A Paper Contract GL - Chapter 10

Looking closely at Jiang Yuetong, Chen Nan noticed that her features were actually very delicate and beautiful, especially her nose, which was perfectly straight and refined. Even more beautiful were her eyes, which sparkled brightly, resembling those of a cute doll. Jiang Yuetong’s outfit today earned the most points; although the clothes didn’t look expensive, they perfectly matched Chen Nan’s preference. Chen Nan actually disliked clothes designed by big brands, feeling they should be worn by ‘T’s (butch lesbians), while ‘P’s (femme lesbians) should dress in a Korean style. Jiang Yuetong’s hair was tied back in a messy bun, which was genuinely very cute.

“Oh, you mean this flower,” Jiang Yuetong glanced at it and said, “It was given to me by someone else, I didn’t buy it for you.”

Chen Nan sat back down in her seat, folded her arms across her chest, and gave Jiang Yuetong a flat look. “Don’t you think you should offer some explanation for your tardiness, even though the agreement doesn’t require it? My grandpa always taught me never to be late. Punctuality is what people at Tianqi Group care about most.”

Jiang Yuetong shrugged, saying casually, “I was late leaving work, I misread the time. Besides, I’m not an employee of Tianqi Group, so why should I abide by your rules?”

Chen Nan had to take a deep breath to maintain her composure and keep from losing her temper right there.

Chen Nan stood up, took the roses Jiang Yuetong had brought, walked to the trash can, and threw them in.

“What are you doing!” Jiang Yuetong’s voice was quite loud. She regretted it as soon as she spoke. Wasn’t it supposed to be extremely quiet here?

“Nothing,” Chen Nan walked back to Jiang Yuetong and said, “No matter who gave you that trashy bouquet, you are not allowed to accept flowers in the future. Because you are dating me now. If you want flowers, I can buy them for you. Any other flowers are garbage.”

“Aren’t you being a bit too domineering?” Jiang Yuetong enunciated every word.

“Am I?” Chen Nan took another sip of the orange juice in her glass.

“I can’t even accept flowers from others? It’s true we’re dating, but we’re just pretending, only to deceive your grandfather. You won’t actually buy me flowers, will you?” Jiang Yuetong tried hard to control her anger; she truly couldn’t stand Chen Nan’s behavior.

“Alright, enough talking. Try the coffee first.” Chen Nan actually quite liked the sight of Jiang Yuetong getting angry—her lips slightly pouted, looking like she needed to be kissed to be appeased.

Jiang Yuetong took a sip and sighed internally: this was truly the best coffee she had ever tasted in her life.

“What are we going to do later? We’re not going to sit here and drink all afternoon, are we?” Jiang Yuetong asked.

“Of course not.” Chen Nan paused briefly and said, “We’re going to see a play later. It’s a commercial performance sponsored by Tianqi Group, and we must attend.

A play… Jiang Yuetong frowned. She never understood those things. Wouldn’t watching a movie be better?

Jiang Yuetong finished her coffee. “This is delicious. Can I have another pot?”

“Do you think this is a trough for cows? Another pot! I’ve been a patron at Okay for this long, and I’ve never heard such a request.” Chen Nan looked directly at Jiang Yuetong.

Jiang Yuetong covered her mouth slightly, indicating a little embarrassment, and smiled faintly, “Then just one more cup will do.”

“Mhm.” Chen Nan called the server again.

The coffee was quickly served. Chen Nan checked her watch and said, “It starts in two hours. We must arrive before it begins. My uncle and cousins will probably be there too. My uncle is not an easy person to deal with.” Chen Nan didn’t know why she was telling Jiang Yuetong all this.

Jiang Yuetong nodded, half-understanding. “Is the theater far from here?”

“No, but I need to take you to buy two outfits first. Honestly, I really like your outfit today, but you can’t wear it to that kind of event. There will be reporters everywhere, and I can’t let the media or my family say that the person next to me has a problem with their attire. Do you understand?”

Jiang Yuetong rolled her eyes at Chen Nan. “What’s the big deal? It’s just watching a play. If you’re embarrassed by me, I can just not go. I didn’t want to go anyway.”

Chen Nan’s anger immediately flared up. No woman had ever spoken to her like Jiang Yuetong. “I’m not explaining it to you. You have to go, period! I’ve truly never met a woman like you who doesn’t want it when someone offers to buy her clothes.” With that, Chen Nan took Jiang Yuetong’s hand and walked out.

Jiang Yuetong protested, “What are you doing? I haven’t finished my coffee! Such delicious coffee… Hey…” Jiang Yuetong was pulled out of the Okay entrance.

Tianqi International is located in Zhujiang New Town, the most prosperous and luxury goods hub in Guangzhou.

Jiang Yuetong had only been to the department stores under the Tianqi Group; she had never been to Tianqi International, as her salary saved up for several months wouldn’t be enough to buy a single dress there.

Upon entering Tianqi International, Jiang Yuetong was immediately drawn to a pair of sculptures. On the left side of the mall lobby was a finely crafted bronze sculpture of a man and a woman. The couple was intimately embracing, looking like lovers, romantic and beautiful.

“The people in the sculpture are my grandpa and grandma.” Chen Nan stood quietly in front of the sculpture. She remembered Grandpa saying that he commissioned this sculpture after he made his mistake. It looked like bronze on the outside, but it was solid gold inside. To prevent theft, a layer of bronze was cast over the outside to avoid drawing attention. Only those very close to her grandfather knew this.

Jiang Yuetong looked at the closely embracing man and woman in the sculpture and said nothing. Why did the male bronze figure look familiar?

Chen Nan leaned slightly closer, pointing to the golden base of the sculpture, and smiled, “After I learned to write, Grandpa hired the country’s most famous manual diamond engraving master to carve this in my handwriting.”

Jiang Yuetong also leaned closer and saw the inscription on the base: “My Grandpa and Grandma.” The handwriting was clearly that of a child who had just learned to write, stiff and childish.

Jiang Yuetong couldn’t help but sigh, “Your grandpa really loves you.”

“Of course…” Chen Nan smiled proudly at her, “My grandpa loved my grandma just as much.”

Chen Nan took Jiang Yuetong’s hand again and led her onto the elevator.

The elevator ascended slowly, the entire mall exuding an air of luxury. Every storefront in the entire Tianqi International used stone and metal in its decoration to reflect a sense of opulent texture. The glass display windows of the stores showcased photos of designers, and dresses were neatly categorized. The cut of each garment was different and exquisite; even from a distance, you could feel the high-grade texture and handiwork. It was beautiful, like being submerged in an ocean of luxury goods.

“Welcome.” A tall store clerk walked over from the side of the store. When she saw Chen Nan, she glanced at her with slight surprise, then immediately averted her gaze, wanting to look but not daring to. Clearly, she recognized Chen Nan.

Chen Nan said expressionlessly to the clerk, “Take her to try on the gowns.”

The clerk nodded and led Jiang Yuetong into the fitting room.

After trying on several gowns, Chen Nan kept shaking her head. The dresses Jiang Yuetong wore were all slightly different from what Chen Nan had imagined. Chen Nan decided to choose one herself. She looked around, her gaze drawn to a white gown. She walked over, lightly picked up the skirt. The silk fabric was light and transparently soft. The single-shoulder ruffled design had both the elegance of a woman and the playfulness of a young girl. This was the one. Chen Nan handed it to the attendant.

Indeed, this time when Jiang Yuetong pushed open the fitting room door, Chen Nan was stunned for a few seconds. She was genuinely taken aback by her beauty. Putting aside her preconceptions, she couldn’t deny that Jiang Yuetong was truly beautiful, perhaps even the most beautiful woman she had seen in all her years.

Jiang Yuetong held up the hem of the floor-length gown, gracefully walking toward the full-length mirror. Dressed in a pure white, single-shoulder gown with a fitted cut, the slit in the skirt went all the way up to her thigh, revealing glimpses of her pale legs. Looking in the mirror, she was as beautiful as a goddess.

Before, she always thought her Korean-style clothes were beautiful, but today she finally understood why so many women adored gowns. This kind of magnificent beauty was rare; only a gown like this could bring it out. Jiang Yuetong truly loved herself at this moment.

Jiang Yuetong turned around, holding the long skirt, and walked slowly to Chen Nan. “Are you sure you want me to wear this? Can I rent it instead of buying it? I just saw the tag; it costs one hundred thousand yuan. Oh my god, I never thought I’d wear such expensive clothes.”

Chen Nan’s face instantly turned ashen. Even without looking directly, Chen Nan saw the tall store clerk revealing a look of disdain. No woman Chen Nan had brought before had ever found the clothes expensive.

“Just wear it. You’re not paying for it, so what are you worried about?” Chen Nan said coldly, leaning close to Jiang Yuetong’s ear. “Tianqi International never rents out its items. Get some common sense!”

Jiang Yuetong took a step back from Chen Nan, loudly and provocatively saying, “Hey, why is this so expensive? I didn’t bring that much money today. Can you make it cheaper, give me a discount?”

Chen Nan knew Jiang Yuetong was doing it on purpose! Her expression suddenly changed, but she quickly controlled her anger and said coldly to the attendant, “Cut the tag.” She then handed over her gold card, and another clerk took it to swipe.

Although Tianqi International was not under Chen Nan’s jurisdiction, the gold card her grandfather gave her could be swiped anywhere.

Jiang Yuetong smiled slightly and whispered, “Since you look down on me, I’ll let you look down on me all you want.” Jiang Yuetong touched the soft fabric and said, “But I really like this dress. It’s beautiful.”

Chen Nan was still angry and said, “After tonight, remember to give it back to me.”

Jiang Yuetong gave her a massive eye-roll.

The stars sparkled brightly.

In Chen Nan’s red BMW sports car, Jiang Yuetong was probably tired and leaned against Chen Nan’s shoulder, having fallen asleep.

The car drove into the theater and stopped at the entrance. An attendant opened the door for Chen Nan. Chen Nan got out of the car, went around, and opened the door for Jiang Yuetong. “Let’s go, we’re almost late.” They spent an hour just choosing the dress. How could they not be late?

Jiang Yuetong sighed deeply, rubbing her sleepy eyes. “Do we really have to go?”

“What is it now?!” Chen Nan asked irritably.

“No, I’m afraid I’ll embarrass you,” Jiang Yuetong frowned.

“Why would you embarrass me?” Chen Nan truly didn’t understand Jiang Yuetong.

“I’m afraid that while the performance is going on passionately up on stage, I’ll be down here sleeping soundly, maybe even snoring.” Jiang Yuetong said, “I absolutely hated watching plays in college. I don’t know what it is, but I always fall asleep whenever I watch one.”

“We must go.” Chen Nan couldn’t be bothered with Jiang Yuetong’s strange logic. She grabbed her hand and pulled her into the theater without argument. Because this was a charity event hosted by Tianqi Group, the media were already waiting there.