I Am Already A Queen

Chapter 81: Chapter 81: Scars All Over Her Body

”Well, yes. High-precision tailoring requires exact lines. It would not look good at all if I took the wrong measurements and the school uniform ended up ill-fitting.” Yin Chenxi explained with a warm, maternal smile.

Qiao Meixia hesitated for a brief, heavy moment. A flicker of something guarded crossed her eyes before she quietly complied, removing her jacket and the structured shirt she was wearing. Ultimately, she was left with only a thin, simple black camisole covering her upper body.

”You can take my measurements now.” Qiao Meixia stated flatly, standing perfectly still with her eyes fixed on the wall ahead.

Yin Chenxi approached her gracefully with the measuring tape in hand. However, the exact moment she stepped directly behind the young girl, the experienced tailor froze. She was profoundly shaken by the sight that met her eyes. Her breath caught sharply in her throat, but decades of elite high-society discipline kicked in. She quickly composed her features and forced herself to act normal. Swallowing the lump of pity in her throat, she systematically took Qiao Meixia’s measurements and carefully recorded them line by line in her leather ledger.

Fifteen minutes later, the meticulous measuring process was finally completed. Qiao Meixia silently pulled her clothes back on, buttoning her shirt with practised ease. Once she was fully covered, the two of them exited the room.

Jiang Suhan immediately stood up from the leather sofa the second he saw them emerging from the private area.

”Is everything all right?” Jiang Suhan asked, his sharp eyes scanning both of their faces.

”Yes, everything is perfectly fine. I have already recorded Miss Qiao’s exact measurements. Her custom uniform will be fully completed in three days.” Yin Chenxi stated smoothly, keeping her voice completely professional.

”Oh... Actually, please make it five complete sets.” Jiang Suhan suddenly interjected.

”Five entire sets?” Yin Chenxi was genuinely surprised by the number.

Usually, students only requested two or three.

”Yeah. Five sets.” Jiang Suhan confirmed with an unyielding nod. He wanted his sister to have the absolute best, with zero inconveniences.

Yin Chenxi chuckled softly at his overprotective brotherly display.

”Fine... Fine... But fabricating five custom-tailored sets will naturally take a little longer to finish.” Yin Chenxi reminded him.

”Finish a single set first so she can wear it immediately.” Jiang Suhan instructed decisively. ”As for the remaining four sets, the workshop can take its time. We can wait.”

”Understood.” Yin Chenxi nodded, turning toward the polished counter. ”Let’s proceed with the initial payment deposit then.”

The two of them walked over to the transaction counter. As Yin Chenxi processed the financial codes, Jiang Suhan swiped his black card to clear the premium deposit.

Then, Yin Chenxi glanced discreetly at Qiao Meixia, who was sitting some distance away near the entrance, entirely absorbed in her own world. Ensuring the girl was out of earshot, the older woman suddenly lowered her voice to a grave, hushed whisper as she addressed the young CEO.

”Suhan... there is something deeply important you should know regarding your little sister.” Yin Chenxi whispered.

Hearing the abrupt, heavy change in Yin Chenxi’s tone, Jiang Suhan’s expression instantly turned dead serious. His corporate aura flared.

”What is it, Auntie Chenxi?” Jiang Suhan asked.

”When I was taking her physical measurements just now... I saw a massive network of scars all over her body.” Yin Chenxi revealed, her voice trembling slightly with suppressed emotion. ”They were old, vicious-looking scars, mostly concentrated across her back. And judging by the patterns, there are probably even more hidden completely beneath her camisole.”

”She... she has scars all over her body?” Jiang Suhan’s heart violently seized.

A wave of suffocating shock and cold fury crashed over him.

”Oh... Please, whatever you do, do not confront her or ask her about it directly.” Yin Chenxi hurried to warn him, grabbing his forearm gently. ”Because from what I can observe, she desperately does not want others to know about those marks. When I initially requested her to remove her jacket, she hesitated significantly before complying. She is hiding them.”

”She... she must have received those injuries during the years before she returned to our family.” Jiang Suhan said, his voice laced with a terrifying tremor as his fists clenched tightly inside his pockets. ”Thank you for telling me, Auntie Chenxi. Truly. Otherwise, she would have kept it hidden, and I might never have known the truth of what she suffered.”

”It’s fine... I understand completely. Take care of her.” Yin Chenxi nodded softly. Then, forcing a bright smile to break the heavy mood, she added, ”Well then, you can officially come back in three days to collect her first uniform set.”

”Thank you, Auntie Chenxi.” Jiang Suhan stated, bowing his head respectfully.

Turning around, Jiang Suhan walked back toward Qiao Meixia, forcibly smoothing out his distressed expression. He looked at her calm, indifferent face, his heart aching with an unprecedented level of protective guilt.

”Qiaoqiao, let’s go.” Jiang Suhan stated.

Qiao Meixia gave a quiet nod and rose, following Jiang Suhan out of the luxury shop. Before stepping through the heavy doors, she managed to glance back over her shoulder at Yin Chenxi. Noticing the girl’s gaze, the older woman smiled warmly and reassuringly, waving her off.

”Alright, since we have successfully secured your school uniform, we need to prepare the other academic necessities as well.” Jiang Suhan said as they walked toward his luxury vehicle.

”Other things?” Qiao Meixia tilted her head slightly, her dark eyes blinking in confusion.

”Yeah. Designer school bags, premium electronic devices, advanced stationery, text references, and various other daily necessities...” Jiang Suhan explained, his mind racing with a sudden desire to buy her the entire world to make up for the hidden scars on her back.

”Oh...” Qiao Meixia responded flatly.

Before she could even open her mouth to inform her enthusiastic brother that all of those trivial items could easily be ordered online within five minutes, Jiang Suhan had already gently but firmly ushered her into the passenger seat, completely dragging her off on a massive, in-person shopping spree.

They hit high-end boutiques and luxury department stores across the financial district. Only when the city sky had bled into a warm, vivid orange and the sun had nearly disappeared entirely beyond the horizon did they finally halt their frantic shopping trajectory.

”Qiaoqiao, let’s have dinner at a restaurant out here before we head back to the mansion, okay?” Jiang Suhan asked gently, looking at the trunk of the car packed with luxury shopping bags.

”Hmm... Sure.” Qiao Meixia nodded in instant agreement.

At the very least, eating out here meant she did not have to suffer through a tense dinner in front of those toxic, annoying people back at the Jiang estate.

After a quiet, peaceful dinner, the two of them finally headed back home. The moment they stepped across the threshold of the grand residence, they were immediately greeted by Feng Lan’s sharp, questioning voice from the living room.

”Where on earth did you two disappear to for the entire day?” Feng Lan asked, her eyes narrowing slightly as she looked at them.

”We were out purchasing school supplies and necessities for Qiaoqiao.” Jiang Suhan stated coldly, his voice completely devoid of the warmth he usually showed his sister.

”Purchasing school supplies? Wait... Does that mean the elite academy has actually accepted Sister Meixia already?” Jiang Yanna asked, stepping forward with an expression of pure, masked surprise.

”Hmm... Vice Principal Zhang accepted her personally.” Jiang Suhan admitted flatly.

”I see! Well, congratulations, Sister Meixia.” Jiang Yanna smiled beautifully, though her fingers twitched slightly behind her back. ”By the way, which specific class will you be assigned to? Oh... Actually, I suppose I should ask which grade you will even be placed in, considering your background.”

”She will be placed directly in your exact grade.” Jiang Suhan stated with absolute finality.

”Oh! That’s wonderful news!” Jiang Yanna clapped her hands together, smiling with practised, sugary sweetness as she glanced at Qiao Meixia. ”It will be absolutely great if we end up in the same homeroom class. That way, I can constantly help you catch up with the curriculum, right, Sister Meixia?”

”Sister Yanna, you are way too nice. Our class academic average is going to drop significantly the moment a country bumpkin like her joins the ranks.” Jiang Chinan chimed in from the sofa, mocking Qiao Meixia with a cold, arrogant sneer.

”Chinan, before you dare to open your mouth to criticise Qiaoqiao’s intellect, I highly suggest you take a long, hard look at your own pathetic report card first.” Jiang Suhan immediately fired back, his voice dropping to a freezing, protective frequency that silenced the room.

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