He Xiu said it so matter-of-factly that for a moment, Jian Yan felt that she was the one being unreasonable. She smiled at the clerk and said, "Excuse me," then pulled He Xiu aside and said in a low voice, "Do you know how many people in the world wear high-end custom-made clothes as their daily attire? For the vast majority of people, a high-end custom-made dress is only worn once in its 'lifetime'."

  He Xiu's eyelashes fluttered twice, and he looked at her and said, "So what?"

  "…So why buy it!" Jian Yan lowered her voice a bit more. "For those celebrities who often attend red carpet events, if they buy a new high-end custom-made dress every time, no matter how rich they are, it won't be enough. So usually, everyone borrows clothes from brands. At first, I also asked Lin Zhen to help me borrow a dress from Bunny."

  He Xiu chuckled softly and asked her, "Do you know what would happen if you wore a borrowed dress to Xu Ying's engagement banquet? Those wealthy ladies are not celebrities. They always look down on the clothes borrowed by female celebrities. Either you don't wear a high-end custom-made dress, or if you do, it must be a purchased one."

  "…Then I'll just wear an ordinary evening dress." At worst, she would be mocked by Xu Ying, but she wasn't afraid.

  He Xiu said, "It's a pity that I've already bought this dress."

  Jian Yan: "…"

  Seeing her looking ashen-faced, He Xiu couldn't help chuckling a couple more times. "This dress on you, with so many sequins and pearls on the chest part that need to be sewn on by hand, and a large amount of embroidery on the skirt, it took about 800 working hours to make. Do you think it would be possible to finish making it if we were to order it now?"

  …Oh, that's right.

  "Is this a sample dress?"

  "It was custom-made according to my mother's measurements." He Xiu said, "I took a fancy to this dress at the fashion week at first sight and immediately discussed the customization with Lewis."

  "Your mother?" Jian Yan was very surprised. He couldn't possibly be planning to… burn it for his mother? That would be too extravagant…

  As if seeing through her thoughts, He Xiu laughed and said, "My mother had a wardrobe filled with many beautiful clothes, but after she gave birth to me, she hardly ever wore them because she had to wear those ugly work uniforms to work." As He Xiu said this, his eyes darkened a bit. "My mother never even wore a wedding dress. I think this dress can, to some extent, make up for her regret."

  It was also to make up for his regret.

  He looked at Jian Yan, his gaze focused and gentle: "Remember when I told you before that my biggest wish was to buy my mother a lot of beautiful clothes when I grew up? Although I can't buy her a lot of beautiful clothes now, I can buy a lot of beautiful clothes for you."

  Jian Yan's eyes flashed slightly. Her heart, which had been as cold as ashes, had been beating fervently and clearly like this again and again since she met He Xiu.

  He Xiu continued, "So I contacted Lewis a few days ago and said that the dress needed to be worn by someone else, and the measurements might need to be adjusted. You know, for designers like Lewis, they need to know who wears each of their clothes. After I told him your information, he readily agreed. It seems that you have a good relationship with him?"

  "Uh… It's okay. I had a few conversations with him when I went to the fashion week. If he were a woman, our relationship might be even better."

  He Xiu burst out laughing. "I can see that he appreciates you very much. He also said that he's looking forward to seeing how you look in the clothes he designed. Speaking of which, I go to the fashion week at least twice a year, yet I've never met you there."

  Jian Yan also thought it was a bit strange. "I go to the fashion week every year too. Maybe your attention was drawn by the supermodels on the stage."

  He Xiu laughed. Then he heard Jian Yan say, "But this dress was originally bought by you for your mother. Now you're giving it to me. Isn't that a bit inappropriate?"

  "No." He Xiu looked at her in the dress and gently raised the corners of his mouth. "My mother will definitely be very happy to see this dress on you."

  Jian Yan blushed at his words. He Xiu smiled and asked her, "Is there anything that needs to be modified?"

  Jian Yan shook her head. "No, it fits perfectly."

  "That's good."

  While the two of them were chatting in whispers, the clerk patiently waited. Now that they had finished chatting, the clerk took the initiative to accompany Jian Yan to change out of the dress.

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  On the way back, Jian Yan was a bit worried. "Do you think if I wear such an expensive dress to Xu Ying's engagement banquet, will I steal the limelight?"

  He Xiu curled the corners of his mouth and turned his head to look at her with a half-smile. "Didn't you say that you had already asked Lin Zhen to help you borrow a high-end custom-made dress? Why are you worried about this now?"

  Jian Yan: "…"

  She accidentally revealed her true thoughts.

  He Xiu laughed and said to her, "Don't worry about them. As long as we're happy."

  …Since Manager He had said so, she really wasn't afraid anymore.

  "What would you like to eat tonight?" He Xiu asked her.

  Jian Yan said, "Let's go home and put away the dress first. I'm not 放心 leaving such an expensive dress with me."

  "Okay." He Xiu smiled and drove the car towards Jian Yan's home.

  This was the second time He Xiu had come to this villa-style apartment. After parking the car, he turned his head and asked Jian Yan, "Aren't you going to invite me up for a sit?"

  "Um…" Jian Yan considered for a moment, then raised her eyebrows at He Xiu. "Okay, but you're in charge of carrying the box."

  Jian Yan's dress was packed in a combination box, which was very heavy. He Xiu picked up the box and followed her upstairs. Jian Yan usually kept her house clean, so there was nothing embarrassing about it. This was He Xiu's first time in her house, so naturally, he looked around curiously. "The house is quite clean. Did you clean it yourself?"

  "I usually do it myself, and I also hire a professional cleaner to do a thorough cleaning once a month."

  He Xiu nodded and then asked, "The decoration of your house… Is it the minimalist style?"

  Jian Yan: "…"

  She took the box from his hand and walked upstairs. "I'm going to put away the dress. You can sit in the living room for a while."

  Although it was obvious that she was showing some discontent, He Xiu still had the nerve to follow her upstairs. Jian Yan's studio was the outermost room, and there was a sticker on the door that said "Do not disturb while working." He Xiu asked curiously, "Who is this sticker for?"

  Jian Yan said, "Lin Zhen. Besides her, only my two assistants will come here."

  He Xiu seemed very interested in her studio. "Can I have a look at Ms. Tangzhi's working environment?"

  "Feel free."

  He Xiu opened the door without hesitation and peeked inside. It was a bit similar to an office in an office building. There were three seats in total, and the desks were filled with various tools, cluttered but not messy. There were many posters on the wall, and the bookshelf was also filled with books.

  He Xiu walked up to the bookshelf and stopped to take a look. There were a large number of professional books and fashion magazines, as well as many comics, not only Jian Yan's own but also the works of some other famous cartoonists. There were also quite a few art albums and picture books. What surprised He Xiu the most was that he actually found original comic manuscripts on the bookshelf.

  Jian Yan said, "At first, I drew a lot of handwritten manuscripts and then scanned them into the computer. And some editors only accept handwritten manuscripts."

  "These manuscripts are very precious."

  Jian Yan smiled and said, "It's okay. When I become more famous, maybe their value will increase. Lin Zhen suggested holding an art exhibition before, but the number of works was a bit small. When I have more saved up, maybe I can really hold an art exhibition."

  "I will definitely go to see it then." He Xiu put the manuscript back in its place and took a few steps forward. "Is this desk yours?"

  "Yeah."

  He Xiu studied Jian Yan's desk with great interest and then picked up a few manuscripts on it and took a look. These manuscripts were different from the handwritten ones just now. They were all printed. As he was flipping through them, his movement suddenly stopped.

  Seeing that his expression seemed a bit off, Jian Yan frowned and walked up to ask him, "What's wrong?"

  He Xiu took out a manuscript in his hand and held it in front of her. "Is this drawing of me?"

  Jian Yan: "…………"

  Damn, this was the big head portrait of He Xiu that she had drawn before, and it was actually printed out together!

  She snatched the manuscript from his hand and hid it behind her. "You must be mistaken."

  He Xiu raised his eyebrows and looked at her, saying, "Oh? Then take it out and let me have a good look."

  Jian Yan: "…"

  "Okay, it might really be you. Then I used it to practice the structure of the male head before."

  "Oh." He Xiu replied meaningfully. "Then why are you blushing?"

  "…I'm not blushing."

  "You clearly are." As He Xiu said this, he leaned closer to her, as if trying to find something on her face.

  Now Jian Yan's face really turned red. He was so close that his breath could hit her face, and it was actually a bit burning.

  "Look, even your ears are red." He Xiu's voice became lower and lower, and his gaze softened. He looked at her like this for a while, and then slowly planted a kiss on her lips.

  Jian Yan's eyes widened slightly, and she froze. But this feeling didn't seem bad.

  He Xiu's lips only touched hers lightly and then pulled away. He was still very close, not saying a word, and his scorching breath landed on Jian Yan's face. "Do you feel disgusted?"

  Jian Yan pursed her lips and replied, "It's okay."

  "Then what about this?" He Xiu gently wrapped his arms around her waist and pulled her into his arms. A gentle kiss landed on her lips again. This time, it didn't separate immediately but lingered on her lips and nibbled a few times.

  Jian Yan's heart was about to jump out of her chest. She thought that He Xiu must be able to hear her thumping heartbeat at this moment.

  He Xiu still stopped at a light kiss and didn't make any further moves. He was afraid that she wouldn't be able to accept more intimate actions. Jian Yan took a few breaths in his arms and looked up at him. "What do you mean by this?"

  He Xiu said, "Isn't it clear enough?"

  Jian Yan frowned slightly. "It's not clear. Shouldn't you confess first?"

  He Xiu couldn't help laughing. He raised the corners of his mouth and deliberately used Nan Si's voice to say to her, "I like you."

  With such a sexy and magnetic voice paired with such a handsome face, Jian Yan really found it hard to resist.

  But she still looked at him, as if deliberately making things difficult. "How much do you like me?"

  He Xiu's eyes were filled with a smile, and he lowered his head and kissed her on the forehead. "I'd rather be angry with you and quarrel with you than love someone else."