Chapter 388: Returnee from Milan

Leaving her tailor workshop at 8pm, wearing a faint green dress that bordered on white, Li Wan’er was walking alone on a quiet street, feeling shy as she smiled to herself in a foolish manner...

For a woman to be able to smile this way, it was definitely because her heart was filled with happiness and anticipation.

Over the past half year, her colleagues at the workshop, Mister Angelo as well as her teacher would often joke, “The most beautiful designer on our street has finally started liking to dress herself up. Hmm, let me think. I know, this is probably related to that handsome oriental guy from last time...”

“Definitely! Haven’t you noticed! She’s even smiling much more now! She’s looking younger and more beautiful too,” Some others said.

“She’s being winning more prizes too, even several big ones. I think that this place of ours won’t be able to house her very soon.”

“It’s better if she soars higher! If she continues staying here, refusing to accept the invitations of all those big companies, I think that I will really have to play the bad guy. I’m considering how to fire her right now.”

Li Wan’er’s teacher was not just joking about this. In fact, he had approached her and earnestly discussed this with her a few times before, having expressed that he hoped she could leave the tailor workshop, accepting the invitation of those well-known brands.

The situation was that Li Wan’er’s designs had been spurting out as if from an endless well over the past half year as she had won so many prizes it would make one’s arms ache. She was already beginning to receive attention from Milan’s top fashion brands and personages.

To obtain recognition in Milan or Paris where the fashion industry was virtually dominated completely by westerners was actually not easy at all for somebody of Oriental descent.

Some were already predicting that this beautiful woman named Li Wan’er was set to be the most influential Chinese fashion designer for mainstream fashion in the future.

“Aren’t I doing magnificently? Part of the credit lies with you, too...”

Li Wan’er recalled that person. During their flight to Milan back then, Xu Tingsheng had randomly described some designs to her. While unsystematic and haphazard, these had provided her with many new elements, tracks of thought and leading modern concepts too.

Having begun sufficiently exerting her abilities atop this foundation, Li Wan’er had soared up to win several major prizes for fashion, both internationally and in Milan. She had shocked Milan’s entire fashion industry within a mere half year.

Yet, such a talent who was also a beautiful female designer who was destined for success was actually still working in a tiny tailor workshop...various major companies had begun offering her high annual wages in a show of their sincerity, with higher individual prices for her designs too.

Actually, Li Wan’er would not mind accepting the invitations of those major brands. Her entire life had consisted of her aspiring towards a larger stage in her dream as a designer. She had once experienced the pain of not having any money. If she could obtain greater wealth even while striving towards her dream, she would feel very blessed indeed.

Moreover, she would have a child to raise too. She wished to give him or her only the best.

Right, this was about that very child. In Li Wan’er’s mind, the foremost thing right now was to give birth to a child with that ‘little hoodlum’. Only afterwards would she accept the invitation of those renowned brands, pursuing her dreams.

As for money, there was no need to worry for the time being with what she had originally saved up coupled with the proceeds from the designs that she had sold off at medium to high prices over the past half year.

Yet, it was already the 20th of July now...

The two of them had actually still communicated via text every once in a while previously, with the occasional call too...neither had changed their minds. Yet as the fateful day approached, Li Wan’er had instead gotten shyer as she had ceased to text him or call his number.

Why’s that guy also stopped contacting me recently all of a sudden? It’s already time now.

Opening the door, entering her house, closing the door, locking and latching it.

Li Wan’er looked at the furniture that had just been changed over the past half year to ones that were more pregnant woman-friendly and more toddler-friendly too...

𝒇𝒓𝙚𝒆𝔀𝓮𝓫𝒏𝓸𝙫𝓮𝓵.𝓬𝙤𝙢

“This actually seems kind of overly hasty. He’ll definitely laugh at me when he’s here and he sees it. That mouth of his is just so bad...oh, I remember. He actually used to call me old woman, Auntie Wan’er before...alright, Auntie Wan’er is gonna become the mother of your child. Let’s see what you call me then...”

“Though, that big bed...at least that shouldn’t be considered hasty, right?”

“He himself said that it’s not like the first time will definitely succeed. Because of that, he should be staying here for a period of time. In that case, besides trying for a child, we’d surely have to do something else, right? Like taking a stroll together or something...or could it be that it’ll just go on all day and all night...”

Li Wan’er felt like she was nearly unable to stand herself at this point as she exclaimed inwardly, “Hey, Li Wan’er, since when did you become like that?!”

She placed a few beautiful sets of underwear that she had specially bought to make him happy at the lowest level of her wardrobe. When buying these, she had been imagining her satin-clad self, his fiery-hot gaze...

“But with his personality, he clearly holds the upper hand. He’d probably just laugh at me again. I should just hide this till he begs and requests them of me.”

She stacked up the neatly folded towels and pajamas which she had prepared for him. Actually, she did this again and again an undefined number of times.

“Alright, if you won’t send me a message, I’ll send you one...”

Li Wan’er clenched her teeth and whipped out her phone. Yet in the end, she became conflicted over what she should send. It couldn’t be: ‘Hurry up and come make a child with me’, right? How would that be any different from what had been said that night, ‘hurry and...me’?

After pondering for a long time, Li Wan’er finally sent the following text: I’ve calculated the time. It appears that there may be a higher chance of success if it begins two days from now.”

How perfectly nondescript a message this was. Anyone not in the know might even think vegetables were to be planted or something.

“No, I want to delete that...no, it’s too late...right, that’s fine.”

Li Wan’er flopped down on the large bed, sprawled out on it like a little girl. This bed really was large....she had dreamed of it many times already...

Breaking out of her reverie with a somewhat reddened face, Li Wan’er found that Xu Tingsheng had still yet to send a reply. She cast all thoughts to the back of her mind, not giving herself any time to hesitate as she rode on the momentum and dialled his number straightaway...

“His phone’s turned off? ...Is he regretting his decision and avoiding me?”

Her inner monologue’s mood turned from sweet to sorrowful.

A perturbed Li Wan’er sat in front of her computer and turned on a Chinese search engine, entering his name within...she had found herself missing him so many times over the past half over year. Whenever she read news about him, which was virtually all good news, she would feel happy every time.

“Hucheng Tongcheng’s and Xingchen Technologies’ Xu Tingsheng...civic-mindedly rushing heroically into the flames...comatose, on the brink of death...companies shaken...”

Li Wan’er stared blankly at the computer screen, freezing up completely.

“It isn’t real. It definitely isn’t real...”

Li Wan’er checked the source of the reports. They were all from official publishers, and quite a few of them as well. Published on official mediums, they were full of praise for Xu Tingsheng’s heroic, self-sacrificial actions.

It seemed an indubitable truth.

Discussion was rife on the internet too. There were various scoops and speculations, though there certainly were well wishes and encouragements too. Someone had even kicked off a collective prayer for Xu Tingsheng on Weibo...

Yet, Li Wan’er cared not about all these. The only words visible to her on the screen were: Comatose, on the brink of death.

“Comatose...on the brink of death...”

Tears streaming uncontrollably down her face, she frantically dialled his number all throughout that entire night...yet no one would answer whether she called once or a thousand times. She just could stop herself, though. She felt like she might really go crazy if she did not cling on to that meagre scrap of hope.

Early the next morning, the exhausted, agonised Li Wan’er boarded a plane heading from Milan to Shenghai City.

She had to see him.

So it had never been about a single child in the first place. She was in love with this young man.