She had spoken too soon and now Lin Meirong found herself subjected to Shen Lingqing"s ire. Didn"t Director Yao remind her days ago not to offend the Shen princess? Of all days she could meet this woman, why did it have to be today?"So? Are you going to keep standing there like an idiot or do I need to tell you to back off?" Shen Lingqing arched a brow, challenging her to a staring contest.
Meanwhile, Shen Yuyan appeared behind her and watched the scene with amus.e.m.e.nt glint in her eyes.
"I didn"t mean to… Miss Shen." Lin Meirong stuttered and slowed the invisible lump on her throat. G.o.dd.a.m.n, whatever happened to avoiding Shen Lingqing at all costs? Good job, Lin Meirong! She chided herself.
"You did. I saw what happened. Are you saying that I"m blind?" Shen Lingqing replied, not making it easy for Lin Meirong to get away easily. "Don"t you know how much that dress cost me? I specifically commissioned that dress for an event I"m going to attend but since you"ve ruined it, I expect a reimburs.e.m.e.nt for it." She continued not giving the other woman any face.
"W-what?!" Lin Meirong couldn"t believe what she was hearing. Did she just hear Shen Lingqing asking her to pay for the ruined dress?
Shen Lingqing"s eyes narrowed as Lin Meirong remained silent. She crossed her arms and lowered her eyes dangerously.
"You dare to make a scene in my mother"s boutique and bully one of her people. Miss, do you know that I can ask our staff to ban you from any Shen businesses and establishment with just a snap of my fingers?" She paused and watched how Lin Meirong"s and her companion"s faces turned white as a sheet of paper from her words.
Shen Lingqing only needed to say a word and the Tang family would ruin her chances within the entertainment industry like what they did to Chu Ting several years ago. If Chu Ting hadn"t repeatedly provoked the current Madam Shen and Sun Feiyan, she wouldn"t find herself and the whole Chu family in shambles.
"No one can bully a Shen nor any of our people without paying the consequences of their actions," she added menacingly.
Lin Meirong had never met a person whose look could be comparable with icebergs. As she stared back at Shen Lingqing"s eyes, she now understood why Director Yao warned her about this woman.
Her eyes were like a mirror, Lin Meirong felt like she couldn"t hide anything from Shen Lingqing, and this made her feel uncomfortable.
"Miss Shen, can you spare Sister Lin this once? This is a misunderstanding. She didn"t intend to hurt or shame anyone and had only said those words out of rage. She doesn"t mean it at all." Lin Meirong"s companion who was also a newbie actress tried to defend her. She was clearly afraid of Shen Lingqing but she didn"t want to get dragged in case the Shen princess truly ruined Lin Meiring"s career.
"Good point. I like it. You know when to draw a line." She Lingqing slightly nodded her head before cupping her chin. "I"ll spare you this once but this Miss should do two things for me." Shen Lingqing said.
"What is it?" Lin Meirong asked warily. She swore in her heart that she would avoid having another encounter with Shen Lingqing in the future. Just talking to her felt like half of her lifespan was gone in an instant.
"First you must learn how to say sorry. Apologize to our staff and pay for the damage you"ve caused. I"m sure you"re able to do it, right?" This would be a great reminder to any of those who witness the commotion not to mess with Shen Lingqing.
Alright. This was better than losing her career and chances to live comfortably here in the capital. Lin Meirong would rather suffer for a while than to go back to the h.e.l.l hole she came from; in the countryside. She didn"t think she would be able to live in that remote area again.
She faced the attendants and lowered her head and apologized.
"I"m sorry. I realized now how hard I was to you. I didn"t mean to threaten you. I"m willing to pay for the damages."
"Damages that I didn"t cause at all!" She clenched her fist on her side until it turned white. Her nails digging painfully on her palms. Now, it"s time to find out how much money she had to lose today in exchange for her peaceful life.
"And of course, you can charge the damages on my tab." She took her credit card from her purse and handed it to one of the store attendants.
The young woman hesitated to accept the card and glanced on Shen Lingqing"s way.
"I-I… Miss Lin, are you sure about this. The dress costs a fortune." She said truthfully.
"It"s alright. You can charge it on my account." Lin Meirong cursed Shen Lingqing in her heart. None of these should have happened if only she was aware of her surroundings.
"Then we"ll charge 30,000RMB on your card, Miss Lin. Please follow me and pay at the cas.h.i.+er area."
Lin Meirong"s eyes nearly popped out from their sockets once she heard the amount. That was the biggest expenditure she"d ever made in her life! How come a dress that wasn"t as intricate and beautiful as those displayed in the showroom cost more? She didn"t understand it.
"30,000RMB? Are you sure?" No, this couldn"t be right. How could they charge her with that sum?
"Yes, Miss Lin. This is just the base price since we haven"t put the crystals and sequins in place. You see, the dress isn"t completed yet. The finished product would cost you 100,000RMB and since it"s not done and the base skirt was ruined. You only need to pay the base price."
Lin Meirong suddenly felt dizzy. Whether it was because of her pregnancy and hormones or because of the insane price she was about to lose, she wasn"t sure, but heck, did the demon princess just sucked out money from her?
She stumbled back and sat at the bench near her. She could feel her heart racing and suddenly felt dizzy. Why was she so unlucky today? Thinking about it she also started her day on the wrong side of the bed.
She had to pay 30,000RMB for her freedom? This was ridiculous! This was daylight robbery but no one was standing up for her.
As if her day couldn"t go any worse than this, Li Chuntao stepped out of the dressing room and overheard the commotion outside. She was wearing a red line styled dress that ended on top of her knees.
No one seemed to notice her presence except for Shen Yuyan and Su Ling who"d seen her leaving the dressing room she occupied earlier. Both of them wondered what took her so long to show herself to see Lin Meirong.
With a curious tone, she called after Shen Lingqing affectionately.
"Qingqing? What"s the matter? I heard you from the dressing area. You sounded upset." Li Chuntao tried her best to mimic Ying"s angelic voice that people were familiar with which was very convincing to everyone"s ears.