Gorgeous Female Tenants

Chapter 273: Going Separate Ways

When it was time to eat fruit, Dongfang Yelan was in the living room; she didn’t see her husband or Xu Xiangbei. Suddenly thinking of something, she walked into the kitchen and glanced at the back window.

She smiled at her daughter and said, "Xiao Hui, bring the fruit platter and go find your dad."

Ouyang Jiahui, with a piece of apple in her mouth, asked, "Where should I look for him?"

"The small woods behind the villa."

The small woods behind the villa were where Ouyang Yude often practiced Iron Gall, and you could see his tall figure from the back kitchen window.

Ouyang Jiahui followed her mom, carrying the fruit platter to the edge of the woods. From afar, she saw her dad moving his hands back and forth in the air like he was playing the piano, with a smile on his face as if playing a child’s game.

Beside him stood Xu Xiangbei, also wildly waving his hands in the air, looking intoxicated.

Ouyang Jiahui looked at them in surprise, "Mom, is Dad dancing with Brother Xu?"

Dongfang Yelan smiled knowingly, "Silly girl, your dad is exchanging martial arts skills with your fourth uncle."

Hearing Dongfang Yelan refer to Xu Xiangbei as fourth uncle, Ouyang Jiahui pouted dramatically. She reluctantly said to her mom, "What fourth uncle? He’s only a year or two older than me. This is clearly dancing, not exchanging martial arts. They’re fooling kids. They look awful dancing, waving their hands in the air like swan wings. That’s exactly how my ballet teacher taught me when I was little. Besides, Mom, you don’t know martial arts. How do you know they’re exchanging martial arts?"

Her mom tapped her nose, "Silly girl, he and your dad are like brothers, so by seniority, he’s your fourth uncle. Even though I don’t know martial arts, I’ve picked up a bit from being around your dad all these years. Even if you haven’t eaten pork, you’ve seen a pig run. Call them to eat some fruit."

Feeling awkward inside, Ouyang Jiahui thought, I’m not calling him fourth uncle. She walked up to Xu Xiangbei, smiled brightly with a hint of mockery, and said, "Brother Xu, come have some fruit. Your dance just now was beautiful. I took ballet but didn’t dance as well as you. When will you teach me to dance?"

Xu Xiangbei was about to joke with Ouyang Jiahui, but in front of Ouyang Yude, he had to maintain the respect for a fourth uncle. He chuckled, "Your dad taught me this dance. If you want to learn, have your dad teach you."

Seeing her dad’s serious face, Ouyang Jiahui stuck out her tongue, handed the fruit platter to Xu Xiangbei, then turned and ran away. After running quite a distance, she turned back to make a face at Xu Xiangbei.

Ouyang Yude shook his head, "That girl has been spoiled by Yelan and me. She went to study in America when she was young and returned without learning any skills but picked up Western ideas about freedom. She wants freedom in everything, lives by herself, finds her own job; there’s nothing we can do. She’s an adult now, and girls are wilder than their mothers; we can’t control her."

Xu Xiangbei handed a piece of watermelon to Ouyang Yude. The two of them gnawed on their watermelon while walking back to the villa.

Xu Xiangbei smiled, "Actually, Ouyang Jiahui is quite impressive. To become the editor-in-chief of a well-known fashion magazine at 20 is all thanks to big brother’s excellent teaching."

Hearing Xu Xiangbei praise his daughter, the dad was still quite proud, and he chuckled, "Her becoming a magazine editor has little to do with me. She inherited her mom’s talent. Yelan’s company is an agent for world-renowned fashion brands. This girl was taken to fashion shows in Paris and Italy by her mom from a young age. Over time, she became adept at spotting fashion trends. But I just can’t see eye-to-eye with her. Look at her hairstyle; it doesn’t look like a girl’s hair at all. It’s practically a punk hippie style."

"So sister-in-law runs a fashion agency. What brands does she represent?"

Ouyang Yude thought for a moment and replied, "Her company represents many brands. Recently, they are agents for an Italian brand called Sophie."

Xu Xiangbei seemed to recall hearing about the Sophie fashion brand and suddenly remembered that Sun Jiajia had told him she wanted to become an international brand designer for the Sophie fashion brand.

Since arriving in Earth Sea, he hadn’t asked about how Sun Jiajia’s interview went. Now that he remembered, he decided to make a call.

Sun Jiajia sounded somewhat unhappy, "These days, you never come to see us. Keke and I thought you were missing. We were considering reporting it to the police."

"Hehe, tell Keke I’m in Earth Sea dealing with some personal matters. It will take some time before I can return to Jiangcheng. Beauty, how did your interview go for the Sophie designer role?"

"No news so far. I created a fashion sample, sent it via email, and the Italians said it would take a week for a response."

"I know a friend’s mom, who is the general agent for Sophie fashion in Huaxia. Do you want me to inquire for you?"

Sun Jiajia’s voice immediately perked up, "Really, to become a Sophie fashion general agent, their relationship with the Italian company must be special. Please ask for me. If they can help, that’d be great. If not, it’s okay. Who is this friend of yours?"

"Her name is Ouyang Jiahui, editor-in-chief of Jade Maiden’s Rainbow Robe magazine. Last time, she helped you by rating you as the Best Young Designer. Her mom is the general agent for Sophie fashion, so I’ll have a word with her. I can’t guarantee success, but I’ll try."

Xu Xiangbei returned to the Ouyang family villa, where Dongfang Yelan was doing dishes in the kitchen. Xu Xiangbei went in to help, smiling as he handed things over. Dongfang Yelan, sensitive by nature, sensed Xu Xiangbei was acting suspiciously and smiled, "Does fourth uncle have something on his mind? There’s no need for you to help with these kitchen chores."

"Is sister-in-law the general agent for Italian Sophie fashion in Huaxia?"

"Yes, why? Do you want to buy some clothes? Just select whatever you like on the online store and tell me the item numbers. It’s completely free for you and your friends."

"It’s not about buying clothes; it’s about something else. A friend of mine named Sun Jiajia, who studies fashion design and is known to Jiahui, was just rated as the Best Young Designer by her magazine. Now, the Italian Sophie fashion emailed her, showing interest in hiring her as their designer. She’s already sent over her work, and now I’d like to ask sister-in-law to help inquire about how things are going."

Dongfang Yelan listened intently as Xu Xiangbei spoke and looked relieved.

With an encouraging smile, she said, "If Sophie Company reached out to her proactively, there’s a good chance. I’ll call Sophie Company’s Diana, who’s the administrative VP in charge of human resources. Let me check the time difference; it’s 3 PM in Huaxia, and 9 AM in Milan. They’re just starting work."

Dongfang Yelan was very helpful and immediately called Sophie Company in Milan and reached Diana, the administrative VP, to inquire about Sun Jiajia’s application for the designer role.

Sister-in-law’s Italian was very fluent, and her demeanor was relaxed on the call. After a few words, she threw a joyful look at Xu Xiangbei, who got the hint that things were looking positive.