Chapter 142 I'll Take I
The banquet was quickly approaching with less than seven days remaining, so Zhao Lifei decided it would be about time to shop for a dress to wear.
Her grandfather had strictly sent her to Imperial Star Mall to show the Ling family some face. It was also because the service they directed towards her was always filled with the utmost respect, for no one dared to offend the granddaughter of Zhao Moyao, who was not only a business mogul but also owned a large fraction of shares and stocks in the mall.
Since she was simply shopping, Zhao Lifei decided to wear plain gym clothes that were easy to move in and take off for instances when she might want to try some clothes on.
When it came to shopping, Zhao Lifei was not very frugal with her spending. Given her background and her no-limit credit cards, it was typical for her to impulsively buy something without even glancing at its price.
Whichever store she went to, she would always buy something and leave behind a hefty tip for the store's sales associate who always anticipated her arrival. There were two sales representatives trailing after her while she walked, holding a wide variety of shopping bags filled with her purchases that ranged from designer purses to gifts for her grandfather.
As she passed by the endless array of glass window displays, a particular store caught her attention. One of the sales associates saw her slight interest in the store and quickly spoke up, an amiable smile on her face. "Miss Zhao, this is a newly opened store in the mall, renowned for its highly-value cultured and custom-designed dresses, and ever since its opening, it has been a frequent hotspot for many socialites."
Zhao Lifei hummed in reply. She decided it would be a good idea to shop here and find a dress for herself. She recognized the brand too. Their design was often praised in the media and worn by highly sought after A-List celebrities.
She turned her head to the two representatives and said. "I can enter this store by myself. We've shopped for a while now, so you guys must be tired by now. You're welcome to take a break." She opened her purse and offered them each a handkerchief after seeing the sweat on their foreheads. The sales representatives graciously looked at her.
"Thank you, Miss Zhao!" They enthusiastically replied, bowing their heads and walking to the nearest bench. Usually, the socialites would shop until these associates dropped! Rarely were any of them was as kind as Zhao Lifei, who had not only given them a rest but had also given them handkerchiefs! Upon closer inspection, their eyes nearly bulged. It was made of vicuna wool! This was valued in the high thousands! They didn't dare to use it and tried to give it back, but Zhao Lifei had already disappeared into the store.
Zhao Lifei noticed a well-designed mahogany box table in the middle of the store and decided to walk towards it, her eyes flickering with surprise when she saw the suit cuffs and ties. Wasn't this store known to only cater to women? Since when had they decided to sell male items?
One of the store associates immediately recognized Zhao Lifei and hurried over to curry favor with her. "Good evening Miss Zhao, welcome to Merveille." The store associate cheerfully greeted.
"Merveille has begun selling suit cuffs and ties?" Zhao Lifei curiously asked, remembering Merveille, a couple of weeks ago, exclusively catered to females, from clothing to accessories, with no items for males.
The store representative nodded. "Yes, Merveille has decided to expand their design to a broader audience." With her gloved hands, she picked up a luxurious pair of black suit cuffs. "Each of the cuffs are handmade and crafted from the best of the best materials."
Zhao Lifei began to zone out as the store associate rambled on and on about the high-end brand. Her eyes focused in particular on a square obsidian black suit cuff. It was very chic and stylish, the darkness of it would be just the perfect touch for a very overbearing man that she knew.
While she marveled at the suit cuffs, a voice spoke up from beside her, "I'll take it." At this voice, Zhao Lifei furiously turned around.
Her eyes flickered with surprise when she saw it was none other than the shining and beautiful Xia Mengxi herself. Her naive-looking sweet face was pulled into a friendly smile, which made her look like an angel.
It didn't help that she was standing directly below the crystal chandelier, the glamorous lights setting off an ethereal glow to her, like an angel who had descended from the Heavens. Her saint-like white aura was blinding to look at. Paired with her wide, doe-shaped eyes, she was a sight to behold. As expected of a female lead, the aura she had was blinding.
Zhao Lifei felt her lips curl in disdain. She remembered this familiar scene all too well, for she had once done it to Xia Mengxi in the past. Two years ago, when they had run into each other in a store, Zhao Lifei was heavily interested in a clothing top, just the same time Xia Mengxi was.
In her foolish years, Zhao Lifei had outbid Xia Mengxi for the top, which was an embarrassing sight for the latter who was publicly humiliated in front of a crowd for not being able to outbid Zhao Lifei's five hundred thousand.
"I saw it first." Zhao Lifei deadpanned, her lips tugging into a scowl.
"Miss Zhao, we're grown adults, not children. Who sees it first doesn't matter. I'm the one who offered to buy it first." Xia Mengxi slowly said, as if she was talking to a child, but despite that, her voice was still light and gentle, like a patient teacher.
Zhao Lifei sighed inside of her head. So she really wanted payback for the humiliation I caused upon her two years ago. The scene happened a long time ago, and she still held onto that grudge? What about all of the times she used Zheng Tianyi to face-smack me?
"Besides, how could this suit cuff be of any use to you seeing as you don't have any male companions in your life?" Xia Mengxi naively asked, tilting her head like a curious little bunny. Even with her sniping words, she still looked heavily innocent. With her smile and eye-pleasing face, the people mistook her words to be ignorant instead of an insult.
Zhao Lifei's lips twitched. This female lead really likes to stir up trouble, huh? By blatantly saying that, it was clear she was mocking her for the fact that not many wealthy heirs dared to approach Zhao Lifei because of her bad reputation.
The sales associate saw Zhao Lifei's displeased expression and were about to speak up, until the manager walked over, noticing the tension in the air. The manager had years of experience, but she was newly transferred to this mall only recently, thus, didn't know which of the two women was wealthier, however, she made a quick judgment based on the fact that Xia Mengxi was wearing more expensive clothes.
"What seems to be the problem here?"
Xia Mengxi turned around and her wronged expression was evident for the manager to see.
Wait a minute, this young lady, wasn't she Zheng Tianyi's fiancée?! She remembered hearing the other socialites gossip about her nonstop, thus had researched who the supposed future "Madam Zheng" was.
The manager, Xiao Wen, remembered Xia Mengxi's face in particular because she was so awestruck by the beautiful woman she saw on the internet. Instantaneously, Xiao Wen picked Xia Mengxi's side.
"I want the suit cuffs, I saw it first." Zhao Lifei was growing irked by the passing second.
"I apologize Ma'am, but it seems this young lady has decided to purchase it first." The manager urged the sales associate standing with Xia Mengxi to quickly wrap up the present before it was too late. Not wanting to disobey her boss, the associate hurriedly brought the items to the checkout counter.
Zhao Lifei's brows knitted together in displeasure upon hearing this. "I was going to purchase it—"
"Please don't be unreasonable and unruly about it ma'am." The manager looked at Zhao Lifei's outfit and nearly scoffed. What was this woman thinking? Dressed in plain black leggings and a hoodie, she looked too poor to even touch an item in this store. "I'm sure there are others that will catch your eye, perhaps you can try the discounted suit stores on the lower level."
Zhao Lifei chuckled. First, they were calling her unruly and now they were thinking she was poor? Was the management at this store here really this bad?