Chapter Thirty-Eight: The Fashion Sense of a Country Girl and a Beauty Are Worlds Apart

Su Wan-ning’s face showed not the slightest hint of panic. In her mind’s eye, she pictured Yin Shan-shan’s affected airs, and with a dismissive hum, paid her no heed whatsoever.

Vincent silently watched as she tossed her head and sauntered off to the children’s rooms with effortless grace.

“Sui-sui, Nian-nian, let’s go—we’re taking a stroll today!”

“Yes!” Nian-nian responded with enthusiasm, while Sui-sui, sitting to the side, kept his head down as he fiddled with his Lego, though he couldn’t help but glance over at Su Wan-ning from the corner of his eye.

When Su Wan-ning said they would “hit the pavement,” she was hardly exaggerating. Having been cooped up in the village, her nature had been stifled, and now she was eager to dress her daughter in every princess dress in the wardrobe if she could.

In the end, after much persuasion from Vincent, Su Wan-ning settled on a more everyday look—a simple white crew-neck T-shirt paired with a long skirt in a delicate lavender gradient. As she walked, the layers of gauzy fabric swayed lightly, as if she carried a breeze wherever she went.

Nian-nian chose a purple dress, while Sui-sui wore a trendy, cool sweatshirt with shoes sporting purple accents. The trio, standing together, made an especially harmonious sight.

“Don’t forget the livestream!” Vincent called after her as she was about to leave, his voice tinged with concern.

Once in the car, Su Wan-ning started her livestream on her phone, and in an instant, viewers flooded into her channel.

[So beautiful today! As expected, the sense of fashion in the city is worlds apart from the village.]
[Sui-sui looks so cool today—he’s got that heartthrob vibe.]
[Nian-nian, come here and let mom give you a kiss!]

“Hello, everyone—it’s been a while! The past few days? I’ve just been sleeping at home… Yes, I’m heading out to do some shopping today.”

Su Wan-ning had the driver drop them off at a bustling shopping street, and before getting out, she put on her mask.

[Which shopping street is this? I want to go and catch her!]
[Oh, is she out to stir up trouble again?]

Su Wan-ning ignored all the discordant comments in the chat, taking each child by the hand and strolling leisurely down the street.

“I haven’t decided what to buy yet. I’ve been shut in for so long, and if I don’t get out soon, I’ll go moldy. But honestly, there is something important I want to do today.”

She chatted idly to the camera, not watching her step, and accidentally kicked something.

She stopped and looked down—there was a fortune-teller by the roadside.

“Sorry,” Su Wan-ning apologized, about to move on, when the fortune-teller called after her, “Hold on a moment!”

She turned, “Are you talking to me?”

“Yes, you!”

[Why is the fortune-teller calling her over? Is she going to get her fortune told?]
[Don’t trust these scammers, Su! Pick up the pace and get out of there.]

But her fans needn’t have worried. Su Wan-ning strode up to the fortune-teller’s stall, completely unfazed.

“I don’t have any money,” she announced with a smile.

The fortune-teller was momentarily speechless.

The chat was instantly filled with ellipses and eye-rolling emojis.

“I won’t charge you. May I see your hand?” he asked.

Su Wan-ning raised an eyebrow, half-skeptical, but offered her hand. The fortune-teller studied her palm intently for a while before nodding approvingly.

“Young lady, by my calculations, you have a destiny for wealth.”

[Definitely a scammer, using such ancient lines.]
[Read my fortune too—am I destined to be rich?]
[Would Su Wan-ning, clever as she is, ever believe him?]

To everyone’s surprise, Su Wan-ning drew her hand back and exclaimed, her eyes sparkling, “You’re absolutely right! How did you know I’m about to come into money?”

The fortune-teller just smiled, saying nothing. Su Wan-ning turned the camera toward him.

“I can vouch for him—he’s astonishingly accurate.”

“If you ever come by here and see this grandpa, you simply must get a reading! But do it sparingly, or you might disrupt your own luck.”

[Disrupt your luck? Has Su Wan-ning lost her mind?]
[She’s really lost it—predicting her own fortune now?]
[Even if it’s a lie, I still want to hear it.]

“I’ve promoted you for free, so let’s call it even for that reading. I’m off, thank you!”

With a jaunty lift of her brow, Su Wan-ning turned away with flair, while behind her, the fortune-teller gazed after her and sighed softly.

“But today may yet hold misfortune…”

From there, Su Wan-ning led her children—and her livestream audience—into every bubble tea shop along the way.

In each shop, she ordered a signature drink.

After four or five stops, their hands were full, and Su Wan-ning squatted by the roadside, entirely unpretentious.

“Come on, darlings, taste them and tell me—which one’s best?”

Sui-sui, chewing quietly on his straw as he sat on a nearby bench, glanced up at her.

“This one’s not good, it’s way too sweet—nothing like the ones you make, Mom,” Nian-nian said with a frown.

“Go ahead and nitpick—your mom’s thinking of opening a bubble tea shop,” Sui-sui remarked.

Su Wan-ning couldn’t help but give him a quick kiss. “Son, you really take after your mom’s wit. I do want to open a bubble tea shop. Today we’re out doing a bit of market research. Thank you, my official tasters.”

[A bubble tea shop? Is it because last time in the village, Sheng Ying and the others loved your drinks so much?]
[Oh, is Su planning a career move now? Hilarious.]
[Ready to scam new customers, I see. The show must be paying her plenty.]

Su Wan-ning glanced at the screen—comments were flying past too quickly, but she caught a few key phrases. She lined up the cups beside her.

“This one’s too sweet and loaded with toppings—it’s barely tea. And this one, even at seventy percent sugar, tastes so bland. The price is outrageous, too.”

After critiquing each drink, she felt she had a clearer idea.

“Oh, right—I want my bubble tea shop to have a special name. Any suggestions?”

[A name? How about ‘Sweet Treats’?]
[Or something tied to your name?]
[Trying to crowdsource ideas for free—are you going to pay us? Send a red envelope!]

Su Wan-ning read through the comments, dissatisfied with all the suggestions. In truth, she already had a dozen backup names in mind, but none quite captured what she wanted.

“I want to open a Chinese-style bubble tea shop, incorporating our country’s ancient tea culture. So the name should be memorable and evocative.”

[A Chinese-style bubble tea shop? That’s rare!]
[Will the staff be beautiful women in traditional dress?]
[How about ‘Ever Together’? Sui-sui, Nian-nian, ever together—it fits the mood and has special meaning!]

Su Wan-ning’s eyes lit up when she saw that name in the chat.

“Ever Together! I love it! I’ve got your ID, sister—when the shop opens, I’ll send you a lifetime unlimited drinks card!”

[That’s so random—Boss, don’t you want to see more ideas? I’ve got plenty.]
[Really? I’m recording this—you’d better not go back on your word!]
[Too late, ‘Ever Together’ was my idea!!!]

...

Just then, a message from Vincent popped up at the top of her screen. Su Wan-ning clicked it open, and her brow instantly furrowed.

Already, there were jarring voices in the chat. She hurriedly ended the stream and opened the link Vincent had sent.

It was a post tearing her down, full of screenshots of negative reviews about the Muscat grapes she’d sold.

“Terrible—all unripe, delivered green, how are we supposed to eat this?”
“Not worth the price at all. The supermarket downstairs sells sweeter ones for half as much!”
“A total scam—everything arrived rotten, customer service refused to compensate and was downright rude. Never trust a celebrity.”

Su Wan-ning’s frown deepened. By now, the incident had already climbed the trending topics list, with the number of likes and comments rising relentlessly.