Chapter 1282: Sheer Embarra.s.sment
Translator: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio
Yun Ziling had heard what the shop a.s.sistant said loud and clear in the fitting room. She had never worn such an expensive dress before, but seeing how the dress fitted her so perfectly in the fitting room mirror, she was reluctant to take it off.
As Yun Ziling came out of the fitting room, Liang Xiuqin looked stiffly at the dress her daughter was wearing. This single piece of clothing was equivalent to her household allowance for the entire year.
The store a.s.sistant glanced at the two of them and kindly suggested with a smile, “If this is over your budget, you can opt for more affordable options over there. The price range for those is about 10,000 to 15,000.”
The store a.s.sistant pointed to the ordinary short dresses in the corner. At a glance, the dresses seemed all too plain and mature. They were not at all suited for Yun Ziling’s tender age.
As soon as Yun Ziling saw those short dresses that couldn’t be duller, she looked again at her dignified reflection as she stood in the front of the mirror wearing the elegant gown. The difference was too striking. There was just no way she was going to give up what she had on for something cheaper.
“Ziling, this is way too expensive. Why don’t you choose something more affordable…?”
Liang Xiuqin had only 3,000 yuan in her purse. Forget the expensive ones, she couldn’t even afford the cheap ones.
Seeing how reluctant she was being, Yun Ziling interrupted her mother without waiting for her to finish, for fear that she would end up saying something embarra.s.sing.
“Mom, those clothes are so ugly. Do you want to see me embarra.s.sed in front of so many people?”
“But…” Liang Xiuqin glanced at the store a.s.sistant, then pulled Yun Ziling to the side and whispered, “Honey, Mom doesn’t have that much money. I only have a few thousand yuan in my savings. There’s no way we can afford this dress. Let’s just go to another store and have a look around. If we still don’t find anything that works, then we can just rent you one.”
“No way! Those are second-hand goods. What if one of those posh ladies sold her dress after wearing it to a ball once, and I showed up in it? Where would I hide my face if they happened to recognize it and made fun of me in front of everyone?”
“But we don’t have the money. We can’t afford it!”
“I don’t care, I want this dress. Go figure out a solution!” With that, Yun Ziling turned around and stomped off into the fitting room to change out of the gown she was wearing.
Liang Xiuqin stood there, racking her brains for ways to get the money she needed. Yun Yuanfeng would certainly not be willing to help with this.
The housewives she used to be friends with had already kicked her out of their circle. Even if Chen Lixue was now rich after she had married into the Su family, Liang Xiuqin could not possibly put aside her pride and go begging her for money.
Since Yun Ziling was so insistent on having this dress, if she could not afford it, then she would just have to steal it.
As the thought crossed her mind, Yun Ziling came out of the fitting room. She handed the dress directly to the store a.s.sistant and asked for the bill, without giving Liang Xiuqin a chance to consider.
There was no backing out now. At this point, it would be too embarra.s.sing if Liang Xiuqin were to say that they no longer wanted the dress and just walked out.
High-end boutiques had only a few store a.s.sistants, with one manning the cas.h.i.+er and the other four a.s.sisting the customers. By the time they came out of the fitting area of Lofty, there was not a single person in sight.
Liang Xiuqin asked the cas.h.i.+er in confusion, “Hey, where are the other store a.s.sistants? They were just here a moment ago.”
“Oh, a VIP guest just came in, so they went to a.s.sist in the VIP room. I’ll process the checkout for you. Would you like to pay with card or cash?”
“Cash.” Liang Xiuqin looked around her, then took out a small wad of cash from her bag. Before she started counting, she peered up and saw that the store a.s.sistant had placed the dress in a bag. She quickly blurted out, “Oh, right! I think I left my scarf on the couch. Could you go get it for me?”
The store a.s.sistant nodded and smiled politely. “Sure, please wait a moment.”
The store a.s.sistant walked off in the direction of the fitting area. Just as Liang Xiuqin saw that she had walked quite a distance away, she immediately dumped 1,000 yuan on the counter, picked up the shopping bag, and ran out of the store dragging Yun Ziling with her.
The moment Liang Xiuqin started running, Yun Ziling realized what was happening, so she followed her mother’s lead, and rushed toward the stairway.