After the call with her brother, Yue Ling finished reviewing the remaining documents and left to meet her design team. She wanted to quickly check them before leaving for An Qing.
"What about this color? I think it goes well with your appearance."
Tang Zhonghui held up a shiny satin swatch in Alice blue in front of Yue Ling. His eyes move up and down as he stares between the color swatch and his boss.
Feeling like the color was perfect, he turned to look at the rest of the team.
"What do you guys think? Perfect, right?"
Ju Suo pursed her lips in pondering. Her eyes narrow every few seconds before walking over to the many color swatches scattered on a table.
She picks up one of the color swatches and walks over to where Yue Ling and Tang Zhonghui are standing.
"I color more. It's perfect for an engagement dress."
Tang Zhonghui looks at the petite woman's choice of color, and his expression is scrunched in displeasure. It was a soft pink color with a lilac hue.
Ju Suo knew that Tang Zhonghui would never see eye-to-eye with her. She glares at the youngest member of the team and snorts.
"What? Are you unsatisfied with my color choice?"
Knowing she was offended by his one word, Tang Zhonghui sighs. He massages his forehead and shakes his head.
"You're so small, but you have so much energy. All I did was ask to confirm your decision. Yet, here you are, turning something so small into something so big."
Ju Suo's mouth hung open at the disrespect. Both her fists hit her hips, and she stuck her chest out to look like a bigger person.
"Tang Zhonghui, this is no small matter. This is a matter regarding our boss's dress. Do you really think I would randomly pick a color? Of course not. I chose this color after carefully contemplating."
Yue Ling stares at her two employees with shaking heads. She wanted to stop them, but the phone in her pocket rang before she could get a word out.
She takes out her phone, and upon seeing the name of the caller, she looks at her team, especially Ju Suo and Tang Zhonghui.
"I need to take this call. When I return, we'll continue where we left off."
She doesn't wait for their response and walks out of the room, leaving her team in silence.
When her figure disappears out the door, Lian Ni Shang walks over to join the two bickering teammates.
"You know what that means, right?"
Ju Suo and Tang Zhonghui glance at one another and nod. Neither needed to say a word as they knew full well what Lian Ni Shang was talking about.
Once Yue Ling returns to the room, she will not tolerate any more arguments from them.
Not wanting to hear an earful from their boss, the two individuals quickly got to busy themselves. The bickering behavior they once portrayed was now that of colleagues on the best terms with one another.
Watching their attitude shift, Gui Tian Lan and Gui Zhongmin could only shake their heads. On the other hand, Shan Sinan walks over to join his beloved Lian Ni Shang, while Qi Li never pays any attention to the group.
The young man kept his eyes glued on the tablet as he tested out the digital colors he thought would go best for his boss.
Away from the design room, Yue Ling stood in front of the floor-to-ceiling window. She answers the call and places the phone next to her ear.
"This is Han Yue Ling."
From the other line came a heartfelt laugh, and then a woman's voice followed.
["Hi Ah Ling, this is Aunty Lu. Did I call at the wrong time? If you are busy, you can call me back when you are free."]
Hearing the middle-aged woman's voice, Yue Ling felt her heart go soft. She gestures a faint smile and responds.
"No. You didn't call at the wrong time. Is everything alright?"
["It's about the venue I picked for you and Tian's engagement party. The other party seemed to have booked the wrong date and would like to meet to go over the problem. Is there a good date for you to go with me to meet them?"]
Yue Ling didn't reply right away but stared out the window. Her eyes gaze upon the companies nearby, not allowing anyone to read her thoughts.
After a long pause, her lips parted, and she answered.
"I'll check with my secretary and let you know."
["That's great. I will keep my schedule open to match the day you are available."]
Hearing the woman's words, Yue Ling couldn't help but smile. "Mm. Is there anything else?"
["No, no. Everything else is going as planned."]
A pause followed Madam Lu's words before she spoke again but in a slightly quieter voice.
["If it's not too much trouble, come to the house for dinner again. Of course, only if you have time."]
Yue Ling answered with a mm and chatted with Madam Lu for a few more minutes.
Once the call ended, she put her phone away and stared back out the window. However, this time, she stares up at the sky above Imperial.
She thought back to something Lian Ni Shang had brought up, and she pursed her lips in pondering.
Was it really necessary to hold an engagement party just before the wedding?
"Boss, are you alright?"
She was deeply in her thoughts and was interrupted by Liu Shan's familiar voice. She collects herself and turns in his direction.
"I'm alright. Is it time to go to An Qing?"
Liu Shan stared at her with mixed emotions. He could tell that something was bothering her but decided not to pry and put on a smile.
"We should be on our way before we hit traffic."
Yue Ling nods her head and walks away from the window.
"I'll meet you in the front after meeting the design team."
She doesn't wait for a response and makes her way in the direction of the design room.
Liu Shan's eyes follow her figure until she disappears into the room. He heaves a heavy sigh, thinking about his boss's busy schedule.
"If her dress had not been stolen, she wouldn't have to add this to her work."
Some people think that creating a dress is simple, but the truth is not that simple. It requires a lot of time and patience, especially for an important event.
However, Yue Ling doesn't have much time as the date is nearing.
She could have just purchased another dress, but he knows she cannot trust another store after what happened.
Liu Shan's eyes dimmed, remembering how easy it was for Ji Chu Hua to convince the employee at Blush Boutique to hand over Yue Ling's dress.
The light bulb in his head lit up as an idea suddenly came to his mind, and he grins. He looks at the design room, then turns around and chuckles an evil laugh.
"Oh, Ji Chu Hua. You should not have taken what wasn't yours. Did you not see what happened to Chen Limei?"
He places his hands in his pants pockets and whistles a joyous tune.
"Looks like it's going to be a long night tonight."
As he entered the elevator, the employees he walked past stared at him with slight confusion yet a mix of curiosity.
"Did something happen that we weren't aware of? Why does Assistant Liu look so happy?"
"How can you call that happy? That's the face he makes when he is going to cause havoc!"
"Aiya. Looks like we will have to keep our eyes on the news again."
Unaware of the situation outside the design room, Yue Ling worked with her design team on the new dress. Although she couldn't stay long, she briefed them on her designs.
After confirming that they were all on the same page as her, she didn't feel too bad for leaving. If she hadn't had to go to An Qing, she would have stayed to work with them.
She looks at her design team one by one. She was proud to know that she could trust these people.
"I have to go to An Qing, so I will leave this task in your hands until I return. If there are any questions, call Liu Shan or me."
Each person nodded in understanding before Gui Tian Lan spoke up.
"Don't worry, boss. We have this all under control."
Next to the tailor, Gui Zhongmin chimes in with a smile.
"You can leave this to us. We will never disappoint you."
Yue Ling looks at her team with gratitude, then turns around.
She makes her way to the elevator and sends a message to Jiang Shengyi about any openings in her work schedule. Once she finds a suitable date, she relays the message to Madam Lu.
The elevator chimes upon arrival on the first floor, and she looks up from her phone as the doors slide open.
Without wasting time, she strides out and heads for the front of De L'amour, where Liu Shan is already waiting for her.