Lu Jiaoyue was wearing a cherry pink knee-length dress with a simple, cute design and uncomplicated patterns. Her fair skin was made to look even more delicate by the dress.
Lu Xiaoxiao felt an itch in her hands, almost wanting to reach out and pinch the other's cheek. Without even thinking, she could tell it would feel wonderfully soft.
[What is this? It's an adorable little flower fairy! A beautiful little elf! We must buy this one!]
Though that was what she thought, Lu Xiaoxiao's expression remained neutral as she gave a slight nod. "It's acceptable."
Hearing her evaluation, Lu Jiaoyue smiled happily, revealing her cute canine teeth. "Then I'll try on the next one for you, sister!"
Yue Mengqian, who had been standing nearby, had been frowning since Lu Jiaoyue appeared. At first, she didn't know Lu Jiaoyue's identity and remained silent, but now that she heard the other calling Lu Xiaoxiao "sister," she immediately understood.
Oh, so this was that Miss Lu Family who came back to disrupt Xiaoxiao's life!
Yue Mengqian still remembered how Lu Xiaoxiao had mentioned this sister to them long ago – back then, Lu Xiaoxiao's tone had been melancholy and annoyed, suggesting she didn't like her.
And really, who would like a sibling who suddenly appears and competes for family affection?
Lu Xiaoxiao had been adopted at a young age, and the Lu Family had never publicly emphasized her status as an adopted daughter. The original host naturally wouldn't bring it up herself either.
Because of this, none of Lu Xiaoxiao's friends knew she was actually a fake heiress. When they heard Lu Jiaoyue was returning, they all felt indignant on her behalf.
As an only child, Yue Mengqian couldn't imagine how devastated she would be if her father brought home a sister from outside. The more she thought about it, the more she empathized, developing a preconceived dislike for Lu Jiaoyue.
"Hey! You, stop right there!" she called out to Lu Jiaoyue in an unfriendly tone.
Yue Mengqian looked her up and down with displeasure, her gaze critical. "You're that country bumpkin from the slums, right? So skinny – is it malnutrition or are you naturally sickly?"
"Wh-what?" Lu Jiaoyue was clearly taken aback by her sudden attack, her face showing she hadn't quite processed what was happening.
Lu Xiaoxiao was also startled, sharing Lu Jiaoyue's surprise while feeling somewhat displeased.
When she spoke harshly to Lu Jiaoyue, it was out of necessity, but Yue Mengqian had no such constraint – this was pure provocation.
But according to her character setting, Lu Xiaoxiao still had to take Yue Mengqian's side.
"Qianqian, don't say that," she said, forcing a sarcastic, hypocritical smile. Upon closer look, one could tell the smile was quite strained. "She is my sister after all. There's no need to hit where it hurts."
[Ahhhhhhh that's so mean! Really too mean! Malnutrition is one thing, but how dare she say my sister is sick?! Her own breasts are fake!!!]
Lu Jiaoyue was taken aback by what she heard, instinctively glancing at Yue Mengqian's chest before bursting into laughter.
Yue Mengqian: ?
Yue Mengqian didn't understand what part of their conversation had struck Lu Jiaoyue as funny. Weren't they supposed to be insulting her?
Feeling like she'd punched cotton, what started as bored provocation now genuinely annoyed her.
"What are you laughing at!" Yue Mengqian stepped forward, her tone growing even more hostile. "I'm warning you, don't even think about stealing the Lu Family's affection for Xiaoxiao! Her parents and several brothers adore her dearly—they wouldn't give you a second glance!"
Lu Jiaoyue glanced at Yue Mengqian's chest thrust aggressively closer to her face, struggling for a long moment to suppress the urge to laugh before nodding amiably and saying:
"Don't worry, I won't compete with my sister for anything. Besides, I really like her and will treat her well."
Yue Mengqian: ???
In Yue Mengqian's imagination, Lu Jiaoyue might have remained calm, acted wronged, broken down in tears, or even retorted loudly—but agreeing was absolutely impossible.
So what was happening now? Was this sister actually foolish? Could she really not detect any malice?
Staring into those sincere eyes, Yue Mengqian found herself truly at a loss for words.
Nearby, Lu Xiaoxiao had witnessed the entire exchange and was nearly petrified.
She was utterly shocked by Lu Jiaoyue's degree of naive sweetness, feeling both incredulous and immensely frustrated.
[How can someone be this magnanimous? Just thinking about how easily she'll be bullied outside breaks my heart! Baby, you don't need to be so gentle!]
Yue Mengqian's face flushed red as she pointed at Lu Jiaoyue, stammering "You… you…" repeatedly without forming a coherent sentence. Finally, in a fit of rage, she shoved Lu Jiaoyue hard and concluded:
"Fine! You like pretending, don't you? I'm a green tea bitch too—I see right through you! Don't think sweet talk will fool me! I'll be watching you closely!"
Seeing how Yue Mengqian had resorted to physical aggression just to pick a fight, Lu Xiaoxiao could no longer tolerate it and abruptly changed the subject loudly.
"Ah! Qianqian! Your nose implant looks crooked!"
Although Yue Mengqian appeared to be defending her, having read the original story, Lu Xiaoxiao knew Yue Mengqian naturally enjoyed provoking others. Her relationship with the original host was actually quite superficial, maintained solely through bullying Lu Jiaoyue together.
The original host might have enjoyed such company, but she certainly didn't!
Lu Xiaoxiao's exclamation was so loud that everyone in the store immediately turned to look.
Unable to verify the truth, Yue Mengqian turned pale with fright, covering her face while shrieking: "Really, Xiaoxiao? It looked fine when I left home!"
Lu Xiaoxiao nodded with feigned concern, secretly amused but exaggerating her tone further: "It's true! Your false eyelashes seem a bit crooked too!"
"OMG, Qianqian, your face looks so fake! And you spent so much money—I genuinely feel sorry for you!"
This was just Lu Xiaoxiao's nature: anyone who displeased her had to pay a price.
Since the System told her to act like a green tea bitch—and she couldn't be a good person anyway—she might as well attack everyone indiscriminately.
If everyone got hurt, it was only fair!
In her panic, Yue Mengqian failed to detect whether Lu Xiaoxiao's tone was concerned or sarcastic. Clutching her face desperately, she wished she could vanish into the ground.
"Xiaoxiao, I'm going back first! I'll hang out with you another time!"
Lu Xiaoxiao tried to stop her: "Don't go! Weren't you going to have me help pick clothes?"
"Next time! Definitely next time!"
Yue Mengqian fled swiftly, disappearing before she even finished speaking.
【Perfect, I finally managed to get that nuisance out of the way. Lu Jiaoyue is so slow-witted and naive—she probably didn't realize I was helping her out, right?】
Lu Xiaoxiao, pleased with her successful scheme, couldn't help curling her lips into a smirk. She pushed Lu Jiaoyue into the fitting room with feigned sternness:
"What are you dawdling for? You have one hour to try on all these dozen or so outfits. Don't waste my time."
"And remember, you must spend over five million on clothes today. Otherwise, don't even think about going home—I won't have you embarrassing the Lu Family again by wearing cheap rags next time!"
【Oh, I'm having second thoughts. Five million might be too conservative—I should've said ten million. It's not like Dad put any limits on the black card anyway.】
【There are so many beautiful clothes here. I'd love to buy out the entire store for her. Good heavens, this is exhilarating—so this is the joy of being a sugar mommy, and it's finally my turn to experience it! Hahahahahaha!】
Lu Jiaoyue didn't resist and obediently complied.
From an angle unnoticed by Lu Xiaoxiao, Lu Jiaoyue glanced up at her briefly. Recalling Lu Xiaoxiao's internal complaints about her being too gentle, she pressed her lips together in a faint smile before quickly schooling her expression.
Sister, I'm not the fool you think I am.
Lu Jiaoyue thought to herself.
It's because you're so wonderful that I've grown fond of you.