Volume 1, Chapter 20: So Beautiful One Cannot Look Away

Xu Qingning had intended to look for other ways to dismantle the surveillance devices in the house. However, before she could even begin, Pei Xi told her after getting off work that there was a banquet over the weekend, and they were both required to attend.

"Word came from the old family mansion that we are expected to return there after the banquet and stay for a while."

At the mere thought of seeing Pei Lin’s calculating face again, Xu Qingning felt an instinctive resistance. "We’re all members of the Pei family. Why is it that when you, Pei Xixi, scheme against others, you look so charming, yet when it comes to your second uncle, he exudes such an air of insidiousness and malice?"

Hearing her description, Pei Xi chuckled. "That must be because beauty is in the eye of the beholder."

Xu Qingning was noncommittal. "Pei Xixi, you must maintain your good looks. Even when you reach your second uncle’s age, you must remain as dashing as ever!"

Pei Xi raised an eyebrow. "Are you more concerned about my face than you are about me?"

"Of course! Beauty may be fleeting, but ugliness lasts a lifetime."

"Since you say so, Qingqing, I shall have to find a way to make this face age a little slower."

Looking at Pei Xi’s face, Xu Qingning felt that the prospect of seeing Pei Lin over the weekend was not quite so unbearable after all. But soon, another thought crossed her mind. "Pei Xixi, we need to wear formal attire to the banquet. Since you can’t exactly spend your money openly, what are we going to wear?"

"Don't worry, Qingqing. I have already made arrangements."

On the weekend morning, Xu Qingning was still in the middle of a dream where she was chasing down Pei Lin—she was just one step away from striking him—when a ringing sound came from afar. She woke up abruptly, grabbed her phone, and pressed answer. "Hello!"

Pei Xi's voice came through, acting as her sedative. "Qingqing, time to wake up."

Xu Qingning rubbed her hair and got out of bed to open the door for him. "Why so early? Isn't the banquet in the evening?"

Pei Xi took her hand and led her to the living room. "But it takes time to make our beautiful Qingqing look even more radiant."

Only then did Xu Qingning notice several people standing in the living room. Her half-asleep brain instantly kicked into gear. She covered her face and turned to run back, but was blocked.

"Ms. Xu, the fitting room is this way!"

And so, on a weekend morning, Xu Qingning began her busy day.

She spent the day putting on and taking off expensive gowns. By mid-afternoon, her face was already showing faint signs of exhaustion. During this time, Pei Xi tried to rescue her, only to be blocked at the door.

"Pei Xi, since you hired me, you must follow my rules."

Pei Xi frowned. "Mya, Qingqing hasn't eaten anything yet."

"That won't do! Besides, many people start fasting well in advance just to fit into their gowns."

"Mya, clothes are tailored for the person. If they don't fit, the inanimate object should be the one to adapt to the living person; there is no reason for the reverse."

The woman in front of him nodded. "I know, but this is her first battle as the mistress of the Pei household. How can it be anything less than perfect? Even if you rush things now, how do you know the gossip of those sharp-tongued women won't tarnish her reputation?"

"If you truly care for her, you should let her appear before everyone in her best possible state."

Mya looked into the room. "You always want to protect her in a greenhouse, but you don't realize that this person, who is the apple of your eye, has a stubborn, indomitable spirit hidden in her bones."

"Director Mya, the dress is changed."

"Coming!"

Just as she was about to enter, Mya had another thought and glanced at Pei Xi’s outfit with disdain. "Instead of standing around here, you’d be better off going to tidy yourself up, lest when she comes out, we feel you aren't worthy of her."

Pei Xi was stunned for a moment, then laughed helplessly. "Then I must try hard. I wouldn't want to embarrass Qingqing."

Back in the room, Mya wore a different expression. She looked at Xu Qingning with unconcealable satisfaction and admiration. "You are truly a natural clothes hanger. I suspect you could even make a burlap sack look like high-end couture."

"Hey, hey, don't sit down, don't sit down! Let me admire it a bit longer."

Xu Qingning leaned her hand against the wall. "Sister, I heard what you said to Pei Xi. I have reasonable suspicion that you just like my beauty."

"How did you know? And what if I like it even more?"

Xu Qingning made a gesture to stop her. "The main consort, Pei, is present; you are, after all, but a concubine."

With that, they both burst into laughter.

"Darling, I’m truly exhausted. Just pick any set, it’ll be fine."

Mya looked at the remaining gowns with regret. "Fine. But when you have the chance, you must come to my studio and be my runway model!"

"It's a deal!"

The moment she was released from the room, Xu Qingning had never felt the air so fresh. Mya, sensing her urge to dash off, hurriedly grabbed her. "Come here, once you're done with the facial treatment, you can put on the gown and get your makeup done."

After all the fuss, there were less than three hours left before the banquet began. The two of them had been in the same house but hadn't seen each other all day.

Pei Xi knocked on the door. "Are you finished?"

A voice from inside moved from afar to near. "Ready, ready!"

As the words fell, the door opened, and Pei Xi finally saw Xu Qingning's outfit for the day. Since it wasn't the Pei family's home turf, it wouldn't do to be too flashy.

Mya had chosen a champagne-colored fishtail gown; the cinched waist design showcased Xu Qingning's silhouette and figure perfectly. A few strands of hair were intentionally left loose around her ears, adding a touch of playfulness.

Seeing Pei Xi speechless, Mya snapped her fingers in front of him. "What, stunned? Aren't you going to hold your wife's hand?"

Pei Xi regained his senses and, stumbling slightly in his excitement, took two steps forward, drawing a light chuckle from everyone in the room.

Xu Qingning, who had just been marveling at her own beauty, suddenly felt quiet. Watching Pei Xi get closer and closer, she inexplicably felt as if she were a bride being greeted.

"Qingqing..."

Placing her hand in Pei Xi's outstretched palm, Xu Qingning stood up and winked at him. "Mr. Pei, may I ask if you, staring so intently, have had your heart struck by the shockwave of my beauty?"

"Yes. My wife is too beautiful; I don't want anyone else to see her."

Xu Qingning smiled, her eyes curving into crescents. "Then what should we do? Mya and everyone in this room have already seen."

Pei Xi gripped her hand. "Then I have no choice but to trouble my wife to come out with me, and let me admire her all by myself."

Watching them dote on each other, Mya couldn't stand it any longer and coughed so hard her throat went dry. "I beg you two, please go! If you stay any longer, all of us here will have to take insulin!"

Pei Xi led Xu Qingning out the door, but as they were going downstairs, he swept her up into his arms.

"My wife is so beautiful, let me admire her at close range for a while longer!"

It wasn't until he reached the car that Pei Xi reluctantly set her down, not forgetting to smooth out her gown. "Let's go. The banquet is about to start."