The snow-white evening gown looked simple at first glance, but its hem was embellished with beautiful diamonds. The collar and other sections featured exquisite embroidery—some of it auspicious cloud patterns, others more traditional motifs. It looked noble and elegant, yet incredibly fashionable.

Qin Jiao immediately said, "Aunt Du, this dress is far too precious. I can’t accept it!"

Never mind how much the decorative diamonds must have cost—this was Du Liya’s award-winning design. It held a special significance, so Qin Jiao definitely couldn’t accept it.

’Du Liya’s life was completely different from her last one. After all, in her past life, she was still being thoroughly deceived by that scumbag, Shen Zhengfeng, at this point.’

But now, she was fashionable and gorgeous, with exceptionally bright eyes. Although she was no longer young, she possessed a unique charm that made her stunning. 𝗳𝐫𝚎𝗲𝚠𝚎𝗯𝕟𝐨𝘃𝚎𝗹.𝗰𝗼𝗺

Shen Yi was so handsome, and he had inherited most of his looks from Du Liya. It was a testament to just how stunning Du Liya must be, especially now that she was in such excellent shape.

Hearing Qin Jiao’s refusal, Du Liya quickly said, "Xiao Jiao, you absolutely must accept this gift. You see, you were the inspiration for this dress! When I first started studying fashion design, I was completely floundering. I wasn’t getting anywhere and I wasn’t satisfied with any of my creations. This was the first piece I was truly proud of."

What Du Liya didn’t say was that her initial inspiration came from wondering what her son and future daughter-in-law would wear on their wedding day.

’Besides a Western-style wedding gown or a traditional Chinese red dress, shouldn’t they have a uniquely beautiful outfit for the wedding toast?’

To that end, Du Liya had even made an overseas call to have Xiao Yi mail her a photo of Qin Jiao. But in the end, her son had mailed her a photo of himself and Xiao Jiao together.

Sigh. A mother all the way across the ocean, being forced to witness her son and future daughter-in-law’s public displays of affection. It was really something else.

In any case, the inspiration for the dress had come from Qin Jiao, and Du Liya hoped that one day in the future, Qin Jiao would wear it while serving her tea and calling her "Mom."

So, Du Liya said to Qin Jiao with a very serious expression, "Xiao Jiao, if you don’t accept this dress, I won’t invest in your parents’ restaurant!"

Qin Jiao didn’t know whether to laugh or cry. ’Now I remember,’ she thought, ’just how willful my mother-in-law was in my past life.’

’Du Liya wasn’t a bad person at heart. She was just naive and willful. And in her past life, she had been madly in love with Shen Zhengfeng. Her head was always in the clouds when it came to romance, but she wasn’t a bad person.’

Of course, in her past life, that dislike had extended to others by association. Because Shen Yi had despised Qin Jiao, Du Liya naturally had never treated her well.

It was a far cry from the present, where she was eagerly offering Qin Jiao a gift and threatening to get angry if she didn’t accept it.

Qin Jiao knew Du Liya meant well, so she had no choice but to accept the dress. In addition to the gown, Du Liya’s gift also included a set of high-end cosmetics.

Du Liya smiled and said, "Xiao Jiao is a young woman now. It’s time to start taking good care of your skin."

Qin Jiao had wanted to start a skincare routine for a while now. ’Even though I’m only a teenager, when it comes to skin care, the earlier you start, the better! Of course, starting early means you have to use the right products, since they’re all formulated for different age groups.’

The set Du Liya had given Qin Jiao was perfectly suited for women between the ages of 20 and 25. Delighted, Qin Jiao immediately gave the vanishing cream she had been using back to her mother.

Su Yun had also received a set of cosmetics, so she turned around and passed the vanishing cream to her husband, Qin Zhonghui...