Mental Illness Evolution Manual - Chapter 64

Nianzhong pushed open the door, followed by a girl wearing round-rimmed glasses. She was fair-skinned and had a round face. Before she could speak, her eyes darted away.

Nianzhong rushed over in small, quick steps, a sheepish smile on her face. “She’s a bit noisy, haha… Eat, eat, eat, all she knows is to eat. You eat more than three people!”

The parrot shook its head, ignoring her.

She muttered to herself as she scooped a bowl of birdseed from the cabinet under the cage and poured it in. “Eat! When you get so fat you can’t fly, you’ll know to lose weight.”

“She’s like a little human.” Nianzhong shook her head, looking helplessly at the parrot eating with gusto. Then she raised her hand and beckoned the round-faced girl over. “This is my little apprentice, she’s very talented, but she’s a bit shy and doesn’t like to talk.”

“Do you need the clothes urgently?” she asked.

“Before the 26th.” Lu Mingqiu said.

“That’s a bit rushed…” Nianzhong smacked her lips, “But it’s doable.”

She picked up a sketchbook from the workbench, took the pen from her hair, and quickly sketched a few lines on it. Just a few simple strokes outlined a human body, then she added clothes on top.

“I have two ideas, one is to modify a cheongsam, here…” She pointed to the position of the split hem, “Make a ripple pattern that expands outwards, then change the hem, pull it back here, like a fishtail, spreading out.”

“The other is this kind of halter top with a plain skirt, add a sash.” She said as she drew a rough draft, “Pair it with a jacket, and tie your hair up.”

“Xiaoli, what do you think?”

The round-faced girl didn’t speak, she secretly glanced at the two of them, took the sketchbook, added a slit to the skirt, and drew a jade hairpin in the shape of a bamboo leaf.

Yan Xianchuan took a look, both outfits were designed for Lu Mingqiu.

“Miss Yan’s…” Nianzhong circled her again, muttering a bunch of numbers under her breath.

Yan Xianchuan looked at her calmly, she noticed that the designer was using prosthetic eyes in both of her eyes.

She called Xiaoli over, and the two of them huddled together, whispering.

Actually, she had already guessed Yan Xianchuan’s identity. People in this line of work inevitably have to deal with tycoons and aristocratic families, and they need to understand the corresponding background.

The surname Yan, engaged to the most famous actress, the dress needed before the 26th, and the 27th was the ancestral worship ceremony. These factors combined, if you couldn’t guess her origin, you were a complete idiot. Not to mention her lower half face, it was almost identical to the mayor who often appeared in the news.

Nianzhong had worked with Lu Mingqiu before, she knew her preferences and understood what style suited her better, so she could quickly come up with two designs.

To be honest, she had used Lu Mingqiu’s measurements as a model for many of her drafts.

Yan Xianchuan’s appearance was undoubtedly good, but thinking about designing clothes for the Yan family, especially for such a big event like the ancestral worship ceremony, Nianzhong couldn’t help but be extra cautious.

She was a native of Yuecheng, her family wasn’t well-off, and they had to worry about tuition fees every year. But her talent was truly outstanding, her top three scores in professional courses made her parents grit their teeth and pay for her education.

And the reason she was able to stand out, to stand out among a bunch of classmates with connections and wealthy families, was because of a talent scholarship program personally approved by the mayor, a truly open and transparent professional competition, giving talented people a chance to perform and showcase their abilities. Although she didn’t win the championship, she was noticed by a large company and received a job offer before she graduated.

Nianzhong had a very good impression of the Yan family and the mayor.

“I can’t give you the draft today, but I’ll definitely give you two finished drafts tomorrow.” She said confidently.

“I believe you.” Lu Mingqiu said, “Your taste is always very good.”

“Then I won’t disturb your work, just contact me directly if you have any ideas.”

“Okay, Qiuqiu, take care.” Nianzhong saw them to the door before turning back and diving into the studio.

“Since you’re here, why don’t you buy a few outfits and leave.” Lu Mingqiu said, she led Yan Xianchuan into another large store, “We haven’t prepared your clothes yet.”

Yan Xianchuan had never bought clothes herself. Since she and Lu Mingqiu moved in together, all her clothes and various household items would automatically go to their designated cabinets.

Of course, she understood that it wasn’t haunted, but that Lu Mingqiu was acting as a fairy godmother, preparing everything.

This made her often wonder if the other person had forty-eight hours in a day, otherwise, how could she multitask, doing all kinds of things, and still be organized and efficient.

Yan Xianchuan didn’t have any particular requirements for clothes, comfort was the most important thing. Anyway, no matter what she wore, she looked good.

There wasn’t much to say about shopping together, usually one person would be the main force, excitedly picking out various clothes, while the other person would be the companion, occasionally offering suggestions, acting as a clothes rack, holding the bag and the clothes that had been changed.

Yan Xianchuan was the latter, but this time she had an additional role, she was an emotionless clothing model, forming an inseparable bond with the fitting room.

Picking out clothes for her was a simple matter, as long as the design wasn’t too exaggerated, it looked good on her. So Lu Mingqiu was more concerned with the fabric, color, and style… Then she picked up a round, small yellow hat with two pointy corners and put it on the person’s head.

Yan Xianchuan was holding a few shirts, she sat on the chair and tilted her head to look at her, her dark, lifeless pupils showed endless quiet confusion.

“Cute.” Lu Mingqiu curled her lips as if she had succeeded in a prank.

Yan Xianchuan blinked and curled her lips.

“I’m not teasing you anymore.” Lu Mingqiu said with a smile, she reached out to take the hat off.

But the person sitting down moved to the side, dodging her hand.

“I want this.” Yan Xianchuan said, she raised her hand to cover her head, “I want it.”

“Okay.” Lu Mingqiu looked at her, her gaze was a mixture of amusement and helplessness, “Then keep it on.”

For the rest of the day, she never took off the hat.

When they got home, it was already late at night. They had been out all day, they had a big meal, and finally, they went home with bags full of things. They could have had the store deliver them to their residence, but Yan Xianchuan insisted on carrying them herself, she felt that it was only then that it felt like shopping.

Shopping could indeed make people feel better, perhaps it was also thanks to holding hands the whole time. Yan Xianchuan was gloomy when she went out, her face was darker than the storm clouds on a rainy day. When she came back, she was cheerful, her smile was brighter and more dazzling than the morning sun.

The last time Lu Mingqiu saw her smile like this was when she was having a mental breakdown.

The clothes they bought were hung in the closet, along with some miscellaneous household items.

After everything was put away, Yan Xianchuan changed into her pajamas, she sat on the sofa, holding a mango mille-feuille and eating.

A variety show was playing on TV, various comedians took turns performing, making everyone on and off stage laugh until they rolled on the floor.

Lu Mingqiu was sitting next to her, so Yan Xianchuan also laughed until she fell over.

The next morning, Lu Mingqiu received a message from Nianzhong. Looking at the time, it was five in the morning, which made one wonder if the other party had been up all night.

The two outfits were both simple and elegant, they used bamboo as a decorative motif, the hem and cuffs were all hollowed out, using the shadows of the lining to imitate the dappled shadows of bamboo.

One of the mannequins was wearing a jade hairpin with bamboo leaves, and the other shirt had the same bamboo leaf brooch on the chest, echoing each other.

At breakfast, Lu Mingqiu showed the design drawings to Yan Xianchuan, the latter gave a positive evaluation.

The subsequent discussions about the ratio of materials were not something Yan Xianchuan was interested in.

The second time she saw the outfit was when it was delivered to her house as a finished garment.

Nianzhong and her apprentice and assistant came together with the clothes, they let them try them on, and they also brought a tool bag, so they could make changes on the spot if anything didn’t fit.

The clothes were beautiful and fit well, they also suited the two of them, there was nothing to criticize.

When it was the 26th, Assistant Zeng, who had reminded her to return to the mansion, sent another message, asking where she was.

Yan Xianchuan sent her address, and the next moment he replied: [I’ll send someone to pick you up, they’ll arrive in about an hour and a half.]

An hour and a half later, on time, an airship hovered over Cuizhu Garden, a railinged passage extended from it, directly connecting to the balcony.

A man in a long gown walked out of the airship, he said respectfully, “Miss Yan, Miss Polov, please follow me.”

This kind of pomp wasn’t anything, only one person came to pick them up, it could even be considered shabby. Lu Mingqiu was used to it, she said calmly, “The luggage is in the living room, remember to bring it.”

The man replied, “Yes.”

“Let’s go.” She reached out and said softly, “Don’t be afraid.”

Yan Xianchuan blinked, her heart was about to burst with joy. She didn’t know what fear was, but if being afraid could get her extra care, then she was the most cowardly person in the world.

She happily took her hand, she pushed her luck and leaned against her.

When the person came back with the suitcase, the airship closed the hatch, turned around and left, finally stopping above the palace, landing on an empty square.

The ancient palace, once the residence of the rulers of past dynasties, is now the private residence of the Yan family, only a small part is open to the public as a tourist attraction.

She was completely unfamiliar and unknowing of this home. The composition of the family members was something Lu Mingqiu had specially briefed her on in the past two days, introducing each person.

But besides the well-known festivals, she didn’t know what specific grievances she had with these people, the information didn’t mention it. These involved too much personal privacy, even if the Resistance was more powerful, they wouldn’t be able to find out.

The person carrying the luggage dragged the suitcase in front, leading the way for the two of them.

The palace was grand and majestic, from these stone pillars, stone carvings, eaves and vermilion tiles, one could glimpse a corner of the past history of its glory.

The Yan family used this as their private residence, so they naturally did a lot of renovation and reconstruction work, trying to preserve the original flavor of the building, while filling it with modern technology.

Although autumn had arrived, the flowers in the garden were still in full bloom, the heating was on, making the entire area belonging to the former palace warm as spring.

The flowers here bloomed regardless of the season, they only bloomed according to the gardener’s arrangement.

Yan Xianchuan’s sharp eyes saw a few turtles in the pond, they were basking on the rocks, one of them had strange patterns, like a furry tiger skin, she called out to Lu Mingqiu to look, pointing at it with her finger.

A clear, mocking laugh came from behind.

Yan Xianchuan turned her head and saw a beautiful but cold-faced person, she rolled her eyes at her and walked away.

Oh, it’s my fourth sister.