Only timid people invite doubt.

Confident people never face questioning wherever they go.

If you look down on yourself first, don’t blame others for looking down on you. When you radiate negative energy like “I’m scared, I’m embarrassed, don’t look at me,” it’s no wonder you attract bullying.

Just like when Xia Xiaolan first visited the Zhou family – she carried herself with grace and confidence without any affectation, and the Zhou family had no choice but to treat her with respect.

Confidence isn’t blind faith. Xia Xiaolan pondered – her mother shouldn’t be so timid either!

Among the clothing stores in the capital, Xia Xiaolan only put effort into their grand openings. Later, she was busy with her studies and Pengcheng affairs, having no time to manage them. Now with the third branch open, wasn’t Liu Fen handling everything day-to-day?

During peak season, each store brought in at least 20,000 yuan in monthly profit. Who earned this money?

It was Liu Fen!

Liu Fen might not be as eloquent as Li Fengmei.

However after Li Fengmei started her own business in Shangdu, she was hesitant even about opening a second branch.

Here in the capital, while Xia Xiaolan decided the pace of expansion, Liu Fen managed each new Blue Phoenix store while also overseeing the Luna boutique.

With two branch stores, Liu Fen still managed everything smoothly.

Even with the third branch store opening, though Liu Fen was busier than before, she still hadn’t made any mistakes!

Xia Xiaolan felt that with her mother’s capabilities, even if she wasn’t managing the family business, any company not hung up on educational credentials would happily hire her as a manager.

Managing nearly twenty employees without incident, keeping several clothing stores running smoothly with impressive profits – how was this lacking in any way?

Xia Xiaolan’s current success came from her previous life’s accumulation of experience.

For Liu Fen, a rural woman with limited education, to achieve such capability in two years – while certainly due to Xia Xiaolan’s generous teaching and providing opportunities for practical growth… it also proved Liu Fen’s natural intelligence.

Xia Xiaolan had long noticed that all three Liu siblings were far from foolish.

Even Liu Fang, who appeared the most naive, couldn’t be called stupid compared to other rural women, could she?

Liu Fang, stupid?

If Liu Fang were truly stupid, she wouldn’t have been so determined to marry into the city. Getting Liang Bing’an to marry her back then – besides her beauty, Liu Fang had both cunning and ability.

Before running into the immovable obstacle that was Xia Xiaolan, Liu Fang had lived quite comfortably all these years.

As for her mother and uncle, they were even smarter – wasn’t her uncle running his renovation company with great success?

Liu Fen stared at herself in the mirror, lost in thought.

If Xia Xiaolan hadn’t insisted she look in the mirror, she probably wouldn’t have noticed how dramatically she had changed.

Xia Xiaolan pressed further: “If all the stores you manage were taken away, and you were back in the same situation as two years ago, would you be confident in starting the clothing business again?”

Liu Fen hesitated before nodding truthfully.

She knew the process now.

While she might not be able to innovate, Liu Fen has been involved in every step of replicating Xia Xiaolan’s success. She knew where to source goods, had developed aesthetic judgment, learned sales techniques, and understood cost control… While other industries might be beyond her, Liu Fen did have some confidence in the clothing business.

Xia Xiaolan spread her hands:

“Then that’s all you need. Even starting from scratch, you’d quickly become wealthy again. You’re financially independent from Uncle Tang, so even if you had conflicts with him in the future, you could live well on your abilities. What’s left to make you lack confidence?”

Everything else is temporary – those who claim undying love today might change their hearts tomorrow.

Today’s luxury could become tomorrow’s poverty.

While surroundings may change, one’s abilities can never be taken away.

Liu Fen touched the mirror – what exactly was she afraid of?

If Tang Hongen thought she wasn’t good enough, why would he want to be with her?

He had always been the one expressing affection. Perhaps it was time she did something in return. Tang Hongen wasn’t asking her for anything substantial – just to stand beside him and face his ex-wife Ji Ya’s malicious wedding invitation together!

All the complications in her heart suddenly seemed trivial.

Liu Fen nodded firmly: “Xiaolan, you’re right. I was overthinking, making simple things complicated.”

Honest people don’t lie, and Liu Fen also despised Ji Ya’s arrogant disrespect for others. The primary issue facing Liu Fen now was ensuring Ji Ya wouldn’t have anything to laugh about.

She couldn’t let Ji Ya mock Tang Hongen, nor herself and Xiaolan.

Liu Fen touched her hair and clothes – she needed to prepare herself properly.

With this clarity of mind, Liu Fen’s whole demeanor subtly changed. Grandmother Yu was puzzled and pulled Xia Xiaolan aside to ask: “What miracle medicine did you give your mother?”

Xia Xiaolan solemnly expressed her gratitude, “It’s your subtle influence that taught her well. My mother’s transformation over these two years isn’t just my achievement.”

Grandmother Yu looked uncomfortable, “Don’t try to flatter me. Your mother is going to attend Ji Ya’s wedding – don’t you have any plans?”

“Just maintain a steady mindset. The one jumping in anger will probably be Ji Ya – she never learns from lifting a rock only to drop it on her own feet.”

George might have gained some power in the Wilson family, though this authority came abruptly and mysteriously. Even so, Ji Ya was getting cocky again. Xia Xiaolan couldn’t understand what there was to be cocky about – even if George could outrank her in wealth, could he challenge Tang Hongen?

How absurd.

Did they think Tang Hongen would have to kowtow to George as a foreign investor in Pengcheng?

They were helping Mayor Tang achieve political accomplishments. Xia Xiaolan found George and Ji Ya’s behavior completely illogical.

Inviting Tang Hongen to the wedding – were they trying to embarrass the mayor?

They must have forgotten the sting of humiliation and were just waiting to be slapped in the face again.

Grandmother Yu stroked her chin, “Still, we can’t lose face. Ji Huaixin thinks his careful grooming created a refined lady, but I see it’s just a facade without any real class.”

Grandmother Yu told Xia Xiaolan to inquire about a tailor surnamed Sun, nicknamed “One-Cut Sun”:

“He’s certainly not around anymore, but his craftsmanship might have been passed down. If we can find One-Cut Sun’s descendants, they’d be better than any Ruifuxiang tailor.”

Ruifuxiang might call itself a time-honored brand, but they used to just sell fabric – now they’ve suddenly transformed into tailors too.

One-Cut Sun was different – he used to make clothes for the nobles in the Forbidden City. Getting him to make two outfits for Fen would show that even common folk can rise above their station.

Grandmother Yu was making grand preparations, leaving Xia Xiaolan both amused and exasperated – was this for attending Ji Ya’s wedding or for her mother’s own wedding?

However, hearing Grandmother Yu speak of “One-Cut Sun’s” expertise, Xia Xiaolan had an idea.

Why not look for them? Making two outfits for her mother might be too grand, but Chen Xiliang’s business might have use for such skill.

Old craftsmen were treasures – each one found was valuable. Given Grandmother Yu’s high praise, Xia Xiaolan was quite looking forward to it.