“You—”
Qin E felt her chest tighten. She wanted to fire back sarcastically, but then remembered that her maternal family had recently suffered consecutive business losses and had no choice but to hold herself back.
She and Ruan Wan had been rivals since childhood. Both came from prominent families, but the Ruan family—because they had an ancestor who once held an official position—prided themselves on being from a scholarly lineage and always acted as if they were superior in public.
Even though, in reality, both families were merchants.
Later, unable to accept it, Qin E deliberately married a military officer. When Fu Aiguo was promoted step by step, she enjoyed a brief period of unmatched prestige.
But unexpectedly, Ruan Wan also married a school principal shortly after.
The two had competed since childhood—competing over everything.
Qin E suppressed her emotions, then finally noticed the striking outfit on Ruan Wan, a flash of admiration passing through her eyes before quickly being concealed.
Su Wan Yin had just helped Ruan Wan coordinate a necklace, high heels, and handbag.
So aside from thinking the cheongsam looked somewhat familiar, Qin E had no idea it was the same one she had just dismissed.
“How is it? Looks much better than what you usually wear, right?”
Ruan Wan did not miss the fleeting admiration in her eyes and deliberately spun around to show it off.
Qin E’s expression immediately darkened as she forced a reply:
“What’s so good about it? It’s gaudy!”
“You can’t match it yourself, so you call it gaudy?” Ruan Wan never indulged her.
Qin E choked for a moment, then lifted her chin and said disdainfully:
“Just wait for the banquet the day after tomorrow. Learn a thing or two!”
“Fine, fine, I’ll be waiting. Just don’t lose your chairwoman position again.”
“Don’t worry, the chairwoman position will still be mine.”
Qin E raised her brows high, full of confidence.
In their circle, there were regular tea gatherings and various events. Because of her status as a military commander’s wife and the Qin family’s influence in the business association, she had always been the chairwoman.
She organized and led everything, and most of the ladies in their circle followed her lead.
Until recently, when the Qin family ran into trouble and her son was seriously injured on a mission and went missing, discussions began about re-electing the chairwoman.
Each election had different criteria. This time, it required both status and the ability to shine at a ballroom banquet, as well as auctioning items to donate to schools and the military.
Thinking of this, Qin E’s expression tightened slightly. Just then, Song Zhishu came out of the fitting room, and she quickly walked over to discuss things with her.
She didn’t even glance at Su Wan Yin standing to the side.
Su Wan Yin didn’t care either. After understanding that they were choosing clothes for a banquet, she kindly reminded Ruan Wan about what hairstyle and makeup would suit her best that day.
Ruan Wan didn’t expect the seemingly ordinary girl to surprise her so much. Seeing how detailed her advice was, she sincerely thanked her.
Not long after, Ruan Wan left with a large number of shopping bags, looking pleased.
Qin E also refused to be outdone and had Song Zhishu coordinate several outfits for her as well.
They never looked at prices when shopping—only at so-called “high-end” recommendations from sales staff.
In no time, they spent several hundred yuan.
Su Wan Yin also picked out her clothes and went to the counter, only to be told that someone had already paid for them.
She naturally didn’t think it was Qin E. Thinking of the straightforward elegant woman earlier, she understood immediately.
At this moment, Qin E saw her standing alone at the counter and walked over with contempt.
“How much are her clothes?”
The salesperson, now more enthusiastic toward this big spender, smiled and said, “Miss’s total is one hundred yuan.”
“What?”
Qin E’s expression turned displeased as she looked at the girl in front of her with dissatisfaction and began lecturing:
“Wan Yin, just because you’ve come from the countryside and haven’t seen many nice clothes doesn’t mean you should buy everything you see.”
“It’s not that Auntie is unwilling to spend, but you’re still growing—these clothes won’t last long.”
She lifted her chin proudly and said condescendingly:
“So just pick a couple of your favorites. Put the rest back. I still have a gathering to attend; I don’t have time to waste here.”
“I’m not doing anything—these have already been bought.”
Su Wan Yin rolled her eyes helplessly.
To Qin E, however, this looked like she was demanding she pay for everything.
Qin E had never seen such an unreasonable person before. After taking a deep breath, and remembering her husband’s instructions, she reluctantly took out her money.
As she did so, she couldn’t help but say in disgust:
“Even though you’ve come to our Fu family now, it doesn’t mean my son will marry you.”
“If you’re sensible, treat this as a trip and don’t think about anything else.”
Su Wan Yin: ???
Su Wan Yin couldn’t help but look at her with wide fox-like eyes, scanning her up and down, beginning to seriously wonder if “Fu Shi Mo” had been switched at birth.
They didn’t look alike, and their personalities didn’t either.
After all, “Fu Shi Mo” was supposedly such an honest and easygoing person.
“Mrs. Qin, whether or not you want to honor the engagement, I won’t say anything. My mother saved Old Master Fu and passed away afterward. I only learned about the engagement when I grew up. I originally thought you coming to pick me up meant you agreed.”
“I didn’t expect…”
She glanced subtly at the surrounding curious onlookers, then lowered her eyes, voice trembling:
“When Uncle Fu comes back later, I’ll tell him.”
Her words painted the image of a pitiful, helpless orphan perfectly.
Qin E’s expression instantly turned ugly. The burning stares around her felt like she was being roasted alive. She clenched her jaw and forced her tone to soften:
“That’s not what I meant. It’s just that in the new society we emphasize free love; those old ideas are outdated.”
“My son already has someone he likes. I’m just saying this so I don’t delay you.”
The explanation sounded much more reasonable, and the surrounding onlookers gradually understood.
But the salesperson, who had followed the situation from beginning to end, knew it wasn’t like that at all.
Looking at the tearful girl she had first treated like a servant, she felt like slapping herself.
Then she glanced at the wealthy, proud, and cold customer beside her. Even though she loved money, she couldn’t help feeling uncomfortable.
This was clearly a case of looking down on the girl’s background while pretending to be polite, actually trying to pressure her into backing out.