Capítulo 1450: Chapter 1449: Some Changes

Ye Qiu drove toward the printing factory during working hours, arriving at its entrance.

After parking the car outside, they got out and walked into the printing factory. Unsure of Ling Zhengwei’s whereabouts, Ling Fei called her father.

“Dad, where are you?” Ling Fei asked.

“Xiaofei, Dad is about to start a meeting,” Ling Zhengwei replied.

Currently, Ling Zhengwei was a team leader and would soon be promoted to section chief, so attending meetings was normal. Being a team leader was already different from ordinary employees.

“Ye Qiu, my dad said he’s going to a meeting.”

“Then let’s wait until he finishes the meeting to see him.”

“Dad, Ye Qiu and I are at the printing factory. We’ll see you after your meeting.” After hanging up, Ye Qiu and Ling Fei headed to her mom’s office.

Zhou Xiaolan definitely didn’t need to attend a meeting and was just in her previous office.

Ye Qiu and Ling Fei arrived, knocked on the door, went in, and quickly saw Zhou Xiaolan sitting there drinking coffee.

“Xiaofei, Dr. Ye, why are you here?” Zhou Xiaolan was surprised to see Ye Qiu and her daughter again.

“Auntie, I’m here to check on Ling Fei’s father’s condition. Last time, didn’t he faint at work? I’m here to check his health.”

“Oh, that’s why you’re here. Please sit down, I’ll get you some water,” Zhou Xiaolan said.

Upon hearing that Ye Qiu was there to check on Ling Zhengwei, Zhou Xiaolan’s expression remained unchanged, appearing indifferent, as if it had nothing to do with her.

Ye Qiu and Ling Fei sat down, and Zhou Xiaolan poured water for them, asking, “Xiaofei, Dr. Ye, have you had breakfast? Do you want to eat at the canteen?”

“Mom, I already ate at the school canteen.”

“Auntie, I ate at home before coming,”

Ye Qiu said.

Ye Qiu looked at Zhou Xiaolan, noticing that she seemed more spirited than before. Her dressing style was also quite fashionable, just like Ling Fei described—Zhou Xiaolan liked to wear those ordinary dresses costing a few dozen dollars bought online, but they suited her temperament well.

Moreover, Ye Qiu noticed that Zhou Xiaolan not only wore these fashionable dresses but also applied makeup and wore perfume.

“Dr. Ye, is there something wrong with me?” Zhou Xiaolan felt puzzled seeing Ye Qiu looking at her.

Was there something on her face?

Zhou Xiaolan took a mirror from the drawer and checked her reflection. Nothing seemed unusual.

“No, I just noticed the crow’s feet around your eyes.”

“You mean these? They’ve been there for a long time.”

Even before Zhou Xiaolan turned thirty, the crow’s feet at the corners of her eyes were already present, just not very obvious. Now in her forties, they’re more pronounced and cannot be covered by any cosmetic product.

Ling Fei was puzzled why Ye Qiu would ask her mother about the crow’s feet since they were already there.

“Ye Qiu, do I have them too?”

Ling Fei indeed had slight crow’s feet, but they were not obvious, and she didn’t have dark circles or eye bags.

“You have a little.”

“Do I? Mom, I need to see for myself with a mirror.”

Ling Fei used a mirror to check and found she did have them, but they weren’t very obvious. However, when Zhou Xiaolan saw the dress her daughter was wearing, she thought Ling Fei bought it herself or that it was a gift from Ye Qiu.

She could tell the dress didn’t look like something bought online.

“Xiaofei, did you buy this dress yourself?”

“Mom, Dad bought it for me during a training session in East Sea City. He said a female colleague who went with him helped pick it out.”

A female colleague?

Actually, it was the team leaders and other leaders from the printing factory who went for the training, not just males but females too.

Zhou Xiaolan was a bit surprised that Ling Zhengwei was willing to buy clothes for his daughter.

Of course, she knew Ling Zhengwei was willing to spend money on Ling Fei, but only on big matters like tuition fees. The small expenses were usually covered by her.

Buying clothes like this was unheard of—she didn’t expect Ling Zhengwei to spend money on them and even ask a female colleague to pick out clothes for Ling Fei.

“This dress is of good quality!” Zhou Xiaolan remarked.

She knew her daughter inherited her looks and had the right figure to wear dresses.

“Dad said it cost a few hundred bucks,”

Ling Fei said.

But Zhou Xiaolan, seeing the brand of the dress, thought it couldn’t be just a few hundred bucks; it should be at least a thousand or two, since in-store prices are much higher than online.

Was Ling Zhengwei really willing to spend that much on clothes now?

Zhou Xiaolan was surprised because she knew Ling Zhengwei’s salary was only around four to five thousand at most.

Just buying a couple of pieces of clothing could exhaust it.

Of course, she knew he had been promoted to team leader, which increased his salary by one or two thousand, but it wasn’t much more.

Ye Qiu and Ling Fei noticed a change in Zhou Xiaolan’s expression, which quickly reverted as she said, “Xiaofei, your dad has changed a bit. When I was with him, buying a dress worth a few dozen bucks would get me scolded for wasting money. I can’t believe he’s generous now.”

“Mom, Dad told me that anyway, the money is mine, so if he doesn’t spend it on me, who else would he spend it on?”

“That’s true.”

Zhou Xiaolan nodded.

And of course, she was aware of the changes in Ling Zhengwei at the printing factory. Apart from his training and learning session in East Sea City for over half a month, she heard he might soon get a promotion.

This surprised Zhou Xiaolan—did Ling Zhengwei have a stroke of luck? His career was advancing so rapidly after their divorce.

It’s often the case that life improves for one person after divorce, while life was rougher for both before it. This can cause discomfort for one when the other fares better.

Although Zhou Xiaolan didn’t say much, she felt she observed a discernible change in Ling Zhengwei compared to before.

“Mom, what are you thinking about?”

“Nothing, nothing much,” Zhou Xiaolan replied.

“Actually, I heard from Dad that he also planned to buy you two sets of clothes but didn’t know your size. Moreover, he was worried sending them to you might attract gossip, which wouldn’t be good for you, so he didn’t buy them since colleagues were also around.”

Zhou Xiaolan was truly shocked—how could it be that Ling Zhengwei was considerate of her?

Impossible.

Zhou Xiaolan refused to believe it.

But since Ling Fei relayed this, it must have been something Ling Zhengwei mentioned to her.

“Even if he sent them to me, I wouldn’t want them. I really don’t want any further entanglements with him. Now, we owe each other nothing.”