Pet Romance

The author has something to say: The update for tomorrow has turned into the day after tomorrow, what a tragedy 囧, and “Vase” hasn’t been updated either. Tomorrow I’ll frantically fill in two plot holes. Tragedy for a serial updater… Chapter 1414, Chapter.14 … The sixth floor of the department store sold all kinds of formal wear, various styles, naturally of different grades. Shen Qian and Li Meili were both quite frugal; usually, they would save more than half of their monthly salary, and every three months, they would withdraw some money for themselves. They initially planned to spend a couple of thousand, just to buy a set of clothes. But they didn’t expect that the sixth floor only sold impractical formal wear? And people were coming and going incessantly, clearly here just for the lottery. The two looked at each other, buying something impractical just to enter a lottery? And the odds weren’t guaranteed, though they were high at fifteen percent, not everyone would be so lucky? For someone with a monthly income of four thousand in a first-tier city like Shen Qian, it was quite an extravagance. Li Meili gritted her teeth, “Let’s buy something, if we win, we’ll hit the jackpot.” Shen Qian glanced at Li Meili, momentarily speechless. She really couldn’t bear to spend money on a dress she’d never wear. Li Meili pulled Shen Qian to a counter selling Rochas brand dresses. This brand offered a variety of dresses, typically styled to match the customer’s needs. Li Meili immediately fell for a dress on a mannequin, made of black embroidered velvet and white lace, separated into two layers, with a white fox fur shrug, looking extremely elegant. The saleslady approached, introducing, “This is designed by Rochas’ chief designer this year; there are only three in the country, and our mall just got it today, it’s the only one.” A limited edition? Shen Qian’s first thought was that the price must be astronomical. Li Meili also sensed that the price would be steep and shook her head, looking elsewhere.
Shen Qian followed behind her as a little assistant, just browsing, as she really had no intention of buying anything. She wasn’t interested in the small perk of a free world tour. It was strange, though; Li Meili only wanted to browse this one counter, going back and forth, trying to choose something she liked. Finally, she stopped in front of a simple yet elegant black knee-length dress. “I’ll take this one.” Shen Qian glanced at the price and couldn’t help but give a wry smile. While this dress wasn’t the cheapest in the store, it was indeed the least expensive among the designs by Rochas’ chief designer. The saleswoman at the counter prepared the invoice, and Li Meili went to pay, leaving Shen Qian alone at the Rochas counter. “Miss, would you like to choose one too?” The saleswoman’s friendly smile made Shen Qian feel embarrassed, and after casually glancing around, she pointed at the limited edition dress from earlier. “This one.” The saleswoman was overjoyed. “Miss, are you buying it?” “Yes, I quite like the brooch on it; it goes well with clothes. Hehe.” Shen Qian giggled, but the saleswoman was petrified; Shen Qian only wanted the grape-purple brooch from the limited edition dress. The saleswoman, with a helpless expression, handed her an invoice. “Miss, please pay at the cashier.” “Okay.” Shen Qian turned around with a sheepish look, sticking out her tongue secretly. But as soon as she looked up, she saw Qin Hao standing there with his arms crossed, a half-smile on his face. Shen Qian paused, suddenly feeling embarrassed. She intended to act as if she hadn’t seen him, but as she took a step, Qin Hao called out, “Qianqian, what a coincidence.” Shen Qian forced a smile and stopped. “Hehe, what a coincidence.” “Buying a dress?” Qin Hao was dressed in a suit, but his sly gaze made him seem less than straightforward. Shen Qian scratched her head, embarrassed. “Actually, I’m just buying the brooch.” Qin Hao was taken aback for a moment before bursting into laughter. “I’m impressed.” Shen Qian rolled her eyes; she didn’t mean to take advantage, but due to Li Meili’s excessive enthusiasm, she had to join in, albeit with insufficient funds, which led to… Shen Qian quickly changed the subject, smiling, “I forgot to congratulate you, happy newlywed.” Unnoticed by Shen Qian, Qin Hao’s handsome brows furrowed, and his face lost color. He moved his lips as if to say something but couldn’t find the words. “Qianqian,” he suddenly said. Shen Qian looked up at him, and he was staring at her intently. He said, “Let’s elope.” “…” Shen Qian’s head buzzed; she felt like she was sleepwalking. They stood there, staring at each other in a sort of silent standoff, neither willing to speak first. However, their moment was interrupted. Li Meili, having finished paying, approached, seeing the two “gazing at each other,” she let out a small “ah,” which was enough to snap them out of it. Shen Qian laughed awkwardly, “Little mouse, I’ll go pay now.” Then, Shen Qian scurried off to the cashier. Li Meili looked at Shen Qian’s retreating figure, then at Qin Hao, who was smiling at her, utterly confused. The price of one brooch was eight hundred! When Shen Qian paid, she felt like she might as well bleed. What was she doing? Just for a raffle ticket? It was a losing deal. When she returned to the counter with a dejected air, Qin Hao was gone. Shen Qian handed the invoice to the saleswoman, who gave her a beautifully packaged bag. “Damn, Qianqian, you really spent money on that dress?” “Huh?” Shen Qian was also puzzled; she had clearly bought only the brooch, yet there was the limited edition dress in the bag. Shen Qian looked questioningly at the saleswoman, who just smiled faintly, “Buy one, get the dress for free.” “…” This was utterly baffling. Especially for Li Meili, who was completely flabbergasted. She checked her bag; inside was just one item. She asked, “Why doesn’t she get it?” “It’s only for this specific item.” The saleswoman maintained her serene demeanor. Thus, the agitated Li Meili clenched her fists, feeling like she could die from the frustration. How absurd, buying an eight hundred yuan brooch and getting an eight thousand eight hundred and ninety-eight yuan dress as a gift? It was like an international joke! Shen Qian was also quite uneasy as she left with the dress. Li Meili, with red eyes, looked longingly at the bag Shen Qian was carrying. “You really lucked out.” Shen Qian didn’t reply, feeling anxious. The whole situation was hard to fathom. When they reached the raffle area, Li Meili handed her receipt to the customer service staff, who checked the ticket and set up the electronic spinning system. Characters scrolled across the screen; if any of them matched the characters in “百年好合” (a hundred years of harmony), it was a win. Li Meili, with some nervousness, pressed the button, her heart racing as the characters slowed down. The screen eventually showed the character “好” (good), and Li Meili felt like crying. “Congratulations, here’s your invitation.” The customer service handed her a red letter, which Li Meili accepted and kissed passionately. When Shen Qian handed over her receipt, she felt a bit embarrassed. After all, she had only bought an eight hundred yuan brooch. “Oh? The latest from Rochas?” The customer service maintained a friendly smile, pulling out a red letter from the drawer. “Customers who purchase this dress receive a free luxury cruise voucher.” “…” This was Shen Qian’s third time being speechless at the department store. Li Meili, who had been happy, was now laughing and crying, “Qianqian, I think he did this on purpose. The saleswoman at Rochas received a call and put the dress in there.” Shen Qian had her suspicions too. This department store was under Qin Zheng’s company, and Qin Hao being there was no surprise. Having certain privileges was also not surprising. But was Qin Hao’s arrangement to get her on a luxury cruise to attend his wedding, or was it as a friend, to fulfill her dream of a world tour? Shen Qian didn’t know which it was. *** Li Meili dropped Shen Qian off at her doorstep and then drove away. As Shen Qian opened the door to her house, her pet rushed to her, licking her all over, startling her. She glanced around the living room but didn’t see Yu Ran.