Luckily, She Wasn't Her, or She Would Have Gone Mad

Chu Tianqing had some impression of this styling studio, drawn from the Shen heiress's memories.

As she recalled, the stylist here had a strong personality and was known for her sharp tongue. But her skills were so impressive that she was in high demand, making appointments hard to come by. Chu Tianqing wondered how Big Brother had managed to arrange one.

After a taxi ride of about half an hour, Chu Tianqing reached her destination. Standing at the entrance and gazing at the old villa, so full of artistic flair, she felt a faint stir of apprehension.

Help. I'm scared of trendy people.

Before she could get herself in the right frame of mind, the entryway door swung open. A young woman with a round face asked with a smile, "Hello, how can I help you?"

Chu Tianqing hurriedly replied, "Oh, I'm here to get styled. Um... Mr. Shen made an appointment."

"Mr. Shen? Then you're right on time. Please come in." The round-faced young woman pushed the door open and stepped aside to let her in.

She had to admit, the young woman's friendly appearance did a lot to ease her nerves.

Chu Tianqing followed her inside, looking around curiously.

Just inside was a bright, spacious square hall. Exaggerated works of art hung on the walls, and there was a blue velvet sofa, a scarlet carpet, and unusually shaped coffee tables and chairs. It looked like the set of a magazine cover shoot.

The round-faced young woman led her farther in. Through the open doors, Chu Tianqing saw a photography room with a pure white backdrop, a wardrobe room full of dresses, and a dressmaking room with sewing machines.

Last came the makeup room, furnished with a row of lighted mirrors and packed with cosmetics. Everything spoke to the professionalism of the place.

The round-faced young woman invited her to sit down, then went out to fetch someone.

Before long, Chu Tianqing heard the heavy clack of high heels on the floor, along with a string of complaints. "Oh, honestly, I hate taking private jobs most of all. Those rich young ladies are even harder to serve than actresses. Actresses at least call me 'Teacher' out of respect, but those ladies just treat me like a maid."

Chu Tianqing heard every word clearly. It seemed Teacher Cindy really was no pushover. She might have called herself a maid, but that didn't stop her from launching a full-on attack right to her client's face.

As her voice rang out, Teacher Cindy entered and put on a smile full of professional polish. "Oh, Miss Shen, long time no see."

Chu Tianqing froze and searched Shen Xixi's memories, confirming that they didn't know each other. How could it have been a long time?

Teacher Cindy covered her mouth and gave a fake laugh. "Miss Shen, important people do have short memories. Who am I, after all? It doesn't matter if you don't remember me."

That reminded Chu Tianqing that Shen Xixi really was an arrogant young heiress who looked down on everyone. Perhaps they had met, but Shen Xixi didn't remember, so naturally Chu Tianqing didn't either.

Still, she was the one who had to clean up the mess.

Chu Tianqing stood and gave her a friendly smile, her manner modest. "Then let's introduce ourselves again. Hello, Teacher Cindy. My name is Shen Xixi. Sorry for the trouble today."

Teacher Cindy looked a little surprised. After hesitating briefly, she let out a loud laugh and clapped her hands. "All right, all right, all right. I'm not the kind of person who refuses to take an olive branch. Since you've put it that way, Miss Shen, I'll naturally do my utmost. Xiao Li, bring Miss Shen the dress."

Xiao Li answered and soon carried in a light gray gauze evening gown. It had an off-the-shoulder neckline and an elegant cut, and its soft, misty skirt looked like a cloud of cotton candy.

Teacher Cindy introduced it. "Gabriel's new spring haute couture. There's only one in the whole world. Mr. Shen picked it out for you. What do you think, Miss Shen?"

Chu Tianqing held her breath. To be honest, she couldn't tell much about it. There was only one thing she cared about. "Can you tell me how much it costs?"

"Not expensive, sixty thousand euros. That's nothing to Mr. Shen," Teacher Cindy said readily.

Chu Tianqing calculated rapidly in her head. That was over four hundred thousand yuan.

What else could she think? She thought they might as well have given her the money directly. It was just a dress. Could she fly up to the heavens in it?

"It's lovely. So beautiful, I really like it," Chu Tianqing answered with tears in her eyes.

Teacher Cindy had Xiao Li accompany her to change into the gown. Once she came out and stood on the fitting platform, Teacher Cindy personally adjusted it to fit her.

It had already been bought anyway, so whatever needed cutting was cut, and whatever needed sewing was sewn. There was no need to hold back.

Chu Tianqing stood quietly, gazing at herself in the mirror, and suddenly thought of the banquet in the original story.

According to the original description, Shen Xixi had spent a fortune on an elaborately crafted diamond dress to become the center of attention at the banquet. The dress alone weighed eight kilograms.

She had fought desperately to maintain her dignity and status, only for Lin Bufan, wearing nothing more than a simple white dress, to slap them to pieces.

That enormously expensive diamond dress had instead become her shackles.

Luckily, everything had changed. The gauze evening gown she wore now was as light as a cloud of mist, and its color was soft, without a trace of aggression.

She thought that perhaps this was why Big Brother had chosen this gown for her: he hoped she would be a quiet gray, an indispensable supporting presence in the happy ending.

Once the gown had been altered, Cindy did her makeup personally and asked what she wanted.

Chu Tianqing replied, "Just... a no-makeup look. Nothing too exaggerated."

"Got it, got it. The highest demand there is: you want to look beautiful without looking made up, so everyone who sees you has to praise your natural beauty." Cindy mixed foundation as she spoke. "Leave it to me. This is the kind of makeup I do best."

Chu Tianqing froze. She hadn't expected to make such a demanding request by accident, and she didn't dare say anything else.

She soon learned just how many steps went into creating a no-makeup look.

An hour later, she gazed at the radiant face in the mirror, her heart already churning like rivers and seas.

Heavens, is that really me? How can I be so beautiful?!

Teacher Cindy really was amazing. No wonder so many actresses competed to book her.

While she was still in a daze, her hair was finished too. The braided style was elegant with a touch of cuteness, perfectly matching her makeup and gown.

"OK, OK, all done!" Teacher Cindy clapped her hands and motioned for Chu Tianqing to stand. She looked her sharply up and down, then gestured with both hands around her neck. "A diamond necklace would make it even more perfect. Right now, it's missing a touch of aristocratic elegance."

Chu Tianqing smiled indifferently. Aristocratic elegance? Better not force something she would never have.

By the time she said goodbye to Teacher Cindy and came out, it was already evening.

Chu Tianqing checked the time and took a taxi to the Shen family villa.

She arrived half an hour later. The taxi couldn't drive in, so she had to get out at the main gate and walk slowly inside, holding up her skirt as she made her way in high heels.

That was fine too. It gave her plenty of time to settle her feelings.

Soon, she saw the building that was both familiar and unfamiliar.

Shen Xixi's memories came flooding back. She had once run across the lawn in the backyard and played in the fountain.

On her eighteenth birthday, the entire villa had been lit up pink. The Shen family had applied for special approval to hold a grand fireworks display for her.

She had once been a favored daughter of heaven, with more money than she could spend and an endless supply of love.

Chu Tianqing was very glad she wasn't Shen Xixi. Otherwise, she would have gone mad and would never have had the courage to come back and face all this.

She took a deep breath and walked toward the Shen family home.