Su Wanqing gave Lin Shaofeng an awkward smile and was just about to speak when Zhou Lan took a step forward, shoving her to the side.
“Hehe, you must be Miss Liu Mei Na, right? My daughter absolutely adores you! Could I get an autograph?”
Liu Mei Na arched an eyebrow, glancing at Su Wanqing, before putting on a smile. “Sure. But first, could we ask this shop assistant to introduce some products to me?”
She intentionally emphasized the words “shop assistant,” clearly aiming the jab at a certain someone.
Su Wanqing seemed completely oblivious to her petty games. She casually picked up a display item from the counter and asked, “What kind of product are you looking for, Miss? Cleansing or whitening?”
“Let’s go with cleansing. I wouldn’t dare use whitening products,” Liu Mei Na said with a disdainful flick of her brow.
“Please rest assured, Miss. This product line is fully imported. Our most famous set is the whitening four-piece kit. Starting from basic care, I guarantee your skin will look finer and fairer after using it for a while.”
Knowing that Su Wanqing was intentionally ignoring him, Lin Shaofeng wasn’t annoyed. Instead, he watched her with a faint, gentle smile. While she was introducing the products, he would even lean in from time to time to take a look, appearing as if he were truly interested in the cosmetics.
Finally, Liu Mei Na couldn’t take it anymore. Frowning, she said, “Fine, I’ll take this set. Wrap it up for me.”
At that moment, the previously ignored Lin Shaofeng suddenly spoke up. “No. I want every single product you have here. Wrap them all up.”
“What?” Liu Mei Na gasped in shock.
It wasn’t just Liu Mei Na who was stunned; Su Wanqing was also startled, looking at Lin Shaofeng in disbelief.
Lin Shaofeng didn’t even spare a glance for Liu Mei Na beside him. From the moment he discovered Su Wanqing, his gaze had been locked onto her. “If everything here is sold out, will you finally have time to pay attention to me?”
“Brother Lin, what are you doing?”
Su Wanqing was speechless. Who buys out an entire makeup counter? She never expected Lin Shaofeng to have such reckless moments.
Lin Shaofeng chuckled. Only then did he shift his gaze toward Zhou Lan. “If all the stock is bought, she can get off work, right?”
“This…” Zhou Lan looked at Su Wanqing with a strange expression.
Su Wanqing knew exactly what was going through Zhou Lan’s head. Having the entire inventory cleared out meant a massive bonus for the month.
“No, you can’t buy it.”
Liu Mei Na was fuming. She glared at Su Wanqing and barked, “Why can’t he buy it? You’re just a lowly shop assistant. It’s not your place to tell Shaofeng what he can or cannot buy.”
Lin Shaofeng frowned. Without even looking at Liu Mei Na, he issued a command: “Meina, you head back first.”
“Why? You’re the one who accompanied me out to go shopping!”
Si Tu Jin’s voice suddenly rang out. “Tch, can’t you tell? He doesn’t like you at all. He’s just playing along. If I were you, I’d stop thinking so highly of myself.”
Seeing Si Tu Jin, Su Wanqing felt a massive headache coming on. “Why are you here too?”
Si Tu Jin frowned and shot a dirty look at Lin Shaofeng, muttering sheepishly, “Of course I had to come. If he’s here, how could I not be?”
“A Jin, I’m working. Can you please stop causing a scene?”
Si Tu Jin scowled. “I’m the one causing a scene? What about him? He’s allowed to be here?”
“A Jin, don’t talk nonsense. Brother Lin was just passing by. He has things to do and will be leaving shortly.”
However, Lin Shaofeng chose that moment to smile at Si Tu Jin and calmly stated, “No, I’m waiting for her to get off work.”
“Brother Lin…”
Su Wanqing felt helpless. Seeing more and more people gathering to watch, her brows knitted tightly.
She could see a dangerous glint in Zhou Lan’s eyes. Glancing at the two men standing before her, she steeled her resolve, took off the employee badge hanging from her neck, and tossed it to Zhou Lan. “Manager, I’m taking the day off.”
She didn’t have a choice. With these two looming over her, there was no way she could get any work done.
Once they stepped out of the mall and the bright sunlight hit her, Su Wanqing snapped back to reality. The cruel weight of her situation sat heavy before her.
Looking at the two men who had followed her out, she stopped in frustration. “What on earth do you two want?”
Si Tu Jin frowned and took a step forward, grabbing Su Wanqing’s hand. “Come back to Shangjing with me! No matter what happened, I’ve got your back. Look at yourself—you don’t look like a little princess anymore.”
Lin Shaofeng strolled over as well. Seeing their hands joined, his smile vanished, and a flicker of jealousy flashed in his eyes. “If you’re really short on money, you can just tell me.”
“Enough. This is my own business; I don’t need your help.”
Su Wanqing had made up her mind. She had to carry her own burdens. No matter how hard or exhausting it got, she wouldn’t drag her friends down. Though this might seem like a small matter to them, her pride wouldn’t allow her to accept it.
Clap, clap, clap.
The sound of clapping nearby drew all three of their gazes.
Jian Ou walked toward Su Wanqing with a dark, brooding face amidst the attention of the crowd.
“Hmph, Su Wanqing, you really have some nerve. I thought forcing you out of Meise would make you realize it was time to leave Luocheng. I didn’t expect that even a garden full of spring cannot be contained; a sprig of red apricot is bound to peek over the wall.”