Chapter 52: I Told You, He’s Definitely Here for You!

Huang Yuwei was one of them.

Her family was in the textile business.

They owned a small factory that produced fabric to sell to garment factories.

She had heard of Xie Zhao long ago.

To be precise, he was still called Chen Zhao back then.

She often heard her family mention him.

He was good-looking, came from a good family, had excellent grades, and was polite and charming in conversation. Because of this, they would drop hints in front of Huang Yuwei from time to time.

“You’ll see him when school starts today, and you’re bound to like him! It would be even better if you could get to know him. Our family business would reach new heights!”

And so, that afternoon, Huang Yuwei met Xie Zhao.

She wore a carefully chosen white dress, her smooth black hair draped over her shoulders. She had applied Shanghai Brand pearl cream, and she carried a pale yellow cloth bag in one hand while cradling her textbooks in the other.

Wearing a pair of beautiful sheepskin sandals, she “accidentally” ran into Xie Zhao at the classroom door.

Although she had deliberately engineered their first meeting, her awe was very real.

She pretended to twist her ankle, her eyes turning red to make herself look weak and pitiful.

Carrying a thick stack of books, Xie Zhao stood before her.

“Excuse me, do you need some help?”

As he spoke, he set his books down and leaned forward, asking politely and earnestly.

Huang Yuwei looked up and saw Xie Zhao’s face.

It was clean-cut and handsome with defined features, his youthful eyes filled with a vibrant, confident energy.

He seemed to be smiling, yet also staring at her, his clear eyes like a deep lake slowly drawing her in.

Huang Yuwei’s heart hammered in her chest. She gave a barely perceptible nod, her face flushing bright red.

After that, they naturally grew closer. During that school year, the hearts of the two young people quickly drew together. It was like looking at flowers through a fog, hazy and indistinct, the most beautiful and delicate period of mutual attraction.

What a pity.

If only the baby-switching mix-up hadn’t happened later, Huang Yuwei couldn’t help but think.

If Xie Zhao had remained Chen Zhao, would they have really ended up together?

But when she thought of Xie Zhao’s true identity as nothing more than a dirt-poor peasant, her heart turned completely cold again.

They had long since belonged to different worlds.

With these thoughts churning in her mind, Huang Yuwei’s face grew slightly pale and dazed.

Beside her, her best friend Liu Lingqing, who was holding her arm, followed her gaze out of curiosity.

“Yuwei? What’s wrong? Why do you look so pale?”

Liu Lingqing asked.

But as soon as the words left her mouth, she froze as well.

At the end of her gaze, a familiar figure was looking down at some clothes. With his handsome profile, sweat-dampened hair, and focused, earnest expression, she recognized Xie Zhao in an instant!

“It’s him?!”

Liu Lingqing’s brow furrowed deeply. “How does he still dare to come here?”

“He stole someone else’s good life for eighteen years, and he has no shame! Just the other day, I heard Classmate Chen say that he went to the Chen Family’s house without a shred of decency. Wasn’t he just after their money?”

“And now he dares to show up at the department store! He must be trying to find a way to run into you!”

“Yuwei! You can’t go soft on him!”

Huang Yuwei frowned and said softly, “Don’t talk nonsense. He might just be here to buy something.”

“Buy something?!”

Liu Lingqing’s voice rose a pitch. “Does he even know how much things cost here? Can he afford them?”

Huang Yuwei fell silent.

This was the department store, the most expensive place in all of Hudong County.

The divide between the rich and the poor existed in every era and region.

In other words, this department store, from its goods to its clientele, was a place only the wealthiest people in Hudong County could enter.

Any random item in here started at several yuan.

It would have been fine for the old Xie Zhao, but hadn’t he been sent back to Shishui Village?

The son of a poor peasant.

How could he possibly have any money?

Huang Yuwei couldn’t help but glance at Xie Zhao’s outfit.

He definitely hadn’t come here to buy clothes.

And this department store just happened to be right next to the No. 1 Middle School.

What else could it be for?

Of course it was for her!

A sudden wave of inexplicable irritation and annoyance washed over Huang Yuwei.

Did he still harbor illusions about her?

Didn’t he understand that they were already from two different worlds?

Meanwhile, in front of the counter, Xie Zhao was carefully feeling the wool vest in his hands.

The fleece was very fine and short, but it was dense and warm.

He knew that if he bought expensive, high-quality coats, Tian Xiufen and Xie Tian would definitely be reluctant to wear them. They would make excuses about having to work and not wanting to get them dirty, or they would save them to wear as new clothes for the following year.

Xie Tian hadn’t worn those shoes even once.

So, buying a wool vest to wear underneath would keep them warm without getting dirty, lasting them through the winter and into early spring.

“The material is great, and the stitching is tight. It’s indeed a department store product.”

Highly satisfied, Xie Zhao looked at the sales clerk and asked with a smile, “How much is one?”

“This is lamb’s wool shipped from the north. It’s fifteen yuan apiece! The material is excellent and very warm. We’ve already sold quite a few!”

The clerk stared at Xie Zhao, her cheeks flushing red as she spoke.

Xie Zhao nodded.

Fifteen yuan was indeed not cheap.

In this era, workers earned about thirty yuan a month excluding benefits. Spending half a month’s salary on a wool vest was definitely a luxury.

However, Xie Zhao was willing to spend it.

The point of earning money was to give his family a better life. Let alone fifteen, even if it were twenty-five, he would still buy it.

Xie Zhao nodded and checked the sizes. They had everything from large to small, in both men’s and women’s styles.

There were five people in his family, and he planned to buy one for each of them.

“Give me two of the ones on the far right of the rack. Then two of the slightly smaller ones, the same size as the one in my hand. For the last one, give me a smaller size suitable for a fourteen-year-old girl.”

The clerk’s eyes widened.

Huh?

He… he actually wanted five of them?!

That was seventy-five yuan! Even in a department store, it was rare to see a customer spend so much money all at once.

The young clerk’s eyes sparkled as she looked at Xie Zhao. “Alright then, please wait a moment. I’ll go check the back warehouse for you!”

With that, she called someone else over to cover her shift and jogged off to the warehouse.

Xie Zhao stared at the counter for a moment, and then Lin Muyu suddenly came to mind.

Her face was very fair and her skin was smooth, but dryness was inevitable now that winter had arrived. There were also Tian Xiufen and Xie Tian, who worked all year round; their palms were covered in cracks and fissures of all sizes.

He walked over to the cosmetics counter.

Out of the corner of her eye, Liu Lingqing had been watching Xie Zhao. Seeing him walk in their direction, she immediately tugged on Huang Yuwei’s arm.

“Look! Didn’t I tell you? He’s definitely coming for you!”

Just moments ago, Huang Yuwei had told Liu Lingqing to keep quiet, and they had stood in front of the cosmetics counter specifically to avoid being noticed by Xie Zhao.

But now, seeing him walk straight toward her, Huang Yuwei’s expression instantly soured.