The Foolish Wife Turned Scheming After Her Recovery - Chapter 17

Chapter 17: Yu Yao, I really want to give You All The Beautiful Dresses In The World

At 7 p.m., the elevator dinged on the seventh floor of an apartment building in downtown Yanjing. The sensor light outside turned on at just the right time, and Yu Yao, dragging a suitcase and covered in the weariness of travel, finally stood at her front door.

The moment she stepped out, she saw a large gift box placed against the wall nearby. She already knew what it was. That morning, Lu Zhili had asked her for her clothing size and address, saying she wanted to send her something.

Yu Yao had originally intended to refuse, but she couldn’t stand how the other girl acted all sweet and clingy over the phone. She wasn’t used to receiving such intimate care from others. Her instinct was to avoid it quickly, so she had simply given a straight answer to shut her down.

Now, looking at the extravagantly packaged gift box, she felt a bit troubled. Getting close to Lu Zhili hadn’t been her intention—but every time she saw that pitiful face looking at her with those big, watery eyes, she simply couldn’t bring herself to say anything distant or rejecting.

Zhili was just like a child—stubborn and straightforward. If you rejected her, she’d look heartbroken and ask if she’d done something wrong and if she could fix it. If you distanced yourself from her, she’d cling to you like sticky rice, asking if she’d upset you somehow and that’s why you were ignoring her.

She never blamed Yu Yao for being distant. She always thought it was her own fault. And then, she’d hold out her honest, sincere heart and run toward Yu Yao again and again.

Yu Yao let out a quiet sigh, then bent down to pick up the gift box and opened the door to go inside.

She had just returned from a business trip in a neighboring province that lasted a week. Everything in the apartment was the same as before. While she was gone, she had the property management arrange for a cleaner to come regularly, so the place was spotless, just like new—with no sign that anyone actually lived there.

Yu Yao set the gift box down and collapsed into the soft beanbag chair, closing her eyes to begin recovering her drained energy.

After a moment, she got up and headed into the bathroom. Soon, the sound of running water echoed from within.

Before showering, Yu Yao had ordered takeout. She really didn’t feel like cooking. After her bath, she sat at the kitchen island, eating shrimp fried rice one spoonful at a time while her gaze remained fixed on the gift box she had set beside her.

She wasn’t usually the curious type, but right now, she really wanted to know what kind of dress was inside. She had told herself she wanted to avoid Lu Zhili, but she knew deep down that the moment she gave her measurements and address, she had already started looking forward to it—to the dress Zhili had picked just for her.

It was like she had stumbled across a luminous night pearl by accident. She told herself she should hand it over to the authorities—but secretly, she couldn’t help wishing her name was engraved on it.

After swallowing two more bites of shrimp, Yu Yao finally stood and walked over to the gift box.

The box was beautifully wrapped, and from the quality of the ribbon and decorative details, it was clear it hadn’t come cheap. She reached out and gently tugged at the ribbon, and it unraveled with a soft rustle.

When she opened the box, the first thing she saw wasn’t the soft mint green dress—it was a small pale yellow card tucked into the corner inside.

It was a handwritten note from Lu Zhili. Yu Yao recognized the handwriting—

“Yu Yao, I really want to give you all the beautiful dresses in the world. But I can’t—Mom said these dresses aren’t everyday wear, and if I gave them all to you, you wouldn’t have anywhere to store them. It would just be a burden for you. So I only picked one. I hope you’ll like it. And if you could wear it to the banquet, that would make me even happier. But even if you wear something you like instead, I’ll still be happy—Because as long as you come, I’ll be happy!”

It was signed with Lu Zhili’s name—elegant and flowing.

It was just a tiny card, yet Yu Yao felt it brought more joy than the dress itself. But the scorching, unreserved passion between the lines made it hard for her to breathe.

She wasn’t used to this kind of emotion.
She wanted to run.