Chapter 127: The Buffs Are All Stacked Up
"Miss, Miss Yun is choosing bags inside, and it might be a while before she comes out. You can wait here." After Yun Zijin left, a store assistant guided Qin Sitong to the rest area.
Qin Sitong hadn't purchased anything herself and didn't want to inconvenience Yun Zijin, so she obediently sat down. Soon, someone brought her tea and snacks. Although the SAs didn't recognize her, they knew she'd arrived with Yun Zijin, who was clearly a VIP client. Even if Qin Sitong couldn't afford anything, nobody gave her the cold shoulder. Friends of big-spending customers were also considered important guests.
Looking at the small pastries the SA brought, Qin Sitong felt her mouth water. She was about to pick up a fork and sample one when two girls walked through the Hermès entrance. They had been chatting, but on spotting Qin Sitong in the rest area, both looked surprised.
"Why is she here? Even eating the snacks reserved for VIPs," one said, arching an eyebrow.
"Who knows. She's pretty enough—maybe she's got some rich guy backing her," the other sneered. Their eyes flickered with mutual understanding, and after whispering some quick remark, they both strolled toward Qin Sitong.
"Since we're all roommates, it's our duty to help a dormmate who's going astray," one of the girls said with a mocking smile.
"Hey, isn't this Miss Qin, the only Imperial Capital local in our dorm?" the second girl chimed in. "What a coincidence, running into you in a store. Got yourself a boyfriend, hmm? Where is he? Introduce him to us—your dorm sisters can help you judge if he's good enough." Her tone was full of fake enthusiasm.
Qin Sitong hadn't expected this chance meeting. The two other occupants of their four-person dorm (Ren Hui and Li Cui) typically had an unfriendly relationship with her. Hearing their insinuations, she felt annoyed. Why must people assume she had to be with a boyfriend to go shopping?
"I'm single," she said curtly. "And whoever I came with isn't my boyfriend. Also, though we've been dormmates for three years, we really aren't close, so just treat me like a stranger."
Qin Sitong had spent three years in the same dorm but never liked these two. They flattered the powerful and looked down on the weak. Their dorm had basically split into two factions. She had no idea she'd run into them here at Hermès.
"Come on," one sneered. "We've shared a dorm for so long. If you really have a boyfriend, he should treat all your roomies to a meal. We're not demanding, just a friendly introduction. Or maybe…" She paused with a smug grin. "Maybe you and the man who brought you aren't in a normal relationship after all?"
Hearing that, Qin Sitong realized they were deliberately twisting her words. She'd clearly said she was single, yet they pretended not to hear. "I already told you—no boyfriend," she repeated icily.
The pair only got bolder. "Then how do you afford Hermès with no boyfriend? Your clothes look cheap. How'd you trick the staff into giving you tea and snacks?"
They couldn't pin rumors on her, so they shifted to direct confrontation. Qin Sitong scoffed. "Who knows? I didn't spend a penny. Why not ask them how I allegedly 'cheated' them?" She spread her hands, making a face of complete disdain.
The two girls fumed, but couldn't do anything to her. One gave a syrupy smile to the nearby SA, who had been standing beside Qin Sitong. "Hello there, she's our classmate. Her family isn't well-off, so she probably can't afford this store's goods. Don't be fooled."
But the SA merely kept her polite expression. "Hello, Miss. We serve every customer as per store policy, and there's no question of deception. If you'd like to enjoy the same tea and snacks, simply become a VIP client of our store."
"What? She hasn't spent a dime, and yet she's your 'VIP?'" the girl demanded, pointing a finger at Qin Sitong.
The SA's smile never wavered. "The lady accompanying her is a VIC client. Her friend is entitled to the same courtesy."
Those words hit with the force of a slap in Ren Hui's face. Her friend Li Cui didn't dare speak, letting Ren Hui handle the tension. Ren Hui, hearing that Qin Sitong's companion was a "VIC," suddenly looked livid. How could a "poor local" snag such an elite friend?
Meanwhile, Yun Zijin had chosen her bag in the so-called "little dark room" (the VIP area) and came out behind the SA. Spotting a hostile air in the store, she glanced over and saw Ren Hui and Li Cui standing near Qin Sitong, who looked cornered. At that exact moment, she saw Ren Hui raise her hand to slap Qin Sitong.
"Zero-One," she said sharply. Lingyi (a.k.a. Zero One) sprang into action, intercepting Ren Hui's hand before it struck Qin Sitong's face. Feeling someone grab her wrist, Ren Hui turned and found herself looking up at Lingyi's handsome, imposing figure. Her cheeks flushed immediately, the curses dying in her throat.
Relieved, Qin Sitong turned and saw Yun Zijin returning with a store assistant holding a packaged bag. "Ren Hui, you're pretty brave, huh—trying to start a fight even here?" Yun Zijin said calmly. She and Ren Hui had the worst relationship in the dorm. If Qin Sitong was merely disliked for being an unimpressive local, Yun Zijin was scorned for being poor, from G City, and having grown up in an orphanage. In Ren Hui's eyes, she was a perfect target to belittle.
Ren Hui rolled her eyes in contempt. "You look poorer than Qin Sitong. Yet you dare walk into a store like Hermès? The staff here must have strong stomachs—letting your stench of poverty cling to their products. I wouldn't buy anything that reeks of it," she ranted, ignoring the alarmed stares from other customers. Even Li Cui tried to tug at her sleeve to stop her, but Ren Hui ignored the hint.
Zijin stood silent a moment, letting her finish. Then she faced the SA behind her. "All done with my selection. Let's go pay."
Ren Hui blinked at that calm reaction; something felt off. "Huihui, please—stop," Li Cui hissed. "Their expressions are odd."
But before Ren Hui could heed the warning, she glared defiantly. "What's with those weird looks? I'm telling the truth. Are you too poor to buy anything? Or are you waiting for some sugar daddy?"
Seeing no reaction from them, she kept talking. Little did she know, her next words would never find traction.
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