A country bumpkin doesn’t stay one forever!

One’s dwelling nurtures the body, and one’s environment shapes the spirit.

No one remains unsophisticated forever. When living conditions change, when the environment differs, and when money isn’t tight anymore, Liu Fen is no longer that penny-pinching village woman.

Frugality came from poverty. Now that she wasn’t poor, she was actively changing, actively keeping up with big city life.

If Ji Ya could run a fashion design studio, Liu Fen could also manage three clothing stores. According to Xia Xiaolan’s development plans for ‘Blue Phoenix,’ the future wouldn’t be limited to just a few branch stores… Who was inferior to whom? Xiaolan had even bought her a Citroën, and Grandmother Yu said their residence in the Shichahai quadrangle courtyard was once home to officials and nobility.

Her past couldn’t be concealed.

But in her present, she could afford Western food. Though these foreigners’ dishes were merely novel to try, having them occasionally wouldn’t embarrass her in front of anyone!

Liu Fen’s hands grew steadier with the knife and fork.

After swallowing the beef in her mouth, she asked softly:

“Why are you all staring at me? Why aren’t you eating?”

Xia Xiaolan was shocked by her mother:

“We’re eating, I just didn’t expect you…”

She was using the utensils so smoothly, looking like she’d done it more than once. Liu Fen’s expression showed a hint of pride, but she kept the secret from Xia Xiaolan.

Tang Hongen felt today’s Liu Fen was truly different. Ever since his pocket was cut by a thief at the wholesale market, Liu Fen had begun revealing parts of her true self before him. He noticed some small expressions he’d never seen before.

“Who said you couldn’t use a knife and fork? You’re better at it than me.”

As he said, what you eat and where you eat isn’t important – it’s about who you’re eating with. The dining companions were too important. The earlier heartache from seeing Ji Ya was now covered by Liu Fen’s small display of pride. The steak, which would normally be just passable to his Chinese palate, tasted tender and juicy tonight.

Was this restaurant’s cooking particularly good?

Not necessarily. When Tang Hongen had Western food before, it was always while entertaining foreign guests, certainly with top chefs.

It was just that different emotions made the food taste better!

At the nearby tables, Ji Ya’s throat itched terribly.

She desperately wanted a cigarette.

Besides the frustration of being proven wrong, there was anger from humiliation and inexplicable grievance… In the first two years of her marriage to Tang Hongen, as their honeymoon phase gradually faded, their lifestyle differences became apparent. Ji Ya had even tried to reform Tang Hongen, hoping to cultivate some refined interests in him.

Tang Hongen was completely focused on work and never truly tried to learn.

Eating steak?

Impossible!

While Beijing might have Western restaurants, in that small place in Yunan, even beef was hard to buy!

Ji Ya felt an indescribable depression.

When she was with Tang Hongen, though he had potential and seemed promising, realistically speaking, a young cadre’s monthly salary was limited. Tang Hongen’s salary alone couldn’t maintain Ji Ya’s pre-marriage lifestyle in the Ji family!

So she felt she hadn’t enjoyed any luxury, just endured hardship continuously.

Now Tang Hongen had become the Special Zone’s mayor, finally making it big. According to his administrative level, his monthly salary was over 300 yuan, plus various benefits… High-ranking officials might not have much in savings, but their daily needs were well taken care of.

Eating steak, Tang Hongen could certainly afford it now.

He no longer called these things superficial luxuries, because his perspective and horizons had changed.

But now that he could frequent such places in his success, the one enjoying it wasn’t her, Ji Ya, but a village woman, and he even held that woman’s hand in front of her… Ji Ya wanted to overturn everything.

George couldn’t understand Chinese, and unless they accommodated him by speaking English, he could only guess what had happened earlier.

Ji Ya had seen Tang Hongen dining with another woman and said something, and Tang Hongen had led that woman by the hand into the restaurant – this gesture was very bold in China. Chinese people were very reserved, whether between spouses, parents children, or even close friends, they wouldn’t boldly express emotions.

The only Chinese couples who would hold hands in public were young couples in love.

For a rigid Chinese official to make such a bold move, Tang Hongen was clearly in love – was this man using such childish tactics to provoke Ji Ya?

“Dear, we don’t need to mind him. If he has found new love, it’s advantageous for us.”

If he wasn’t fixated on Ji Ya anymore, he wouldn’t restrict her from going abroad.

George’s investments in China hadn’t begun yet, he could completely withdraw and take Ji Ya back to America.

Although Ji Ya had moved her studio back to China, apart from renovation costs and hiring designers and assistants, the losses wouldn’t be too great – all within George’s acceptable range.

If there was anything he’d miss about China, it would only be Harold’s investments in Pengcheng…

While George was still weighing the pros and cons, he heard Ji Ya’s cold laugh:

“You think I should bless his new relationship? I chose to leave this man, I lost love for him long ago, but of all the people he could choose, he picked such a woman, and deliberately paraded her in front of me – isn’t he just trying to humiliate me!”

George couldn’t help but look over a few times.

He couldn’t see what was wrong with Liu Fen.

Because Liu Fen looked quite normal now, in George’s eyes far less attractive than Ji Ya. Ji Ya was tall and slim, while that woman was petite – tall women were sexy, though petite women had their market too – George dared not speak the truth, he had to stand on Ji Ya’s side.

“Dear, we’re here at Uncle Harold’s invitation. These irrelevant people, let’s not mind them for now.”

George’s words helped Ji Ya steady her breathing.

She had been so angered by Tang Hongen’s earlier behavior that she almost forgot the important matter.

“Harold arranged to meet us at 7:30, right?”

George nodded, “But we arrived early because he dislikes people who are late.”

Ji Ya wasn’t unhappy about this.

It wasn’t strange that Harold disliked tardiness. When a person’s time becomes very valuable, every minute wasted is losing money, naturally they become very time-conscious!

“It’s already 7:28.”

Just as Ji Ya finished speaking, she saw Harold appear at the restaurant entrance, followed by Ji Jiangyuan and Butler Allen.

Ji Ya and George stood up, Ji Ya showing a slight smile, George also forgetting the earlier unpleasantness.

“Uncle Harold-“

He called out to Harold, but Harold’s habitual scanning gaze first caught sight of Xia Xiaolan. It couldn’t be helped, beautiful people always caught the eye.

While spotting Xia Xiaolan might have still allowed him to control his steps, recognizing Tang Hongen dining with her gave Harold even more reason to walk over – he had said he had quite a connection with the Mafia Lady.

One week after the cocktail party, without deliberately searching, he had met her again.

Ji Ya stood up smiling to welcome him, only to discover Harold walking straight towards Tang Hongen’s table…