novelraw Chapter 430: King and Queen
Chapter 430: King and Queen
In the end, Le Tong chose a dress from last season and, ignoring Ji Rui’s displeased expression, insisted on paying for it herself.She and Ji Rui were indeed lovers, but she was an independent woman, capable of earning money to spend on herself. She didn’t want Ji Rui to misunderstand that she agreed to give it a try because of the money.
She didn’t deny that she cared so much about this matter because Ji Rui had previously seen her as a money-driven, vain woman.
She was a person with strong self-esteem, unwilling to be looked down upon or to become his dependent.
Of course, Le Tong also understood that a man like Ji Rui cared a lot about appearances. If she, as his companion, was wearing a dress that other debutantes had showcased last season, his pride might not fare too well.
"Miss, could you please show me that pure white scarf?"
Actually, Le Tong’s concern was a bit unnecessary. When she put on that strapless, floor-length gown adorned with delicate purple flowers, Ji Rui’s eyes filled with brilliance never left her.
The sales associate was stunned to see Le Tong’s makeup-free face paired with the dress, and the other assistant who was adjusting the train couldn’t help but ask, "Miss, are you a star or a model?"
Le Tong shook her head with amusement, "Of course not!"
And as she took the scarf handed over by the staff and tied it around her waist, the dress immediately looked even more stunning than before. The thin transparent veil subtly enveloped the purple gown, with purple flowers now faintly visible beneath, adding a touch of mystery. The translucent white shkirtinga swung gracefully with the hem, and at her waist, Le Tong tied the ends into a large bow, accentuating her slender waist and complementing her snow-white shoulders, creating an enchanting beauty.
"How’s this, doesn’t look like last season’s style anymore, right?"
Le Tong saw the amazement in Ji Rui’s eyes, and she confidently raised her eyebrows and asked the sales associate beside her.
"Miss, you’re truly amazing. Are you a designer? This gown has become even more perfect with your transformation, and its original style has completely changed. It’s ethereal and suits you very well!"
The sales associate showered her with praise without hesitation, even offering to take a photo of Le Tong as a memento.
Le Tong had no objections, thinking it was no big deal since she wasn’t a star.
The sales associate excitedly pulled out her phone, set up the shot, and was about to snap a photo when a pair of large hands suddenly blocked the lens.
"Sorry!"
Le Tong suddenly remembered Ji Rui’s incident and quickly apologized to the sales associate.
It wasn’t until she was in the car with her clothes that Le Tong apologized to Ji Rui.
"I’m sorry, I didn’t realize that taking pictures might cause trouble for you."
Ji Rui glared irritably at Le Tong, "Who said you caused trouble for me? I just don’t want others to see you like this."
After Ji Rui’s stylist finished doing Le Tong’s makeup, Ji Rui was even less willing to take Le Tong to the event.
"Mr. Ji, you and Miss Le will definitely be the King and Queen of the night!"
Looking at the slightly made-up Le Tong dressed in a thin purple floral dress, Ji Rui really wanted to take her home and keep her hidden, so that no one else could see even a trace of her true self.
But such selfish and domineering thoughts, Ji Rui dared not act on them because he knew Le Tong was not a woman willing to be carefully nurtured like a caged bird.
As the stylist had predicted, when Ji Rui entered the banquet hall with Le Tong, who looked like she’d descended from the heavens, on his left arm and a handsome, adorable Baobao on his right, the whole room was thrown into a frenzy.
Many were shocked by Ji Rui’s abandonment of his dull style in favor of a strong and sunny look, others were captivated by Baobao’s cuteness and charm, but mostly, it was the beautiful woman beside Ji Rui who was making her debut at such an occasion that people couldn’t look away from.
At the banquet, there were already many women eyeing Ji Rui, but now their hearts shattered across the floor.
"Mr. Ji, who is this?"
Aside from a few people involved in business with the Ji Family who knew about Ji Rui’s recent close interactions with his secretary, the high officials and those without direct ties to the Ji Family were completely unaware of Le Tong.
"Minister Lu, hello! This is my lover, Baobao’s mommy, Le Tong!"
Of course, Ji Rui would rather directly say she was his wife, but he feared such a title might cause the woman beside him to go berserk, so he abruptly changed his words.
"Le Tong, this is Minister Lu."
"Hello, Minister Lu!"
After a polite handshake and some small talk, Ji Rui’s conversation with Minister Lu shifted to the domestic stock market.
Le Tong brought Baobao over, silently but attentively listening to their dialogue.
Some of it Le Tong understood, and some of it she found vaguely understandable.
After about ten minutes of chatting with Minister Lu, another man in his forties approached. This person was Gao Shaofeng, CEO of the largest investment bank in the country.
"Mr. Gao, hello!" Le Tong had met him before, so she proactively reached out to greet the man.
The man was somewhat surprised as he shook her hand, clearly unable to recall who she was.
"I’m Le Tong, Mr. Ji’s secretary." Le Tong smiled and introduced herself again, but only in the capacity of her work identity.
Ji Rui, who had been engrossed in conversation with Minister Lu, reached over to domineeringly wrap an arm around her shoulders, turning his gaze to smile at Gao Shaofeng.
"Mr. Gao, she is my lover, Baobao’s mommy!"
Gao Shaofeng suddenly understood, "Oh! Hello, Miss Le! No wonder Baobao is so handsome and cute—it must be those excellent genes inherited from his parents!" It seemed that he was quite familiar with Ji Rui personally.
Le Tong glanced down at Baobao, feeling a bit puzzled.
Baobao, this little one, couldn’t resemble her in appearance or intellect; he was basically an upgraded version of his dad.
"Mr. Gao, you’re too kind. Most of Baobao’s genes must have been inherited from Mr. Ji."
Le Tong wasn’t undervaluing herself, but even she couldn’t pick out what traits Baobao might have inherited from her.
Baobao, while absorbed in enjoying delicious food, suddenly raised his head and sweetly said, "Baobao’s eyes are like mommy’s!"
As he spoke, he thoughtfully blinked his eyes a few times. "Uncle Gao, look, aren’t Baobao’s eyes as pretty as mommy’s?!"
The adults were all amused by him, "Of course, Baobao’s eyes are very pretty."
Baobao proudly held up his little face, "And also, Baobao’s personality is like mommy’s, and his emotional intelligence is as high as mommy’s! Daddy, don’t you agree?"
The six-year-old kid often despised his father for being dumb—not in terms of intelligence but emotional intelligence.
Baobao considered his emotional intelligence to be off the charts, crediting his mommy for it, having no relation at all to his silly daddy!