Zhu Yiyi’s words instantly infuriated Lin Xin, “You…”
Bai Xi pressed Lin Xin’s hand and said calmly, “Xin’er, you are the little princess of our Lin family. Why stoop to the level of someone so dishevelled?”
At these words, Zhu Yiyi became enraged, “I’m dishevelled? Weren’t my clothes dirtied by you lower-class people?”
Bai Xi finally turned her gaze to Zhu Yiyi, her eyes calm and unruffled, “Your milk tea, you threw it out, and it ended up splashing on you. Do you still want to blame me?”
For some reason, whenever Zhu Yiyi met Bai Xi’s gaze, she felt an inexplicable fear, rendering her unable to retort, “…”
Bai Xi said lightly, “I recall you saying you wanted to buy clothes earlier, didn’t you? Why are you still wearing that outfit? Could it be you can’t afford it?”
Hearing this, Zhu Yiyi’s face turned red instantly.
She indeed felt the clothes inside were too expensive and not worth the price. Now, provoked by Bai Xi, she absolutely could not back down.
She immediately and haughtily addressed the sales assistant who had been serving her, “Hey, you, bring me that dress I was looking at earlier. I’ll pay for it directly and change into it now.”
The sales assistant was taken aback, then asked, “Miss, don’t you want to try it on?”
Zhu Yiyi raised her eyebrows, “It’s just a dress. What is it to someone of my status? It’s as simple as buying a cup of milk tea. Go get it for me, remove the tags, and I’ll change into it now.”
She would endure half a year’s allowance for this. She was determined to put Lin Xin, that little vixen, down completely.
The sales assistant, naturally delighted to make a sale, happily went to fetch the dress and assist Zhu Yiyi in changing.
After Zhu Yiyi left, the store manager quietly invited Lin Xin aside.
Soon, Zhu Yiyi emerged after changing. A light yellow long dress, her hair permed, the sales assistant had good taste; it suited her perfectly. Upon coming out, she wanted to flaunt it to Lin Xin, but found Lin Xin gone. She saw Bai Xi still calmly sipping her black tea.
She walked up to Bai Xi with great smugness, propping one slender hand on the table where Bai Xi was sitting, looking down at her, “What, did that lowly Lin Xin get scared away? Are you still sitting here inviting humiliation?”
Bai Xi didn’t even lift her eyes and said faintly, “The term ‘inviting humiliation’ suits you better.”
Zhu Yiyi was stunned, looking at Bai Xi in disbelief. She couldn’t understand why Bai Xi remained so composed. Yet, she dared not resort to physical confrontation. In the end, she could only say fiercely, “Heh, keep pretending. You must be so envious inside…”
As soon as she finished speaking, she heard the sales assistant’s enthusiastic voice, “Miss, this dress suits you so well! Hurry and let the lady who came with you take a look too!”
After all, she knew best that only Bai Xi outside could afford this dress.
Lin Xin was slowly ushered out by the store manager, instantly capturing everyone’s attention.
A magnificent princess dress was every girl’s dream. This particular princess dress, luxurious yet pure, was truly irresistible, especially on Lin Xin, who looked incredibly beautiful.
The store manager immediately approached Bai Xi and said, “Miss, look, doesn’t she look beautiful in this?”
Bai Xi was about to nod, but Lin Xin immediately refused, “I think it’s very ordinary, and it’s quite inconvenient to wear.”
While trying on the dress, she had seen the price. She felt that her allowance for the past twenty years combined wouldn't be enough to buy this princess dress.
Upon hearing this, Zhu Yiyi seemed to have found a huge excuse, “Ha! A nobody dreaming of being a princess but unable to afford it, how ridiculous! You people are blind too. Would someone like her be able to afford your clothes?”
The store manager looked at Zhu Yiyi with a hint of disdain.
She knew which of these two customers was the true benefactor and who was merely putting on a brave face. Even if she didn’t, she preferred Bai Xi and Lin Xin.
With this thought, she plastered a smile on her face and asked Bai Xi, “Miss, what do you think?”
Bai Xi said faintly, “It’s nice. I’ll take this one. Xin’er, you can look around for anything else you like; I’ll buy it for you. I’ve said it before, you are the most noble little princess of our Lin family, unlike some upstarts.”
Having said that, she pulled out a black card and handed it to the store manager.
At these words, Lin Xin was stunned.
For a moment, her mind was filled with pink bubbles, and her heart was full of the romantic CEO tropes she had read about.
The face of the domineering CEO automatically superimposed Bai Xi’s face.
Truly, with a cousin doting on her like this, what man could compare?
The store manager’s face lit up with a smile as soon as she saw the black card in Bai Xi’s hand, “Yes, yes, yes, Miss is so beautiful, she can pick out a few more items. You all, come over here and assist Miss with her selections properly.”
With that, all the sales staff flocked over, no longer paying any attention to Zhu Yiyi and her companions standing aside.
Zhu Yiyi’s three followers exchanged glances and, even more decisively, abandoned Zhu Yiyi, flocking to Lin Xin’s side, “Lin Xin, your princess dress is so beautiful! Can I touch it?”
“Lin Xin, I’ve actually wanted to be friends with you for a long time. It’s just that Zhu Yiyi insists on sticking with us and badmouths you every day. She’s so annoying.”
“Lin Xin, I actually brought you lunch, right? My egg rolls are delicious.”
Zhu Yiyi was so angry she felt like spitting blood, “You, you…”
It was as if, in that instant, she had been stripped back to her true self, no longer the cherished princess, but a Cinderella no one cared about or noticed.
She refused to accept it. The Lin family was on the brink of collapse, so why did Lin Xin look more like a princess than she did?
Lin Xin was speechless. She disliked Zhu Yiyi, but she also disliked these fair-weather friends. However, with Zhu Yiyi present, she couldn’t show it. She could only smile and nod, maintaining a pleasant, business-like expression.
Yet, her admiration for Bai Xi soared to countless new heights. If her cousin were a man, she’d want to marry her. Today felt incredibly satisfying.
Anger surged, and malice followed. She believed Lin Xin’s current princess-like treatment was entirely due to this dazzling princess dress. She picked up a silver fork used for eating cake from a nearby table and quietly approached Lin Xin.
She wanted to secretly ruin the dress and shatter Lin Xin’s princess dream.
She slowly drew closer, raising the fork in her hand and aiming for the delicate tulle skirt billowing at Lin Xin’s lower back.
At that very moment, Bai Xi directly pulled Lin Xin into her embrace, and the two held each other tightly, resembling a scene from a prince and princess waltz.
Zhu Yiyi naturally lunged at empty air.
Just then, something struck her ankle, causing her to pitch forward. She tumbled directly into a rack of clothes.
The silver fork pierced the fabric, and with the woman’s momentum, it sliced downwards heavily, dividing a row of beautiful evening gowns into two halves at the waist. Zhu Yiyi also fell…
Everyone’s eyes widened, like the figures in Munch’s "The Scream": “…”
Bai Xi gently set Lin Xin down and said calmly, “So you don’t like wearing clothes, you like tearing them. But it’s okay, as long as you pay.”
The store manager was the first to react, walking up to Zhu Yiyi, “Seven evening gowns, plus the one Miss is wearing, the total comes to one million, seven hundred eighty-five thousand seven hundred. Please, Miss, accompany me to settle the bill.”
Zhu Yiyi struggled to get up from the floor, finally realizing the trouble she had caused. She quickly dropped the fork, her face filled with terror, “I didn’t mean to, I didn’t!”
The store manager tried to calm herself, maintaining a professional smile as she addressed Zhu Yiyi, “Miss claimed to be of high status. High-status individuals should take responsibility for their actions! May I ask… cash or credit card?”
Despair was all that remained in Zhu Yiyi’s eyes.
Her money was nowhere near enough. If she called her father to pay this sum, she feared he would cut off her allowance for life.