---
The soft whoosh of the dressing room curtain sliding open drew Liang Qianyu's attention instantly as her expression returned to normal.
Her gaze landed on Su Meilin as she stepped out.
Su Meilin emerged from the dressing room in a shimmering silver gown that hugged her silhouette like moonlight clinging to rippling water.
The fabric sparkled under the boutique lights, flowing around her like liquid stardust.
Liang Qianyu blinked, momentarily stunned, before gasping and clapping her hands together.
"Meilin..." she breathed, her eyes wide with admiration. "You look like a fairy stepping down from the moon. This silver—it's like it was made just for you."
Su Meilin's cheeks flushed pink. Her fingers nervously brushed a strand of hair behind her ear. "You're exaggerating, Qianyu... It's just a dress."
"Just a dress?" Liang Qianyu exclaimed, shaking her head.
She walked around Su Meilin slowly as she sighed. "It fits you perfectly. My brother must've saved a galaxy in his past life to deserve someone like you. Seriously, you're totally a match for him! Heaven-made couple."
Su Meilin's heart fluttered, but she forced a small smile. "We're not even engaged yet... it's just a verbal agreement."
Liang Qianyu waved her off. "Hmph, engagement or not, everyone knows you're his fiancée. You're already part of our family. I've accepted you long ago."
Su Meilin's lips parted in a gentle smile.
At least this stupid sweet sister-in-law knew how to speak sweetly.
"Now go on, try your dress too! I want to see how it looks on you!"
Minutes later, Liang Qianyu stepped out in a sea-foam green dress, ethereal and dreamy.
The bodice clung to her figure like seafoam kissing the shore, and the skirt swirled like ocean mist.
"Wow," Su Meilin gasped. "You look like you belong in a painting. A sea goddess."
Liang Qianyu twirled once and laughed. "I do, don't I? I feel like I'm walking on clouds!"
They admired each other's dresses in the mirror, laughing, sharing opinions, and even doing a few silly poses for themselves.
After reluctantly removing the dresses, they picked out three more each.
But both of their gazes kept drifting back to the two magnificent dresses displayed at the center of the boutique.
"They're so… perfect," Su Meilin whispered, almost in awe.
"I want to buy them," Liang Qianyu sighed. "But they're already taken."
"Whoever ordered those must be disgustingly rich," Su Meilin chuckled.
"Let's at least ask," Liang Qianyu said, turning to the sales assistant. "How much are those two dresses?"
The assistant smiled politely, "Each is one billion."
There was silence.
Dead silence.
Complete silence.
"ONE WHAT?!" Liang Qianyu shrieked, nearly choking on air.
"ONE. BILLION?! TWO. BILLION ?! For two dresses?!" Su Meilin exclaimed.
Even as daughters of the country's top elites, they felt their wallets whimper in protest.
Though from elite families, even they knew there were limits. One billion for a dress was enough to make their mothers faint and their father lecture them.
"That's... outrageous," Su Meilin murmured. "Even if I asked my dad, he'd look at me like I'd lost my mind."
Liang Qianyu scoffed. "Even my dad would say no unless I threw a three-day tantrum and cried until Mom stepped in. But I still don't know if he can agree."
Even some nearby customers gasped and turned their heads.
"Did she say two billion for two dresses?" a woman whispered.
"Who has that kind of money to blow on clothes?" another scoffed.
"It must be for some overseas princess or something."
"Maybe one of those old-money socialites. The kind who's too rich to be on social media."
"Who on earth buys that?" Qianyu asked, jaw still open. "Do they bleed gold?"
The sales assistant chuckled nervously. "They were custom-designed by Mr. Elliot Raymond himself for the private client. The order came through the designer's direct team."
"Ugh. Fine," Qianyu pouted, giving up." I'll tell my brother to buy me a custom dress like that too."
Su Meilin chuckled and handed her card to pay for both of their chosen dresses. "This one's on me, Qianyu. Think of it as a 'Welcome Home' gift."
"Aww, you're the best sister-in-law ever!" Qianyu squealed, hugging her.
They laughed, walking out of the boutique with their shopping bags in hand.
---
"Let's get food," Meilin suggested. "I'm starving."
"Me too. I saw a restaurant just outside the mall."
They booked a private room. As they walked down the corridor, Qianyu suddenly slowed down.
"Wait… is that…" She squinted. "MO YUWEI?!"
The tall woman in a beige trench coat turned around slowly.
---
At the Liang Congromerate, the office buzzed quietly, keyboards clacking in rhythm with the morning's pace.
Lin Yue clutched the rolled-up canvas as she walked across the design floor.
Team leader Zhang Qian had barely stepped into the office when Lin Yue walked over, holding something carefully in her hands.
Her long, elegant fingers gripped the edges of a wrapped canvas.
"Good morning, Team Leader Zhang," Lin Yue greeted softly.
Zhang Qian smiled warmly, setting down her handbag. "Morning, Lin Yue. What do you have there?"
"I wanted to show you something," Lin Yue said, handing over the canvas.
The moment Zhang Qian unrolled the canvas, her breath hitched.
Her eyes widened, and she let out a low gasp.
The painting before her was nothing short of a masterpiece.
Brushstrokes danced across the fabric, forming a breathtaking architectural design that wasn't just functional—it was art.
Delicate lines, balanced symmetry, emotional storytelling... it was the kind of visionary creativity people spent years trying to learn.
"You... you painted this?" Zhang Qian looked up, stunned.
Lin Yue nodded, biting her lip. "Yes."
For a long moment, Zhang Qian just stared, caught between disbelief and admiration.
"You're really an artist," she whispered. "You made Masters fought over your paintings... You made men twice your age argue like children. Incredible. "
Lin Yue blushed, " Thank you."
Her voice gained strength. "This isn't just good—it's brilliant. You've added the emotional touch our designs lacked. The creative direction we were struggling with? You solved it."
Lin Yue's heart fluttered.
Zhang Qian laughed breathlessly. "You're a genius. Do you know what you've just done?"
Lin Yue smiled quietly.
Zhang Qian's excitement grew. "I'm showing this to the project leader and the CEO immediately. You've done amazing work, Lin Yue."
The moment she heard CEO, Lin Yue's fingers tensed slightly.
Liang Yexuan… He'll see this? Her heart skipped a beat.
But she nodded. "Okay."
Zhang Qian waited until Lin Yue left, then pulled out her phone and dialed. "Xu Wenjing?!?"
"What's up?" came the voice of her friend—the HR Manager Xu Wenjing.
"You really hit the jackpot with this one," Zhang Qian said, barely containing her excitement. "Lin Yue just finished something that was supposed to take three months in one night. And it's... jaw-dropping."
Wenjing laughed. "Didn't I tell you she was special? Girl had talent bleeding from her soul. It's such a pity she's not gone to university."
After the call, Zhang Qian all but flew to the project leader's office, canvas in hand.
---
The leader—a tall, spectacled man named Qin Ke—was sipping coffee when she burst in.
"Sir! You need to see this!"
The leader raised his brow. "Zhang Qian? What's got you—"
She unrolled the canvas.
"…Holy—" he choked on his drink.
"This is the missing piece," Zhang Qian grinned. "Everything we needed to elevate the design? She gave it. Emotion. Story. Life."
"Who did this?" he demanded.
"Lin Yue. A new hire. But more importantly, she's the mysterious artist the Tang Group and every major collector in the city has been searching for."
"The one they said left the city? The one who made those Masters fight over her work?"
Zhang Qian smirked. "That's her."
Qin Ke barked out a laugh. "The Tang Group was willing to offer millions for her to join them. If they find out she's working for us—and that she just designed the new project—they'll cry blood!"
He clutched the canvas like it was made of gold. "I need to show this to the CEO. Right now."
Zhang Qian blinked. "Right now?"
Without replying, he sprinted out the door.
Zhang Qian stood frozen. "He ran? Just like that?"
But then she chuckled, shaking her head. "Well, who wouldn't?"
---