Yu Jia froze as Lixue's words echoed in the suddenly quiet boutique. The crowd, initially murmuring in her favor, grew uneasy, their attention flickering between the gown and Yu Jia's increasingly strained expression.
Lixue, maintaining her poise, stepped away gracefully toward another rack, her indifference cutting through Yu Jia's carefully crafted performance.
Yu Jia stood there awkwardly, clutching the dress, her fingers tightening around the silk. She couldn't take it now—it would seem desperate, as though she'd bullied Lixue into giving it up. Yet leaving it behind would make her look foolish, as if she'd lost the upper hand.
The whispers began anew, but now the tone had shifted.
"Wait… she's not taking the dress?"
"Why's she just standing there?"
"Maybe this wasn't as one-sided as it seemed…"
