Chapter 116: Familiarity
Ding Yuejun saw that they had only seen half of the exhibition, so she naturally nodded and said, "Let’s continue to look around. The works here are excellent and I can learn a lot."
Seeing her mother’s enthusiasm, Yiyi quickly smiled and nodded, planning to collect more information about embroidery exhibitions for future outings with her mother.
"Yiyi?"
As Yiyi continued to tour the exhibition with her mother, she suddenly heard someone calling her. Looking back, she saw it was Fang Cheng and Gao Yin.
"Brother Fang, why are you here?"
Seeing these two, Yiyi was genuinely surprised. Two grown men at an embroidery exhibition just seemed a bit out of place.
Fang Cheng also didn’t expect to bump into Yiyi here. He looked over at Ding Yuejun and Mo Shan and asked, "Yiyi, are you here with your family to see the exhibition?"
"Yes, I brought my mom here for the exhibition. She loves embroidery and wants to learn more," Yiyi explained as she introduced both sides to each other.
Fang Cheng greeted Ding Yuejun warmly and then said in surprise, "I didn’t know Auntie does embroidery, that’s impressive."
Ding Yuejun felt a bit embarrassed by the compliment, "I just do it casually in my free time."
"Oh, isn’t this Mr. Fang?"
Hearing the voice, Fang Cheng turned around to see it was Wu Yongcai, who he’d met once before, "Ah, it’s Boss Wu, hello."
Wu Yongcai was pleased to see Fang Cheng. After all, meeting someone like Fang Cheng, with ties to the powerful Fang Family, wasn’t easy. Just being able to converse with him felt like an achievement. Noticing who was with Fang Cheng, he then saw Yiyi and her companions.
"Oh... young lady, it’s you! So, you are friends with Mr. Fang."
Seeing that Wu Yongcai knew Yiyi and her group, Fang Cheng was genuinely surprised, "You know Yiyi?"
Hearing this, Wu Yongcai realized Yiyi was who he referred to as the young lady earlier, "Yes, I know Yiyi, but we just met. I previously ordered a peony patterned qipao after chatting with Sister Ding about her embroidery."
Listening to this, Fang Cheng gave a curious glance at Ding Yuejun.
As he understood, while Wu Yongcai’s business wasn’t as large as his, he was still a fairly successful businessman. The fact that he immediately ordered a qipao upon their first meeting spoke volumes about the quality of Ding Yuejun’s embroidery.
"Yiyi, I didn’t expect Auntie to be so talented."
Wu Yongcai added eagerly, "Yes, Sister Ding’s embroidery is truly remarkable. Just see her peony piece, and you’ll understand. Young lady, be sure to show it to Mr. Wu too. I’ve heard he’s planning to branch into the fashion industry, and since you know each other, it’s the perfect opportunity."
Yiyi realized why Fang Cheng and his friend were visiting the exhibition—it was related to their plans in the fashion industry. Thinking of her mother’s embroidery skills, Yiyi wasn’t shy and directly took out the peony piece.
Fang Cheng nodded approvingly at the embroidery. Its craftsmanship rivaled some displayed pieces.
Gao Yin, who had been impassive, was a little taken aback when he saw the peony piece and asked, "Can I take a closer look?"
Fang Cheng glanced at his friend with curiosity. Gao Yin, who usually wasn’t interested in these things, showed interest in the embroidery today.
Despite his curiosity, Fang Cheng handed over the peony piece.
Holding the piece, Gao Yin felt a strange sense of familiarity. After pondering, he realized he had seen a similar piece at home. Curious about Ding Yuejun, he merely commented, "It’s really beautiful."
Receiving praise from so many people, Ding Yuejun was a bit shy but proud too. It validated her efforts and boosted her confidence.
"Yiyi, I didn’t expect Auntie to be so skilled. It’s serendipitous to meet here; should we all go for a meal together?"
Yiyi didn’t immediately respond but looked at Ding Yuejun.
Knowing that this person was the husband of her daughter’s English teacher, Ding Yuejun naturally agreed, "Sure."
Seeing they were planning a meal, Wu Yongcai tactfully excused himself, not forgetting to order another qipao from Ding Yuejun before leaving.
At the restaurant, Fang Cheng handed the menu to Yiyi and her group first, and Yiyi ordered a few favorites for herself and her mom. Then she passed the menu back to Fang Cheng.
Fang Cheng added some specialty dishes before handing the menu to the waiter.
After the meal, Fang Cheng offered to take Yiyi and her companions back to their hotel, even suggesting they explore the city further.
"Brother Fang, don’t you need to go back to Teacher Yang?"
Speaking of Yang Liu, Fang Cheng’s expression softened, "I’ll return as soon as I’m done here." Previously, he had set aside everything due to his wife’s health. Now, with her recovery, he was getting busier, but he still missed her dearly.
Seeing Fang Cheng’s demeanor, Yiyi smiled, "Brother Fang, we’ll explore the city ourselves. You don’t need to accompany us. You should go back to Teacher Yang."
With Yiyi’s gentle rejection, Fang Cheng decided to head back to Houshan Town that day.
Upon returning to their room, Ding Yuejun couldn’t help but comment, "It seems Teacher Yang and her husband have a deep relationship."
"Yes, Brother Fang really loves Teacher Yang."
Yiyi admired their relationship, feeling genuinely happy for Yang Liu. She couldn’t help but think of Gu Tingyu, even though they could only exchange occasional letters for now.
The thought dampened Yiyi’s spirits. She wanted to see him more often, but school and his frequent missions made it impossible.
Adding to her frustration was her realization that she might just be an ordinary friend to Gu Tingyu.
Seeing her daughter’s dejected look, Ding Yuejun asked, "Yiyi, what’s wrong?"
Yiyi quickly snapped out of her thoughts, "Oh, nothing. I’m just thinking about where we should explore tomorrow."
The next day, Yiyi took Ding Yuejun and little Mo Shan for a city tour, buying many things and returning to Houshan Town, still eager for more.
Upon returning home, they found Mo Xiaohong and Zeng Jiahe chatting happily, only noticing the trio after a while.
"Mom, you’re back!"