Lin iqing greatly enjoyed this beautiful mont.
Although she was now forty-two, her life more than half over, she had never experienced strolling happily down the street, arm in arm with a man she liked, like a young girl. She had yearned for this, fantasizing about it countless tis. Unfortunately, the demands of life and the difficulty of raising Lin Jia alone ant it never ca to pass.
Today, Shen Fanyun had fulfilled her wish. Pressing close to his arm, Lin iqing felt as if she had returned to her eighteen-year-old self. A smile she couldn't suppress spread across her face, and her cheeks flushed. She didn't look at all like a woman in her early forties, but rather like a bashful young maiden, gentle and demure.
Puzzled, Shen Fanyun asked, "What are you smiling at now?"
"It's nothing, I'm just feeling a little emotional," Lin iqing said, waving her hand dismissively as they arrived at the clothing section on the second floor. The layout of the departnt store was neatly organized: one floor for dining, another for children's goods, one for won's fashion, another for an arcade, and so on. The two made their way there with practiced ease, where a dazzling array of high-end luxury brands was on display. It was the weekend, and the mall was bustling with people.
"This is truly a woman's paradise!" Lin iqing smiled. For any woman, the wardrobe is never full, and there's never a day she has enough clothes. Lin iqing was no exception.
Without waiting for Shen Fanyun to keep up, Lin iqing walked straight into a boutique. Judging by its appearance, the store was quite expensive, and there were very few custors inside. Its seven or eight salespeople were either huddled together whispering, looking down to clip their nails, or busying themselves with personal matters. Even when Lin iqing entered, they didn't spring into action.
Finally, a woman who appeared to be the store manager approached. "Hello," she said, her professional smile patently false, filled with a perfunctory air and complete indifference.
"Hello," Lin iqing nodded, beginning to seriously browse the styles she liked. Shen Fanyun stood by with his arms crossed, scrolling through his phone.
After looking around for a bit, Lin iqing took a liking to a sky-blue sling dress made of silk. The design was outstanding, and it was likely a new arrival for the year. However, when the manager realized Lin iqing had set her sights on this particular dress, her expression faltered with a hint of reluctance.
"I'll try this on," Lin iqing said with a smile.
The manager just said, "Oh," suppressing her feelings as she took down the dress. She handed it to Lin iqing and gestured toward the fitting rooms. At last, the other sales staff lifted their heads in unison to look over.
Shen Fanyun had been on his phone, but he caught the strange tone in the manager's voice. He looked up, his gaze instinctively falling on her. She appeared to be in her early forties, about the sa age as Lin iqing, but was gaudily dressed with a thick layer of foundation on her face that created a stark contrast with her neck.
The difference between two people was laid bare in that mont. Lin iqing was still gorgeous, with a temperant and figure that could rival any young woman in her twenties, as if she were eternally youthful. This manager, on the other hand, had been worn down by the years.
"Manager, that dress is our store's signature piece this year. What if she damages it trying it on?"
"So many people have co in to try it on these past few days, but in the end, none of them could bring themselves to buy it. I'm afraid today will just be another disappointnt."
"Alright, alright," the manager placated her staff. "Our job is to serve custors. We should try to et their needs as best we can."
A few of the salespeople raised their eyebrows in annoyance, still grumbling internally, as if Lin iqing trying on a dress was like carving a piece of flesh from their bodies.
"Probably just another pauper who'll try it on and leave. Ugh, what a waste of ti and energy!"
"This new style is worth every penny. It's expensive for a reason. Too bad so few people recognize its value, or can actually afford it!"
"Can't these broke people just stay away? My enthusiasm and energy are for people who can actually afford this dress!"
The incessant chattering continued. The more Shen Fanyun listened, the more bizarre he found it. Are these won trying to play so kind of trick? Reverse psychology? Are they putting on this act to provoke my pride and my desire to buy, hoping I'll just wave my hand and purchase it for Lin iqing? Is this dress that expensive? No matter how expensive, it's just a piece of clothing, isn't it? It's not so priceless treasure or rare artifact. They act as if an outsider touching it is so kind of desecration.
Lin iqing had already changed and stepped out of the fitting room.
The mont she appeared, it wasn't just Shen Fanyun whose eyes lit up; the manager and all seven or eight saleswon visibly reacted.
Beautiful.
She was indescribably beautiful, like a goddess who had stepped out of a celestial paradise. Standing before the mirror, she lifted the hem of her skirt and gave a gentle twirl, moving like an ethereal sprite. Every glance and every smile was utterly captivating.
Furthermore, the dress fit as though it were tailor-made for Lin iqing. It was neither too tight nor too loose, perfectly accentuating every curve and lending her a graceful, statuesque air.
In that instant, Shen Fanyun's blood rushed to his head, and he began to imagine tumbling in the sheets with her. Ah, n. One second they're grumbling about being too full to move and needing to conserve their energy; the next, a woman's small, unintentional gesture can make their blood boil, making them wish they could ignite their passion that very minute and sweep her off to bed.
"Does it look good?" Lin iqing asked, turning her head to smile at Shen Fanyun.
Shen Fanyun nodded, feeling incredibly fortunate to have such a charming woman by his side. "Good? It's breathtaking."
The manager and the other clerks stared, their eyes wide. Perhaps as fellow won, they were struck by how vast the gap between them was. In a flash, a wave of envy, jealousy, and hatred washed over them.
The manager's jealousy, in particular, hit its peak. She pursed her lips, walked right up to Lin iqing, and said with feigned seriousness, "Madam, we have a ti limit for trying on clothes.
"Your ti is up. Please change back into your own clothes.
"I'm sorry, but this garnt is quite valuable. We're actually looking out for your best interests. If the dress were to be damaged, I'm afraid you wouldn't be able to afford to compensate us!
"Don't get the wrong idea. I'm not looking down on you; it's just our store's policy. Fundantally, we're looking out for our custors!
"After all, we've encountered far too many custors who only try things on without buying. We have to treat everyone the sa and minimize the ti spent in the fitting rooms!"
Shen Fanyun and Lin iqing were both stunned by the manager's speech. What the hell? A ti limit for trying on clothes? She just put it on, and now they want her to take it off? Are they just looking for trouble? And what was that about it being for the custor's own good, to avoid the embarrassnt of being unable to pay for damages? How could soone speak so offensively, like they'd just eaten shit in a toilet, and then have the gall to shalessly add, 'I'm doing this for your own good?'
"Ma'am, please return to the fitting room imdiately. We'll be waiting for you," the manager said, gesturing impatiently as if shooing a duck onto a perch, urging Lin iqing to hurry up and change.
Lin iqing was speechless. This was the first ti she had ever encountered a store like this, and she felt both helpless and exasperated. If they were so worried about the dress, they should have told her beforehand. She simply wouldn't have tried it on. There were plenty of other stores with beautiful clothes. Why go through such a frustrating ordeal just to try on one dress?
"You should have inford beforehand. I could have chosen not to try it," Lin iqing reminded her, her tone calm but firm.
Anyone would be upset when faced with such an attitude. How was this any different from being treated like a performing monkey? How dare these shopkeepers say she was wasting their ti, when it was clearly they who were wasting her enthusiasm?
And why is this manager acting so high and mighty, looking down on people? I was in such a good mood today, looking forward to a rare, relaxing day of shopping with Shen Fanyun, and now this?
"Alright, alright, you got to try it on once. You've already gotten more than you deserve," the manager snapped. "Don't push your luck. Just go, take the dress off, and give it back. I'm not going to waste any more words on you. It's pointless. All you paupers are the sa—broke, but still so obsessed with face and dignity. Heh!"
The manager waved her arm dismissively, clearly done arguing with Lin iqing. She was just shy of crudely shoving her toward the fitting room. The other clerks stood around in small groups, smirking and enjoying the show. It didn't occur to them that their behavior was a serious form of discrimination and disrespect toward a custor.
"Heh, we keep running into these paupers who try on clothes and run."
"The manager has probably been bottling up her anger. Today she finally found a pauper to take it out on."
"Exactly! Our enthusiasm and energy aren't ant to be wasted for nothing. When you et a pauper, you should give them a good scolding. Otherwise, they all get thicker and thicker skins!"
The clerks chattered on, venting their own frustrations.
Shen Fanyun finally understood. These people weren't using so reverse psychology sales tactic; they were genuinely bitter and looking for an innocent custor to unload on.
"What are you still standing there for? Didn't you hear ?" the manager pressed, her face cold when Lin iqing didn't move.
Shen Fanyun strode over, looking down at the self-righteous manager. "You seem upset," he said, his voice cool. "Got a chip on your shoulder? You keep calling people paupers... are you so noble and wealthy yourself? If you were really that rich and superior, would you be here working as a sales clerk?"
The manager was rendered speechless. Shen Fanyun's words were so lethal that not only did her face flush beet-red in humiliation, but the other clerks also looked wounded.
"What... what do you an by that? Do you have the guts to say that again?" the manager demanded, glaring viciously at Shen Fanyun. "It's one thing not to admit you're poor, but to get angry and lash out at us for pointing it out? Aren't you going too far?"
She's actually trying to turn this back on ? Shen Fanyun thought, a small laugh escaping him. These people were truly sothing else.
"Glare at like that again," Shen Fanyun said, flashing a wide, bright, and utterly harmless-looking smile, "and see if I don't smack you."
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