The weather was fine, and Luo Wei had arranged to go shopping with Gu Chuyi. She arrived at the mall early and waited patiently on a bench. Before long, Gu Chuyi appeared, wearing a lotus pink cape and a sexy black miniskirt, waving with a bright smile.
"Sorry to keep you waiting. There were some last-minute changes to the design, so I ran late," Gu Chuyi apologized.
"It's okay, I just got here too," Luo Wei replied with a sweet smile.
Gu Chuyi took Luo Wei's arm and playfully asked, "Did you meet my brother at his birthday party last time?"
"Yes," Luo Wei answered without hesitation.
Luo Wei recalled that Gu Chuyi's brother was named Gu Xiu, a doctor from a wealthy family. She had seen him several times during her prenatal checkups at the hospital, so she was somewhat familiar with him.
"Do you think my brother is handsome?" Gu Chuyi asked, raising her eyebrows with a sly smile.
Luo Wei paused for a moment before answering honestly, "Handsome."
She didn't know why Gu Chuyi was asking, but considering Gu Xiu's perfect features and tall, strong build, she assumed he must have been pursued by many admirers.
"Then you could be my sister-in-law," Gu Chuyi blurted out, causing Luo Wei to choke on her milk tea.
"Ahem...what did you say?" Luo Wei stammered, trying to regain her composure.
"My brother is a good person—handsome, and successful. You're also pretty and cute. I think you two would make a great match," Gu Chuyi continued, speaking confidently and calmly.
"No, no, you scared me," Luo Wei immediately refused, nervously tugging at the corner of her clothes. She thought to herself that Gu Chuyi still didn't know about her and Mo Huai's marriage certificate and wondered how long she could keep it a secret.
After a moment of hesitation, Luo Wei decided to come clean. She mustered up the courage and spoke up. "Chuyi, I have something to tell you."
Her voice was low and uncertain. "Okay, I'm all ears," Gu Chuyi said with a smile, leaning in to listen.
Luo Wei took a deep breath. "I'm married..."
Before Luo Wei could finish her sentence, Gu Chuyi interrupted her excitedly. "We'll talk about this later. That's the Chanel store up ahead, and I've had my eye on a bag for a long time."
Gu Chuyi grabbed Luo Wei's hand and rushed into the Chanel store, pulling her along. Inside, Gu Chuyi's eyes lit up with delight. The salesgirl greeted them warmly, and Gu Chuyi quickly picked out a few bags and some clothes, then headed into the fitting room to try them on.
Luo Wei browsed through the clothes, feeling a bit bored. She thought about the 100 million yuan that Mo Huai had given her. After paying off the 20 million for Zhu Shulan and the debt debt of the pet shop, she still had over 70 million left.
Though she wasn't short of money, Luo Wei wasn't interested in brand names and preferred a simple life. Growing up, she had been used to being frugal. Now that she had money, she was willing to spend it, but she didn't feel the need to splurge on luxury items.
While Luo Wei was lost in thought, a sarcastic voice came from her left. She turned to see Luo Qianqian and her friends approaching.
"Where's your man?" Luo Qianqian sneered, her eyes filled with malice.
Ignoring the comment, Luo Wei remained silent. Luo Qianqian turned to her friend and said condescendingly, "This is my sister, though we're not related by blood. I raised her for over 20 years, and now she's run away from home."
Hearing this, the friend glanced at Luo Wei curiously, thinking, So this is the one who sold herself for money and is as greedy and vain as Luo Qianqian described.
The look in Luo Qianqian's friend's eyes shifted from curiosity to disgust as the situation unfolded. Luo Wei hadn't expected to run into Luo Qianqian here, and she felt her luck had taken a bad turn. She wanted to leave immediately, glancing repeatedly at Gu Chuyi's fitting room, hoping she would come out soon.
Luo Qianqian's voice cut through her thoughts. "Are you dumb? I'm talking to you."
Luo Wei responded coldly, "I have nothing to do with the Luo family anymore." She didn't want to discuss anything further.
"Don't think I don't know where the 20 million you gave Mom came from," Luo Qianqian continued, her tone arrogant and clearly intended to provoke. "This dirty money damages the reputation of our Luo family."
A friend stood nearby, watching the scene unfold with apparent amusement. Luo Wei clenched her fists, ready to retort, just as Gu Chuyi emerged from the fitting room.
"Weiwei, what's wrong?" Gu Chuyi asked, stepping out of the fitting room. She noticed the look of disgust on Luo Wei's face and quickly realized something was amiss. She turned to Luo Wei, then glared at Luo Qianqian, silently warning her not to cause trouble.
Luo Qianqian, unwilling to back down, glared back at Gu Chuyi. With a sly expression, she sneered, "She's that kind of person, and you're not much better. Birds of a feather flock together."
"What did you say?" Gu Chuyi shouted, her voice echoing through the store.
Customers in the Chanel store turned their heads, casting curious glances at the unfolding confrontation.
The sales manager approached, bowing slightly. "Sorry, ma'am, please take your discussion outside so as not to disturb other guests," he said, gesturing for them to leave.
Luo Qianqian's friend awkwardly pulled her aside, whispering, "Qianqian, let's go."
With a cold snort, Luo Qianqian tried to walk away. However, just as she turned and took a few steps, she tripped over something and fell to the floor, landing awkwardly on her back.
"Ah—it hurts," she groaned, slowly raising her head with a pained expression. Her friend quickly rushed forward to help her up, noticing that Luo Qianqian's palms were bleeding from the fall.
Furious, Luo Qianqian pointed at Luo Wei and Gu Chuyi, shouting, "You're dead! You'll pay for this!"
As soon as she finished speaking, Luo Qianqian lunged forward, her hand raised to slap Luo Wei. However, before the slap could land, Gu Chuyi swiftly grabbed Luo Qianqian's wrist, holding it tightly. A thin layer of sweat appeared on Luo Qianqian's forehead.
"Let me go," Luo Qianqian demanded, her face twisting with a mixture of fear and anger, losing the arrogance she had displayed moments before.
Gu Chuyi released her grip abruptly, causing Luo Qianqian to stagger backward, nearly losing her balance. Her face, once distorted with anger, relaxed slightly as she steadied herself.
"If you dare to bully Weiwei again, be careful—I might just break your hand," Gu Chuyi threatened harshly, her eyes blazing with anger.
Luo Qianqian cursed a few words under her breath and left angrily with her friend.
Luo Wei stared at Gu Chuyi with admiration. "Chuyi, you're so brave," she said, giving her a thumbs up.
"Oh, it's nothing," Gu Chuyi replied with a mix of pride and modesty. "Luo Qianqian's appearance has ruined my mood for shopping. I'll go pay for the clothes first."
After picking up the clothes she had tried on, Gu Chuyi went to the cashier. Once she paid, she walked out of the store with Luo Wei, carrying her shopping bags.
As they walked side by side, Gu Chuyi turned to Luo Wei and asked, "By the way, what was it you wanted to tell me earlier?"
Luo Wei hesitated for a moment, deciding that now wasn't the right time. She worried that if she shared her news, Gu Chuyi might react too strongly, especially given the recent confrontation with Luo Qianqian. "It's nothing important," Luo Wei said, brushing off the topic for now.
"Nothing, let's go back first," Luo Wei said calmly.
"I'll take you back," Gu Chuyi offered enthusiastically.
Luo Wei hesitated before replying, "No need, I'll just take a taxi. It's out of your way."
Seeing Luo Wei's reluctance, Gu Chuyi gave up and they parted ways. Luo Wei knew that the Supreme Mansion was close to the shopping mall and that she could get home quickly by taxi.
The doorbell rang, startling Luo Wei. It was unusual for anyone to visit, and she wondered who it could be. After a moment, she thought it might be Fu Chen.
Walking to the door, she opened it and was stunned by the person standing there. "Why are you here?" Luo Wei asked nervously, clearly taken aback and unsure of how to react.