Lin Xingyao had indeed taken two million from Lin Youqiang, but that was her reclaiming her parents’ inheritance under the guise of a dowry. She never expected Lin Xingwei to spread such rumors about her outside.
Her expression darkened as she said coldly, “Give me back the lingerie. Don’t provoke me, or you’ll face the consequences.”
Lin Xingwei retorted, “Give it back to you? You haven’t paid for it, so why should we? Even if we were to give it to you, it would depend on whether our Miss Song wants it or not. Only if she doesn’t want it would it be your turn. So what if you extorted two million from our Lin family? What’s there to be so smug about? If you have money, spend it wisely. Otherwise, when that madman of yours kicks the bucket, you’ll be thrown out on the streets. Don’t come crawling back to our family shamelessly then…”
Before she could finish, a sharp “smack!” echoed—Lin Xingyao had slapped her hard across the face, leaving clear finger marks on her cheek.
Lin Xingyao said coldly, “My mistake back at the Lin family was hitting you too lightly, making you dare to act so insolently in front of me now.”
“How dare you hit me?” Lin Xingwei was furious, but remembering the shoulder throw from last time that left her aching for days, she didn’t dare lay a hand on Lin Xingyao. Instead, she could only look pitifully at Song Qianqian.
Before Song Qianqian could react, Lin Xingyao unceremoniously snatched the lingerie from her hands. “First come, first served—do you understand? If not, go home and have your mother teach you again!”
Ever since returning to the Song family, Song Qianqian had been treated with respect wherever she went and had never been insulted like this. “Do you know who I am? How dare you speak to me like that?”
Lin Xingyao snorted disdainfully, “I don’t care who you think you are!”
Song Qianqian puffed out her chest, which was as flat as an airport runway. “Let me tell you, I am the heiress of the Song family. Do you know the Song family? One of the three great aristocratic families! In Di Du, even the Jun Family wouldn’t dare disrespect the Song family!”
Lin Xingyao sneered, “The Jun Family respects the Song family? That’s out of regard for your cousin Song Baixu, not for you, an illegitimate daughter.”
Among the three great aristocratic families of Z-guo, the Jun Family originally held the top position. After Jun Xuanye fell ill, the Song family, under Song Baixu’s leadership, gradually began to surpass them.
Before returning to the country, Lin Xingyao had thoroughly investigated the backgrounds of the three great families. She knew that behind their glamorous facades, their relationships were messy, with numerous illegitimate children who held far lower status than legitimate heirs. People like Song Qianqian could only flaunt their status outside.
The label “illegitimate daughter” was something Song Qianqian deeply resented, and Lin Xingyao exposing it publicly was no different from slapping her in the face.
Fuming with rage, she said to the store manager, “If you still want the Song family to shop at your store in the future, get this woman out of here now, immediately! Don’t worry, she’s just a country bumpkin with no one to back her up!”
The store manager had initially been wary of Lin Xingyao’s status, but upon hearing Song Qianqian’s words, all hesitation vanished. He said directly, “Miss, please leave. We will not serve you.”
Even the polite form of “you” was dropped.
Lin Xingyao looked at him calmly. “Are you the owner? Who do you think you are to decide whether you’ll do business with me or not?”
The store manager said smugly, “To be honest, our store is directly operated by the mall, and the big boss doesn’t handle daily sales. I’m the manager of this store, and whether or not I do business with you is truly up to me.”
Lin Xingyao giggled, “So you’re the manager after all. My apologies, my apologies.”
Intent on backing Song Qianqian, the manager continued putting on airs, “Please return the lingerie. Even if you have the money, we won’t sell it to you. Limited-edition lingerie is extremely precious and only worn by true ladies from distinguished families.”
With Song Qianqian by her side, Lin Xingwei’s arrogance flared up again. “Lin Xingyao, now you should understand that having a bit of money doesn’t mean you can show off. High-end brand stores like this only serve elite clientele. What do you think you are? I’ve heard that when you entered the Jun Family, you didn’t even have a proper wedding. If it weren’t for me spreading the word, no one would have known that the Jun Family’s madman actually got married. It’s clear the Jun Family doesn’t take you seriously—probably treating you like a servant.”
Song Qianqian then scrutinized Lin Xingyao’s outfit and remarked, “Look at your clothes—they’re from some minor brand that isn’t even presentable. Even our maids wouldn’t wear clothes from that brand. How dare you compete with me for something? You really don’t know your place! Why are you still standing here being an eyesore? Manager, what are you waiting for? Get her out!”
The manager rudely stepped forward to shoo her away, but before he could speak, he was startled by a glare from Lin Xingyao: This woman is too fierce—when she glares, it feels like daggers are flying from her eyes.
Lin Xingyao asked coldly, “Are you sure you want to kick me out?”
The manager blustered, “It’s not that I want to kick you out, but you’ve offended someone you shouldn’t have. It’s better if you leave now to avoid trouble.”
“Tell me, who should this set of clothes be sold to?” Lin Xingyao glanced sideways at the young salesclerk nearby.
This young salesclerk was quite interesting. She was still in her probation period and had been treading carefully, but witnessing the bullying behavior of the wealthy stirred up her sense of justice. Secretly siding with Lin Xingyao, she had wanted to intervene several times but was silenced by the manager’s loud voice, feeling her words carried little weight.
Hearing Lin Xingyao’s question, she spoke up directly, “Earlier, this lady said she wanted to buy it, and I was about to prepare her receipt when Miss Song came in. By all accounts, this lingerie set should go to the first buyer.”
The manager roared, “You little brat, do you have a death wish? How dare you offend Miss Song?!”
Song Qianqian sneered, “You’ve already offended me. Don’t expect to find work in this industry from now on.”
The young salesclerk stood her ground and simply tossed off her uniform jacket. “Fine, I quit! I can always go back to the countryside. There are too many bad people in the city—country folks are more honest!”
Lin Xingyao hadn’t expected this young salesclerk to be so bold, daring to confront others without any backing. It reminded her a bit of her younger self. She bent down, picked up the jacket, and handed it back to her. “Don’t worry, I’ll make sure you keep your job.”
Her beautiful eyes twinkling, she smiled at Song Qianqian. “You just said you’d make sure this young lady couldn’t find work in this industry, right? How about this: let’s make a bet. I bet that not only will she not lose her job today, but she’ll also become the manager of this store.”
The store manager sneered, “Who do you think you are? How dare you speak so arrogantly?”
Song Qianqian also smiled. “Alright, how about we set a ten-minute time limit?” She had grown a bit cunning, thinking that no matter what, the store manager was still under her authority for now, and firing a small clerk would be all too easy.