For a few seconds, Jiang Ruo went speechless. She looked at Lily, unsure of what to say next. To be honest, Jiang Ruo never expected that Lily would actually decline her request.
All of them were actually very excited to have a tour of the house and to see Lily's closet that they started calling her just this morning about it. Moreover, she had actually told them that Lily will surely agree and even told them to prepare their gifts and clothes for this party.
So… what is she going to say now? "I — Lily… is this… because of what happened last night?" she asked. The tone of her voice didn't change. She was not here to antagonize Lily but to get closer to her. "I would like to apologize. I have avoided talking about it because I found it rather embarrassing that my son would actually bring someone like Miss Qiao. As a mother, I knew that I didn't raise my son very well." She uttered and lowered her head.
In this matter, Jiang Ruo was pletely sincere. After the confrontation last night, she had realized that she didn't raise his son very well. Or why else would he choose a woman like Qiao Qiao? This was all her fault.
"Oh… no," Lily answered as she shook her head. She then eyed the approaching servants who brought another batch of refreshments for them. "This has nothing to do about what happened last night." Lily was actually flabbergasted. She thought that her reasoning was pletely understandable. Anyone with sane minds would not let anyone inside their closet at their first meeting!
"It's just that… Me and my husband value our privacy." She immediately used Zhou Jingren's name, hoping it will be enough to stop his Jiang Ruo. She was wrong.
"I pletely understand that." Jiang Ruo nodded. "But the girls are already expecting to have this party. If you don't mind… we can do it on the pool instead. Then maybe you can show them a couple of the collections that your friend made?" Jiang Ruo's motivation is really simple. She already promised her friends that this party will happen. And she will do everything not to lose some face over this matter.
"I cannot assure you that," Lily answered. "I have to tell my husband about this matter before I can decide." Of course, she decided to pass everything to her husband. If he says no, then there is no way that this woman will open this topic again. "I will call you tonight to talk about this matter." She added the same smile was on her face.
As expected, when Lily brought up Zhou Jingren, Jiang Ruo had no choice but to shut her mouth about the topic. As newlyweds, it is pletely understandable for a younger woman like Lily to consider her husband's opinion about something like this. "I understand. Then… I will expect your call tonight." Jiang Ruo responded with a smile. "I am sure everyone would be thrilled if Mr. Zhou would agree to have this party in your mansion."
"Hmmm." Lily nodded. "Actually, now that I thought about it… I can only remember meeting two of these women on the list. Aside from you, of course. Did they attend the party last night?"
"They did. But they did not have the time to introduce themselves. You also left the party ahead of everyone else."
"I see… that is pletely reasonable."
"This is an excellent tea, by the way." Jiang Ruo changed the topic. "Japanese?" she asked.
"Gyokuro Tea and yes, it is from Japan," Lily answered. Not long after, their conversation shifted from the party to type of teas to traveling then into pieces of jewelry. It was a pretty relaxed conversation that Lily had actually enjoyed.
As someone from the older generation, Jiang Ruo is very knowledgeable. She also seemed very soft-spoken and elegant. Moreover, Lily could not really detect some pretense from her. All she could sense was some awkwardness that the latter showed every time Lily's views about a certain topic clashed with hers.
After another thirty minutes, Jiang Ruo bid Lily goodbye. After all, it was already five in the afternoon and she needed to go home before her husbands arrive. Since Lily had a great time, she decided to have the maid packed some of the tea that they just drank and give it to Jiang Ruo.
This simple gesture was instantly appreciated by Jiang Ruo as she went home with a satisfied smile on her face.
"What do you think of her, Yang Mi?" Lily asked. She rose from her seat and walked inside the mansion. "Do you find her weird?" Lily asked.
"I don't," Yang Mi answered as she wondered why would Lily asked her such a thing. "She could have any other motives but… I find her sincere, for now." She answered honestly.
"Hmmm. A person standing in the mountain will most likely wonder what is found uphill of the mountain… or what are the things that he can see if he goes down the mountain." She paused as she eyed the big painting on the patio that Zhou Jingren made for her. "Only a few people will wonder what is behind that mountain." She shifted her gaze to look at the woman standing next to her. "Do you get it? Always… and I mean always… pay more attention to what you cannot see."
Seeing Yang Mi in a daze, Lily smiled at her. "Think about it. I will go back to my room and take more pictures." She said before walking towards the stairs, leaving Yang Mi staring at the painting alone.
Maybe Lily's words were deep but understanding this should not be a part of Yang Mi's job, no? Yang Mi shook her head inwardly. With the way Lily thinks, only a few people could actually understand her, and that includes Lilian and Zhou Jingren.
Sadly… Yang Mi is not one of those. For Yang Mi, being simple is always the key.
.....
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