Li Xiuying hid her smile behind her mug as she watched Lan Jinyao"s eyes widened in surprise as she opened the box encasing the dress that Song Zexi placed on their table. She could clearly see how the younger woman held her breath for a moment before slowly taking out the elegant champagne-colored dress out of the box. "Sister Ying, this is so beautiful," Lan Jinyao"s gaze swept on the intricate details of the torso of the dress and marveled at how soft the skirt flowed as she held it. "...but why are you giving me this?" She asked curiously.
The woman in question brought down her cup and smiled at Lan Jinyao. She clasped her hands together while both of her arms were propped up over the table. Her long hair weaved on a loose braid hanging carelessly over her right shoulder.
"I heard that you"ve finished shooting the film today and thought you might need a dress for the celebration banquet later. I hope we got the right size for you. Song Zexi got your measurements from your new a.s.sistant."
"But…" Lan Jinyao wanted to argue that she didn"t need it but she also knew that her current wardrobe was lacking formal attire for such events.
"You"re the female lead of the film. You wouldn"t want to be overshadowed by Lin Meirong, do you? Since you"re the female lead, you should be the star of the event. Take it, Miss Lan. Please consider this as my thank you gift. In the future, when you become a film empress, I"ll be happy to give you another one."
"Oh, no, Sister Ying! You really don"t have to!" Lan Jinyao"s face flushed with embarra.s.sment whenever Li Xiuying mentions her dream of becoming a film empress. She had never met anyone who had given as much support and had as much faith in her as Li Xiuying had in her effort to achieve such a dream.
"Please accept it, Miss Lan. Today"s my flight and I wouldn"t be able to attend the celebration party later. Obviously, my Aunt Yue would be there later to represent our family."
"Then I"ll be presumptuous today and accept this gift then." Lan Jinyao clutched the dress on her chest and gave her benefactor a genuine smile. "Have a safe trip and take care. Please don"t forget to contact me once in a while. I will surely miss you, Sister Ying."
Lan Jinyao kept the dress inside the box with such gentleness that amused Li Xiuying who was sitting across her.
"But of course, do you expect me to forget about you as soon as I leave the country?" Li Xiuying chuckled. "Just in case you need something, just give Song Zexi a call or leave a message."
The actress pursed her lips and gave a curt nod. She knew that her road to stardom would be filled with obstacles and drama. With Li Xiuying backing her up, it would somehow lessen her troubles in the future although she was also aware that she cannot rely on the Li family"s help alone and have to work hard in the future.
After spending a while more with Lan Jinyao, Li Xiuying bade goodbye and walked out of the cafe where they met. It was late in the afternoon and the gray sky started to pour.
"Ah, it started raining," Li Xiuying commented as she looked heavenward. "Su Ling, please escort Miss Lan to her residence. I"m sure she"s really exhausted by now."
Lan Jinyao had met Li Xiuying at a cafe near Li Corporation as soon as the crew finished filming that afternoon. She rushed to meet her benefactor, knowing that Li Xiuying would also be leaving soon and she that wouldn"t be able to meet her for a long time.
"Oh, no. There"s no need for that, Sister Ying! You don"t need to trouble yourself. I"ll just call a cab to go home."
Li Xiuying waved a hand and laughed.
"Nonsense, it"s no trouble. Isn"t it, Su Ling?" She eyed her bodyguard.
Su Ling had no choice but to nod his head and gestured to Lan Jinyao to follow him. Initially, he planned to drive his miss and Song Zexi to the airport and head back to the Li Mansion to report to his Master Yuren but since Miss Ying had ordered him to accompany Lan Jinyao, he had no choice but to follow her command.
Lan Jinyao gave her thanks to Li Xiuying and followed Su Ling to Li Corporation"s bas.e.m.e.nt car park. Since Song Zexi would be taking the car they brought with them, he would have to take the spare car that was parked there
Li Xiuying walked straight to the side of the car and Song Zexi considerately opened the door for her. Once Li Xiuying was seated, Song Zexi hurriedly circled to the driver"s seat and started the car.
Li Xiuying looked out of the window in a daze, thinking of how she would miss this place. She and Chuntao were born abroad but grew up in this country as their Uncle Yuren and Aunt Yue raised them after their parents died.
It"d be five to seven years before she could see this place again. Too long, but she knew she cannot stay here any longer. She had been muddle-headed to endure her husband"s betrayal but after taking some time to think about what really matters, her mind unexpectedly became very clear.
If she had been smart enough, she wouldn"t have to suffer this long and would have gotten rid of Mu Jianyu with divorce. She missed him though. No… she corrected herself. She missed the old Mu Jianyu, the one who cared about her, not the current Mu Jianyu who looked at her with disdain in his eyes.
However, right now, it"s best that she learned to stop fighting for someone who was okay with losing her.
Song Zexi gave her a side glance to look at her Miss"s expression as she drove towards the airport. Li Chuntao was probably waiting for them to arrive but with the long hours of travel, it would tire Li Xiuying.
The weather was getting worse and Song Zexi had to reduce her speed on the freeway. With summer coming to its end, there were heavy rains almost every afternoon for the past week. They hadn"t seen a clear blue sky and suns.h.i.+ne as the sky was filled with dark rain clouds.
They had reached the bridge that crossed the huge river beneath them and the traffic was starting to build. Song Zexi kept a good distance from other cars and occasionally checked on Li Xiuying.
Li Xiuying didn"t like the rain. It reminded her of painful memories from her childhood and Song Zexi was aware of it.
However, no matter how careful Song Zexi was, she cannot control other people"s will.
Behind them, the traffic hadn"t caught up and a heavily loaded truck lost its brakes and slammed into the cars in front of it, causing a multiple car collision. Song Zexi was the first one to notice the disturbance as she looked at her side mirror. Her eyes widened, filled with horror as she eyed the truck coming their way.
"Miss!" she released her seatbelt and pounced on Li Xiuying at once.
Li Xiuying was momentarily startled at her bodyguard"s action before her eyes caught the truck about to slam behind them at full speed.