Chapter 164: Julia

Lu Fuling, usually a man of gentle and refined demeanor, was visibly enraged after hearing what his son had to say.

This was especially true once he learned that Li Qixiao had only adopted that name six months ago.

Lu Fuling immediately ordered an investigation into Li Qixiao and instructed his assistant to keep a close watch on the old man’s recent activities. He was determined to find out exactly who this Li Qixiao really was.

***

It was a rare occasion for the studio to receive a client with such a high budget. Their biggest commission to date had been the one from Ms. Jin, which far exceeded any other project in value, but the current client’s budget was even higher than that of Ms. Jin’s wedding.

Driven by the prospect, Xu Xiaoqi rallied Qin Miaoyu and Pei Yixue, determined to secure the deal.

Seeing how excited Xu Xiaoqi was, Qin Miaoyu felt compelled to pour some cold water on the situation. "To be honest, with this kind of budget, they could easily hire a renowned wedding design team. There’s no need to come to a studio like ours, which has only just started to gain some recognition."

Xu Xiaoqi didn't seem to mind. "Didn't Ms. Jin book with us, too? Maybe they saw one of our wedding designs and sought us out!"

"But Ms. Jin approached us when she wasn't originally planning to hold a grand event. Plus, we had that 'revolutionary friendship' forged while dealing with Zhou Zhaolin together; otherwise, she wouldn't have chosen our studio."

One look at the fees for their other commissions confirmed it: their studio wasn't yet at a level where the ultra-wealthy would specifically seek them out for wedding planning.

Xu Xiaoqi finally calmed down, though she still clung to a glimmer of hope. "Let's just go see how it goes. Maybe it’ll work out! If we land this, it’ll be a significant windfall."

Upon entering the reception room, Qin Miaoyu saw someone sitting inside with a rather—well, arrogant demeanor. The woman was a foreigner, which immediately reminded her of someone: Louise, as this woman also had blonde hair.

As the trio sat down, Pei Yixue began to speak in English, but the woman replied with a haughty air, "I speak Chinese."

Not only could she speak it, but her Chinese was fluent and standard.

"I didn't expect Ms. Julia's Chinese to be so perfect. That's impressive!" Xu Xiaoqi praised, reaching out her hand. "I’m Xu Xiaoqi, this is Pei Yixue, and the one at the end is Qin Miaoyu."

Julia glanced at Xu Xiaoqi’s extended hand but made no move to shake it, fixing her gaze on Qin Miaoyu instead.

Qin Miaoyu caught the flash of disdain in Julia’s eyes but remained silent, waiting for Xu Xiaoqi to handle the negotiations.

When Julia didn't reciprocate the handshake, Xu Xiaoqi didn't let it faze her and went straight to the point. "Ms. Julia, do you have any specific requirements for the wedding style? We can show you some of our previous designs."

Julia toyed with her freshly manicured nails. "I'm not the one booking it. A friend of mine wants to commission a wedding design and specifically mentioned your place, so she sent me to check it out."

Xu Xiaoqi asked, "What kind of style does your friend like? We can show you our portfolio based on her preferences."

Julia shrugged, her arrogance radiating. "I don't know. She just told me the budget and asked me to take a look. I never imagined your studio would be this small. I wonder what kind of people would even choose your services!"

Qin Miaoyu noticed that Julia kept looking at her while speaking, the mockery in her tone clearly directed at her.

"Do we know each other, Ms. Julia?" Qin Miaoyu asked, her expression unruffled. "You keep looking at me, but my memory isn't the best—I can't seem to recall where we might have met."

Julia scoffed. "Nothing much. I’ve just heard of Ms. Qin’s reputation."

"Oh? Where did you hear about me? I heard you just flew in a couple of days ago. Am I famous enough in Jingcheng to be known within two days of arrival?"

Hearing this, Pei Yixue whispered a warning: "The Lu family! The Lu family!"

Pei Yixue felt that because Qin Miaoyu had been secretly married to Lu Qi'an for so long, she had failed to realize how well-known she actually was. However, Julia wasn't referring to the Lu family scandal.

"I heard about you from my friend!" Julia looked at Qin Miaoyu with clear contempt.

Qin Miaoyu found it inexplicable; the look in Julia’s eyes made her very uncomfortable. Just as she was about to speak, Julia continued.

"My friend has had a rather turbulent romantic history. She had a boyfriend she was deeply in love with, and they were very happy. But while she was abroad for a few years, he had a change of heart and fell for someone whose background and everything else were inferior to hers. She’s returned now to win him back. If he’s willing to be with her again, she plans to marry him immediately!"

The three women exchanged glances, struggling to understand the logic of Julia’s friend.

"If the boyfriend cheated, why forgive him? Given your friend's background, surely it wouldn't be hard to find someone better?"

Julia glared at them. "Because my friend loves him deeply! Besides, should she just let those two scoundrels be together?"

"There are other ways to get revenge. Cheating happens once, and it can happen again. If she forgives him now and they marry, what happens when he cheats again?"

Julia looked at Qin Miaoyu with a meaningful stare. "Ms. Qin, is that what a homewrecker would think?"

By now, Xu Xiaoqi and Pei Yixue realized that Julia had come with ill intent. She was here to target Miaoyu, and her words were utterly bizarre.

Pei Yixue stood up. "Ms. Julia, if you aren't genuinely here to book our wedding services, please don't waste our time. You can turn right and head straight out of our studio!"

Julia rose gracefully, picked up her handbag, and looked down at Qin Miaoyu.

Qin Miaoyu found the situation laughable. "May I ask, Ms. Julia, who is your friend? I’d like to know when exactly I became a 'homewrecker.'"

Julia left only one sentence behind: "You'll know who she is when you see her!"

With that, she walked out of the office.

Once the door closed, Pei Yixue cursed, "What a lunatic!"

Xu Xiaoqi agreed, "Exactly! Spouting nonsense like that. Don't pay her any mind, Miaoyu."

Qin Miaoyu wasn't bothered by Julia's words. She knew what she had and hadn't done. But since Julia had come to Jingcheng and her friend was likely from here as well, could it be one of Lu Qi'an’s unwanted admirers?

After all, apart from Lu Qi'an, she had no other exes in Jingcheng.