Chapter Ninety: A Masterpiece of Exquisite Ingenuity

In the northeastern city of Beiyang, in the northeast of the land, it was only early summer, yet the afternoon heat was absurdly intense. The sun hung in the sky like a furnace, brazenly spilling light and warmth over the earth, searing the streets and the pedestrians who trudged along with pained expressions.

For those with cars, however, life was entirely different. They basked in lavish air-conditioning, listening to lively tunes from the stereo, living in comfort beyond measure.

But one man did not feel that way at all. That man was Xue Tian'ai.

At the wheel of Qin Mengxue's black Volkswagen Phaeton, heading toward Taiyuan Avenue, Xue Tian'ai felt as though he were utterly spent.

The reason was simple: there was now a little girl in the back seat. Yes, it was his younger sister-in-law, Cen An'an.

Ever since this morning, she had been endlessly teasing him and Qin Mengxue about one thing: the fact that, although they were already married, they still did not sleep together.

And she had been at it from morning until now. Even the Buddha-jumping-over-the-wall stew Xue Tian'ai had made at noon had failed to seal Cen An'an's chattering mouth.

"Sis, I really have to suggest something—you and my brother-in-law could absolutely try applying for a world record! Married for three years, and Sis, you're still an untouched maiden! Hahaha!" Cen An'an laughed mercilessly from the back seat. Since Qin Mengxue was sitting in the front passenger seat and couldn't reach her, of course she had to seize the chance to say a few more things.

Qin Mengxue, who had been the target of all this teasing, sat in the passenger seat with her face flushed red, yet she could not find a single word to rebut it. So she could only sit there in silence, trying her best not to listen.

"Brother-in-law, now I really have to talk to you. My sister is shy, but you're a man—why can't you be more proactive, more forceful? You should bring out that stubborn style of the eldest young master of the Xue family, the kind you used when fooling around with women, and just take my sister down in one go. Then I can finally realize my dream of holding a little nephew sooner!" Seeing that Qin Mengxue was ignoring her, Cen An'an had no choice but to shift her fire and start teasing Xue Tian'ai instead.

"Uh..." Xue Tian'ai was covered in black lines. He had indeed wanted to use Cen An'an to nudge Qin Mengxue a little, but he hadn't expected his little sister-in-law to be this devilish, actually encouraging him to do it by force... But hey, hey, hey... maybe... perhaps...

"Xue Tian'ai, if you dare lay a hand on me like that, believe me, I'll bite you to death!" Before Xue Tian'ai could finish his wicked thoughts, Qin Mengxue's cold warning came out.

That sent a chill through Xue Tian'ai from head to toe. He had seen just how vicious Qin Mengxue could be when she bit someone. Forget it—the tiger's backside really shouldn't be touched lightly. So Xue Tian'ai obediently shut his mouth and continued driving with complete seriousness and willingness.

And so... Cen An'an kept on teasing, the black lines on Xue Tian'ai's face kept multiplying, and Qin Mengxue's little face kept growing redder and redder, like a ripe peach.

Wan Tianhao Exhibition Center Mall was the largest and most high-end shopping center in all of Beiyang, located in the most luxurious central part of Taiyuan Avenue.

Unlike an ordinary shopping mall, Wan Tianhao Exhibition was a shopping center that could serve every kind of customer. Here, one could buy excellent, inexpensive goods with superb value for money, or all kinds of luxury items that symbolized status. No matter what, Wan Tianhao Exhibition was the best choice for the people of Beiyang, and even for people across the entire northeast.

After enduring Cen An'an's nonstop chatter all the way, Xue Tian'ai finally drove to the place Qin Mengxue had mentioned. After parking the car, the three of them headed straight into the mall.

Since none of the three were short on money, they went directly to the luxury goods area. And at that point, Cen An'an finally quieted down. For her, the dazzling array of merchandise was the most fascinating thing of all.

So Cen An'an tugged at Qin Mengxue for a while, then at Xue Tian'ai, acting coy and adorable as she went, and ended up buying a great many things she liked. Qin Mengxue also seemed quite interested and bought a lot of beautiful clothes.

Although the number of bags in Xue Tian'ai's hands kept increasing, he did not feel the least bit tired. In fact, he felt as though he were watching a fashion show.

Cen An'an's playful charm and Qin Mengxue's icy, breathtaking beauty, both dressed in one expensive, exquisitely designed outfit after another, were truly a feast for the eyes.

Xue Tian'ai "admired" the two women's outfit changes there, while some people around them looked at him with envy, their expressions plainly written with jealousy and resentment...

Whether it was Cen An'an or Qin Mengxue, both were rare beauties. Cen An'an might now be a little doll-like girl, but that youthful innocence was all the more heart-stirring. And then there was Qin Mengxue's astonishing, peerless beauty.

Yet these two great beauties were accompanying only a man in sportswear. How could that not inspire envy?

Though most of the men who came here were neither poor nor lacking in women, when they looked at the women in their own arms and then at the two beside Xue Tian'ai, the merciless gap was instantly laid bare. It was like heaven and earth apart.

At this point, Qin Mengxue and Cen An'an seemed to feel that they had bought enough, so they took Xue Tian'ai by the left and right arms and led him out of the women's clothing area, beginning to look for stores specializing in men's wear.

After all, Qin Mengxue's main purpose in coming today was to buy Xue Tian'ai a few proper suits, otherwise this fellow would probably keep wearing casual sports clothes forever.

Qin Mengxue did not lack money, and her taste was extremely picky. Many stores were dismissed without her even stepping inside, even though those stores would already have been beyond the reach of ordinary people.

Thus Xue Tian'ai carried bag after bag while accompanying Qin Mengxue and Cen An'an in and out of many shops, until at last they stopped at a store called Prometheus.

When Xue Tian'ai saw the name of the brand, the corner of his mouth twitched. He had never expected to find this store in China as well. Prometheus, in Chinese, was rendered as Prometheus.

He was very familiar with this brand, because its flagship store was one of the brands Butterfly had cooperated with for many years. Every year, they would also send senior tailors to make exclusive custom suits for members of Butterfly.

Although the suits Xue Tian'ai wore were even better ones made by a private master tailor, he was still quite familiar with this long-term partner brand.

As soon as they entered the store, Qin Mengxue was immediately drawn to a black suit and walked straight over, beckoning a salesperson to take it down.

This black suit was unlike the stiff, old-fashioned black suits found elsewhere. Its elegant design carried a subtle air of leisure, and the edge of the collar was traced with a dark-gold trim. Whether in cut or design, it was unquestionably top class, exceedingly beautiful.

"What do you think of this one?" Qin Mengxue asked, holding the suit in front of Xue Tian'ai.

"Mm, I think it's very good," Xue Tian'ai nodded. He had to admit that this suit was indeed excellent. At the very least, after browsing so many stores, he had not found a single one that could compare to it.

"Sir, if you like it, I can find one in your size, and you can try it on," the salesperson said with a bright smile.

"No need. The one my wife is holding is my size. I can wear this one," Xue Tian'ai said with a slight smile.

"Wow, brother-in-law, how do you know that's your size?" Cen An'an asked curiously.

"With my eyes," Xue Tian'ai replied with a faint smile, pointing to his eyes before taking the suit from Qin Mengxue and walking toward the fitting room.

"Tch, tch, tch!" Of course Cen An'an did not believe him. Could someone really determine a garment's size accurately just by looking? Who would buy that?

"By the way, Sis, how's my brother-in-law's build? Have you seen it?" Cen An'an asked, poking Qin Mengxue with her elbow.

Qin Mengxue's face immediately turned red. She had seen Xue Tian'ai's body more than once—it was unquestionably first-rate—but how could she possibly say that out loud?

"Should we go peek in the fitting room together?" Cen An'an suddenly said with a mischievous grin.

As soon as she said that, the nearby salesperson covered her mouth and laughed. She had never seen such an amusing little sister-in-law before. The life of this family must surely be full of warmth and joy.

"What nonsense are you talking about? Go and see whether there's another suit your brother-in-law can wear! Stop causing trouble here!" Qin Mengxue could not help but scold her. This little girl was joking without any regard for the occasion.

"All right, Sis. Trust my eye—I guarantee I'll pick a suit that looks outrageously handsome, dress my brother-in-law up to the nines, and he’ll be able to charm young ladies one after another with perfect success!" Cen An'an said, patting her chest with confidence.

"Cen An'an!!" Qin Mengxue suddenly felt that she should never have brought Cen An'an today. She had not expected Xue Tian'ai to be the one keeping his mouth shut, only for her own sister to be the one endlessly running her mouth.

"Ah, big sister, I was wrong. Brother-in-law only needs to charm you. If that doesn't work, I can lend him out to charm me for a bit too!" With that, Cen An'an made a face at Qin Mengxue and dragged the salesperson away to pick out clothes.

"..."

Qin Mengxue now felt as though smoke were about to burst from all seven apertures of her head... and yet she could do nothing at all.

With a helpless rub at her temples, Qin Mengxue began looking through the store again to see whether there were any other clothes suitable for Xue Tian'ai.

Meanwhile, the salesperson was practically overjoyed. She enthusiastically introduced different styles to Qin Mengxue and Cen An'an. One had to know that every suit in Prometheus cost at least close to six figures. Selling just one would mean quite a commission...

Moreover, she did not think for a second that Qin Mengxue and Cen An'an would leave without buying anything. Just from the limited-edition handbags they were carrying and the luxury shopping bags in their hands, not to mention the fact that they were trying things on without even asking about the price, these two were unquestionably wealthy patrons.

Xue Tian'ai's mood, however, was somewhat delicate. He was hesitating over whether to call Benni Paco, the head of Prometheus.

Damn it—this one suit actually cost one hundred and fifty thousand? One had to know that the suits Prometheus made for Butterfly members were better than this, yet they had never charged so much... He at least placed such a huge order with Prometheus every year, and now that he had returned to China, they were still trying to fleece him!

In the end, though, Xue Tian'ai did not make the call. After all, right now he was merely ordinary customer Xue Tian'ai, not the God of Assassins, Phantom Butterfly, Prometheus's big client.

But next year, when the order fee came due again, he absolutely had to slash it hard.

After a while, Xue Tian'ai had also changed and walked out of the fitting room.

The moment Qin Mengxue saw him emerge, she froze, and Cen An'an's eyes immediately shone with brilliance!

Handsome, so handsome! That was the only thought flashing through everyone's mind at that moment.

After shedding the sportswear and putting on the suit, Xue Tian'ai's entire aura changed completely. His perfect physique filled out every corner of the suit, and a unique charm, mature and elegant, radiated from him without restraint.

His features were as if carved by a blade, his handsome face sharply defined with every edge and angle, made even more striking by the neat suit. Especially the perfect lips, neither too thin nor too full, now carried a faint smile.

The white shirt beneath the suit was slightly open at the collar, revealing just a hint of his perfect chest. Mature, yet still retaining the casualness and free-spirited ease of a young man.

If one were forced to make a comparison...

At that moment, Xue Tian'ai looked like the most perfect work of craftsmanship ever created by God's own hand.