“No need, I have enough clothes...” Su Yun was also a little surprised and quickly waved her hands.
But the next second, Qin Xue turned her head and glared at her. That sharp gaze left Su Yun with no room to refuse.
After staring for a while, Qin Xue finally said, “You're by my side now. You need to dress better. Otherwise, you’ll embarrass me, got it?”
“Is that so... I'm sorry... Then, thank you!” Su Yun nodded and thanked her once she realized what was happening.
A bit of helplessness welled up inside her.
So that’s what this is—she’s disgusted by me... I didn’t even realize it.
Well, makes sense. Su Yun hasn’t had friends in so long that she’s gradually stopped paying attention to how others see her.
Su Yun’s clothes were basically changed once a year. As long as they were still usable, it didn’t really matter—at most, a few more mended holes here and there.
But that didn’t mean her parents treated her badly. The clothes she had on now cost over a hundred yuan when they were bought. Her parents were still wearing clothes they got from street stalls for a few bucks. What she wore was already the best they could afford.
...
The car drove back to that bustling area from earlier.
This time, it really was just like what Su Yun had imagined.
Standing in front of a lavishly decorated shop entrance, she could already see the neatly dressed and smiling attendants inside.
“Go in. Pick whatever you like.” Qin Xue gently patted Su Yun on the shoulder when she saw her frozen in place.
“Oh... okay.” Su Yun walked in dazedly.
“Welcome.” A female attendant came over immediately as she stepped inside, a standard smile on her face.
“Uh, I...” Faced with this scene, Su Yun was a bit too nervous to speak.
“She’s here to buy. Do you have any of the latest styles?” Qin Xue smoothly took over the conversation from the attendant when she saw Su Yun struggling.
The attendant gave Su Yun a glance, confirming her size and what styles might suit her.
“Please, this way.”
Su Yun followed along, watching the glittering clothes throughout the store. Her eyes were starting to blur from all the sparkle.
With service like this and such fancy decor, no way anything here was cheap.
But of course, this was Summer’s End Plaza. Nothing here came cheap.
She’d been forced to come here once before during an event. She followed her group through the streets.
They passed a dessert shop, and she saw four cream puffs priced at 110 yuan. She instantly bolted away.
Her parents would probably have to work several hard hours just to make that kind of money.
Now Su Yun was thinking she’d choose something more affordable—maybe two outfits, so she could alternate them daily and not make Qin Xue dislike her again.
As for style, something with long sleeves and pants, preferably in black.
Qin Xue told her to choose, but Su Yun had already come up with a rough idea of what she wanted.
“This one’s nice.” Qin Xue suddenly stopped walking and no longer followed the attendant.
In her line of sight was a pure white dress. Compared to all the flashy styles around it, this simple one felt like it suited Su Yun best.
“Oh, this one? This is from this year’s...” Seeing her target, the attendant immediately began explaining, detailing the origins and perks of the dress.
“...” Su Yun just stood off to the side, watching Qin Xue and the attendant converse so smoothly. She couldn’t get a word in.
Suddenly, she felt like she hadn’t come here to pick clothes at all.
And she was right. After that, she just followed Qin Xue around the store. Aside from the dress at the beginning, they picked out a bunch of pretty clothes clearly meant for girls.
When Qin Yuanyuan saw her sister buying so many clothes for someone else, she felt a little sour inside. She tried to say something, but was quickly silenced when her sister pinched her cheek.
...
“Let’s just get these for now. You can see which ones you like to wear once we’re back.” Only when their hands were nearly too full to carry anything did Qin Xue finally walk out of the store.
Qin Yuanyuan and Su Yun were both carrying armfuls of bags.
“Hmph.” Su Yun gave Qin Yuanyuan a helpless glance, but the moment their eyes met, the other girl quickly turned away.
This kid... clearly just shook hands with me a while ago.
She followed Qin Xue and tossed the bags into the empty front passenger seat.
So when she said “pick,” she actually meant “pick which ones to wear after I buy a bunch,” not “pick what to buy.”
Thinking back, Su Yun felt her heart ache a little.
These dozen or so outfits didn’t let the luxurious decor of the store down—each one started at four figures. That was more than the total value of everything Su Yun was wearing.
Yet even with that, Qin Xue swiped her card without blinking.
Rich people really do whatever they want.
She’d have to work hard from now on.
“Home,” Qin Xue told the maid in the driver’s seat.
“Am I going too?” Su Yun was still holding a box of clothes in her arms because there wasn’t enough room.
“What, already trying to slack off after just one day of work?” Qin Xue shot her a cold glance, though there was a faint smile on her face. She wasn’t really angry.
“No, that’s not what I meant, I just...”
“Heh, looks like you’ll keep learning etiquette later. What’s with always lowering your head and acting all shy?” Qin Xue teased.
“Ah... okay.” Faced with Qin Xue’s command, Su Yun didn’t dare resist.
Etiquette lessons... honestly more exhausting than cleaning a massive hall.
Sigh.
Well, she’d already taken these expensive clothes. Couldn’t really argue now.
Just as Su Yun slumped into the soft seat, defeated, a phone rang.
“Stop the car.” Qin Xue looked at her phone and immediately told the maid to pull over somewhere with fewer people.
Then she opened the car door and stepped out to answer the call.
Su Yun could only sit inside and watch from afar.
But she noticed something—Qin Xue’s expression during the call didn’t look good.
Sure, Qin Xue could be cold to her sometimes—like the day she bit Qin Yuanyuan, Qin Xue had looked at her sharply, but that was just being angry.
Now, though, Su Yun felt that if she tried to approach or interrupt, she might get hit.
What on earth could have happened to make Qin Xue this upset? And even hateful?
Bang.
After about five minutes, Qin Xue hung up and slammed the door shut.
It made Su Yun wince—she was scared the car might’ve gotten damaged.
Of course, more than that, she was worried about Qin Xue herself.
“Um, Sister Xue, are you—”
“Don’t talk!” Qin Xue snapped coldly, her tone completely emotionless, like she was speaking to a stranger.
“Mm...” Su Yun shrank back, pressing herself toward the door.
“You don’t need to come today. Go back to school.” Qin Xue said and didn’t speak again, not even glancing at Su Yun.
The car changed direction—looked like they really were headed back to school.
Su Yun didn’t dare say anything. She was afraid even one word would get her kicked out of the car.
Just a moment ago, Qin Xue was so excited, picking out clothes for her. And now after one phone call, she’d completely changed.
Su Yun wasn’t someone who got emotional easily. She didn’t feel wronged or anything. She was just more and more curious about what that call had been about.
...
On the way, Su Yun kept sneaking glances at Qin Xue. That beautiful face was now covered in disgust, and she started to feel like she hated whatever it was too.
Once they reached the campus, even though Qin Xue had picked out the clothes for her, Su Yun rushed to the front seat to grab them all herself.
As soon as she had them, the car drove off. She stood there like she’d just been discarded.
It was 4 PM, and there were still lots of people around the school gate. This whole scene had been seen by many others coming and going.
They looked at the pretty girl carrying a pile of gifts but with a pale face, and couldn’t help feeling a bit sorry for her.
Su Yun looked in the direction the car had left, feeling more and more uneasy inside.
Back at the clothing store, maybe because Qin Xue thought her relationship with Qin Yuanyuan was bad, she’d encouraged the two to shake hands and even add each other’s contacts.
But the moment Qin Xue wasn’t looking, Qin Yuanyuan still ignored her.
“...”
Su Yun thought for a moment, then dumped all the boxes on the ground and pulled out her phone to send a message to Qin Yuanyuan.
She didn’t care much about the surrounding stares. After sending the message, she picked the boxes up again.
There were still a lot of things she needed to take care of.
Where to put all these clothes for girls—don’t even ask if the dorm closet could fit them. Just trying to get them in without being seen was already risky.
She also had to find the place she’d be staying in advance, clean it up, get ready to move, and contact the counselor and her parents tonight.
...
What a hassle.
She didn’t know why, but just thinking about all this was making her impatient. She wouldn’t have felt like this before.
(End of Chapter)