This… this outfit…
The fabric, the cut, the style, and that understated elegance that accentuates the premium quality…
This was definitely no second-hand market high imitation, nor even a ready-to-wear piece from a regular boutique!
This was clearly… the kind of truly high-end garment that requires booking far in advance, is custom-tailored, and costs an exorbitant amount!
And this style, this color scheme…
Jiang Muyun’s heart jolted, a strange surge of emotion washing over her, making her whole body tremble.
No, this couldn’t be!
Where did Yan Yu get the money?
Where did she get the connections to obtain such clothes?
Could it be that Su Qinghan gave them to her privately?
‘Impossible! That’s even less likely! Qinghan wouldn’t do that, and there’s no need.’
Could they be… fake?
A-grade replicas?
But the texture, the craftsmanship…
With Jiang Muyun’s discerning eye for luxury goods, she could tell at a glance that this was far beyond what any counterfeit could achieve.
Her expression shifted almost imperceptibly, that perfect smile cracking slightly.
She struggled to maintain her tone, but the surprise in her voice was already leaking through:
“Miss Yan, that outfit you’re wearing… if I’m not mistaken, it’s from Master Silas’s private collection at Cloud Garments, right? That collection is rarely shown to the public…
“Ahem, what I mean is, without a special channel… it should be quite difficult to purchase, shouldn’t it?”
Yan Yu met her startled, uncertain gaze, a slight curve lifting the corners of her lips as her voice remained calm.
“Yes, that’s right. Miss Jiang has good eyes.”
She paused, her gaze clear as she looked at Jiang Muyun.
“Since I was coming to such an important birthday banquet as Miss Jiang’s, I thought I should present my best self out of respect. After all, the occasion is different… and people… should be different too, don’t you think?”
Yan Yu’s words, like an unnoticed silver needle, silently pierced the carefully maintained mask of Jiang Muyun.
All the lines Jiang Muyun had prepared to mock her cheap attire were instantly caught in her throat.
The perfect smile on her lips seemed frozen, stiffly holding its shape while a storm raged within.
‘She… she actually admitted it? And so calmly?!’
‘No, impossible! There’s definitely something wrong!’
Jiang Muyun’s mind was screaming.
How could Yan Yu have the capital to access Cloud Garments?
A private studio of that level had a threshold so high that money alone couldn’t open its doors.
Could it be… that there was someone behind her, someone even she didn’t know about?
‘Besides Su Qinghan’s leftover “pity,” does she actually have another “backing” that can reach this level?’
This vaguely emerging thought made Jiang Muyun’s chest tighten.
She had always regarded Yan Yu as a shadow who had nothing except Su Qinghan’s “charity” — someone she could manipulate at will.
But if this shadow wasn’t entirely hollow… even if it was just borrowing a sliver of light, that meant a loss of control, a crack in the cognitive foundation she had deemed solid.
This feeling annoyed her, and even stirred a hint of panic.
Of course, Jiang Muyun wouldn’t show it.
She, the dignified “original,” must never reveal even a trace of weakness in front of a “substitute.”
In that brief moment of silence, the curly-haired girl beside her keenly sensed her embarrassment.
Both of them were adept at reading the room.
The curly-haired girl’s eyes darted, and she immediately stepped forward, a smile plastered on her face, holding a glass of champagne almost brimming over, raising it toward Yan Yu:
“Oh my, Miss Yan, what a rare treat! I’ve heard so much about you and wanted to get to know you. Since we’re meeting today, let me toast you — thank you for coming to celebrate Muyun’s birthday!”
With that, she bent deeply at the waist, holding her glass high, blatantly taking advantage of Yan Yu being confined to a wheelchair, forcing Yan Yu to tilt her head back and raise her glass high to “reach” hers.
Yan Yu lifted her eyes and looked at her silently.
No panic, no obediently raising her juice glass.
She merely turned her head slightly, her voice clear and gentle:
“I’m sorry, my legs aren’t very convenient; the doctor advised against large movements. Could I trouble you… to lower your glass a bit?”
The reasoning was impeccable.
The curly-haired girl’s smile froze, not expecting the other party to so directly “draw a boundary.”
“Alright, alright, I get it.”
Under a few surreptitiously watching gazes, she had no choice but to lower her glass with a grumble, letting out a barely audible mutter: “…So picky.”
Yan Yu, as if she hadn’t heard, calmly picked up her own glass and raised it to a proper height.
The curly-haired girl, seeing her composed demeanor and recalling Jiang Muyun’s earlier defeat, felt a surge of malice.
Just as the two glasses were about to touch, at the very millimeter, a vicious glint flashed in her eyes, and with a minute turn of her wrist, she thrust her glass forward!
“Oh no!”
Accompanied by her feigned gasp of alarm, a “splash” sounded—
Most of the amber champagne from her glass, along with a little of the deep red pomegranate juice from Yan Yu’s glass, spilled out, drenching Yan Yu’s chest and lap on her pearl-white dress.
The dark wine and bright red juice exploded across that smooth, expensive pearl-white fabric in a large, glaring mess, quickly seeping in and spreading, forming a stark contrast.
A few splashes even landed on Yan Yu’s pale cheeks and shawl.
The air froze for a moment.
“Oh my god! How did this happen!”
The curly-haired girl immediately covered her mouth, stepped back half a step, her face a mask of exaggerated apology, but delight gleamed in her eyes.
She raised her voice, loud enough for everyone nearby to hear clearly:
“I’m so sorry, Miss Yan! It’s all my fault for not being used to bowing to toast someone — I really was clumsy! My hand slipped! Oh dear… what can be done now?!”
She gestured with her brightly polished fingernails at the still-spreading stain on Yan Yu’s chest, her tone full of concern and an ill-suppressed excitement:
“This dress of yours… is it borrowed? Oh no, the top custom fabric in light colors is most afraid of stains! I’ve heard that once it gets stained, it’s practically ruined — the color and texture can never be saved!”
Her gaze swept over Jiang Muyun, whose expression had shifted from stiff to gratified, and the surrounding onlookers whose eyes were increasingly full of scrutiny and amusement.
“This is terrible! How are you going to explain it to the owner? This is a one-of-a-kind custom piece — if it’s ruined, how can you replace it with an identical one? You… what are you going to do?”
With each word she spoke, Jiang Muyun’s chin lifted a little higher, the regained sense of control and satisfaction spreading across her eyes and brows.
The fat bestie beside her also chimed in quietly: “That’s right… oh dear, it’s all your fault, you were too careless… now Miss Yan is in such an awkward position.”
All eyes, as if pulled by invisible strings, were glued to Yan Yu in her wheelchair and the shocking mess before her.
Yan Yu knew.
Those onlookers were waiting for her panic, waiting for her composure to shatter into helpless embarrassment.
How laughable.
Why would she let them have that satisfaction?
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