The Gift (1)

Lin Kang hoped that the gift would work, he'd hate for all his effort to go to waste but more than that, he'd hate to disappoint his wife.

Lin Kang turned and saw the confusion on his wife's face, he hoped it would light up with a happy smile when he revealed to her the gift that he had prepared.

Lin Kang waved for the driver to leave before leading Xiu Ling into the mall. Xiu Ling did not know what her husband was planning but she decided to oblige for now.

As they stepped into the air-conditioned building, Lin Kang snapped his finger like he just remembered something. "I need to get something done. I'm so sorry, Xiu Ling but do you mind shopping on your own for now? I'll be back shortly, I promise. Again, I'm sorry."

"It's okay..." Xiu Ling started to say as Lin Kang moved around the corner and disappeared. He was actually going to follow up on the gift that he prepared but based on how urgent he was, Xiu Ling assumed he needed the toilet.

Xiu Ling walked down the row of shops and started to observe the mall that Lin Kang had brought her to for their date. The place was brightly lit due to the many lighting fixtures and the raised ceiling that allowed the sunlight to filter in. There were potted plants to brighten up the place and sofas were provided at regular intervals for tired shoppers to rest.

Speaking of shoppers, there weren't many that Xiu Ling could see. The ones she did see were fashionably dressed and some of them even had bodyguards following them.

From these and the brand names that Xiu Ling saw along her short stroll, she believed they were at a high-end mall. A mall that specialized in luxury items and catered to the rich and famous. This was the first time Xiu Ling had been to such a place.

She looked around and wandered into a store that sold women's fashion. The sales promoter lifted her head and frowned when she saw Xiu Ling walk into the store. This was because Xiu Ling did not fit the bill of her normal clientele.

As beautiful as Xiu Ling was, she did not have that air of affluence or snobbishness rich socialites usually wore as a cape around their bodies. The clothes that Xiu Ling was wearing that day did not help counter that impression either. She had on an eggshell white top and slim-fitting jeans. Her dress code was casual.

As stylish as Xiu Ling wore them, the experienced sales promoter managed to discern with one glance Xiu Ling had on zero branded item. Knowing Xiu Ling would not be able to afford any of their retail items, she rolled her eyes with annoyance, thinking to herself, 'Great, another country bumpkin to come waste my time.'

Even though the sales promoter wished to chase Xiu Ling out immediately, her professional training compelled her to move out from behind the cashier counter to serve her customer. However, the woman's unwillingness and disdain was plain to see on her face.

"Welcome, miss." The sales promoter intercepted Xiu Ling at the door.

Xiu Ling smiled kindly at her but the woman did not return the favor. She merely looked at Xiu Ling with a stony face, hoping Xiu Ling would get the hint and leave.

Xiu Ling though did not mind it one bit. She assumed the woman was having a bad day and did not take offense. Since she had some time to kill before Lin Kang returned, she decided to peruse the items on sale.

As Xiu Ling walked through the store, the sales promoter followed closely behind her. She wore the stony expression throughout and had her eyes glued on Xiu Ling. Yes, her sales training did dictate that sales promoter should always be at ready whenever the customers needed their help but the woman was not following Xiu Ling because she wanted to make a sale but she was afraid Xiu Ling might steal from their store.

It was as if the constant dealing with the upper society had rubbed off on the sales promoter and she shared their disdain for those who appeared not that affluent. This was despite the fact that the sales promoter came from a humble background herself.

Xiu Ling took her time to look through the selection. She was not born into luxury and thus did not have much chance to visit high-end shops like this growing up. She wanted to know what the experience felt like.

Incidentally, this annoyed the sales promoter even more. From the woman's perspective, Xiu Ling was purposely trying to waste her time. Even though the woman had nothing better to do at the moment, she would rather be doing nothing than tail Xiu Ling whom she saw as a lower status than her.

'If you're not going to buy anything, then leave. Stop wasting my time.' Her professionally cultivated patience was wearing thin. When the sales promoter saw Xiu Ling pick up yet another blouse to inspect, she finally lost it. She couldn't hold it in anymore, "Miss, please put that down. You'll not be able to afford it if you ruin the apparel."

Her tone was stone cold and dripping with condescension.

Xiu Ling turned to the woman with consternation. She was not dumb and finally caught onto the woman's impression of her. Instead of being offended, Xiu Ling found it to be quite amusing.

The bridge between herself and her mother-in-law was recently mended so it had been quite some time since someone looked down on her. It was a curious feeling.

When Xiu Ling was bullied by Mrs. Lin, she acted like a pious daughter-in-law and didn't say anything in return. However, Xiu Ling owed the sales promoter nothing.

She was not a confrontational person but that day, standing in the store, on a date with Lin Kang, Xiu Ling felt weirdly confident.