Xia Qingtian smiled sheepishly after hanging up the phone and returned to the sofa. "Where were you guys in your conversation?" she asked in French.
"We were saying you must have been on the phone with a man," Amiya said with a smile. "And a very charming one at that."
"Yes, that man should be an acquaintance of mine," Madame Camille teased, looking at Xia Qingtian. She had always felt that Mobius treated Xia Qingtian differently.
"Heh-heh," Xia Qingtian chuckled. "Weren't you talking about wedding dress design sketches earlier? How did it turn into teasing me?"
"Your eyes lit up when you saw the caller ID," Yu Zixuan said with a smile. "Eyes never lie."
Xia Qingtian was taken aback. Naturally, she wouldn't admit it. In the end, she could only tease Yu Zixuan back, "A happy bride is indeed very knowledgeable."
Yu Zixuan smiled shyly. The happy expression on her face proved that she had indeed recovered a lot under Yue Chengfeng's companionship these past few days.
"So, has the design aspect been finalized?" Madame Camille was very serious about her work.
Although the plan was interrupted by an accident last time, Yu Zixuan and Amiya had maintained online contact. After multiple discussions about the general requirements and expectations, Madame Camille had hand-drawn concept sketches for three wedding dresses.
Yu Zixuan liked every single one. In the end, she let Xia Qingtian help her make the decision, choosing the strapless style with a large train. For the patterns and embellishments on the skirt hem and veil, Yu Zixuan opted for abstract patterns of lily of the valley.
"The flower language of lily of the valley is 'happiness returns,' symbolizing eternal happiness," Amiya said with a smile. "In France, lily of the valley is a symbol of purity and happiness, with a very beautiful meaning."
"Yes," Yu Zixuan smiled lightly. "I really like lily of the valley."
"Then it's happily decided," Xia Qingtian said, her gaze shifting slightly when she heard the phrase 'lily of the valley.' She clasped her hands together and smiled, "I'm really looking forward to seeing the finished product."
"Next, it's up to Amiya," Madame Camille said with a gentle smile, looking at Xia Qingtian. "Since you're the bridesmaid, why don't you choose a flower for your bridesmaid dress design as well? I'm on a tight schedule, but Amiya will design your bridesmaid dress."
"I get one too?" Xia Qingtian blinked in surprise. "Won't that be very tiring for Amiya?"
"It's fine, I'm full of motivation now!" Amiya said with a smile. "I'm being paid, after all, and I'm only providing the design. The production will be assisted by others, so please don't hesitate!"
"Okay, then I really won't be polite ~" Xia Qingtian smiled. "I'll trouble you with the bridesmaid dress."
"Mmm, should I choose the lily of the valley totem as decoration too?" Amiya asked.
"Hmm..." Xia Qingtian thought for a moment and then smiled, "How about we choose the French perfume flower instead?"
Upon hearing the French perfume flower, Yu Zixuan froze. She accidentally dropped her water glass. The glass didn't break, but the water splashed onto the floor.
Yu Zixuan quickly regained her composure and said apologetically, "Sorry, sorry. I was too excited about finalizing the wedding dress design today and didn't sleep well. I'm a bit distracted today."
Amiya immediately handed Yu Zixuan some tissues and said, "It's okay, are you alright?"
"I'm fine." Yu Zixuan wiped the splashed water from her skirt with a tissue. "I'm sorry, but if it's alright, I need to leave now."
The wedding dress design had been finalized, and the bridesmaid dress design had been handed over to Amiya. Yu Zixuan had no reason to stay any longer.
Xia Qingtian also got up to say goodbye and left with Yu Zixuan.
After getting into the car, Xia Qingtian looked at Yu Zixuan and smiled, "I'm so looking forward to the finished product, it will surely be beautiful!"
Yu Zixuan did not respond to Xia Qingtian's words. Instead, she lowered the soundproof curtain between the driver's seat and the back seat.
Xia Qingtian was not surprised by this action at all. She just watched her quietly.
After lowering the soundproof curtain, Yu Zixuan looked at Xia Qingtian and said, "There are so many flowers to choose from, why did you choose the French perfume flower?"
Xia Qingtian did not answer Yu Zixuan's question directly. Instead, she asked back, "Don't you like it?"
Yu Zixuan stared at Xia Qingtian without replying.
"The flower language of the French perfume flower is 'exclusive love for one person.' Doesn't that fit well with the lily of the valley's 'happiness returns'?" Xia Qingtian said with a light smile.
"The French perfume flower has an alias, which is 'Golden Hook Kiss,'" Yu Zixuan said, looking at Xia Qingtian. "You found her, didn't you?"
"She's always been with me," Xia Qingtian told Yu Zixuan.
"Did she tell you?" Yu Zixuan's gaze shifted.
Xia Qingtian gently shook her head and took out a mobile phone from her handbag, handing it to Yu Zixuan.
This was the phone that Wen Jiu had snatched from the person who was tracking him. Later, Xia Qingtian had asked Xia Shang to help analyze and unlock it. It was through the information on this phone that she had thoroughly understood the true identity of her aunt – Ling Lan.
Seeing this phone, Yu Zixuan's gaze shifted.
Not long after the person's phone was snatched, they informed Yu Zixuan about it. However, at that time, both she and the person whose phone was snatched thought the other party was from Gou Wen, so they never suspected Xia Qingtian.
"What do you want to do?" Yu Zixuan's gaze moved from the phone to Xia Qingtian's face. "Do you want to tell your uncle, stop our wedding, or..."
"I don't want to do anything," Xia Qingtian said, spreading her hands. "It's better to let nature take its course."
"You..." Yu Zixuan clearly hesitated upon hearing Xia Qingtian's words.
Does Xia Qingtian know who she is and not stop her?
"Thank her," Xia Qingtian said, looking at Yu Zixuan. "She made a deal with me, and no matter what, she has to protect you."
Upon hearing this, Yu Zixuan's gaze shifted, her mind went blank. She wanted to say many things and ask many questions, but in the end, she only asked, "Is... she alright?"
"She's alive. That stab you made was very deep," Xia Qingtian took a deep breath. "She met a reliable person who performed timely surgery on her, stopped the bleeding, and stitched her up."
Hearing the news about Gou Wen, Yu Zixuan breathed a sigh of relief. She felt like crying and laughing at the same time. "I didn't know it was her."
"She didn't know it was you either," Xia Qingtian spread her hands. "Consider yourselves even."
"How can we be even?" Yu Zixuan's hands trembled, as if they were still stained with her sister's blood.
"Don't get so agitated," Xia Qingtian comforted her. "I originally thought about not telling you, but you're returning to Kyoto tomorrow. If I don't tell you, you might overthink things and not be able to prepare for the wedding properly. Given the current situation, if you rashly arrange for someone to find her, it will be very dangerous for both her and you."
The experiment had now initially succeeded. The next steps should be the surgery and recovery period for Da Ya and Gou Wen.
During this phase, Xia Qingtian did not want any mistakes to occur.
When faced with two evils, choose the lesser one.
This was also the main reason she decided to tell Yu Zixuan.