Chapter 506: Chapter 506: Labor in Vain
"My meaning is clear. This dress is destined for this lady, so it belongs to her. As for the price," the woman in the store looked at the female customer, a slight curve appeared at her lips as she spoke gently, "There’s no need. The dress is free for her. Only a woman as beautiful as this lady can bring out the beauty of this dress," the woman said while looking at Ariel.
"You’re just a clerk; what gives you the right to make such a decision? Bring your boss out and let them decide. I don’t believe you would give this dress away for free. Even if that was the original plan, seeing the price I’m offering could make you change your mind. If she thinks the offer isn’t high enough, I can raise it - two hundred thousand, three hundred thousand, even five hundred thousand, I can accept," the woman barked with a grim face.
"Bring your boss out and let them talk to me," the woman shouted loudly, completely losing her composure.
At this moment, the woman in the store dusted off nonexistent dust from her clothes, maintaining her composure as she faintly said, "I am the owner of this store. I believe this dress suits this lady perfectly. Rather than leaving my dress to collect dust on display, it is better to give it to someone who can truly showcase it. Is there any problem with me giving this dress to her? It might be your first time here, so you don’t know our store’s rules. Our clothes are never priced. If I think someone suits the attire, I’m happy to give it away for free. If I find someone unsuitable, even if the price is raised to millions, I won’t sell it. That’s the kind of person I am, and this is the kind of store I run."
The owner’s assertive words left the woman looking humiliated, as if she’d been stripped naked under the gaze of everyone.
"You dare, you all are ganging up to bully me, shameless! People like you in society are scum, failures. I’ll watch as you all have miserable lives," the woman angrily declared, pointing with her manicured nails at Xu Ke and the others.
"And you, I’ll watch how your store eventually goes bust. With a boss like you, I doubt your store is far from collapsing," she directed her venomous curses at the store owner.
The owner furrowed her brows, looking at the woman’s frustrated face, calmly saying, "Don’t worry, my store will continue to thrive for a long time. There’s no need for your concern."
Xu Ke and Ariel had no interest in engaging with the woman any further. They stood side by side, indifferently watching her antics without uttering a word.
The woman interpreted Xu Ke and Ariel’s silence not as disinterest but as yielding. Just as she was about to spew more nonsense, the man who had been quietly following her could no longer bear the three pairs of eyes on him and finally spoke up.
"Enough! Can’t you stop making a scene over a dress? Look at yourself, you’re no different from a shrew," the man shouted, tugging at the woman in an attempt to rein in her volatile temper.
"You’re yelling at me! How dare you? Who gives you the right to yell at me and call me a shrew? Do you believe I won’t go home and tell my dad to cut off support to your family? Without our family’s backing, what are you? What gives you the nerve to speak to me like that!" the woman retaliated with a cold sneer, glaring at the man.
"Fine, cut it off then. I’d rather my family go bankrupt and live in poverty than be a dog by your side any longer. You think you’re so good, but do you know how many people are laughing at you? I’m embarrassed to go out with you. You smugly think you’re great, but you’re just a monkey to others. From now on, our relationship is over. Stay here and embarrass yourself, I’m done serving you," the man, reaching his limit, finally erupted. He flung aside her hand, tossed all her purchases to the ground, and walked away decisively without looking back.
"What do you mean by those words? You stop and explain yourself!" Ignoring Xu Ke and the others, the woman, desperate to know what her boyfriend meant, abandoned everything on the floor and chased after him in her high heels.
The store door closed, but the three remaining could still hear the woman’s shrill voice and questioning.
A dramatic beginning to a dispute, ending with an absurd conclusion.
Once Ariel could no longer hear the woman’s voice, she finally spoke, "China is indeed an amazing place, so interesting, I like it very much." Her face held a lingering enjoyment, but soon she collected herself, a sweet, angelic smile gracing her features once again.
Although the owner insisted on not accepting Ariel’s payment, Ariel left the money for the dress with her and, at her request, posed for a few photos. Then she left with Xu Ke.
Ariel’s foreign looks attracted many glances. Although she enjoyed being the center of attention, she disliked anyone ruining the difficult-to-arrange date with Xu Ke. Hence, Ariel stopped wandering outside with Xu Ke and instead took him to a dessert shop, where the plant decor created a tiny world for just the two of them.
"Finally, no one’s staring at us. Baby, I’ve missed you so much. It’s been ages since we last met. I don’t want such long gaps between our meetings. Can we have a fixed time to see each other? This longing is hard to bear," Ariel rested her chin on her hands, her large, watery eyes full of hope as she looked at Xu Ke, nearly making him relent.
But Xu Ke sighed deeply, holding her hand tenderly as he said, "I want to see you too, but at this moment, we must be considerate. Yaoyao is mentally unstable; if she discovers any connection between us, I fear she might do something foolish. After all, she is my wife, who has been with me for many years. I cannot let anything happen to her. Can you understand? Once her mood stabilizes, I will come to see you regularly. Please bear with it for now, alright?"