yuan off, she returned to the living room, where Shen Yanhui was already sitting on the sofa.

"We're going to escape the heat next week," he said suddenly.

Gu Yan had just picked up her water glass; she was stunned upon hearing this: "Escape the heat? We have air conditioning now, what is there to escape?"

"It's a tradition," Shen Yanhui looked at her, "We are due to head into the mountains in June. Every family goes."

Gu Yan blinked.

A tradition?

Her family didn't have this habit, and it seemed the families of the friends around her didn't have this habit either.

It was probably a custom passed down by century-old aristocratic families like the Shen Family and the Sheng Family, who lived in luxury.

She muttered under her breath: "So it's a capitalist tradition, a custom of the nobility."

Shen Yanhui did not refute her, only asking: "Do you want to go?"

Of course Gu Yan wanted to; she had never seen such a scene and was extremely curious.

"How long will we be gone?"

"We will return once the weather cools down."

Hmm, calculating it that way, it would be at least two or three months.

"Then what about your company?" Gu Yan asked, suddenly curious.

Can a big boss really just leave for two or three months? Forgive her for her limited experience, she couldn't wrap her head around it.

Shen Yanhui hooked his arm around her waist, pressed her against his chest, and chuckled: "If the company would fall into chaos just because I'm gone, then I should really re-examine whether these highly paid executives are all useless."

Gu Yan: "..."

That statement sounded like it really had no flaws.

But she still didn't agree immediately: "I have to go back and tell my parents."

After all, being gone for two or three months, it wouldn't be right without finding a suitable excuse.

Shen Yanhui gave an "en" and didn't press further.

Gu Yan leaned back into the sofa, looking at those brocade boxes.

She had already started calculating in her heart which painting tools and which pigments to bring.

And those qipaos.

It should be cool in the mountains, which would be perfect for wearing qipaos.