Chapter 4: She Threw the Worn Gown into the Trash Can

A few photos were sent over.

In the photos, Chu Li was in a black high-end tailored suit with an exquisite handkerchief tucked into his chest pocket, and Qin Yunshu's fair wrist was resting in the crook of his arm; Qin Yunshu was in an elegant cheongsam, her long hair pinned up with a hairpin, her whole person exuding a gentle temperament.

They looked just like a perfect couple.

Qin Xingwan's heart ached; she was still lying in the Yiyuan after a miscarriage, yet he was accompanying Qin Yunshu to attend the Perfume Conference.

It was that very dress...

The color of the cheongsam was mellow and translucent white, and it was worth a fortune.

That was the "battle robe" Qin Xingwan had reserved to wear to the Perfume Conference; it had been personally designed and crafted by Lin Qingya, taking half a month to complete.

Two days ago, Lin Qingya had informed her that the dress was finished, and if not for the sudden accident, Qin Xingwan would have already retrieved it yesterday.

At this moment, the dress was on Qin Yunshu.

There was no need to even think about it; it was definitely Chu Li's handiwork.

She gritted her teeth and got out of bed, sending a message to Lin Qingya, "I'm coming over; have your people send a gown to the hotel for me."

Lin Qingya replied with a single word: "Okay."

Half an hour later, Qin Xingwan arrived at the hotel hosting the Perfume Conference, and Lin Qingya was already waiting at the entrance.

Seeing Qin Xingwan's appearance, she was startled: "Xingwan, why is your complexion so poor?"

Qin Xingwan did not hide it and told her about her miscarriage.

Lin Qingya was furious, "A pair of scum, to actually bully you like this; come, big sister will get revenge for you."

Qin Xingwan held Lin Qingya back; she was very grateful for Lin Qingya's righteous indignation, but some things could only be solved by herself.

"I'll go change into the dress first, and I'll have to trouble you to do my makeup."

"Alright, Xingwan, no matter what, I am with you."

Accompanied by Lin Qingya, Qin Xingwan changed into the gown, had her makeup done, and simply pinned up her hair; confirming that she looked reasonably spirited, the two walked arm-in-arm into the banquet hall.

The Perfume Conference was a grand event in the industry, held once every year.

As the chief Perfumer of the Chu Group, Qin Xingwan had received an invitation long ago.

It was just that for three years, she had rarely appeared in public, so not many people knew her.

Therefore, all the way in, she heard nothing but praise for Qin Yunshu, complimenting her for being worthy of being the chief Perfumer of the Chu Group, not only able to create top-tier perfumes but also being so beautiful—no wonder the CEO of Chu never brought her out...

They had all misunderstood, mistaking Qin Yunshu for Qin Xingwan.

Lin Qingya held Qin Xingwan's arm and said in a high-profile manner: "The person beside me is the actual chief Perfumer of the Chu Group, Ms. Qin Xingwan."

The crowd looked at each other in dismay.

Qin Xingwan walked all the way to Chu Li and Qin Yunshu.

Qin Yunshu hurriedly pulled her arm out of Chu Li's crook and explained: "Sister, don't misunderstand; it's because you were unwell that I asked A Li to be my partner."

On Chu Li's handsome and noble face was a faint trace of surprise: "Why are you here?"

Qin Xingwan did not look at him, only staring at Qin Yunshu, her tone icy: "Miss Qin, when attending a banquet, do you have to steal someone else's dress to wear?"

Qin Yunshu's face flushed red instantly, and she was too embarrassed to lift her head; she tried hard to explain, "Sister, it's because my gown got dirty that A Li borrowed this dress from Miss Lin."

Lin Qingya rolled her eyes very unceremoniously, "I never agreed; you guys snatched it by force. And if I had known Chu Li was taking the dress for you, I would never have let him take it away."

At the time, because Lin Qingya couldn't reach Qin Xingwan, she had simply brought the dress to the venue, and it happened to be seen by Chu Li, who immediately asked to borrow it.

Lin Qingya didn't agree, but Chu Li just took the dress by force; Lin Qingya thought Chu Li was giving it to Qin Xingwan, so she didn't pursue it, only to see it worn by Qin Yunshu later.

Qin Yunshu bit her lip in humiliation, her eyes reddening as if she were about to cry.

Chu Li reached out, shielding Qin Yunshu, "It's just a dress."

Qin Xingwan looked into his eyes, calm and stubborn, "This is a dress that Qingya designed specifically for me."

It was the battle robe she had prepared to attend this conference in style.

Because she had thoughts of divorce, she intended to build up her connections, so she decided to attend this Perfume Conference.

Little did she know that such a thing would happen.

Chu Li walked over and gently put his arm around Qin Xingwan's shoulder, his low voice carrying a hint of gentleness: "You aren't well, why did you come here?"

Qin Xingwan was very disappointed, because Chu Li was once again changing the subject for Qin Yunshu's sake.

She had already been in front of him for five minutes, yet he hadn't shown any concern for her health, and instead, at this moment, he was deliberately changing the subject to protect Qin Yunshu.

It was truly a nauseating act.

She broke free from Chu Li's deliberately gentle touch and looked only at Qin Yunshu, curling her lips slightly: "Miss Qin, wearing a dress without the owner's permission is immoral."

Countless prying eyes turned toward them.

Qin Yunshu was extremely embarrassed and subconsciously leaned toward Chu Li.

"Xingwan, just consider this dress a gift to Yun Shu; tomorrow I will have someone send you the latest styles of the season. You aren't well, hurry back to the Yiyuan to rest," Chu Li said, negotiating with Qin Xingwan in a tone as if he were bestowing a favor.

"No," Qin Xingwan shook her head, a calm, faint smile on her face, "From now on, I will make my own decisions regarding my things."

Her husband and her family were all Qin Yunshu's; she would no longer fight or snatch.

But things that were hers, she would not yield an inch.

Just like this dress—she didn't want to yield it, so she wouldn't.

"Xingwan, it's because you were unwell that I brought Yun Shu along." Chu Li's expression turned cold, convinced that his wife was jealous because he had accompanied Qin Yunshu to the Perfume Conference.

It was just that she was being too inappropriate with her jealousy.

"I don't care about that; now, please return my dress to me." Qin Xingwan did not care about Chu Li's attitude.

She hadn't come here to win back her husband's heart from Qin Yunshu, but only to get the dress back.

Lin Qingya crossed her arms and sneered, "CEO Chu is so generous, you could just have someone send Miss Qin the latest styles of the season; why must you insist on hogging someone else's dress?"

"Xingwan, do you have to make a scene and cause embarrassment here?"

Chu Li could not understand; for these three years, Qin Xingwan had always been the gentle and perfect Mrs. Chu.

Why has it become like this now?

"I only want back the gown that belongs to me," Qin Xingwan reiterated once more; she had absolutely no intention of causing a scene.

If Qin Yunshu took off the gown and gave it to her right now, she would leave immediately without looking back.

"I'll go change," Qin Yunshu said, lowering her head and tugging at Chu Li's clothes, "don't argue with my sister."

Chu Li's brows and eyes were sharp, filled with nothing but disappointment toward Qin Xingwan.

He took Qin Yunshu by the wrist and left.

Qin Xingwan lowered her eyes, her expression indifferent.

Lin Qingya was furious, cursing in a low voice, "Those two bastards."

"It's alright, Qingya," Qin Xingwan had already come to terms with it; the child was gone, she and Chu Li were finished, and getting angry over these things would only end up hurting herself.

After waiting for about half an hour, Qin Yunshu returned in a pink long dress; she walked over and handed the bag she had been clutching in her palm to Qin Xingwan, biting her lip with a look of grievance.

"Sister, here you go."

Qin Xingwan casually handed the bag to a waiter who happened to be passing by, "Please help me throw this in the trash can."