44: Chapter 44 Clothes make the man, and a saddle makes the horse.
Wednesday, April 23, 2025, Sunny, 18 ~ 25°C.
At ten in the morning, Qiao Yichen finished handling an email and picked up his phone.
He tapped on Liu Yanran's WeChat; the conversation was still stuck from yesterday afternoon.
He typed: "Meet up at Yintai Jiangnan Li later?"
He sent it.
In less than twenty seconds, a reply came back.
"Okay."
Qiao Yichen looked at the screen, a smile involuntarily creeping onto his lips.
By eleven o'clock, the atmosphere in the office had noticeably relaxed. Li Yong at the next desk stretched, slid his chair over to Qiao Yichen, and asked, "Brother Qiao, lunch together? Let's call Bowen and Meng Zhi too, and our small team can have a quick meeting?"
Qiao Yichen closed his laptop and said casually, "I have an appointment with someone today to discuss something. Next time, okay?"
"Got it, next time then." Li Yong didn't ask further, readily agreed, and turned to call Shen Bowen and Meng Zhi over.
As the lunch break approached, Qiao Yichen got up and walked toward Liu Yanran's office.
The door was slightly ajar, so he knocked twice and pushed it open.
Liu Yanran was just placing a document into a drawer. Seeing him enter, she picked up the cream-colored knit cardigan draped over her chair back, along with her handbag.
"Let's go," she said.
The two walked out of the office one after the other, passed through the increasingly noisy work area, and headed toward the elevator.
The elevator descended to the first floor. When the doors opened, they walked out of the revolving door side-by-side.
The midday sun was dazzling. Liu Yanran naturally raised her hand to shield her forehead, while Qiao Yichen angled his body to walk on the side away from the direct sunlight.
They didn't hail a cab. The Yintai Mall was just diagonally across from the company, only requiring a crossing at one intersection.
Just as the two stepped onto the sidewalk, heading toward the mall—
In the lobby of the office building, Li Yong, Shen Bowen, and Meng Zhi were also just walking out.
"Should we eat at that new clay pot rice place today? I saw the reviews..." Li Yong was enthusiastically explaining to the other two when Meng Zhi, who was beside him, suddenly slowed her pace.
Her gaze pierced through the glass curtain wall toward the outside.
On the sidewalk, Qiao Yichen was walking side-by-side with a slender woman wearing a cream-colored cardigan. The woman was turning her head to say something to Qiao Yichen; all they could see was an elegant profile and long hair gently swaying in the breeze.
That silhouette, and that cardigan...
"Meng Zhi? What are you looking at? Let's go." Li Yong noticed she hadn't kept up and turned back to urge her.
"Huh? Oh... right." Meng Zhi snapped back to reality, hastily retracted her gaze, and hurried to catch up, though her heart was inexplicably beating a little faster.
She wasn't sure if she had seen wrongly, but Director Liu, who had visited the Planning Department that morning, had been wearing a cardigan of a very similar color and style to the one she just saw.
Not daring to think too much, she lowered her head and followed Li Yong and Shen Bowen, walking with them toward a restaurant in a different direction.
...
Fifth floor of Yintai Mall, "Jiangnan Li" Restaurant.
In a small private room, the dishes had already been served: Stir-fried Shrimp, Longjing Tea Fragrant Chicken, Cured Meat and Bamboo Shoot Soup, and two small bowls of rice.
The two ate in silence. Qiao Yichen poured a bowl of soup for Liu Yanran and pushed it toward her.
"Tonight at seven o'clock, we need to go to the Auction House." Qiao Yichen took a sip of tea, set down his cup, and then cut straight to the main point, "But I suddenly realized a problem."
Liu Yanran looked up at him.
"This outfit of mine," Qiao Yichen gestured to the suit he was wearing, "is fine for daily work and meeting clients. But going to a place like that... it seems a bit inadequate."
Liu Yanran's gaze swept over him, from the collar of his shirt to the cuffs of his suit jacket, and down to his leather shoes.
She didn't speak, but her look already gave an evaluation: indeed, it was barely passing for daily wear, but it was clearly insufficient for a formal occasion.
"I've never been very good at choosing clothes," Qiao Yichen said frankly, his eyes showing a timely plea for help. "Time is a bit tight, I need a quick fix. Ms. Liu... could you advise me?"
Liu Yanran picked up a piece of shrimp, put it in her mouth, chewed it slowly, and swallowed.
Only then did she put down her chopsticks and lightly dabbed the corner of her mouth with a tissue.
"Now?" she asked.
"Is it convenient?" Qiao Yichen asked.
Liu Yanran glanced at the time on her phone; there was still time before work: "There are several custom suit shops inside the mall. Getting something custom-made now will definitely take too long. Ready-to-wear sizes might not fit perfectly, but they only require minor alterations."
"Alterations are fine," Qiao Yichen replied without hesitation.
"Then let's go." Liu Yanran picked up her bag.
"Mm."
...
They arrived at a low-key custom suit shop called "Yunlang" on the third floor of the mall.
The interior lighting was soft, and the air carried a faint scent of cedarwood.
Suits displayed on dark walnut hangers exuded a high-quality matte texture.
Liu Yanran walked without stopping, her eyes quickly scanning several ready-to-wear garments. Her fingertips brushed the cuff of a dark gray cashmere-blend suit, testing its thickness, then she weighed another navy blue jacket with a subtle texture.
Finally, she took down the latter suit, along with a light gray-blue shirt, and turned to hand them to Qiao Yichen.
"Try this set. Pair it with those trousers," she pointed to the suit trousers of the same color hanging on another rack, "The size should be right."
Qiao Yichen followed her instructions, picked up the clothes, and went into the fitting room. A few minutes later, he emerged and stood before the mirror.
The advantages of the tailoring were immediately apparent. The suit's shoulder line was perfectly supported, the waist was sharply cinched, and the trouser legs hung straight. The shirt color complemented his complexion, making it look clean, and the collar was crisper.
Liu Yanran stepped back two paces, crossed her arms, and scrutinized him.
"The sleeve length needs to be shortened by one centimeter." She vaguely pointed to the length showing between his wrist and the shirt cuff. "The trouser hem needs to be taken up by half an inch. Here at the waist," she traced a subtle curve in the air with her finger, "it needs to be brought in slightly along the line, but don't leave any pleats."
A middle-aged shop assistant, dressed in a well-fitting vest, was already waiting nearby with a tape measure. Hearing this, he immediately stepped forward to take notes.
"The shirt doesn't need any changes." After speaking to the assistant, Liu Yanran turned to Qiao Yichen, "Do you have a tie and dress shoes?"
"I have a plain dark blue tie. The shoes are black, but the style is quite old."
Liu Yanran didn't respond, her gaze already shifting toward the accessories section of the store. She walked straight over, her fingertips quickly skimming over several ties, finally picking up a heavy, dark blue silk tie and holding it up against the shirt Qiao Yichen was wearing.
"This one," she handed it to Qiao Yichen, her tone leaving no room for discussion. Then, her gaze moved to the shoe cabinet. With almost no pause, she pointed to a pair of black Oxford shoes with a simple style and a slender shape. "This pair is size 42. Get him a new pair to try on."
The assistant immediately responded and went to fetch the shoes. Qiao Yichen took the tie, and Liu Yanran had already turned and walked toward the counter, sizing up the shop.
Qiao Yichen's shoe fitting went smoothly; the leather was soft, and the size was right.
"This is fine, I'll take this pair, and the tie too," Qiao Yichen told the assistant. "I'll come back after work to pick them up, around 5:30 PM or later. Will that be enough time?"
The assistant quickly estimated the amount of alteration and the time schedule in his head and nodded in affirmation. "Yes, sir. The alterations will take about two hours. They will definitely be ready before you get off work. The suit, tie, and shoes will all be properly kept and organized for you. You can just come to collect them then."
"Good." Qiao Yichen promptly paid, swiping over forty thousand.
Liu Yanran added from the side, "Please make sure the entire outfit is pressed flat after the alterations."
"Don't worry, that's standard practice," the assistant replied with a smile, handing over the collection receipt.
Qiao Yichen and Liu Yanran said no more, nodded to the assistant, and turned to leave the shop, returning to the company.