*
Three years later.
Inside the Huo family mansion, a series of gunshots rang out, followed by a little girl in a white dress rushing out with a gun, shouting, "Brother, don't move! I've caught you!"
Although she called out, no little boy in the room responded to her.
Little Cotton looked around, pouting slightly. Her brother wasn't falling for it anymore.
When she used to play hide-and-seek with her brother, he would always come out and let her catch him if she shouted like this. The little girl held a toy gun in her hand and began to patrol seriously.
Ni Jingxi sat on the sofa, turned to look at the man beside her, and asked with a low laugh, "When do you think you'll find your daughter?"
“If Ze Shi doesn’t want to come out, she shouldn’t be able to find him,” Huo Shenyan said calmly.
Huo Zeshi is the name of their son.
Even though he and Xiao Mianhua are twins, they not only don't look alike, but their personalities are also completely different.
Little Cotton is their little daughter. She is clearly cute and has the appearance of a porcelain doll.
But the little girl's favorite toys aren't dolls; they're all kinds of cars and guns.
Ze Shi was quiet and intelligent; even Ni Jingxi could tell that he would deliberately let his younger sister win whenever they played hide-and-seek. Unfortunately, his little girl thought her brother was stupid, and she always managed to catch him.
So after she repeatedly mocked Ze Shi for being stupid, even her brother, who always gave in to her, was now aroused and became unwilling to admit defeat.
They originally wanted to give Zeshi a nickname, but after thinking about it, they couldn't come up with anything particularly good.
In the end, we simply called him by his full name, which had a kind of cute and solemn feel to it.
Today, Huo Shenyan was at home resting on a rare weekend. Ni Jingxi and he did nothing but sit on the sofa and watch the two little ones play hide-and-seek.
Finally, Little Cotton got impatient and ran to Huo Shenyan's arms with the gun in her hand.
She tilted her head back and asked, "Dad, do you know where my brother went?"
When Ni Jingxi saw that she was trying to cheat by asking her father to help her, she immediately said, "Little Cotton, you can't ask your father."
So the girl stopped asking and gently tugged at Huo Shenyan's sleeve.
Huo Shenyan had never been able to resist her. He glanced behind him, and the little girl followed suit. Finally, she caught a glimpse of Ze Shi's clothes and pounced on him.
"Brother!" Little Cotton ran over and almost hugged Ze Shi tightly.
Ze Shi was initially annoyed that she asked about her father, but after being hugged like that, he hugged her back and said with a smile, "Little sister."
Ni Jingxi looked at Ze Shi, who had no stance whatsoever, then glanced back at Huo Shenyan and whispered, "He's just like you, he has absolutely no stance on his sister."
Huo Shenyan glanced at her and said unhurriedly, "I feel the same way about you."
They have no principles whatsoever, and they'd give you the whole world if they could.
Chapter 83
On a sweltering summer night in Shanghai, the city is still ablaze with lights, its dazzling neon signs transforming it into a city that never sleeps. Whether a century ago or today, the Bund has never lost its vibrancy.
Luxury apartments in the city center, averaging over 200,000 yuan, are a dream that most people envy but can never reach.
Shen Qiqi blinked sleepily, and the makeup artist next to her smiled and said, "Young people have better skin. Even if you stay up all night, you still don't have dark circles under your eyes."
Upon hearing this, the girl, whose eyelids had been drooping, suddenly lifted them slightly: "If I told you I stayed up all night working on my thesis, wouldn't you definitely not believe me?"
The 21-year-old girl is graduating from university this year.
She wasn't lying; she stayed up all night writing her paper and submitted it just before her advisor's deadline. She was so focused that she almost forgot about the event she was supposed to attend today.
As a VVIP customer of Chanel and an online influencer with a few million followers, Shen Qiqi was among the first to receive an invitation from Chanel.
This time, Chanel brought its Métiers d'Art collection, which was launched last December, to Shanghai, China.
Today's show is a replica, a complete copy of last year's show in Rome. Although it's a collection that has already been released, Chanel China still attaches great importance to this show, having invited two of China's top actresses, several globally renowned supermodels, as well as leading actresses, rising stars, and various minor celebrities.
It is said that the star-studded lineup is as high as twenty.
The Métiers d'Art collection is presented at both Chanel's independent and regular fashion weeks, primarily to showcase the exquisite craftsmanship of its various ateliers.
After all, in today's fashion world, the words "handmade" seem to carry more value.
Too lazy to do her own makeup, she had a makeup artist she knew come over early in the morning to help her, along with a hairstylist. After her makeup and hair were done, Shen Qiqi finally looked at the clothes that were already hanging to the side.
When Chanel invited her before, she offered to provide her with clothes to choose from.
However, Shen Qixi knew that these brands, especially high-end fashion brands, were too focused on status. The best were actresses who wore the latest haute couture and popular actresses who wore out-of-season fashion, the kind that was fresh and brought down from fashion week.
Then they lined up in order, and the most popular girls still had a choice of what to wear.
The worst off are those minor celebrities who have no choice in what to wear. They have to wear whatever the other party gives them, and sometimes they are wearing styles that other popular celebrities wore months ago.
Since Shen Qiqi can buy VVIP at Chanel, she naturally doesn't care about these things.
She declined the brand's "kind offer" and instead took out a Chanel haute couture piece that she had previously ordered.
Anyway, she bought it with her own money, so she can wear it however she wants, and nobody can tell her what to do.
The hairstylist and makeup artist were part of a team that worked with celebrities in the entertainment industry, and they knew these clothes inside and out. When she came out wearing this outfit, the hairstylist's eyes lit up, and he chuckled, saying, "This outfit suits you absolutely perfect."
Even if a high-end custom item costing hundreds of thousands of dollars isn't aesthetically pleasing, it still shines with golden light at this moment.
However, Shen Qiqi is really beautiful. The little girl has very big and round eyes, and her eye color is a bit light, which is the kind of cat eyes that are most popular nowadays.
Occasionally, when she glances over, she exudes a delicate and adorable charm.
Her long, wavy hair was styled beautifully by the wind, casually draped over her shoulders. This Chanel haute couture gown wasn't the kind of elaborate, luxurious dress that most people imagine, requiring a long train to showcase the refinement and prestige of haute couture.
On the contrary, her black dress is Chanel's classic tweed, and the fact that she is clearly a sweet girl wearing such a black dress gives her a cool vibe.
This girl, who should have exuded an ethereal aura, now had a cool demeanor. These two somewhat contradictory qualities blended perfectly within her.
Shen Qiqi then put on a pair of Chanel pearl ankle boots.
"Sweet and cool, you look absolutely gorgeous! This outfit suits you perfectly." The hairstylist stepped forward to redo her long hair and said with a smile.
Shen Qiqi smiled at the compliment.
Who doesn't love compliments?
After leaving the house, the makeup artist and hairdresser said their goodbyes and left, while Shen Qiqi called her family driver to take her there. This time, the craft workshop's fashion show was held on the banks of the Huangpu River, and although it was the height of summer, it was still bearable.
When she arrived, Shen Qiqi took out the invitation and entered the room, where she saw an acquaintance.
This Chanel extravaganza was bound to draw Shanghai's socialites; almost everyone attended. There were also many online celebrities, the kind with millions of followers on Weibo.
Nowadays, major brands are not underestimating these online influencers.
After all, they have strong purchasing power, and with their influence on Weibo, they often recommend various lipsticks and perfumes to their fans.
It's okay if you can't afford bags and clothes costing tens of thousands of dollars. These big brands all have their own beauty lines. You can always afford a lipstick that costs three or four hundred dollars or a bottle of perfume that costs hundreds or thousands of dollars if you grit your teeth.
Just as Shen Qiqi was about to walk to her seat, someone suddenly patted her on the back. When she turned around, she saw: "Xiaxia."
Ruan Xia looked at Shen Qiqi's clothes and couldn't help but reach out and touch her collarbone because it was a strapless style.
"Shen Qiqi, you scheming devil, who are you trying to seduce by dressing up so beautifully?"
Shen Qiqi really didn't expect to run into Ruan Xia here, because she had called Ruan Xia yesterday and she said that she might not be able to make it here today.
She asked curiously, "Didn't you say you weren't coming?"
Ruan Xia chuckled: "I just wanted to surprise you."
The two are best friends, having not only attended the same university in New York but also been roommates. However, Ruan Xia studied fashion design, while Shen Qiqi studied interior design.
Although they are both related to design, they are completely different.
Ruan Xia wouldn't normally miss such a grand fashion event, but her mother dragged her to Hong Kong, and she almost didn't make it back in time.
"Do you see that over there?" Ruan Xia suddenly nudged Shen Qixi's arm and whispered.
Shen Qiqi looked to the other side, where a group of young girls were standing together, all dressed in Chanel clothes and carrying various Chanel bags.
It looks rather familiar.
“That’s Wang Siqi,” Ruan Xia said sympathetically.
Shen Qiqi's eyes immediately blazed with anger. She was usually very gentle, but if anyone touched her sore spot, even a little kitten would bristle.
Ruan Xia whispered, "Are you sure your soldier brother is really going on a blind date with Wang Siqi?"
At this moment, Wang Siqi was standing in the center of a group of people, and several young girls were taking pictures from the left and right, looking like they were thoroughly enjoying this luxurious and extravagant feast.
"She's simple?" Shen Qixi suddenly turned to look at Ruan Xia and asked.
Ruan Xia burst out laughing.
She whispered, "Why don't you buy your soldier brother a pair of glasses, or get him some eye drops or something?"
Shen Qiqi didn't know Wang Siqi, but that didn't stop her from disliking her. She had learned that Han Zhao was going on a blind date with a girl who had returned from abroad and now owned her own art gallery. The girl was described as a refined and elegant lady from a prominent family.
Shen Qiqi stared at her, admiring her slutty and cheap attire...
Why would Han Zhao go on a blind date with someone like that, completely ignoring her presence?
Is she not pretty enough?
Or is it that her breasts aren't big enough? Shen Qixi looked down at her chest.
Because the short dress was a strapless style, her fair and delicate skin was accentuated by the alluring cleavage that was squeezed out.
Ruan Xia put her arm around Shen Qiqi's shoulder and shook her head with a look of sympathy: "Poor Qiqi."
Although she had never met Han Zhao, it didn't stop her from hearing his name countless times from Shen Qiqi. Because he was a member of the People's Liberation Army, Ruan Xia always addressed him as "soldier brother."
Shen Qiqi took a deep breath and suddenly became full of fighting spirit: "Let's go."
Ruan Xia was taken aback. Where are you going?
It wasn't until Shen Qiqi whispered, "Of course, we should make friends. As the saying goes, 'Know yourself and know your enemy, and you will never be defeated.'"
"I must nip it in the bud."
Although she knew that Han Zhao was introduced to blind dates by his elders every year, he was not enthusiastic about it and even hated it, but this time she heard that he was going to attend the banquet.
Shen Qiqi was almost furious.