34

Qin Ruan hooked her right hand around the skirt she had just taken off, then leaned in closer to Wen Yixin, wrapping her arm around Wen Yixin's waist while her left hand gently covered Wen Yixin's eyes.

She chuckled softly, and as Wen Yixin opened her mouth to speak, Qin Ruan whispered, "Shh…"

With her vision blocked, Wen Yixin instinctively closed her eyes, her long eyelashes brushing lightly against the fingers covering them.

"What are you doing?" Wen Yixin asked, her head tilting slightly to the side as she reached up to touch Qin Ruan's hand over her eyes.

"Sister," Qin Ruan murmured, moving even closer so that Wen Yixin could feel her warmth.

Wen Yixin instinctively took a step back, but before she could move further, Qin Ruan loosened her hand over Wen Yixin's eyes.

"The hook for the dress is behind you. I just wanted to hang up the skirt I took off," Qin Ruan explained.

As she spoke, Qin Ruan's hand moved away from Wen Yixin's waist, reaching up to hang the skirt on the hook.

As soon as the skirt was hung up, she removed her hand from Wen Yixin's eyes.

Now that her vision was clear, Wen Yixin blinked, and the first thing she saw was Qin Ruan's face, mere inches from her own.

Quickly averting her gaze, Wen Yixin's peripheral vision inadvertently caught sight of Qin Ruan's bare body.

Wen Yixin's eyes quickly snapped back to Qin Ruan's face. "Go try on the dress."

Qin Ruan smiled and said, "I'm going to try it on now."

With that, she turned around and took down the new dress hanging nearby, then slowly began changing into it right in front of Wen Yixin, without any hint of shyness.

Wen Yixin... kept her head turned, avoiding looking in Qin Ruan's direction. She only glanced briefly at Qin Ruan when asked how the dress looked, then quickly looked away again.

About half an hour later, the curtain to the fitting room was finally pulled open, and both Wen Yixin and Qin Ruan stepped out, though their expressions were very different.

Zhao Man had been waiting outside the entire time. Although she noticed the difference in their expressions, she didn't think much of it and quickly approached Qin Ruan. "Miss Qin, do the dresses fit well?"

Qin Ruan nodded. "They all fit well. Please help me pack them up."

"Of course, I'll arrange that right away," Zhao Man replied.

As she turned to leave, she suddenly remembered something and turned back to them. "Miss Wen, the high heels that Miss Qin ordered will take a little longer to arrive at the store."

Hearing this, Wen Yixin glanced at Qin Ruan.

Qin Ruan shook her head. "It's fine. There's no rush. Just let us know when they arrive."

"Certainly," Zhao Man responded before heading off to get the other staff members to help pack up Qin Ruan's dresses.

They worked quickly, and soon Wen Yixin and Qin Ruan were handed several bags containing the dresses.

With their items in hand, they were ready to leave Jeremy's but were unexpectedly stopped by a group of unwelcome guests at the entrance.

Wen Yixin frowned at the girl blocking her path. "Is there something you need?"

Her voice was cool and distant, and there was a certain pressure in her gaze.

Yushu Yun, the girl blocking their way, hesitated under Wen Yixin's stern gaze, the confidence she had earlier wavering.

Seeing Wen Yixin's frown deepen as if she were about to get angry, the girl behind Yushu Yun quickly nudged her, urging her to speak up.

Snapping back to reality, Yushu Yun remembered why she was there and said, "There's a party at the Yu family's residence next Friday. I'd like to invite you to attend."

"The attendees will be some of the most influential people in K City. I think you'd be interested," Yushu Yun added with a hint of pride, as if certain that Wen Yixin would accept.

She glanced at Qin Ruan, her tone carrying an air of superiority as she added, "None of the people there can be compared to those from the Qin family."

Qin Ruan shot a sharp look at Yushu Yun, her gaze darkening.

But Yushu Yun wasn't intimidated. She smirked dismissively. "Why are you looking at me like that? Am I wrong?"

Qin Ruan ignored her, not wanting to engage any further.

Finding it boring, Yushu Yun turned her attention back to Wen Yixin, whom she considered her true target.

With that thought, Yushu Yun pulled an invitation from her bag and handed it to Wen Yixin. "Here's the invitation. It's for you."

Wen Yixin stared coldly at the invitation, making no move to accept it.

She scoffed and said, "I'm not interested in your party at all."

"And please step aside. You're blocking our way."

Yushu Yun's confident expression froze, and she stubbornly asked, "Are you really not coming?"

Wen Yixin's gaze remained cold as she repeated, "Move."

Humiliated and frustrated, Yushu Yun stood there, unwilling to back down.

Eventually, the girl behind Yushu Yun tugged her aside and apologized to Wen Yixin, "Sorry about that. You can go ahead."

Wen Yixin gave a brief nod and began walking forward. As she did, she glanced back at Qin Ruan, silently signaling her to follow.

Qin Ruan smiled and moved to Wen Yixin's side, their arms brushing against each other.

Seeing this, Yushu Yun's frustration boiled over, and she glared at Qin Ruan's back, gritting her teeth.

In the underground parking lot, Wen Yixin walked ahead, looking for the spot where they had parked. Her pace was quick, causing her to leave Qin Ruan a few steps behind. Qin Ruan, preoccupied with thoughts of their earlier encounter with Yushu Yun, didn't immediately notice.

Yushu Yun had appeared at Jeremy's at just the right moment, almost as if she had been waiting for Wen Yixin. The thought left a heavy feeling in Qin Ruan's heart, like a stone pressing down on her.

Suddenly, the loud sound of a car horn pierced the air. Qin Ruan turned her head and saw a black car approaching her, not too fast but uncomfortably close.

Instinctively, she lifted her foot to move out of the way, but someone else acted faster.

As soon as Wen Yixin heard the horn, she looked back at Qin Ruan. Seeing her standing in the middle of the lane, Wen Yixin quickly ran over and pulled her aside.

She pulled with such speed and force that Qin Ruan stumbled, only managing to steady herself by grabbing Wen Yixin's shoulders.

It wasn't until the black car drove past that Wen Yixin breathed a sigh of relief. She looked down at the person clinging to her and couldn't help but chide softly, "You need to be more careful when walking."

"I know," Qin Ruan replied.

Wen Yixin patted her shoulder, urging her to stand properly. "Let's go. I see our car."

But instead of letting go, Qin Ruan held onto Wen Yixin's hand.

Wen Yixin paused, glancing down at their intertwined hands.

Qin Ruan tightened her grip slightly. "What's wrong?"

"Nothing," Wen Yixin shook her head, not pulling her hand away.

"Let's go home," Qin Ruan said.

Wen Yixin nodded.

As they walked, Qin Ruan glanced at Wen Yixin and, recalling her earlier thoughts, asked, "Sister, what do you think of Miss Yu?"

Wen Yixin replied indifferently, "Not much."

"Why do you ask?"

"It's nothing," Qin Ruan said, biting her lip before continuing, "She's beautiful, comes from a good family, and has always been popular." Although she had a bad temper, that didn't stop people from liking her.

Wen Yixin chuckled softly, "Do you think she's beautiful?"

Qin Ruan nodded. "She was very popular at school. Everyone said she was beautiful."

Wen Yixin laughed, "I think she's just okay."

"If we're talking about beauty, she's no match for you."