11 You, In Her Place?

The luxury yacht reached the dock.

"Come!" He tossed out this cold command.

She could only follow.

They remained silent throughout their journey—

She hugged herself, shivering from the cold.

"Get on!"

She shot him a look, then got into the backseat of the car.

He stared at her in the rearview mirror, a hint of coldness in his twitching mouth.

She lowered her head and did not meet his gaze.

After an unknown amount of time, the car stopped at a branded clothing mall.

"Go in and pick out what you like."

She gaped at him, but he did not move to get out of the car. She sat there, unable to budge. How was she supposed to go shopping for clothes in such a pitiful state? Plus, she did not have enough money to buy such expensive clothes.

"What are you waiting for? Hurry?" He seemed rather impatient.

"You want me to carry you in or something?"

She knew that he was capable of anything, so she finally got out of the car unwillingly.

Li Shengxia pushed past the doors of the mall. Everyone's eyes converged on her.

Shop Clerk One gave Li Shengxia a once-over, noticed her disheveled dress, and announced, "Miss, this isn't an exhibition! There are no restrooms for you here either."

She had been mistaken as a freeloader who came to use the restroom.

Li Shengxia looked embarrassed. "I'm not here for that, I…"

Shop Clerk Two saw that she was still there without any intention of leaving, and chimed in, "Miss, are you here to shop for clothes? Our items are very expensive. Do you have your card ready?"

"I did come here to shop for clothes," Li Shengxia replied.

Shop Clerk One did not disguise her contempt at all. "Even if she brought her card, it'll probably be declined. Miss, surely you're in the wrong place? Next door, a whole outfit wouldn't cost more than five hundred yuan. Have a look around there."

She whispered to Shop Clerk Two, "Does she look like someone who's here to buy clothes? Who knows, she might be here to steal some instead. Be on your toes."

Li Shengxia felt her face turn fiery red. She caught a glimpse of herself in a distant mirror. Her dress was a mess — that went without saying. Some of the marks on her body could not be covered up. This was the shame Mo Nianchen bestowed upon her. If he had not forced her to come in, she would not have to endure such humiliation with no way of defending herself!

A simple silk scarf here was priced at several thousand yuan. She bowed her head. "I'm sorry, I…"

At this moment, Mo Nianchen pushed open the doors.

The two shop clerks saw this exceptionally handsome man and immediately rushed over. "Sir, are you here to buy clothes for your girlfriend?"

This store only sold high-end women's clothing.

"Sir, what are your girlfriend's height and measurements?"

Mo Nianchen did not like being crowded. He frowned in disgust, then glanced at Li Shengxia who stood wordlessly in the corner. He said two curt words, "Like hers."

The two shop clerks followed his gaze and noticed Li Shengxia again. To think that this tiresome woman was still loitering here. The girlfriend of this super handsome man actually had a figure similar to this woman!

On closer look, Li Shengxia did not have a bad figure after all.

Still, any clothes owned by this guy's girlfriend would cost tens of thousands of yuan. On the other hand, this woman could only make do with a few hundred yuan. 

Both of them were women, yet there was a world of difference. The two shop clerks could not help glancing at Li Shengxia in derision before pretending that she was invisible.

"Sir, your girlfriend is so lucky. What do you think of this?"

"Sir, your girlfriend has such a good figure. This will suit her well."

"This one." The one Mo Nianchen nonchalantly pointed to was the most expensive item in the store.

Shop Clerk One was over the moon. "Sir, you have amazing taste. This is a new limited edition blouse of our store. There's only one of it in the whole country!"

Mo Nianchen took the blouse and walked over to Li Shengxia, handing it to her. "Stop daydreaming and try it on."

"Sir… S..." Shop Clerk One was startled. How could this handsome man let this woman try on a blouse from their store just like that! "We'd advise you to bring your girlfriend here to try it on herself."

She did not want such an expensive item to be soiled by such a woman.

An icy glaze crept over Mo Nianchen's eyes.

Just as Li Shengxia was about to take the blouse, she was stopped by Shop Clerk One. "If you dirty it, you'll have to buy it!" She glared steadily at Li Shengxia, forbidding her to try it on.

Mo Nianchen heard Shop Clerk One threatening Li Shengxia and coolly raised an eyebrow. With a humorless smile, he said, "Oh? Is it your store policy to coerce customers?"

Shop Clerk One was taken aback. Mo Nianchen looked so friendly, but for some reason, he made her blood run cold. She was deeply afraid of provoking such an important customer and hurriedly explained, "No, sir, that wasn't what I meant. I'm saying, if she happens to dirty the blouse, you wouldn't like it either, right?"

Mo Nianchen stared at her with a frosty smile.

Shop Clerk One saw that he did not reply and hastened to add on, "I hope you're not offended, sir. How about this? My measurements are about the same as your girlfriend's. Let me try it on in her place."

She felt that she had made an appropriate suggestion.

However, Mo Nianchen simply swept his cold gaze over her as his sneer grew more distinct. "You, in her place? Can you even imitate her poise?"

Shop Clerk One turned white as wax. She was not worthy, but that woman was worthy?

"Don't force yourself to try on things that don't suit you." Mo Nianchen made no secret of his revulsion.

Shop Clerk One could not take it much longer. She suppressed her rage and said, "Sir, a popular female celebrity has taken a liking to this blouse. If it's soiled, and you don't buy it, how do I justify that?" 

"You're saying that this blouse has been tried on by someone else?" The ice in Mo Nianchen's eyes sharpened. His voice remained quiet and even, yet it was terrifying to hear.

Shop Clerk One broke out in a cold sweat. "That… That hasn't happened yet."

"Good. How filthy it would be otherwise."

Shop Clerk One's smile became extra stiff.

"Rest assured. Even if this blouse can't match up to her poise, I'll buy it. But only on the condition that it's never been touched before!"

"Of… Of course… I guarantee that no one has put it on before. Not only that, but when we hung it up, we also wore plastic gloves for fear of damaging it." Shop Clerk One subconsciously gulped nervously.

Mo Nianchen seemed satisfied with her answer and looked back at Li Shengxia. In a blunt manner, he spat out three words, "Put it on!"

Shop Clerk One was too choked up to say anything. She knew that she dared not provoke this VIP, so she would never object to his request.

Nonetheless, she could not bear the thought that Li Shengxia would get to try on this blouse!

Why did Mo Nianchen imply that she did not have the poise? As if this penniless woman had any poise!

What's more, did he say that even the best, most costly item in their store might not match up to Li Shengxia's poise?

In addition, he derided their clothes as being filthy. What a joke! Their brand was well known throughout the country, with unparalleled sales — not just anyone could try them on!