The Stepmother’s Counterattack: Raising a Child in a Bygone Era
Chapter 379 - 378: Reunion with Ou Liya, A Warning

Chapter 379: Chapter 378: Reunion with Ou Liya, A Warning

Shen Mingzhu had not attended Liang Xiaowen’s birthday party because she had arranged to try on makeup at the Zhuang Family in advance.

When Shen Mingzhu arrived at the Zhuang Family’s residence, Zhuang Xueqi was trying on a wedding dress, surrounded by several staff members attending to her.

It had to be said that the extravagance of a wealthy family’s wedding was truly grand—with just the wedding dress alone costing six figures.

The wedding dress was of a European court style, made with fabric that had a pearlescent sheen, and the skirt’s diameter must have been one and a half meters.

From the neckline to the waist and down to the skirt, it was all exquisite hand embroidery, embellished with pearls and gemstones, fully showcasing retro luxury.

"If you want anything to drink, just tell the butler,"

Zhuang Xueqi, busy trying on the wedding dress, dropped this remark and then paid her no more attention.

Shen Mingzhu asked the butler for a cup of black tea.

Soon, the black tea was served, and the one bringing it was none other than Ou Liya.

Facing her look of surprise, Ou Liya’s face showed embarrassment, and after setting down the tea, she quickly turned and left.

...

It was half an hour later when Zhuang Xueqi had finished trying on the wedding dress.

In the meantime, Shen Mingzhu, although thirsty, did not dare to drink the tea in front of her.

Who knew whether Ou Liya had spit in it?

Seeing Zhuang Xueqi’s fatigue, Shen Mingzhu did not rush to try on makeup, but instead started to chat with Zhuang Xueqi.

She was quite curious that Ou Liya was still working for the Zhuang Family and seemed to be functioning as a nanny.

Zhuang Xueqi told her about how Ou Liya, after breaking a vase, worked off her debts as a nanny at the Zhuang Family home.

As they were talking, a nanny came to inform them, "Miss, Miss Ai Da is here."

Shortly after, a fashionably dressed woman entered the living room, followed by two young women who looked like assistants, one holding a suitcase and the other dragging a four-wheeled luggage.

"Hello, I am Ai Da," the woman said, "I heard from Miss Zhuang that you’re quite skilled with makeup, and I specifically came today to observe and learn."

While she said she was there to observe and learn, her demeanor was laced with condescension.

"Ai Da comes from a family of painters, and she herself is adept at ink painting. She started learning about makeup at the age of eighteen, went to study makeup and styling in Paris at twenty, and has worked as a makeup and styling artist for Miss Global International and Miss World Tourism competitors, with many female celebrities from Hong City preferring her for makeup and styling,"

After listening to Zhuang Xueqi’s introduction of Ai Da, Shen Mingzhu finally understood the other’s pride.

However, with such a formidable makeup artist available, why then had Zhuang Xueqi sought her out, when she was but an amateur?

Ai Da spoke up to clear her doubts, "I designed a few makeup looks, but Miss Zhuang wasn’t quite satisfied with them. She mentioned that you had done her makeup before, so I asked her to invite you over."

"I am also very keen to see what kind of makeup could leave such an impression on Miss Zhuang,"

Facing a strong professional makeup artist like her, saying she wasn’t nervous would be a lie.

But on second thought, she was just an amateur player, and losing wouldn’t be embarrassing.

Shen Mingzhu took out her sketchbook of creative ideas and introduced several makeup designs she had created to Zhuang Xueqi.

Shen Mingzhu had designed three makeup looks in total: gentle princess makeup, elegant Hepburn makeup, and Korean bride makeup.

Mingzhu had depicted these makeup designs using gouache in her sketchbook, including matching hair accessories and veils.

Zhuang Xueqi was very pleased and directly asked her to apply the makeup to her face.

During Shen Mingzhu’s makeup trial, Ai Da carefully flipped through her sketchbook, while two assistants watched Shen Mingzhu’s makeup technique.

"Does she even know how to do makeup? She hasn’t even applied the foundation and is mixing lipstick with concealer to put under her eyelids," one assistant murmured softly.

Ai Da glanced up, observing Shen Mingzhu’s movements and frowned slightly, but didn’t say anything.

Shen Mingzhu knew her makeup techniques were unconventional for people of this era, so she explained, "The orange-toned concealer is more effective at correcting skin dullness than the regular flesh tone concealer, but it’s hard to find the right shade domestically, so I usually mix it with lipstick."

Upon hearing this, both assistants showed a look of realization.

Ai Da also showed an interested expression and started to watch Shen Mingzhu do her makeup attentively.

"Use a foundation that is one shade darker for the outer contours to sculpt the features. The same goes for the shadows on the sides of the nose, while the triangular area of the face, forehead, and chin should be one shade lighter to achieve a brightening effect and to add dimension to the entire face..."

Shen Mingzhu explained in detail while applying the makeup.

By the time the face makeup was completed, not only had the two assistants been completely conquered by Shen Mingzhu’s makeup skills, but even Ai Da’s look at Shen Mingzhu had changed.

Since it was a soft princess makeup, Shen Mingzhu styled her hair in a low bun, with airy bangs and matched with a white rose hair accessory and earrings, exuding laziness yet also revealing a gentle allure.

Even Ai Da had to admit that Shen Mingzhu had a more precise grip on Zhuang Xueqi’s personal characteristics compared to her, a professional makeup artist.

The simple makeup on Zhuang Xueqi’s face produced a stunning effect.

By the time all three makeup looks had been tried out, it was already four in the afternoon.

Aside from taking a half-hour break for lunch, Shen Mingzhu had barely stopped, and she was so exhausted that she could hardly lift her arms.

Luckily, Zhuang Xueqi was very satisfied with her makeup design, choosing the Korean makeup with the other two as backups.

"Mrs. Pei, may I ask who you apprenticed with?"

Ai Da’s attitude and tone became more sincere, or rather, it was respect for capability.

Shen Mingzhu replied with a smile, "I didn’t have a master. I’m self-taught. I’ve loved playing with these things since I was a child."

Ai Da didn’t doubt Shen Mingzhu’s words, in fact, she envied her.

Coming from an artistic family, she knew all too well that there were a very few people in this world blessed with talents and insight that astounded everyone.

"Mrs. Pei, it’s really a pity you haven’t pursued a career in makeup."

"Actually, I love cooking more than makeup, and I’ve also made some achievements in that area. I’m very content with my current situation," Shen Mingzhu replied.

Ai Da looked at her with even more admiration and extended her hand, "Mrs. Pei, I’ll be staying in Fengcheng for a while. If there’s a chance, I hope we can exchange insights on makeup."

Shen Mingzhu shook her hand, "The honor is mine."

...

Before leaving the Zhuang Family’s place, Shen Mingzhu went to the bathroom, but unexpectedly someone was inside. Through the door panel, she could faintly hear the sound of vomiting.

Shen Mingzhu was in a hurry to pee and had to wait patiently.

About two minutes later, the bathroom door finally opened.

Seeing a familiar face, Shen Mingzhu raised her eyebrows slightly.

And when Ou Liya saw Shen Mingzhu outside the bathroom door, her face clearly showed panic and defensiveness, "What are you doing here?"

Shen Mingzhu laughed, "What else would I be doing here besides using the bathroom?"

Ou Liya kept a close watch on her, seemingly concerned about something, "Shen Mingzhu, you better not meddle in other people’s business."

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