Chapter 68: Sixty-eight, I don’t like you. Chapter 68: Sixty-eight, I don’t like you. Li Meixiang’s face broke into a nostalgic smile as she took the qipao, “It’s been so long since I’ve worn one, I wonder what it would look like now? Maybe I should choose something else.” In her youth, she loved wearing qipao the most, but after becoming a doctor, she never wore one again—she really misses those days. Now that she’s older, she worries whether wearing a qipao would be inappropriate?
“Grandma, you’re definitely going to look great in a qipao, hurry up and try it on; Xiao Ning wants to see,” Song Yan Ning said with an excited grin, full of expectation.
“Alright, Grandma will put it on for Xiao Ning to see,” Li Meixiang said, reaching out to tousle Song Yan Ning’s hair before heading to the fitting room.
“Xiao Ning, do you think Grandpa would look good in a suit?” Yang Lisheng asked with a chuckle, teasing her.
Song Yan Ning nodded with a smile, “Of course, Grandpa is so handsome, he looks good in anything.” Although Grandpa was nearly seventy years old, he didn’t look old at all. On top of that, thanks to practicing Tai Chi every day, he kept in very good shape.
“Such a little flatterer,” Yang Lisheng laughed heartily and strode toward the fitting room.
Seeing Song Yan Ning make her parents so happy, Yang Xin’er frowned unhappily. She really knew how to charm them—it was no wonder her parents liked her so much.
Glancing at the fitting room, Yang Xin’er turned to Song Yan Ning, “Come outside with me for a moment.”
“Okay,” Song Yan Ning nodded.
“Tell my mom and dad that we’ll come back soon; grab a few more outfits for them to try,” Yang Xin’er instructed a sales assistant before walking towards the exit.
Taking Song Yan Ning to an empty corner, Yang Xin’er looked at her with a cold gaze, “I don’t like you, and I won’t recognize you as my daughter. Do you understand what I mean?”
A faint smile played on Song Yan Ning’s lips as she met Yang Xin’er’s disdainful eyes, “Have I ever called you ‘Mom’?” She never intended to call her ‘Mom’ from the beginning—a person who despised her own daughter didn’t deserve to be her mother.
Yang Xin’er was momentarily stunned, then sneered, “That’s for the best, then. I don’t want you to come to the birthday banquet tomorrow.”
“You’ll have to get Grandma and Grandpa to agree to that,” Song Yan Ning replied before walking away. If it weren’t for fear of upsetting Grandma and Grandpa, she wouldn’t want to go to the Song Family at all.
Yang Xin’er squinted thoughtfully at the retreating figure of Song Yan Ning and, after a long moment, followed her back to the counter.
Li Meixiang stepped out of the fitting room in the qipao, feeling somewhat awkward. She looked around the resting area and didn’t see Song Yan Ning and Yang Xin’er but smiled. They must be bonding as mother and daughter—it’s a blood connection, after all.
When Yang Lisheng came out of the fitting room and caught sight of Li Meixiang, there was a flash of astonishment in his eyes. It had been a long time since he’d seen his partner in a qipao.
“Does it not look good?” Li Meixiang asked, peering at herself in the mirror, feeling like something was off.
“It looks great!” Yang Lisheng nodded emphatically, staring unwaveringly at Li Meixiang. He felt like he was seeing his young partner again—she was still so beautiful, so elegant.
“Don’t look at me like that, it’s a bit embarrassing,” Li Meixiang said, her cheeks growing warm under Yang Lisheng’s gaze, as if she’d been transported back to when they were dating.
“Grandma, you look so pretty!” Song Yan Ning approached Li Meixiang, gazing at her in awe.
“Mom, this qipao really suits you,” Yang Xin’er nodded in approval. With a little bit of dressing up, her parents still had their old charm.
Li Meixiang gave Song Yan Ning and Yang Xin’er a sideways glance, then looked at herself in the mirror, “I’m old, what’s so pretty about me? You two just know how to cheer me up. I’ll go change out of it.” She really liked this cheongsam, but it had been so many years since she had worn one, and she always felt uncomfortable in it.
The sales associate walked over with several sets of clothes, and when she saw Li Meixiang, her eyes lit up, “Old Madam, this cheongsam really suits you. Look at this waistline, it’s as if it was custom-made for you.” She hadn’t realized that the dowdy old woman who had just been trying on clothes had been transformed, simply by changing her outfit, into someone who exuded elegance.
“Grandma, let’s just buy this one, it looks so good,” Song Yan Ning held Li Meixiang’s hand and shook it playfully.
Li Meixiang smiled helplessly yet affectionately, “Okay, I’ll listen to you.”
Song Yan Ning stuck out her tongue mischievously, looking to Yang Lisheng, “Grandpa looks so dashing in this suit, don’t you think, Grandma?”
Li Meixiang looked at Yang Lisheng, sizing him up with a smile, then nodded, “Wearing this suit, he looks as if he’s suddenly ten years younger.”
“Let’s take these two then,” Yang Xin’er told the sales associate.
“Alright, would you like to try these on?” the sales associate asked, shaking the clothes in her hands.
“No, that won’t be necessary,” Yang Xin’er shook her head. Her parents just needed to dress appropriately tomorrow; there was no need to buy so many clothes.
Li Meixiang looked at herself in the mirror again and walked into the fitting room, satisfied. Although it was a bit uncomfortable, she truly liked it.
After paying, Yang Xin’er took the group of three, including Song Yan Ning, to the children’s section. She hadn’t initially planned to buy clothes for Song Yan Ning, but since her parents insisted, she reluctantly agreed.
“Let’s go to this store,” Yang Xin’er said, pointing to a children’s clothing shop. After all, Song Yan Ning was so unattractive that no matter how nice the clothes were, they would all look the same on her.
Yang Lisheng and Li Meixiang didn’t know what Yang Xin’er was thinking and took one look at the clothes in the shop before pulling Song Yan Ning inside.
Yang Xin’er pursed her lips and followed the three of them in.
“Welcome!” The sales associate approached enthusiastically, noting the bags in Yang Lisheng’s hands, her smile growing even warmer.
“Get her a set to try on,” Yang Xin’er told the sales associate, then walked over to sit in the waiting area.
“Of course, please wait a moment!” The sales associate glanced at Song Yan Ning, walked over to the rack, and took down a pink lace princess dress, “Little sister, what do you think of this dress?” Little girls should all love pink.
Song Yan Ning shook her head, “I’ll look by myself.” She didn’t like clothes that were too fussy, and her least favorite color was pink.
Upon hearing this, Yang Xin’er frowned, displeased, “Just let her try that one. I think it looks good.” She didn’t have time to waste here with her; she still had to get ready for a beauty appointment. Tomorrow was an important day, and she had to prepare thoroughly.
The sales associate looked at Song Yan Ning, “Little sister, listen to your mom and give it a try. Sister will take you to the fitting room.”
When Yang Xin’er heard what the sales associate said, her expression soured.
Song Yan Ning glanced at the sales associate, then turned to Yang Xin’er, “I’ll decide what clothes I want to wear. If you’re in a hurry, you can go ahead without me.”