Hearing about the upcoming trip, Wang Keke was so excited she couldn't sleep for days.
At night, lying in Lin Wanyi's arms, she said:
"Mom, I want to go to Beijing. I want to climb the Great Wall and go to Tiananmen Square.
"I also want to go to Chengdu to see the giant pandas. Mom, have you ever seen a giant panda? They're so cute, aren't they?
"I also want to go on a cruise. One of my classmates has been on one.
"She said sleeping on it is like being in a cradle. Is that true, Mom?"
Lin Wanyi hadn't been on a cruise either, but she told Wang Keke:
"Keke is still little. You'll get to experience all of these in the future."
Wang Keke looked up excitedly and continued asking:
"I want to go to so many places. Can you take me to all of them?"
Lin Wanyi gently squeezed her little hand:
"We can only go to one city at a time. Mom promises to take you on a trip every summer vacation from now on, okay?"
After Wang Keke fell asleep, Lin Wanyi started planning the itinerary.
In truth, she hadn't traveled for many years herself.
The last time was in college when she went to Zhangjiajie with her classmates.
After returning from that trip, she had always wanted to take her parents there, but then she got married.
And then she was trapped in Wangjia Village, never traveling out again.
Before they married, Wang Hao used to say:
"What does it matter if you marry far away? We'll go back often, it'll be just like traveling."
But after marriage?
All promises vanished like bubbles.
She couldn't even visit her own family, let alone travel.
Thinking of this, she felt a pang of guilt toward her father.
Lin Jiajun said in the family group chat:
"Mom, Sis, I want to go to Tibet."
Li Suhua immediately vetoed it:
"No way, altitude sickness."
Chen Hui said, "I want to go to Yunnan."
Li Suhua agreed right away:
"Okay, that works."
Lin Jiajun felt wronged:
"Mom, you're so biased. Doesn't Yunnan have altitude sickness too?"
"How is that the same?"
Li Suhua retorted. "The difference is huge."
The family had a heated discussion all night but couldn't reach a final conclusion.
Lin Wanyi wasn't in a hurry. There was still over a week before the holidays anyway.
She figured she should let Liu Renzhi know.
But before she could go to him, Liu Renzhi came to her first:
"It's my mom's birthday in a few days. Dad said we are going to celebrate it grandly.
"I would like you to attend as my girlfriend. Is that okay?
"Wanyi, I want to date openly and introduce you to everyone."
Lin Wanyi agreed.
Liu Renzhi was so sincere, and they were dating normally; there was nothing to hide.
Upon getting Lin Wanyi's affirmative answer, Liu Renzhi excitedly pulled her into his car.
"Where are we going?" Lin Wanyi asked.
Liu Renzhi smoothly drove the car to a boutique that specialized in custom formal wear:
"To pick out a couple of evening gowns for you, so those wealthy ladies won't have anything to gossip about."
Lin Wanyi understood that the guests at Su Jing's birthday banquet would all be dignitaries and elites.
As Liu Renzhi's girlfriend, she couldn't afford to embarrass him.
It was a matter of etiquette.
So she didn't act coy or refuse.
Since she had chosen to be with Liu Renzhi, she had to blend into his life.
Not embarrassing him was the first step.
The boutique owner was an elegant and luxurious lady.
She greeted Liu Renzhi warmly, but a flash of surprise crossed her eyes when she saw Lin Wanyi.
This was the first time Liu Renzhi had brought a woman here other than Su Jing and Liu Siyue.
"Please help my girlfriend pick out two elegant gowns."
Liu Renzhi introduced Lin Wanyi openly and proudly.
The owner smiled and invited Lin Wanyi inside.
Countless exquisite and gorgeous gowns appeared before Lin Wanyi.
But her eyes were immediately drawn to a black velvet long dress.
The owner immediately handed it to her:
"You have great taste. This dress suits your status perfectly.
"It's elegant and appropriate."
Yes, Lin Wanyi liked it precisely for its elegance.
It didn't expose the chest or back, nor did it have a high slit.
Everything was just right.
The owner helped her try it on.
Seeing her makeup-free face, she simply applied a little lipstick for her.
Standing before the mirror, Lin Wanyi's own eyes widened.
For the first time, she felt that she was actually quite beautiful.
The black velvet made her skin look as pale and smooth as silk, and her neck stood tall like a swan's.
The tailored cut highlighted her figure for the first time.
Curves in all the right places.
If she didn't mention it, no one would believe she had already given birth to a child.
Opening the door, Liu Renzhi stood stunned behind Lin Wanyi.
He knew Lin Wanyi was pretty.
But before, he had always thought of her as the girl-next-door type.
Now, he realized he was wrong.
Just by changing clothes and putting on a little lipstick, she became as radiant as the sun.
Looking at the woman's figure outlined by the gown in the mirror.
Liu Renzhi subconsciously swallowed hard.
Realizing what he had done, he snapped back to reality immediately.
And silently cursed himself a few times:
Liu Renzhi, you pervert.
Lin Wanyi saw Liu Renzhi in the mirror and blushed a little.
After all, it was her first time dressing like this in front of him.
Although it didn't reveal much, her chest still showed a patch of snowy white skin.
She instinctively moved to cover her chest:
"Does it look good?"
"It looks beautiful."
Liu Renzhi praised sincerely:
"Very beautiful.
"Pick out a few more."
Lin Wanyi thought two would be enough.
She said, "I won't have the chance to wear these kinds of gowns normally. Two is fine; there's no need to waste money."
Liu Renzhi didn't say much more, but his gaze landed on a dark red high-slit qipao.
After leaving the store, Liu Renzhi's body kept feeling hot.
His mind was full of Lin Wanyi's voluptuous body and graceful curves.
And her snowy white chest.
He told himself to calm down over and over again.
He cursed himself as a beast over and over again.
He didn't understand it either.
Obviously, this gown was already very conservative.
Obviously, he had attended countless banquets and seen countless beauties before.
And they dressed much more revealingly, some with pathetically little fabric.
Why could he turn a blind eye to them in the past?
Yet today, he was going crazy wanting to possess Lin Wanyi's body.
He thought about it and could only come up with one explanation.
That was because he liked Lin Wanyi.
He liked her on a physical, biological level.
There was no other reason.
He just liked her, liked her body.
Lin Wanyi had no idea Liu Renzhi was thinking so much.
She was still marveling:
"These gowns are really so expensive, over a hundred thousand for one set."
Liu Renzhi drank an entire bottle of ice water before he managed to control his urges.
He then took Lin Wanyi to a high-end mall.
As his girlfriend, she couldn't go without a decent piece of jewelry.
But after Lin Wanyi saw the prices, she kept waving her hands:
"No, it's too expensive.
"These easily cost millions. I really wouldn't dare wear them."
Liu Renzhi fastened a diamond necklace around her neck:
"It's fine. You have to think of it this way: a woman's beauty is a man's glory.
"All of this is for my face.
"Just treat this banquet like going to work, and treat these gowns and jewelry as your uniform.
"Doesn't it feel less stressful when you think of it that way?"
How could it not be stressful?
Lin Wanyi felt even more pressure:
"What if I lose it? I can't afford to pay you back."
Liu Renzhi leaned close to her earlobe:
"It's fine. You can just pay me back with yourself."
Lin Wanyi's face instantly flushed red.
Before she could say a word, she suddenly heard Zhou Chenyu's voice:
"Renzhi, why are you here?"
Lin Wanyi looked up and saw Zhou Chenyu and Nanny Wu standing just a short distance away.
Zhou Chenyu shot Lin Wanyi a look of pure disgust:
"Why are you here too?
"Lin Wanyi, is a high-end place like this somewhere a lowly employee like you belongs?
"You probably couldn't even afford a single bracelet here with a whole year's salary!"
