Chapter 199 - Do You Intend on Being A Matchmaker? (Second Upload) (2/2)
“Not exactly. I realized it only when I saw you. Back in America, Chengzhi had plenty of admirers, some of them Americans, but he ignored them all. There was one time I was very curious if there was something wrong with him for ignoring all those women, so I asked.” Mu Huaisheng then recounted the exact words Qi Chengzhi told him last time. “At that time, I didn’t know who it was, but when I saw you, I knew you’re the one that he had always liked. You look much younger than I thought, though. Back then, I thought that the girl would be about his age, considering he’s had his heart set on her so early on.”
Even though Qi Chengzhi was already married to Song Yu, he was still mindful of their age gap being brought up.
Mu Huaisheng did not truly mind as much and was not at all worried, since he was Qi Chengzhi’s good friend after all.
“If this is the case, then Song Yu must be rather young at that time. Isn’t that just wonderful of you to like her already?” Mu Huaisheng looked suspiciously at Qi Chengzhi as if the latter’s thought processes were abnormal.
“Have you chosen a place for your flagship store?” Qi Chengzhi changed the topic without even flinching.
It was not a smooth transition at all, and Song Yu could not help but laugh. “What are you doing? I wanna listen to the things that happened during your university days.”
“If you want to listen, I’ll slowly tell you everything when we go home.” Qi Chengzhi shot her a glance, implying that he would ‘slowly tell her everything’ in bed.
“…” Song Yu blushed. Not one second did she believe he would cooperate and actually tell her everything without a fuss.
Mu Huaisheng broke into laughter as well. Knowing that Qi Chengzhi tried getting him to stop bringing that up, he segued into the transition and answered, “We’ve chosen three potential sites and are talking with each respective owner. We’ll see which one fits best, and if we can purchase it, we will.
“Oh yes,” Mu Huaisheng said to Song Yu. “Do you have any good interior designers you can introduce? We’ll need to start setting up the interior once the location is confirmed.”
Song Yu was somewhat taken aback. “Well, since you’re working with Wei Ziqi, why didn’t you ask his mother’s company? Madam Wei is one of the very best in the industry. And with your kind of luxury products, you’d surely want to engage a renowned designer, right? It has to match your products’ style, after all.”
Qi Chengzhi knew that Mu Huaisheng wanted to find a way to make it up to her under the guise of an apology.
Even if Song Yu was not an interior designer, her line of work would definitely have given her connections with those who did. If Mu Huaisheng put the word out that he was on the lookout for an interior designer, many would jump on the chance to do so. In letting Song Yu introduce someone to him, he was giving Song Yu a chance to do the other party a huge favor, which would later come in handy for her in the future.
As Qi Chengzhi’s wife, Song Yu may not care much—if at all—about those things, but Mu Huaisheng’s intentions were like icing on the cake.
“Our initial decision was to change to a new style and make B City’s flagship store into one that stood out and fully embodied the Chinese culture.” Mu Huaisheng continued explaining, “And if we employed the services of Autumn and Co., it’s only natural that I’d want Madam Wei to personally work on the project. But she hasn’t been personally involved in any projects recently, and even if she did, I don’t think we’ll be able to afford her services. I might as well ask you if there are any friends you could introduce, rather than just employing any ordinary designer from her company. It’s more or less the same thing, and of course, I’d place more importance on someone closer to me.”
Song Yu understood his intentions clearly. She did not refuse his gesture of goodwill because the first person to pop in her mind was Ruan Danchen.
Within the company, Ruan Danchen was the main person in charge of interior design. Her designs always stood out, but because there was too much competition in the industry, she never had the chance to truly make a name for herself.
Even though designing MU’s flagship store would not cause as much of a stir as designing Qilin’s hotel, it would still be enough to Ruan Danchen to finally showcase her talents.
Regarding the hotel, a time would come when the interior had to be designed. However, Song Yu was, in fact, afraid to ask Qi Chengzhi to appoint Ruan Danchen through the back-door. It was a professional matter, and she did not want to interfere with Qi Chengzhi’s work.
Since Mu Huaisheng brought it up himself, it was a different matter altogether.
“It just so happens that I do have a friend. She’s not a famous designer, but her designs are very stylistic.” Song Yu smiled.
Mu Huaisheng nodded and said, “Well then, if the store location is confirmed, we can arrange a time to meet and visit the place.”
The three of them had dinner and subsequently left the place.
In the car, Song Yu was very excited to give Ruan Danchen a call and tell her everything.
“REALLY?” Ruan Danchen was both happy and surprised. Her voice was several tones louder than usual, and the excitement was much more prominent than usual.
After that short burst of excitement, Ruan Danchen calmed herself. She took a notebook from her lap and placed it onto the sofa beside her. It was an as-yet incomplete design she was working on.
“Are you sure it’s alright to look for me? You didn’t use any favors, did you?” Ruan Danchen crossed her legs and asked.
Not once did Ruan Danchen ever ask Song Yu for more projects from Qi Chengzhi. Even the prospect of designing the interior of Qilin’s hotel was not something she ever considered.
She was unsure of her own competency, as it would be her first time doing something like that. Her biggest worry was that she overestimated her capabilities, with the consequences spilling over to Song Yu.
“I didn’t.” Song Yu looked at the beautiful night scenery before her and smiled, saying, “Mu Huaisheng was the one who voluntarily made the suggestion. He asked me to introduce a designer, and the first person I thought of was you. It’s only a recommendation, and I see him as a genuinely trustworthy person. It’s not like he’ll just jump right in and engage your service just because I introduced you. When the time comes, it’ll still have to depend on your draft. If he’s satisfied, he’ll bring you on, but if he isn’t, even I won’t have a say on anything. The most important thing is that it depends on you.”
“I understand. I’ll surely do my best, and I won’t let you down!” Ruan Danchen pumped her fist into the air.
Song Yu smiled and hung up. Qi Chengzhi’s eyes shifted to her and he said, half-smilingly, “Do you intend on being a matchmaker?”
She blushed and touched her face. “Was it that obvious?”
“I don’t know if Mu Huaisheng can see it or not, but I can,” Qi Chengzhi replied. Since she finished her call, he could once again stretch his hand over and held her hand.
“Even though his sister is a problem, I think Mu Huaisheng’s good enough. He probably won’t let his woman be bullied. Since you’re his good friend, I trust his character, and whether it works or not, the first thing is introducing each other. Even if it doesn’t work, it still benefits Danchen’s career, doesn’t it?”
Qi Chengzhi rubbed his thumb over the back of her hand and made a sudden remark. “They won’t work.”
“How do you know that?” Song Yu asked begrudgingly. ‘Is he just going to dampen my enthusiasm?’
Qi Chengzhi smiled enigmatically and said, “If you don’t believe me, just wait and see.”
He may not have said his reasons, but Song Yu was compelled to believe him. Having dampened her spirits, her jovial warmth dissipated and her mood soured, too. She made a face and muttered, “Meanie.”
…
…
On Sunday morning, the two of them woke up early to do their wedding photoshoot.
Qi Chengzhi did not book a studio, but instead, got in touch with a well-known photographer who works exclusively with magazines. The couple went to the photographer’s personal studio, with Qi Chengzhi bringing the wedding dress shipped from France, as well as a few groom’s suits he prepared for the wedding.
He took into account Song Yu’s pregnancy and was worried that her body could not take it if they did the photoshoot outdoors. He thus decided to do only indoors.
The wedding dress arrived rather recently, giving Song Yu no opportunity to try it on beforehand. The photoshoot marked her first time wearing the dress.
Qi Chengzhi was led away so he could change his clothes, and after he came out, another person brought him away to touch up his face. When he noticed that the makeup artist was going to apply some foundation on him, his thick brows furrowed into a frown and he headed for the door without another word.
“Sir!” The makeup artist chased after him. “You have to use a bit of makeup so you’ll look better in the photo.”
“That’s not necessary. There’s no use for me to look better. It’s enough if my wife looks good.” Qi Chengzhi continued walking without turning back at all.
The makeup artist trailed behind and said, “Sir, if you’re shooting like this, the effect will be vastly different from your wife. The final picture won’t look nice!”