Royce never considered that if it weren't for Uncle Edmond's indulgence, would Lily have been so brazen tonight? This was the Zhou family home, not just anywhere else.
Why was she so confident? Because Uncle Edmond spoiled her. He allowed her to be willful and unruly.
The kind of man who could make Lily happy was one like Uncle Edmond—capable of protecting her and willing to pamper her.
A man like Royce, whose life was controlled by his mother, wouldn't do. Someone born into such a mess, even less so.
...After returning to the apartment, Lily stood in front of the mirror for a long time, examining herself from all angles.
"Lily, you look stunning in a qipao."
So, Edmond likes this look, huh?
As for why Aria had prepared the qipao for her, Aria said she had run into Nadia in a coffee shop while shopping with colleagues last week and overheard her talking about qipaos.
But how did Aria manage to get such a perfectly fitting qipao on such short notice?
It turned out this burgundy qipao was custom-made for her. There was a tailor shop on Changhuai Road where the owner, Grandma Hua, insisted on making her two qipaos after learning of her engagement.
Unable to refuse the enthusiastic offer and with the elderly woman not accepting payment, Lily provided the fabric herself.
Just as the qipaos were finished, her relationship with Royce ended. The new qipaos felt too wasteful to throw away, so she had Grandma Hua hang them in the shop for sale. Unbeknownst to her, they hadn't been sold.
Aria explained, "I went to the shop looking for something off the rack for you, but Grandma Hua brought this out.
She said the fabric was the best and she put her heart into making it, not wanting to sell it. She said you'd need it for your wedding someday, so she kept it for you."
Thus, tonight's outfit was born.
...Just as Lily finished her bath, a video call from Aria came in.
"Tell me about tonight's events!"
Aria wasn't a native of Jiangyu but from Yangcheng. Her family's business was mainly in Jiangyu during her childhood, so she grew up there.
In high school, her father shifted the business focus back to Yangcheng, and the whole family moved except her.
She stayed for her best friend and her favorite person.
This year, Alistair's mother knew she was in Jiangyu and invited her to celebrate with the Qin family. Aria had planned to spend the night gossiping with Lily, but Alistair's mother didn't let her leave.
Lily dried her hair with a towel while recounting the evening's events. Aria felt regretful for not seeing Royce and Nadia's shocked faces but could easily imagine them.
"Speaking of Karina, I saw her niece at the Qin's. She's quite prominent there," Aria said with concern. "Karina holds grudges.
Years ago, she had a dispute with Franklin's mom and hasn't let go.
You annoyed her today; even if she doesn't dare confront you directly, she'll definitely plot against you behind your back."
The conflict between Karina and Franklin's mother wasn't really Franklin's mom's fault.
Franklin's mom was excellent at making soup, and when Karina was pregnant with her second child, she loved the soups. One day, Franklin's mom was too busy to make soup for her.
Upset and waiting downstairs, Karina tripped on the stairs, leading to a severe fall. She lost her six-month-old child and had to have her uterus removed.
This was Karina's own fault. Despite being the Zhou family's young mistress, she treated Franklin's mom like a servant because Franklin's father was the old man's illegitimate son, not favored in the family, and Franklin's mom didn't have a strong family background.
Karina liked to bully the weak.
She was trying for a son with her second pregnancy, but after the miscarriage, it was forever lost. Karina deeply resented Franklin's mom, constantly finding faults and leading the charge to ostracize her. If Franklin's mom forgot anything, Karina would taunt her about early menopause for over a decade.
Though Franklin's family moved out, they still met during holidays.
Lily dismissed Aria's worries. "If I dared to provoke her, I'm not afraid. She almost killed Franklin back then; I haven't avenged that yet. If she tries to mess with me, I'm ready to take her on."
Franklin nearly died because of Karina in middle school. Aria, hearing Franklin's name, sighed softly after a moment of silence. "Lily, you're Franklin's little aunt now."
Lily was pleased with this. "Yes, isn't it great? His time in the Zhou family hasn't been easy, suffering for his parents. I couldn't help him as an outsider before, but now I can protect him. He won't suffer with his little aunt around."
Aria didn't continue this topic. They chatted about other things, and Lily mentioned Edmond asking her to move into the marital home.
Aria perked up, "Are you going?"
Lily casually tossed her hair over her shoulder. "Yes, I'll go."
Since it was public knowledge now, only the Zhou family knew tonight, but by tomorrow, everyone would. Living apart wouldn't be appropriate.
After her bath, Lily wore a black silk slip nightgown. Naturally seductive, she looked even more alluring with her casual hair-tossing movements.