Chapter 10: Clothes Make the Man

Chen Bo did not want to go on a blind date. Pressured by his mother, he had no choice but to use her as a shield. In front of everyone, he lifted her in his arms like a princess and kissed her cheek, hoping to convince them that he was already taken, so they would stop wasting their efforts on him.

But she was a living person, not a prop for Chen Bo to use at will, nor the object of his frivolity.

Li Tian’er snapped out of her shock, raised her eyebrows in anger, and swung her hand toward Chen Bo’s face.

As if expecting it, Chen Bo caught Li Tian’er’s wrist, then gazed into her eyes with gentle warmth.

“I’m sorry. I should have given you a grand ceremony before announcing our relationship to everyone. But it doesn’t matter—I’ll do my best to make it up to you.”

Chen Bo held Li Tian’er’s wrist, letting her palm land on his face.

He spoke as if it were all true. Scoundrels always lie with such passion!

With her wrist held, Li Tian’er’s slap lost its force and fell softly on Chen Bo’s cheek, almost like a lover’s caress.

Unbelievable! Not only was her strength gone, but her body was growing weaker. Chen Bo turned with her to face the crowd.

At that moment, Li Tian’er felt her body slipping from her control, completely at Chen Bo’s mercy.

“Bo, what did you just say? Repeat it! What son? When did you have a son?” Chen Bo’s mother finally realized what was happening, her mouth agape in disbelief.

The two women who had come for the blind date, thinking they were the only ones, now discovered a rival. They’d already felt uneasy upon entering, and now, with Chen Bo’s public display, they felt utterly humiliated.

The two women left with dark faces, each saying goodbye to the matchmaker.

The cousin and second aunt hurriedly stood up to see them out.

All the girls had been introduced through connections. If they went home and exaggerated what had happened, it was likely that the matchmakers and everyone involved would lose their friendships.

“This is terrible!”

Thick smoke billowed from the kitchen behind Chen Bo and Li Tian’er. Chen Bo’s father, who had been listening to the third aunt whisper, looked up and saw the smoke, cried out in alarm, and rushed into the kitchen.

Inside, smoke was pouring out; the oil in the wok had burst into flames. Without hesitation, Chen Bo’s father grabbed the lid and covered the wok. "Ah!" His arm was instantly burned by the hot oil and fire.

Chen Bo’s mother and third aunt hurried to apply lard to his arm. When the eldest cousin returned and saw the injury, she suggested taking him to the hospital at once. Second aunt agreed, saying that in this heat, untreated burns could easily become infected.

Everyone scrambled to help Chen Bo's father into the car. Only then did Chen Bo realize Li Tian’er was gone.

Li Tian’er had slipped away in the chaos. She avoided the main road, crossed through a cluster of houses, and only when she was sure Chen Bo wouldn’t spot her from his car did she step onto the main street.

She had run so fast that her blood seemed to rush to her face. Standing at the roadside to catch her breath, Li Tian’er suddenly glanced up and saw a woman in the shop window—poorly dressed, disheveled, and with a look of frustration.

Instinctively, she glanced around and found no one beside her. The woman in the window was herself!

She looked awful, lacking any grace—she could hardly bear to look.

Never in her life had Li Tian’er felt so disgusted with herself. Instantly, her resentment toward Chen Bo grew. It was his fault, using her as a shield, that left her so embarrassed.

To do business, she needed an image others would respect.

Li Tian’er pushed open the boutique door, pointed to the suit displayed in the window, and asked the saleswoman to let her try it on.

The shop owner glanced at Li Tian’er, assessing her worn, cheap clothes and quickly judged that she was not a target customer.

“No trying without buying.”

“Oh? Is that how you do business?”

“My shop only sells French fashion—that’s how we do business.”

As if her disdain wasn’t obvious enough, the owner pursed her lips and continued twisting an embroidered silk handkerchief, admiring her freshly painted red nails.

“Take it out—I’ll buy it.”

Li Tian’er placed her hand on the cashier’s counter.

“I said no trying without—”

Sensing a change in Li Tian’er’s tone, the owner lifted her eyelids and met Li Tian’er’s commanding gaze and noble aura. For a moment, she was moved.

“Five hundred eighty. French fashion. Imported fabric. Comfortable, breathable, high-end. No haggling.”

Li Tian’er tossed the money on the table.

Seeing the bright red bills, the owner instantly beamed, bending her knees in deference.

Leaving the hair salon, Li Tian’er had changed into the trendiest long wavy hairstyle and a new dress.

Even though she thought the style was a bit outdated, the stylist had done his best. One couldn’t expect a nineties stylist, with nineties perm equipment, to create a fashionable wool curl thirty years ahead of its time.

Imported fabric, French fashion!

Li Tian’er glanced at the English tag on her dress—two short lines, and three spelling mistakes.

She hadn’t expected to buy genuine French fashion, but the store’s blatant deceit was too much. They fooled customers as if they were gullible and rich, and treated them poorly just because their shop was bigger.

Feeling she’d been ripped off, Li Tian’er felt both physical and emotional pain. But she had no time to seek revenge now; she needed to start her business. Only with money in her pocket would she have the strength and confidence to take revenge on those who had hurt her.

Once bitten by a snake, one fears even the well ropes for ten years.

The people in this small city were hardly honest—scamming and cheating without batting an eye. The shop owner was probably laughing and counting money behind her back, calling her a fool.

How pure were the folk in Xingqiu Town!

Li Tian’er missed her days as Li Jixiang. Being a fourteen-year-old girl, with hope and a future, was far better than her current life as a widow with a child.

She dared not buy anything else from the boutique shops along the street. She detoured to the mall’s shoe counter and picked out a pair of beige mid-heel leather shoes, suitable for spring, summer, and autumn. Looking at herself in the mirror, she finally managed a satisfied smile.

After settling the last fruit shop willing to supply her, it was already past five in the afternoon. The nursery allowed pick-ups at three thirty; by now, there was likely only Kaikai left.

Thinking of Kaikai, waiting for his mother all alone, Li Tian’er quickened her pace.

The nursery’s arched rainbow iron gate was locked tight, gleaming in the sunset. The aunties and attendants had all finished work; not even a gatekeeper remained.

Where had Kaikai gone?

Li Tian’er’s heart skipped a beat, and cold sweat broke out on her forehead.

If Kaikai was stolen, she would be unable to complete the system’s assigned task. She had already realized: the Wealth System had chosen her because she was destined to become the richest person in Gangcheng. It wanted her to travel through time, saving sisters living on the poverty line.