Xu Zifan's demeanor was undeniable, and the shop assistants dared not neglect him. They quickly put together seven or eight outfits for Wang Mengyao, and called over several other shop assistants to hold the clothes for her to try on. When Wang Mengyao came out wearing a well-tailored white dress, Xu Zifan looked up. The girl's eyes were clear, and she seemed somewhat reserved and unsure of herself. The white dress accentuated her pure and innocent appearance, making her particularly attractive and evoking a protective instinct.
Wang Mengyao looked in the mirror and, hearing the shop assistants' constant praise, couldn't help but turn to look at Xu Zifan's expression. Xu Zifan nodded in satisfaction, "Not bad, much better than your outfit. Get her a pair of shoes, one pair for each outfit, remember to pick comfortable ones, don't let my sister's feet get blisters."
"Okay, sir, please wait a moment." The saleswoman responded immediately, asked for Wang Mengyao's shoe size, noted down the styles of several outfits, and quickly went to the shoe store to choose shoes. She liked customers like this who only cared about looking good and didn't ask about prices, and judging from Xu Zifan's attitude, he would definitely buy a lot, so she had to seize the opportunity to earn more commission.
In an hour, Wang Mengyao changed outfit after outfit, pairing them with shoe after shoe, eventually trying on more than a dozen nice looks. She had secretly peeked at the price tags in the fitting room; every single piece was incredibly expensive, clothes she would never have dared to look at before. Now, being praised by several shop assistants and treated like a princess, it felt like a dream.
Xu Zifan glanced at the time, then handed over a card between two fingers. "Okay, that's all. Wrap up everything she just tried on, cut off the tag from this one, and let her wear it."
"Sir, the total is 168,000 yuan. Here's a VIP card for you. Welcome to come again next time." The clerk smiled and handed over the two cards with both hands.
Xu Zifan casually handed the VIP card to Wang Mengyao, saying, "Keep it for yourself, and come back to buy more if you like."
Wang Mengyao was completely stunned, clutching the VIP card. She watched as the shop assistants packed up the clothes and shoes, creating a huge pile of shopping bags—all for her. Her heart pounded in her chest. She thought it was just a matter of trying on clothes and picking out the best-looking one, but Xu Zifan had bought them all! Sixteen hundred and eighty thousand yuan! That could buy the Wang family's house, enough to house four generations! She was actually going to wear all of this? She felt too afraid to even move!
She couldn't help but whisper, "Brother, is...is this too much? It's very expensive..."
Xu Zifan casually put on his sunglasses. "These cheap things are only good for you to wear to school and play around with. I'm leaving."
Xu Zifan walked ahead with his hands in his pockets. Wang Mengyao glanced back, wanting to remind him that he hadn't taken the shopping bags yet, but seeing that he was already far ahead, she hurriedly caught up. Because it was her first time wearing high heels, she almost tripped when she quickened her pace. Xu Zifan looked at her, bent his arm, and gestured for her to take his arm. "You can't do this. You need to practice. Luckily, you have a few pairs of flat shoes to match, otherwise you'd be covered in bruises on your way to school." He then frowned at her. "Tsk, they say clothes make the man, but you still need to coordinate your outfit. What's wrong with your hair and face? You look worse than a grown man like me."
Wang Mengyao immediately lowered her head, hesitated for a moment, and then mustered up her courage to say, "I used to work in the fields after school, and I got like this from being exposed to the wind and sun. Big brother, I will learn to take care of myself."
"You've been back for over a month now. Are the maids at home just sitting around doing nothing? They can't even handle this little thing. They must think they're living too comfortably." Xu Zifan said as he led her along. "Anyway, I don't have anything to do today, so I'll go with you to tidy up. She's my sister, after all. I can't let people laugh at me when we go out."
"Thank you, big brother," Wang Mengyao said politely, then tentatively asked, "Big brother, where are we going now? We've already paid for those clothes, aren't we going to take them?"
"I'm going to my usual styling studio now. It's almost evening, so I'll just get it done quickly. You can go to a spa with your girlfriends if you have time; I don't have the patience for that. Don't worry about the clothes; they'll deliver them to the address I left."
Wang Mengyao's eyes dimmed upon hearing this. Where would she find any girlfriends? Rumors had spread at school that she was a poor relative who had come to the Xu family to freeload. Her classmates were all wealthy and privileged; no one spoke to her, and she was often mocked. Besides, she couldn't understand their conversations, and she didn't even know she didn't have to carry her purchases herself. She couldn't fit in at all. After today, she'd be alone again, wouldn't she?
The two got into the car. Xu Zifan noticed that she remained silent, and as if suddenly remembering something, asked, "Don't you have enough money to play? Did your parents forget to give you your card?"
Wang Mengyao pursed her lips, her face pale. "Mom said I'm used to living in a small town, and suddenly having better conditions makes me prone to going astray, so she gives me two hundred yuan a week for pocket money." She regretted it as soon as she finished speaking, glancing at Xu Zifan out of the corner of her eye, afraid he would think she was being unreasonable and ungrateful, and would speak ill of her mother behind her back. Actually, two hundred yuan a week was already a lot for her; she never spent it except on school materials, saving it all in her drawer. What upset her was Feng Xiangjun's attitude towards giving her money, as if she were giving alms to a beggar, while Feng Xiangjun would transfer hundreds of thousands of yuan into Xu Yalin's account.
Xu Zifan was stunned for a moment, took off his sunglasses to look at her, as if he had heard something unbelievable, "Two hundred a week? That's not even enough for a meal!"
"The housekeeper put money on my cafeteria card."
"The food in the cafeteria is awful. Mom's so funny. We have so much money, what's there to be afraid of her going astray? Going astray just means squandering the family fortune, right? We're not afraid of squandering. She must be watching brainless dramas every day, which has affected her IQ." Xu Zifan said, pulling out his supplementary card from his wallet and handing it to her. "From now on, use my card. Don't listen to Mom's nonsense. I never listen to her. Remember, you could spend more money in the Xu family than you could spend in several lifetimes. No gambling, drugs, or prostitution, but you can spend the money however you want."
Wang Mengyao's eyes widened in surprise, and she hurriedly refused, "Big brother, I have enough money, you don't need to give me a card, really. You bought me so many clothes today, enough for me to wear for years, I don't need to spend any money."
"Just take it. What do you mean, 'wear it for years'? This season is over, it's time to wear new styles. You girls love to look good. If you wear an out-of-season style, your classmates will laugh you to death. Look at Yalin, she has more clothes in her walk-in closet than in that store we just saw, and she's already thrown away a lot of them." Xu Zifan started the car irritably, saying as he drove, "You need to get rid of your thrifty habits. As the eldest daughter of the Xu family, what's the point of not spending money every day? Remember, when you go out, you represent the Xu family's reputation. From now on, learn from me. If anyone dares to mess with you, just bury them in money. My credit card has no limit."
Wang Mengyao took the card, her eyes reddening. "Thank you, brother."
"Hey, why are you crying? I didn't scold you." Xu Zifan moved closer to her and said helplessly, "I really don't know how to comfort girls. I promise I won't drag you into this anymore, okay?"
Wang Mengyao said hurriedly, "No, big brother, I'm not unhappy, I'm just too happy. No, I'm not happy because you gave me money, I just didn't expect you to care about me. I like coming out with big brother."
Xu Zifan said thoughtfully, "Oh, you're happy just because I bought you a couple of clothes and gave you some money? You're too easy to fool, aren't you? This won't do, you're too easily swayed by that brat."
"No, no, I'm only happy because it's my older brother. I wouldn't take anything from other boys." Wang Mengyao hurriedly explained to him, afraid that he would misunderstand that she was greedy for vanity.
Xu Zifan nodded and smiled. "I didn't realize you liked me so much. You have no idea how difficult Yalin is to please. The whole family spoils her. It's like they favor girls over boys. It's rare to see you like me so much. You're truly my sister. Call me if you need anything, and come out with me whenever you want. There are so many fun places in Yanjing. I'll take you to see them all."
Wang Mengyao smiled slightly when he mentioned "my dear sister" several times. "Thank you, big brother." She paused, then remembered Feng Xiangjun's words, and her mood dropped again. "But Mom said my grades are too bad and she's going to hire a tutor for me, so I probably can't go out to play."
"Why bother with tutoring? You're the eldest daughter of the Xu family. Even if you get the lowest score in the city, it doesn't matter. You can buy a diploma anyway, so stop thinking about that. Just learn whatever you like, like piano or dance. Have a hobby and have fun. Don't bury yourself in studying all day and become stupid. The Xu family is so big, are you worried about not being able to find a job in the future?" As a former academic genius, Xu Zifan said things that were bad influences on the child, but he wasn't worried. Wang Mengyao got the highest score in the whole grade when she was about to take the college entrance exam. If she wanted to learn, there would be no problem. If she didn't want to learn, he would support her. Even if she was illiterate for the rest of her life, she could still be happy.
Wang Mengyao was somewhat envious of Xu Zifan's unrestrained behavior, but she didn't have anything to show for herself right now and was always embarrassing her family. She still wanted to study hard and get good grades, so that maybe her parents and grandmother wouldn't dislike her so much then.
When the siblings arrived at the studio, Xu Zifan asked their chief stylist to personally style Wang Mengyao. The stylist gave Wang Mengyao a skin treatment, applied light makeup, and dyed her hair a deep purple. It usually appears black, but only a hint of purple can be seen in sunlight. Then, the stylist did maintenance, straightened it naturally, and cut it into a hairstyle that suited her.
Xu Zifan showed the stylist photos of Wang Mengyao when she tried on clothes before. The stylist also matched Wang Mengyao with several suitable bags and jewelry. When Wang Mengyao stood in front of the mirror again, she almost didn't recognize herself!
She had a good foundation and beautiful features, but her skin looked a bit rough due to lack of skincare. Now, with a new hairstyle, light makeup, and new clothes and shoes, she instantly transformed into a wealthy and beautiful woman who rivaled Xu Yalin. If she could exude a more elegant and confident aura, she would truly live up to the title of the eldest daughter of the Xu family.
Xu Zifan walked behind her, looked at her in the mirror, and smiled smugly, saying, "I knew my sister couldn't possibly be so unfashionable. This makeover blows everyone else out of the water!" He stroked his chin and clicked his tongue in amazement, "A real sister is just different. We even look a bit alike. Don't we look like siblings standing together?"
"Yes, it looks just like her!" Wang Mengyao nodded emphatically, a happy smile curving her lips. Although Xu Zifan had always complained that it would be embarrassing to take her out and that people would laugh at her, and had dragged her to get dressed for hours, she didn't feel embarrassed at all this time. Instead, she felt a warm glow inside.
When it was time to swipe the card, Xu Zifan pushed Wang Mengyao over, saying, "Use your card to swipe, get used to it."
Wang Mengyao nervously handed over the card, paying special attention to it. She discovered that the styling, bag, and jewelry would cost 300,000 yuan, even with a 20% discount! She touched the bag in her hand; such a small leather bag cost more than 30,000 yuan, more than the Wang family's annual income. The crystal bracelet on her wrist cost 8,000 yuan, more expensive than the clothes she had just worn. It turned out that Xu Zifan's statement about the clothes being cheap was true.
Seeing Xu Zifan's lack of reaction to the bill, she guessed that this 300,000 yuan was also considered a bargain. She put the card back in her bag, her heart pounding, but this time she didn't say anything or show any inappropriateness. She remembered that her brother said she was the eldest daughter of the Xu family, representing the family's reputation, and she couldn't let outsiders think that she was reluctant to spend money.
It was already 8 PM when they finished styling. Xu Zifan took Wang Mengyao to Royal Palace, one of the top restaurants in Yanjing. He had a reserved private room at Royal Palace, and as soon as they entered the restaurant, the hotel manager politely welcomed them into the room. Wang Mengyao subconsciously straightened her back and followed Xu Zifan. The change in her appearance seemed to have given her more confidence.
Xu Zi entered the private room
Fan tossed the menu to Wang Mengyao and said, "Order whatever you want to eat, and see if there's anything you haven't tried before."
Wang Mengyao saw that many of the dishes on the menu were unrecognizable, and her palms sweated slightly with nervousness. Fortunately, some dishes had pictures, so she ordered four dishes and a soup, along with some juice, based on the pictures. Xu Zifan tapped the table and said to the hotel manager, "Bring up today's chef's recommendation, and two more signature dishes. Bring them on quickly."
"Yes, Mr. Xu, please wait a moment." The hotel manager led the waiter out and closed the door.
Xu Zifan raised his chin and said, "While the food hasn't arrived yet, do your homework. I've seen you check the time several times. Are you afraid of getting scolded if you don't finish your homework?"
Wang Mengyao was surprised that Xu Zifan was so observant that he even noticed this. She took out the test paper with some embarrassment and said, "I have been studying very hard and still want to get good grades."
"Take the test! If you get first place, I'll buy this place to celebrate with you. Hurry up and write." Xu Zifan slumped in his chair, took out his phone to look at his WeChat Moments, and suddenly remembered something. He tapped on the WeChat QR code, "Let's add each other on WeChat so we can keep in touch."
Wang Mengyao took out her phone. It was her first phone, bought for her by the housekeeper after she arrived at the Xu family home. It only had her family and housekeeper's numbers saved in the phone book; she had never used it before and hadn't even registered for WeChat. Xu Zifan exclaimed in surprise, "What kind of alien are you? You don't even have WeChat!" He taught her how to use WeChat, then added her on WeChat and showed her some fun things from his Moments.
Wang Mengyao stole a glance at Xu Zifan's profile, then looked at her only friend on WeChat. For the first time, she felt how wonderful it was to have a brother, and she wished this moment could last forever. She sat beside her brother, looking radiant, wearing clothes he bought for her, carrying the card he gave her. Someone cared for her, someone looked after her, and someone taught her things she didn't understand. She didn't have to be afraid of losing face or feel lost. She really didn't want to go back to being ignored like before.
Unfortunately, time kept moving forward, and she could only cherish this moment in her memory. It was the happiest moment of her life!