Yi Wulan’s reply came back not long after: 【Don’t even think about it. You can’t get out.】
After seeing Yi Wulan’s message, Mu Yanxi felt a breath catch in her throat, stuck and unable to move.
She stood by the window, watching the birds circling freely outside.
Whether she could get out or not, was that the point?
Did she not know that there were bodyguards stationed at the door and downstairs?
The point was clearly her obvious signals of affection and desire for closeness. How could Yi Wulan not see them?
Ever since they met, Yi Wulan had been guarding against her like a thief. Didn’t she know that special abilities couldn’t be transferred from a distance? It was so troublesome for her to have to make up excuses every time.
Forget it. Stay calm, stay calm.
Mu Yanxi took a deep breath, comforting herself that Yi Wulan had just been single for too long and was a bit slow, unable to react for a moment.
She continued tapping on the screen: 【(crying puppy.jpg)】
【Elder Sister, you must be tired after a long day of work. How about I give you a massage tonight? (pitiful soybean emoji)】
Yi Wulan: 【Not tired.】
Mu Yanxi: …
On the topic of how to kill a conversation with a single sentence.
Yi Wulan was definitely a professional.
Fortunately, Mu Yanxi had a good temper and continued to salvage the precarious conversation: 【But I’m so tired. The hospital bed is not comfortable at all. I wonder if the blankets were sterilized? I’ve been so itchy since I woke up today.】
【Quick, take a look for me (photo.jpg).】
Mu Yanxi took a photo of her collarbone, cunningly positioning herself by the bed where the light was good to make her smooth, delicate skin look even more alluring. The area she photographed was just above her chest, enough to spark endless imagination.
Who knew Yi Wulan’s reply would be: 【You won’t have an allergic reaction if you stop using all those random skincare products.】
Mu Yanxi was left speechless again.
And so, the barely breathing conversation came to a complete end.
Mu Yanxi turned off her phone with a blank expression. Sometimes she felt that her elder sister, Mu Yanqing, must be lonely after not being in a relationship for so many years. But after interacting with Yi Wulan, she had come to terms with it.
Some people were just like stones that couldn’t be moved no matter how much you flirted with them. They didn’t deserve love.
Let it all be destroyed.
That afternoon, after Mu Yanxi’s persistent pleading, Mu Yanqing finally approved her discharge from the hospital. This marked the end of the punishment for Mu Yanxi’s unauthorized marriage.
After leaving the hospital, Mu Yanxi put on a mask and headed straight for Yuncheng’s largest luxury shopping center, ready to vent all the frustration from being rejected by Yi Wulan.
What can relieve sorrow? Only swiping a card.
The floors above the eighteenth in Huazhen were all luxury stores. Early June was the perfect time for new summer collections to arrive, and all the major haute couture brands had dazzling, refreshed displays.
Although every change of season, Mu Yanqing would directly fill her walk-in closet with the latest haute couture from major brands, so much that she couldn’t wear a new outfit every day even if she tried.
Often, a whole season would pass, and clothes worth hundreds of thousands or even millions might never have been graced by her presence.
But that’s how girls are. No matter how much they have at home, they can’t resist the urge to shop when they’re out. Within a few minutes, she had already racked up several purchases.
The sales associate at her side treated Mu Yanxi like the God of Wealth for this month’s sales target, surrounding her and showering her with a torrent of rainbow farts.
When she got tired of shopping, the associate thoughtfully prepared milk tea and small desserts for Mu Yanxi in the rest area. Mu Yanxi browsed casually, her gaze falling on the accessories section of the luxury store.
She was immediately taken with a pair of diamond earrings in the display case. When worn, their long tassels would touch the shoulders.
She remembered the first time she saw Yi Wulan. The other woman had been wearing a black slip dress, her long, black wavy hair cascading over her shoulders, exuding an air of noble indifference.
Yi Wulan had pierced ears but usually didn’t wear earrings. This pair was a bit more flamboyant than Yi Wulan’s usual accessories, shedding some of her understated elegance to make the wearer appear more radiant and striking.
But before she could call the sales associate over, an inopportune voice rang out, “Mu Yanxi, is that really you?”
Mu Yanxi looked up. The person who had just entered was Chi An, disguised from head to toe just like her, with Guan Zhou standing beside her, holding shopping bags.
Sure enough, extreme joy begets sorrow. The buzz on Weibo had only died down two days ago, and for the three of them to meet under these circumstances, wasn’t it a classic case of enemies crossing paths?
Mu Yanxi was the one who had been spotted. If Chi An had any intention of avoiding suspicion, she wouldn’t have called out to her. This was clearly looking for trouble.
Guan Zhou, after all, had played a couple with Mu Yanxi and had been part of a “shipped” CP with her, so he intended to say hello. Who knew that Chi An at his side was faster, already linking her arm with his the moment Mu Yanxi looked over.
The women’s brand shopping bags in Guan Zhou’s hands were very conspicuous. Chi An let out a laugh and leaned intimately against Guan Zhou, declaring her sovereignty like a rightful queen.
She had wanted to show off in front of Mu Yanxi, but unexpectedly, after a few seconds, not only did she not see a look of disappointment or resentment on Mu Yanxi’s face, she instead sensed… a hint of disdain in Mu Yanxi’s gaze towards the shopping bags?
Disdain?
What right did Mu Yanxi, an eighteenth-tier actress who couldn’t even secure her billing in a new drama, have to look down on her?
Chi An sized Mu Yanxi up and down. Under the dazzling lights, Mu Yanxi’s face seemed to be coated in a soft glow, so exquisite she hardly looked real.
She gritted her teeth. Looking at Mu Yanxi’s superior face, the jealousy that had been budding since they started filming together could no longer be suppressed. She laughed with a sarcastic, passive-aggressive tone:
“Mu Yanxi, I’m so sorry for stealing your spotlight. It must have forced you to find other ways, like shamelessly coming here to stage photos.”
Mu Yanxi couldn’t be bothered to respond to Chi An’s words and said coolly, “I was wondering why this store, which always uses sandalwood incense, suddenly has a scent of green tea. So it’s you, haunting me.”
Chi An’s face flushed red. “You!”
Chi An let go of Guan Zhou’s arm, only to be quickly pulled further inside by him. “An’an, don’t be angry. Let’s go inside first, okay? Someone might recognize you.”
Sure enough, Chi An calmed down within two seconds. She walked past Mu Yanxi with her head held high, and her eyes happened to fall on the same pair of earrings. She whined coquettishly while holding Guan Zhou’s arm, “This pair of earrings is nice. How would it look with the blue dress you just bought me?”
“Wait,” Mu Yanxi suddenly interrupted, speaking slowly. “I’ll take this pair of earrings.”
The anger Chi An had just managed to suppress flared up again with a whoosh. “Mu Yanxi, are you deliberately trying to oppose me?”
Mu Yanxi glanced over unhurriedly and said lazily, “What does it have to do with you that I’m buying my own things? Are you the only one allowed to like them?”
The store happened to have only the two groups of customers, and there was only one of each accessory. The sales associate stood between them, caught in a difficult position, not knowing what to do.
Mu Yanxi sat on the sofa. Chi An was standing very close to the display case, and she took the opportunity to glance at the price of the earrings. One hundred and eighty-eight thousand, a very auspicious number, but it exceeded her psychological budget.
For artists like her and Guan Zhou, who hovered between the second and third tiers, this price for a pair of earrings wasn’t exorbitant, but it would still sting.
Chi An calmed down for a moment, her gaze shifting to Mu Yanxi.
Even she felt the price was a bit high. How could Mu Yanxi, an eighteenth-tier actress with nothing but good looks, no background, and whose billing she could easily snatch, possibly afford them?
Her mood instantly brightened. She looked at Mu Yanxi with a charitable attitude, “Mu Yanxi, for the sake of us having been in the same cast, I’ll let you have these earrings.”
Hearing this, Mu Yanxi let out an “ah,” her eyes scanning the display case before a slow smile curved her lips. “I suddenly think the pair next to it looks better.”
The pair next to it only had a diamond in the very center, with the rest being metal tassels. Without even looking, she knew the price was less than half of the previous pair.
In that instant, Chi An suddenly understood something, and a sneer appeared on her face.
It was no secret that Mu Yanxi loved to steal pictures and show off fakes. A while ago, she had even posted a staged photo with a new limited-edition Porsche sports car. Who knew how the security at the car show even did their jobs?
She had been mocked by fans online time and time again, yet she still hadn’t learned her lesson. And today, she had been caught by her.
Thinking of this, Chi An no longer wanted to bother with a broke eighteenth-tier actress like Mu Yanxi. She arrogantly pulled Guan Zhou along to try on clothes in the store.
After much deliberation, they settled on two outfits, the price of which directly broke one million, causing Guan Zhou to hesitate for several seconds when it was time to pay.
Under Chi An’s expectant gaze, Guan Zhou gritted his teeth and took out his bank card, just about to hand it over, when Mu Yanxi’s voice suddenly came from behind them: “Wait.”
The two turned around to see Mu Yanxi standing up unhurriedly. “Everything they just picked out, I’ll take it all.”
After hearing this, Chi An ripped off her mask and cursed, “Mu Yanxi, if you’re sick in the head, go to the hospital. Don’t act crazy in front of me.”
She couldn’t even afford something that cost less than two hundred thousand just now, and now she was trying to show off in front of her by buying clothes worth over a million?
Mu Yanxi ignored Chi An completely and looked at the sales associate. “Do you have these items in stock?”
The sales associate shook her head. “Everything in the store is a one-of-a-kind piece. We only receive one of each. If you need another, we have to file a request, which will take at least a week.”
Ah.
That was just what she wanted.
Mu Yanxi’s lips curved into a smile, like a mischievous fox that had gotten its way. “I remember your store has a rule, right? When stock is limited, VIP customers get priority?”
Chi An was stunned. She had never heard of such a rule.
But in the next second, the sales associate nodded respectfully and replied, “Yes.”
Seeing the astonished look on Chi An’s face, Mu Yanxi finally revealed her true purpose for wasting so much time in this store, tilting her chin at Chi An in a way that was infuriating enough to kill:
“Oh dear, I’m so sorry. It seems all of these will have to go to me first.”
Under Chi An’s incredulous gaze, Mu Yanxi actually took a VIP card out of her bag and handed it to the sales associate. “This is the one, right? Do you need to verify it?”
“Mu Yanxi, you!”
“Yes, Miss. Please wait a moment.” The sales associate took the VIP card and went to the front desk to verify it.
In fact, before Chi An and her companion arrived, Mu Yanxi had already made several purchases without a moment’s hesitation. Although the sales associate didn’t know the drama between these three, compared to Chi An’s pair, she had no doubts about Mu Yanxi’s purchasing power.
The brand’s VIP card was magnetic and contained the cardholder’s information. The sales associate could tell it was real at a glance; verification was just a formality.
She proceeded to verify the card and add points for the customer as usual, but she never expected that when the cardholder’s information popped up, she almost cried out in shock.
The cardholder was not Mu Yanxi, but Yi Wulan, the president of Rongjia Group, which owned the Huazhen shopping center.
