Chapter 156 — Dress Fitting For The Wedding (1)

She turned to face him. They were in the car, going for the dress fitting.

Money was indeed good, since they could still be this leisurely about choosing their wedding outfits even though the wedding was almost upon them.

In the slightly dim ambience of the Maserati, his refined facial features stood out beautifully.

The only thing was that grin. It looked out of place on his normally cold face and was so full of mischief that Pei Yueran felt the urge to wipe it off.

"It's definitely not about you."

"Are you sure about that?"

"Uh-huh." Pei Yueran nodded.

Li Chuanmo's eyes narrowed, signaling approaching danger. "Oh? So tell me," he said while moving closer, "Who were you thinking about?"

Pei Yueran wanted to keep quiet when she saw him approach with that wolfish look, but she couldn't help opening her mouth when he trapped her between his arms and the car door.

"It's none of your business, so would you consider moving— Chuan!"

His name came out in a tone of voice that Pei Yueran hadn't used in a while, because Li Chuanmo's hot breath on her neck was producing indescribable sensations that made her toes curl.

"This was bad!" She screamed in her mind.

"Chuan, please." Her low, throaty voice was doing nothing to help Li Chuanmo, who started out with the innocent intention of teasing her.

He knew her neck was a sensitive spot, that was why he went for it. He just wanted her to admit she had him on her mind. But he miscalculated and ended up being teased by her.

The softness and warmth on his cheek, the way his lips fit into the hollow of her neck— all of it turned this harmless joke into an unplanned test of self-control.

Gong Anwei, who had been forgotten by both of them, swore that he would resign after their wedding if he still had not gotten a partner. He was very sure that life will be too difficult to live if he had to endure this every day.

He roasted Li Chuanmo in his heart, "Dear Boss, even if you're hungry, can you please be conscious of the location and those around you? Or should I park and give you some time?"

He wondered how Fang Bo had been enduring. He had also been driving them around at least twice a week in the past month. Were they this carefree around him too?

The thing was, they didn't even need to be doing anything. As long as they were in the same space, something was bound to happen. They were like two charged particles creating a potent electromagnetic field.

Gong Anwei glued his eyes to the road and increased the volume of the radio. He accidentally turned knob up to the max. For a second, loud music blared out of the car's speakers. He quickly apologized and reduced it.

Pei Yueran stiffened, while Li Chuanmo released her and moved away a bit.

Like a rehearsed act, both of them took a few moments to adjust their emotions.

"So what were you saying again? Who was on your mind?" He said after his voice regained its normal timbre. He still refused to let go of his original intention.

Pei Yueran said quickly, "Li Yuchen. I was thinking of my favorite rascal. It was really not you."

"And that's supposed to make me happy?"

Pei Yueran: "..."

"Okay, my apologies." This petty guy!

Before Li Chuanmo could reply with one of his suffocating sentences again, she directed her attention to Gong Anwei. "Assistant Gong, are we close to the place yet?"

Gong Anwei nodded as if pounding garlic, "Yes, yes. We'll arrive in three minutes."

He was the happiest of the three people in the car. It was as if he could see the torture coming to an end.

That was before he remembered they still had the return journey. He cried without tears!

They really got to the boutique a few minutes later. Some employees were already waiting for them outside, led by a smartly dressed middle aged woman. She bowed and welcomed them in enthusiastically.

"Chairman Li, Young Miss, you're welcome."

Pei Yueran was getting used to the "Young Miss" title since she had been hearing it since they started going to places for the wedding preparations.

*Mandarin* was a high end boutique that specialized mainly in wedding outfits. From the groom's suit to the bride's wedding dress, and even to the outfits for the bridesmaids, groomsmen and flower girls, their brand was time honored and well loved.

Together with the mothers, they had already picked out some designs from the catalogue. Pei Yueran and Li Chuanmo had both expressed that they didn't want anything too fancy, so the styles they chose were relatively simple.

At least to them. An average person would not consider those intricate styles with handsewn embroidery "simple".

Li Chuanmo's choices were tuxedos in three different colors —black, ivory and midnight blue. Due to Pei Yueran's insistence, he tried all three out. They all looked good on him, but when he came out for the third time wearing the ivory tux, Pei Yueran's eyes began to shine. She looked like a starstruck fan.

She couldn't help it. The way the cut and color flattered his broad shoulders and showed off his lean waist made her nod appreciatively. It wasn't news, but once again, she had to say that her man was drop-dead gorgeous indeed.

"Wipe your drool."

Pei Yueran subconsciously raised her hand to her mouth before realizing that he was teasing her as usual. She threw a multicolored pillow at him.

He dodged as a smile blossomed on his lips. He was very satisfied by her reaction and nodded to the manager. Just like that, his outfit was settled in less than thirty minutes. Only the accessories remained to be chosen, and they were going to be matched with Pei Yueran's accessories.

It was now Pei Yueran's turn. Li Chuanmo sat down on the leathered sofa, took up his phone and prepared to wait. He planned to use the time to answer a few emails.

The first collaboration with Gaoyi Group was going amazingly well. The new medical devices with the GOLEM software were set to be unveiled in about a week, and already anticipation had been built to an all-time high.

Just after replying to the second email, Pei Yueran came out in the first outfit. It was a pristine white satin creation with a boat shaped neck and a simple hem. Li Chuanmo gave it a look and said, "It looks good, but it doesn't do your beauty justice."

The manager and fitting assistant: (⁠☉⁠｡⁠☉⁠)⁠!

Pei Yueran did not quibble. She did not like the fitting of the dress either.

The next one she wore didn't receive a pass from Li Chuanmo either, just a "It's not bad, but do you really want a mere 'not bad' gown as your outfit on our big day?"

Wordlessly, she shook her head and went to change.

The next one got him to pause and think for a few moments before saying, "This looks really beautiful."

The manager and assistants sighed in relief. They were getting worried that it would take a long time, but they finally got a good review in an hour. It was good.

Only Pei Yueran looked at him in resignation. "Just complete your sentence."

As expected, he continued, "But it lacks something, some je ne sais quoi." he said in a flawless French drawl.

Pei Yueran let out a sigh only now. The father and son were really alike in the way they criticized outfits. The only difference was that her favorite rascal used more polite and euphemistic words, while this handsome rogue only knew how to aggravate people with his words!

The poor manager and fitting assistants were thrown from the sky back to earth in one second. They still had work to do.

The next, next, next, next and next dresses were all perfect but had one flaw or the other. According to him, they were either too simple, plain or not artistic enough. For one, he even sent a freezing glare to the manager.

"What kind of outdated design is this?"

The poor manager could only bury her aggrieved words in her stomach. You and the Young Miss personally chose this design, what does it have to do with me?!

Pei Yueran was gritting her teeth by now. She indeed agreed with him for the most part that the dresses didn't look as nice on her as they looked in the catalogue, but he was really being too much.

She liked the last dress before this one —at least she thought it was manageable—but a single glance from him, followed by "Uhm uhm, not majestic enough" was his assessment, and the dress didn't look good in her eyes anymore.

She had made up her mind. The next dress was the last dress she was going to try on, and she was determined to make him see the beauty of this one. She had saved it for the last because it was the one she felt most drawn to, but it was also the most complicated.

It took twenty minutes just to put it on. Afterwards, she marched out with determination, the train of the gown sweeping the polished floors. "Chuan, if you have even a single complaint about this dress, I will—"

Her voice became lower and lower until she finally stopped.

Because she could finally see that glint, that spark of admiration in his eyes. His next sentence confirmed it.

"This is perfect."