Chapter 6

Chapter 6: Give the Dress to Jiaojiao! From not far away came Pei Wuliang's doting voice, "If Jiaojiao likes it, then try it on!" Pei Wuliang walked over from the side, and when he saw that Jia Qingcheng was also here, he was momentarily startled. "Qingcheng, why are you here?" Song Jiaojiao's eyes were full of arrogance as she snatched the dress into her arms. "Sister, you like this dress too, right? But Jiaojiao likes it as well. Why don't you let Jiaojiao have it? After all, with the way you look, it doesn't matter what you wear." Jia Qingcheng said nothing, only glancing calmly at the shopkeeper. "I saw it first." The shopkeeper looked a bit awkward. After all, both sides were customers, and he couldn't afford to offend either. "Miss, this..." "Brother Wuliang, sister likes this dress too." Pei Wuliang cast a cold glance at Jia Qingcheng, disdain clear in his eyes. "Qingcheng, it doesn't matter what you wear. Jiaojiao has delicate, fair skin. Just let her have it." With that, Pei Wuliang turned to Song Jiaojiao, and a hint of doting instantly appeared in his eyes—an expression that couldn't be faked. At that moment, Jia Qingcheng suddenly found it all rather ridiculous. "Wait, I saw it first!" "It won't suit you. It'll look ugly on you, you know?" Jia Qingcheng was about to say something, but Pei Wuliang immediately looked at Song Jiaojiao. "Jiaojiao, go try it on." Song Jiaojiao smugly took the dress away, while Pei Wuliang coughed and looked at the shopkeeper. "Shopkeeper, pick out some more clothes for her that complement her skin tone." Complement her skin tone—was he mocking her for being dark? In her past life, she remembered attending a banquet once, wearing a set of purple brocade robes that Pei Wuliang had chosen for her. She couldn't say whether those robes were beautiful or not—after all, with her ugly face, even wearing celestial garments would have been futile. But Pei Wuliang said they looked good. He liked them. He liked them, so she wore them. But she was ridiculed by everyone, who said she was like a crow in a dress—all that effort for nothing. Back then, she had felt wronged and wanted to cry, and it was Pei Wuliang who stepped forward to scold those people. He said, Qingcheng, you're wonderful. Don't mind what others think... The man who had protected her everywhere in her past life now slowly overlapped with this cold, heartless man before her. Ridiculous? Perhaps a little. "No need. I'll pick my own. I won't trouble you, Young Master Pei." Jia Qingcheng straightened her back. She had her pride. She immediately turned to pick out other clothes, and soon, she heard a wave of admiring voices from the crowd. "Miss, this dress suits you perfectly. So beautiful!" "Yes, miss, it's as if it was tailor-made for you. Good thing you're the one wearing it—if that ugly woman beside you had worn it, who knows how ridiculous she'd look?" "Exactly. Doesn't she know her own place?" A group of women praised how good Song Jiaojiao looked in the dress, and naturally trampled all over her in the process. Pei Wuliang heard these words too. In this life, he didn't say a single word in her defense. Instead, with a hint of admiration in his eyes, he strode quickly toward Song Jiaojiao... "Jiaojiao, it suits you perfectly." A flash of admiration crossed Pei Wuliang's eyes—an expression she had searched for her entire life but never found in his gaze. And now, she saw it. Not only did she see it, she also saw the overflowing love in his eyes. In her past life, he had professed his love for her time and again, yet she had never found a trace of love in his eyes. She had always believed that Pei Wuliang simply wasn't good at expressing his feelings. Now she realized—it wasn't that he wasn't good at it. It was that she, Jia Qingcheng, wasn't worthy. Truly, it was ironic. "Miss, should we still look around?" Chunyan was furious. She didn't want to stay here any longer, but Jia Qingcheng acted as if she hadn't noticed... "Shopkeeper!" The shopkeeper hurried over. "Miss, how may I help you? What do you need?" The shopkeeper did feel a bit of sympathy for her. After all, he thought this young lady was rather pitiful—it wasn't her fault she was ugly, yet her beloved was still putting her down for the sake of another girl. Truly pitiful. "You must be new here, right?" The shopkeeper: "..." "Miss, how did you know?" The shopkeeper was indeed new. He had only been at this shop for less than ten days. Strange—how did this ugly woman know him? "Shopkeeper, take me to your private room to see the other new styles." The private room? The shopkeeper's eyes widened. This young lady looked completely unremarkable—how did she know their shop had fitting rooms reserved for distinguished guests? "Miss, you..." "Sister, does this dress look good on me?" Suddenly, Song Jiaojiao's smug voice came from behind. She was wearing the lake-blue dress she had snatched from Jia Qingcheng, looking as if she had stepped straight out of a painting. Beautiful, yes—but without matching accessories, it seemed somewhat cheap. "If you like it, that's all that matters. Why ask me?" "I'm sorry, sister. I snatched away something you loved. If you're truly angry, I'll take it off and give it to you right now?" "No need. It's just a dress. Nothing worth mentioning." Jia Qingcheng knew Song Jiaojiao was speaking with false sweetness. She didn't want to waste her breath on her. "Sister still won't forgive me, boo hoo. Then I don't want it either, so sister won't have to feel uncomfortable seeing me in this outfit." "Jiaojiao, what are you two doing?" Pei Wuliang immediately came to defend Song Jiaojiao upon seeing her crying, and Song Jiaojiao quickly hid in his arms. "Wuliang, I don't want this outfit anymore." Pei Wuliang really liked seeing Song Jiaojiao in this outfit. He knew Jiaojiao was beautiful, and this outfit seemed tailor-made for her. "It looks so good on you, why don't you want it?" "It's sister..." "Qingcheng, what more do you want to make a fuss about? With so many people here, do you want to lose all your face?" "Me? Make a fuss?" Jia Qingcheng was about to laugh in anger. She hadn't said a thing—it was all Song Jiaojiao putting on this act by herself. Couldn't he see that? "Isn't that so? Now apologize to Jiaojiao." Apologize? Not a chance! Jia Qingcheng didn't want to waste words with them, and turned to the shopkeeper. "Shopkeeper, please lead the way." Knowing she was an honored guest, the shopkeeper naturally didn't dare to be negligent. However... "Miss, do you have the copper token as proof?" Copper token? Jia Qingcheng gave a light laugh and was about to say something when Song Jiaojiao immediately cut in, "Sister, don't make things difficult for the shopkeeper. I know you want to spite me, but you can't just talk nonsense. That private room is reserved for honored guests. Look at yourself from head to toe—what about you looks like an honored guest?" What? Jia Qingcheng wanted to go to the private room to pick out clothes? How utterly presumptuous! "Qingcheng, stop making a scene. Aren't there enough clothes here for you to choose from? Besides, with how you look, you'd look the same in anything. Why bother picking a fight and wasting money on unnecessary expenses? Do you know what kind of people get to go into that private room?" "Yes, sister. Everyone knows your situation, and no one will laugh at you. Just stop trying to show off. There are so many clothes here—just pick a few and wear them. Why do you have to puff yourself up in front of all these people and humiliate yourself?"