Back to the 1980s: Becoming the Villain's Lucky Wife

Qin Xiaolan froze for a moment, then mumbled a reply. She walked over to a nearby willow tree with Gao Yuan and said, ”Something came up back home. My parents already went back.”

”Oh, that’s a shame. I was hoping I’d get to meet your mom and dad.” Gao Yuan sounded dejected. After a pause, he added, ”But it’s okay. There will be other chances. I’ll wait until you’re ready for me to meet your family.”

Hearing his words, Qin Xiaolan’s first reaction was a pang of guilt.

They had been dating for a long time, and Gao Yuan had always treated her so well. Yet, she still wouldn’t let him meet her family.

Seeing the guilt on her face, Gao Yuan said gently, ”Don’t overthink it. I’ve been married before, after all, so it’s right for you to be cautious. I’ll wait for you until you’re ready.”

Qin Xiaolan had been feeling genuinely guilty, but hearing him mention his previous marriage suddenly reminded her of what her older cousin, Qin Jiao, had said.

Gao Yuan’s ex-wife hadn’t run off with someone.

She had disappeared!

Qin Xiaolan almost blurted out the question. But just then, the sunlight glinted off Gao Yuan’s glasses, and the bright flash made the corners of her eyes prickle.

She squeezed her eyes shut instinctively.

Gao Yuan asked with concern, ”Xiao Lan, what’s wrong? Were you about to say something?”

Qin Xiaolan snapped back to reality. ”No,” she said, ”I’ve just been showing my parents around the last few days. I’m exhausted and haven’t been sleeping well.”

As she spoke, she let out a yawn, and tears welled up in the corners of her eyes.

Gao Yuan said gently, ”I was going to ask you to hang out after work, but since you’re so tired, you should just rest at home today. We can go out together this weekend.”

”Yeah, okay.” Qin Xiaolan yawned again, adding, ”Why don’t we bring Jiaojiao along? I haven’t seen her in ages, and I really miss her.”

”Of course. Whatever you want.”

Qin Xiaolan watched Gao Yuan until he was out of sight. She remained standing there alone, still feeling a little dazed.

’How should I put it? No matter how you look at him, Gao Yuan seems like the perfect man.’

But the person Qin Xiaolan trusted most in the world was her older cousin, Qin Jiao. So, she decided to just wait and see for now.

**

Qin Jiao had caught wind of a rumor: a new clothing company was about to set up shop in North City.

The owner’s surname was Su.

Since they were all in the same business circle, it was causing quite a buzz.

”I hear the company has foreign backing. On top of that, the owner has ties to the entertainment industry. They’re a big deal.”

Li Man, Luan Wei, Chen Sheng, and Jiang Xiaoyue sat around the conference table, their expressions grave.

Their company, Jiu Yi, was well-established in North City. They had been the top player in the field for years.

In truth, they’d had plenty of rivals over the years. After all, when it comes to basic necessities like clothing, there’s always a market.

But no matter who came along, none had ever managed to beat Jiu Yi. Competitors either retreated in defeat or were left to fight over the scraps of the market that Jiu Yi didn’t dominate. No one had ever been able to steal Jiu Yi’s market share.

But every time a new rival emerged, Qin Jiao would remind her employees to never let their guard down. Only by constantly improving could they withstand every challenge.

And this challenge would be unprecedented.

Qin Jiao looked up. ”We’ll continue preparing the post-New Year spring collection. In the meantime, keep a close eye on their movements. We’ve weathered plenty of storms over the years. So, no matter what they throw at us, we’ll be ready for it.”

”Yes!”