Chapter 159

Lin Qianqian furrowed her brows, feeling somewhat displeased.

"Brother, I just like this one."

Lin Haocheng, with his back to the crowd, strained to give Lin Qianqian a look.

Unfortunately, Lin Qianqian was set on wearing the same style as a star and completely failed to grasp the meaning of Lin Haocheng's expression.

Lin Meng saw it and let out a hehe laugh.

Lin Qianqian instantly bristled.

"What are you laughing at? What's so funny!"

Lin Meng shrugged, yet looked toward Lin Haocheng.

"What's up, cousin? Are you reluctant to spend money on your own sister? Or is 1.35 million just too much for you—you simply can't afford it?"

Having his thoughts exposed, Lin Haocheng felt ashamed and angry, unable to refute.

Who knew this skirt would be so expensive? If it were only ten or twenty thousand, he'd grit his teeth and buy it.

This far exceeds his expectations; even if he truly had that much money in his account, as Lin Meng said, he simply couldn't bring himself to spend it.

He himself doesn't own anything this expensive, his sister earns nothing—what right does she have to spend so much of his money?

Lin Qianqian wanted to retort to Lin Meng, but seeing her brother silent, his expression off, her heart suddenly sank.

"Brother? You really don't want to buy it for me? Mom and Dad said I can ask you for money whenever I want to spend!"

Lin Qianqian knew full well that the family's modest assets, aside from a sum set aside for her younger brother, were practically all sunk into Lin Haocheng; as the sole daughter, she hardly gets any money.

Lin Haocheng hadn't expected Lin Qianqian to say such an overbearing thing; he flared up, shoved her hand away, and snarled:

"Shut your mouth! If you dare say another word, I won't care about you anymore!"

The siblings couldn't reach an agreement, and at the slightest disagreement they started undermining each other.

Lin Meng watched with leisurely interest, a little person in her heart clapping.

Exactly, exactly, that's it—arguing, fussing, hurting each other.

With that uncle's family's morals, it'd be strange if they could make a name for themselves in Jing Shi.

The studio staff also couldn't bear to watch, pointing and whispering at the siblings, secretly taking photos and videos, planning to treat it as entertainment.

The manager still smiled warmly as she spoke.

"Both of you, this shop isn't the place for noise; why don't you each step back? Our studio's warehouse actually has some affordable gowns, quite nice too—though they can't compare to these custom-made or runway pieces, they're still designer exclusives, so there's no risk of duplication."

In the course of the argument, Lin Qianqian realized her brother either thought it too expensive to buy, or simply couldn't come up with that much money.

She knew Lin Haocheng's nasty temper, and arguing with him got her nowhere.

So Lin Qianqian softened her tone and coquettishly said to Lin Haocheng:

"Brother, I was wrong—spending over a million on a dress is indeed a bit extravagant; let's look at other styles, anyway they're all designer custom pieces, as long as we don't end up wearing the same thing."

Lin Haocheng kept a cold face, ignored Lin Qianqian, and looked at the manager instead.

"What's the approximate price for those you mentioned?"

Anyway, he'd already lost face; one more time wouldn't matter—he needed to know the price clearly, as he didn't want to run into another costly gown.

The manager smiled lightly and said:

"Those in the warehouse mostly range from ten-odd thousand to several hundred thousand; of course, if you're short on funds, we also have cheaper ones here—as low as eighty thousand each."

"Eighty thousand?" Lin Qianqian furrowed her brows, unwilling and resentful.

Having seen better, how could she possibly fancy a mere eighty-thousand-custom dress?

But upon hearing that, Lin Haocheng's mood sank to the bottom.

Even the cheapest costs eighty thousand? If I'd known this place was so pricey, I shouldn't have brought Lin Qianqian here!

Realizing he couldn't even afford the cheapest gown here, Lin Haocheng felt his reputation completely ruined, turned and fled.

No matter how Lin Qianqian threw a tantrum, he didn't look back and rushed out the door.

"Ah…" Lin Meng looked speechlessly, just like that he ran off?

She looked at the at‑a‑loss Lin Qianqian, momentarily unsure whether to feel sorry for her.

"Tsk tsk, your brother ran off—no one's paying for you, aren't you leaving?"

At that moment, the onlookers couldn't help but jeer at Lin Qianqian.

Knowing she'd lost face, Lin Qianqian glared at Lin Meng with a ferocious expression.

"Wait for me! One day I'll be able to afford the most expensive gown here!"

"And you, Lin Meng—don't think that because you saw my joke today, you've won!"

Once she marries into a wealthy family, she'll make sure to repay this humiliation a hundredfold!

Lin Qianqian left, face flushed with shame and anger; Lin Meng pursed her lips, basically not taking her harsh words to heart.

For someone both stupid and wicked, she felt no sympathy and wasn't afraid either.

If Lin Qianqian truly wants to climb up, the first thing she should do is learn to restrain her temper.

With her loud, obnoxious nature, not only would noble families dislike her, even ordinary households would find her unpleasant.

"This gown looks good, the size fits—I'd like to try it on."

Lin Meng no longer paid attention to the Lin Qianqian siblings, pointing at the white long gown she had taken a liking to and said:

The manager immediately smiled and prepared it, saying, "All right, Miss Lin, this gown is absolutely perfect for you."

Before Lin Qianqian had even stepped into the elevator, she heard the conversation behind her, turned in disbelief, and saw the manager personally holding a white gown as ethereal as a fairy descending, guiding Lin Meng away.

At that moment, intense jealousy nearly overwhelmed her.

Her whole body trembled uncontrollably, her nails digging deep into her palms without her even noticing.

How could this happen? What does Lin Meng have that she doesn't?

Could it be that she's already gotten a step ahead, latched onto a wealthy patron?

——

By the roadside, Lin Qianqian and Lin Haocheng hid in the car, neither of them speaking, obviously still angry with each other.

But Lin Qianqian told Lin Haocheng about Lin Meng trying on the dress, and the two tacitly hid in the car, planning to see whether Lin Meng would end up buying it.

Soon, Lin Meng's figure appeared in their view.

Behind her followed Ms. Li carrying several big and small bags.

Ms. Li grew increasingly curious about Lin Meng's identity, but she didn't pry; instead, she carefully held her shopping bags and smiled at Lin Meng, saying:

"Miss Lin, if you ever need someone to carry your bags, remember to come find me; I'll keep an eye out for the freshest goods here for you."

Lin Meng nodded; this shopping trip was fruitful, and she had bought a pleasing evening gown, which she was very pleased with.

After seeing Lin Meng off into the car and watching her leave, Ms. Li was about to turn back when two figures blocked her path.

"Is it you two? Hah, move aside!"

Upon seeing it was those two siblings, Ms. Li's attitude quickly turned cold.

Lin Haocheng pointed toward the direction Lin Meng had gone and said:

"Did that woman just now make a purchase inside? How much did she spend?"

Hearing this, Ms. Li couldn't help but look down on them even more; these two siblings were truly bizarre—if they couldn't afford to pose as big spenders and failed, that's one thing, but why bother keeping tabs on others?

The dress Miss Lin bought happened to be the same model Lin Qianqian had taken a liking to, and it also cost 1,350,000.

But Ms. Li certainly wouldn't say that; she put on a stern face and said:

"Move aside!"

Lin Haocheng casually pulled out two thousand yuan from his pocket and said, "Tell me, this two thousand is yours."

He knew that for someone like a shopping guide who accompanies people on strolls, two thousand yuan was absolutely a high value for them.

Who would have thought Ms. Li took the money and then flung it all away.

"Who are you looking down on? I advise you two to be kinder and not have any ulterior motives."

"These days, it's really the ugly people who cause trouble!"

"Miss Lin, having relatives like them is truly unfortunate."