Li Chuntao had heard Lin Meirong even before Shen Lingqing tried to sink her fang on her willing prey. It was just that she was curious how the actress would react under Shen Lingqing"s scrutiny. As she listened to the commotion outside the dressing area, she tried several outfits and checked herself on the ma.s.sive mirror.
If she didn"t know Shen Lingqing, Li Chuntao wouldn"t a.s.sume that the demon princess had tricked the b.i.t.c.h to bleed money for her. She was pretty sure that the dress, even if it wasn"t owned by Shen Lingqing, would still be used against Lin Meirong.
Heh, Shen Lingqing wouldn"t be called a demon princess for nothing. Regardless of the situation, she would be able to turn the tide to her advantage. Li Chuntao quite liked the younger woman"s way of dealing with Lin Meirong. Not only did the Shen princess put them in their right place but was able to rip a hefty amount of money from the actress without batting an eyelid.
Thirty thousand was nothing for the likes of Shen Lingqing and Li Chuntao but for Lin Meirong, that was a huge chunk of money that would surely leave a dent on her account. It would take her some time before getting back the amount she lost today from the demon princess.
After hearing everything, Li Chuntao decided to step out to see Lin Meirong herself under the pretense that she was Li Xiuying.
"Sister Ying." It was Shen Lingqing who greeted her. "It"s nothing I couldn"t deal with."
Still, Li Chuntao didn"t shed the face of a worried friend towards Shen Lingqing. She stood beside the Shen princess and looked at the two women who were visibly shaking from being subjected to the demon princess"s ire.
"What was the issue then?" She asked.
Looking at Lin Meirong"s face, Li Chuntao couldn"t deny that she had a face that could tempt men to fall on their knees to serve her. It wasn"t the kind of beauty that Li Xiuying possessed. Her sister"s beauty could make everyone think that they saw an angel.
"My dress for the event was ruined and Miss Lin here volunteered to pay for the damages." Shen Lingqing told her. "That"s quite admirable on her part."
Those who"d been watching the commotion from the start couldn"t help but think of how twisted Shen Lingqing was. There was no doubt that she was the one who initiated it but how shameless she was to force Lin Meirong to pay up.
"Ah, I"m glad the issue was settled amicably." Li Chuntao then turned to the three store attendants. "I hope none of you was badly hurt although running within the store filled with patrons, no matter how busy you were shouldn"t have happened." She reminded them.
The three bowed their heads simultaneously to Li Chuntao.
"We"re sorry. We admit our fault and promise not to do it again." They repeatedly said.
Shen Lingqing waved a hand and turned around.
��Alright. Alright. Everything is settled, go back to work unless you want to face the consequences of your actions." She said out of boredom. She yawned behind her hand and slumped on one of the leather couches set for the customers, away from Lin Meirong and her companion.
The three attendants scattered away, afraid that Shen Lingqing would turn her irritation on them. While they feel bad for Lin Meirong having to pay such an amount, they also remember how she tried to bully one of them.
How lame. She was hoping that Lin Meirong would show some backbone but she disappointed her miserably. How could this woman be compared with the deceased Li Xiuying? Mu Jianyu must have lost his mind by replacing Sister Ying with this kind of woman. Shen Lingqing thought.
Seeing that they fled, Li Chuntao turned her attention back on the subject of her revenge. She suppressed the urge to grin as she looked at Lin Meirong"s face who was trembling in her seat as she stared back at her with wide eyes.
"Ah, she mustn"t be expecting to see me before the banquet." Li Chuntao a.s.sumed.
Anyway, it had only been a month since Li Xiuying"s pa.s.sing and Li Chuntao"s small wounds were almost healed. This was the first time she stepped out in public as Li Xiuying and had been doing great in her disguise.
"Miss, are you alright?" She called after the actress.
Lin Meirong swore that lady luck wasn"t on her side because of the misfortunes she had today. It was already a bad thing that she met Shen Lingqing today but who would have thought that the one person she was hoping not to see appeared in front of her.
She didn"t think she would be able to face Li Xiuying at this time. How was she supposed to talk to her?
"I-I"m alright." Lin Meirong hesitated to answer. She broke into a cold sweat and let out an awkward smile. She certainly shouldn"t come here. If she didn"t, she wouldn"t have to meet Shen Lingqing and Li Xiuying at the same time.
Li Chuntao smirked inwardly. Lin Meirong looked at her as if she"d seen a ghost. It was as if she couldn"t wait for a chance to escape from here. Her shoulders were tense and her breathing quickened. It was as if she was about to have a panic attack at any moment.
It was at that moment that Xia Yuhan came back with a confused expression on her face. She looked at Li Chuntao then turned to the Shen sisters who"d been conversing with each other in low voices.
Shen Lingqing had a scowl on her face while Shen Yuyan was giggling beside her on the couch. Xia Yuhan had no idea what was up with her lady boss"s children right now.
"Qingqing, I heard what happened…" The attendants reported the situation between Shen Lingqing and Lin Meirong to her and the older woman hurried to see if they were fighting. She wouldn"t hear the end of it if Lu Xinyi found out later.
"Auntie, it"s fine. No need to get fl.u.s.tered over such trivial matters." Shen Lingqing ran her hands through her silky black hair and sighed. "Miss Lin and I agreed to settle the problem already."
"So much for seeking entertainment. How boring." She thought.
Upon mentioning Lin Meirong"s name, Xia Yuhan saw Li Chuntao wearing a sleeveless dress from one of her latest collections. She was standing near Lin Meirong who was being consoled by her companion.
"Oh, Ying. Do you remember Miss Lin now?" She twined her arm with Li Chuntao and gently brushed Chuntao"s fringe with her fingers, hiding the redness on her temple.
The horror that washed through Lin Meirong was indescribable. She"d almost forgotten that "Li Xiuying" had forgotten everything including the truth behind her past. Having heard what Xia Yuhan said, she couldn"t help but be afraid of the possibility that Li Xiuying had regained her memories in a short span of time.
"Miss Lin?" Li Chuntao asked back with a slight frown. "I don"t know who you"re talking about, Auntie."
"Really?" Xia Yuhan blinked twice then s.h.i.+fted her gaze from Li Chuntao"s face to Lin Meirong. She a.s.sumed that Ying was able to recognize Lin Meirong since she knew her name. "And here I thought you"ve recognized her."
Li Chuntao lowered her eyes and tilted her head to look at Lin Meirong.