16

Fengtai Mall, second floor.

Wen Yixin glanced around and finally set her eyes on a familiar store name.

"Qin Ruan, let's go check out that store," Wen Yixin said, pointing toward the store across from them as she turned to Qin Ruan.

"Where?" Qin Ruan turned her head and followed Wen Yixin's gaze, immediately spotting the prominent store name across the way.

Jeremy—a top luxury brand store.

Only the wealthy or those with high status could afford to shop there.

Qin Ruan pressed her lips together. If they went in there, the money she had with her… wouldn't be nearly enough.

Not even her stepmother, Mrs. Qin, would dare to shop there casually. After all, the Qin family wasn't truly among the wealthiest; they were just moderately well-off.

"Sister Wen…" Qin Ruan hesitated.

Wen Yixin looked at her in confusion. "What's wrong?"

Qin Ruan glanced at Wen Yixin, hesitated for a few seconds, and finally spoke softly, "Sister Wen, the items in that store… are very expensive. I don't have enough money..."

As she continued, her voice grew quieter, eventually trailing off.

But even so, Wen Yixin could guess what she was trying to say from her hesitant words.

Seeing Qin Ruan's uneasy expression, Wen Yixin couldn't help but smile.

"What are you worried about?"

"I'm here with you."

With that, she gently took Qin Ruan's hand and led her step by step toward the store.

"Sister Wen," Qin Ruan called out, but Wen Yixin didn't stop walking.

On the contrary, she tightened her grip on Qin Ruan's hand.

Qin Ruan looked down, feeling the hand holding hers tighten, and couldn't help but slowly curl her fingers to hold on in return.

It wasn't long before the two of them arrived at the entrance of Jeremy.

Wen Yixin glanced at Qin Ruan, gave her a slight smile, and then led her into the store.

As soon as they entered, a saleswoman quickly approached them. "Ladies..."

Wen Yixin waved her hand gently, her voice calm. "Thank you, but we'd like to browse on our own first. We'll let you know if we need anything."

The saleswoman responded, "Of course. Take your time browsing, and let me know if you need any assistance."

"Mm." Wen Yixin nodded.

Seeing this, the saleswoman didn't linger and tactfully stepped away.

Wen Yixin turned to Qin Ruan and gave her hand a reassuring squeeze. "Take a look around and see if there's a dress you like."

Qin Ruan gazed at the dazzling dresses around her, taking a deep breath before slowly exhaling.

Meanwhile, Wen Yixin's eyes roamed the store until they landed on something. She released Qin Ruan's hand and pointed to a pale mint-green dress. "That dress looks nice. Would you like to try it on?"

Qin Ruan followed her gaze, and the moment her eyes fell on the dress, she was captivated.

It was a pale mint-green dress with a layer of sheer fabric over the chest and arms, creating a delicate, almost ethereal look. The hem was adorned with white embroidered lace, making the entire dress look elegant and fairy-like.

She couldn't help but take a step forward, just as someone else's pale hand lifted a corner of the dress's hem.

"This dress, I'll take it," the person holding the dress said with a bright smile.

She casually pointed to a saleswoman. "Please wrap it up for me."

The saleswoman immediately replied, "Certainly, I'll get it wrapped up right away."

As the saleswoman took down the dress to prepare it for wrapping, the person finally noticed Qin Ruan and exclaimed, "Qin Ruan?"

"What are you doing here?"

She knew a bit about Qin Ruan's situation, and this wasn't a place someone like Qin Ruan could afford to shop in.

Qin Ruan said nothing, and the step she had been about to take slowly retreated.

Yu Shuyun glanced at Qin Ruan's movement, then at the direction she had been facing, and suddenly let out a laugh.

She covered her mouth, her eyes narrowing slightly as she gave Qin Ruan a once-over. "You weren't… thinking of buying the dress I just chose, were you?"

After saying this, she seemed to find her own words amusing and couldn't hide the smile on her face. Her tone was light, and a hint of contempt appeared in her eyes:

"That's impossible."

"With your status in the Qin family, could you even afford that dress?"

"If you can't afford it..." Yu Shuyun lowered her hand from her mouth and feigned surprise, "Did you just come here to window shop?"

As soon as she said this, the atmosphere in the store grew noticeably quieter, and many people, drawn by Yu Shuyun's words, cast glances at Qin Ruan.

Most of them were just curious onlookers, but among them were also a few with disdainful, mocking expressions.

Qin Ruan bit her lip and stole a glance at Wen Yixin, who seemed unfazed, which calmed her anxious and flustered heart a bit.

She pinched her index finger and met Yu Shuyun's gaze, responding briefly, "I'm not."

Yu Shuyun looked at Qin Ruan's face, which resembled Qin Yi's by about thirty percent, and couldn't help but think of Qin Yi and some other unpleasant matters, which instantly soured her mood.

She disliked Qin Yi and, by extension, disliked Qin Ruan. So, every time she saw them, she couldn't resist making a few cutting remarks, hoping to embarrass them.

Unfortunately, whenever she clashed with Qin Yi, she often ended up on the losing side, while Qin Yi walked away unscathed. This only made her dislike Qin Yi more and increasingly seek out opportunities to assert her superiority over Qin Ruan because...

Qin Ruan was much easier to deal with than Qin Yi.

Yu Shuyun pressed on, "Not what?"

"Are you really planning to buy something here?"

Qin Ruan hesitated, "I..."

Just as she began to speak, Qin Ruan's hand was suddenly grasped.

"Sister Wen..."

Wen Yixin pulled Qin Ruan closer to her side, then looked up at the person across from them, her voice cool, "What if she is? What if she isn't? Either way, it's none of your business."

"Unless, of course, you live by the sea?"

Yu Shuyun was taken aback. "What do you mean?"

Wen Yixin's gaze was indifferent. "It just seems like you're overly concerned."

Yu Shuyun's breath caught in her throat, and she was momentarily at a loss for words.

It took her a while to regain her composure. Then, she pointed a finger directly at Wen Yixin, "Are you Qin Ruan's friend?"

Wen Yixin didn't say anything, but her gaze shifted to the finger pointed at her, her brow slightly furrowed.

Seeing this, Yu Shuyun assumed she had tacitly agreed and sneered, "Just a friend of Qin Ruan? If Qin Ruan can't afford that dress, do you really think you can?"

She doubted that someone as quiet as Qin Ruan could have any wealthy friends, so she assumed Wen Yixin was just like Qin Ruan—or perhaps even worse off—thus her tone was filled with disdain.

Upon hearing this, Wen Yixin's brow furrowed even more deeply. "Why wouldn't I be able to afford it?"

Yu Shuyun covered her mouth and laughed mockingly, "You? Are you even qualified?"

Wen Yixin remained silent.

She looked at the woman across from her and then suddenly smiled.

"Yes, I'm qualified."

"As for whether I'm qualified or not..." Wen Yixin smiled again, and with a flick of her wrist, she pulled something out of her handbag.

It was a black card with gold embossing.

If one looked closely, they would notice the character "Wen" embossed in the lower right corner.

Yu Shuyun stared blankly at the card, not fully understanding what Wen Yixin was getting at until she noticed the store employees' reactions.

As soon as they saw the card, several employees gasped audibly.

Expressions of surprise and excitement flashed across their faces before turning into eager anticipation, all because of the card in Wen Yixin's hand.

Wen Yixin held the black card with gold embossing between two fingers, gently waving it:

"Is this qualified enough?"