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Chapter 8: Buying Clothes Without Removing the Price Tag—Planning to Return Them?

Although Shen Huaichuan didn’t speak loudly, he happened to speak during a quiet moment of contemplation, so everyone in the room heard him clearly.

As soon as the words left his mouth, the atmosphere instantly froze. Everyone held their breath and stared gossipily at Xie Yanli — including Song Qiao.

Xie Yanli, however, said nothing. He nonchalantly lowered his head and took a sip of wine.

Seeing that Xie Yanli didn’t refute it, everyone took his silence as tacit admission. And since the words came from Shen Huaichuan, it was pretty much confirmed.

There was no shortage of quick thinkers in the room, and at this awkward moment, someone promptly tried to change the subject:
“Xin Hui, Song Qiao is in the same position as you — it’s your turn to drink.”

A ripple of emotion flickered in Jiang Xinhui’s eyes. She wasn’t sure whether being “in the same position” as Song Qiao was a good thing or bad, but at least it confirmed one thing: Xie Yanli’s one-night stand partner was not Song Qiao.

This thought eased much of the anger in her heart. She then took a small sip of wine in front of everyone.

However, after just one sip, she immediately frowned and began coughing uncontrollably. Covering her mouth with her hand, she looked like she simply couldn’t drink any more.

Then, with a troubled expression, she said, “I’m sorry, everyone. I really can’t hold my liquor. Could you all let me off just this once?”

What man present could resist the sight of Jiang Xinhui, a great beauty, pleading for mercy? One after another, they spoke up on her behalf.

“It’s just a game — no need to take it so seriously. If you can’t drink, then forget it.”

As soon as those words were spoken, however, the women present were not having it. They complained discontentedly:

“We can’t hold our liquor either, but we still drank earlier. You can’t just go easy on her because she batted her eyes at you. What’s the point of the game then?”

“Exactly! We drank properly just now. If you guys are so chivalrous, why don’t you drink these two glasses for her yourselves?”

Of course, the men were willing to play the hero and save the beauty — but with Xie Yanli sitting there, who dared?

As the stalemate dragged on, Jiang Xinhui turned her gaze toward Xie Yanli. There was a trace of longing in her eyes as she said,
“Yanli, I really can’t drink anymore. Could you help me finish the rest?”

Jiang Xinhui knew just how cold Xie Yanli was toward her, but with Song Qiao present, she couldn’t help but try. After all, she and Xie Yanli had spent ten years together in England. They had been classmates, and their families were long-time friends. She didn’t believe Xie Yanli would embarrass her in public.

Instinctively, Song Qiao glanced at Xie Yanli, suddenly curious about what he would do.

Everyone’s eyes darted between Xie Yanli, Song Qiao, and Jiang Xinhui. They were like melon-eaters in a gossip field, waiting eagerly for drama to unfold.

Just then, Xie Yanli’s phone rang. He pressed the answer button and got up to leave the private room to take the call — not sparing Jiang Xinhui a single glance.

Song Qiao’s previously tense body immediately relaxed. Although she had long since let go of Xie Yanli, for some reason, she still minded when he was kind to Jiang Xinhui. She figured it was because she still resented how, back then, the two of them had secretly gotten together behind her back — after all, Xie Yanli had been her first love.

As soon as Xie Yanli left, Shen Huaichuan also went to the restroom, and the atmosphere in the room lightened.

The game paused, and the girls sitting next to Jiang Xinhui started gossiping with her.

After all, she had just proactively asked Xie Yanli to drink for her — and with a man like him, unless your relationship was close, who would dare trouble him?

“Xinhui, what’s going on with you and the Crown Prince? Are you two together? Or just friends?”

“Yeah, Xinhui, tell us quickly! If you guys are really together, I can finally give up on this Crown Prince for good.”

Lin Rong’s comment instantly drew jeers from the others.
“Rong Rong, with your family background, you seriously think you could snag the Crown Prince? Keep dreaming.”

Lin Rong retorted indignantly,
“Hey, is it wrong to simply admire him? Xie Yanli is such an outstanding man — can any of you say you don’t think about him? But I’m realistic too; I know admiring him is pointless. After all, with a family like the Xies, only someone like Xinhui has a matching background.”

“Exactly. No woman is more suited to the Crown Prince than Xinhui.”

As they echoed each other, someone suddenly spoke with a mocking tone:
“Well, let’s not sell ourselves short. Didn’t Song Qiao once manage to snag this Crown Prince? Her family’s not even on the map in Beijing. If she could do it, why couldn’t we?”

Although Song Qiao wasn’t sitting close to them, their voices weren’t exactly quiet — and she heard every word.

“Yeah, back then, she wrote him at least a few hundred love letters, right? Her skin’s thicker than a city wall — not something just anyone can match.”

“Exactly. Who can compete with her? Her face must be reinforced with layers of steel and concrete. Probably even a nuclear bomb couldn’t crack it.”

Then a burst of shrill laughter echoed from their side.

Song Qiao had already found these petty, gossiping women annoying — especially Fu Yue, the one who’d made the “thick-skinned” comment. Back in school, Fu Yue had flaunted everything because her father was a nouveau riche and looked down on others while sucking up to the powerful. Song Qiao had disliked her long ago. Now that she was gossiping about her, how could Song Qiao tolerate it?

She stumbled to her feet and staggered over to them. Facing Fu Yue, she fired back:
“Yeah, my skin’s thick — but at least I had the courage to pursue the person I liked. No need for you to sit here gossiping and sticking your nose in. Instead of mocking others, why don’t you work on improving yourself? Especially your tacky sense of fashion. Otherwise, you’ll spend your whole life sulking in the corner, jealous of everyone else.”

Fu Yue shot up from her chair, eyes wide with indignation.
“Song Qiao, what’s that supposed to mean? What’s wrong with my style? I’m wearing Chanel’s latest collection, do you even know that?”

The people around them immediately gathered to watch the spectacle, their eyes sparkling with gossip.

Song Qiao gave a soft snort and slowly looked Fu Yue up and down.
“Fu Yue, from your earrings, necklace, clothes, bag, to your shoes — every single thing has the Chanel logo plastered on it. You’re so desperate for people to see your nouveau riche roots. Clothes and accessories are meant to serve people, not turn you into a walking billboard for brands.”

Fu Yue hated it most when people mocked her background. Her face instantly flushed red, and she gritted her teeth:
“Song Qiao, you’ve got some nerve calling yourself a true romantic. How long did you even date Xie Yanli before he went abroad? If he loved you, why didn’t he take you with him? I bet he’d been planning to go overseas for ages — he only dated you to kill time. After all, who turns down something delivered to their doorstep?”

Song Qiao’s expression turned ashen. She clenched her fists and spat out each word through gritted teeth:
“Fu Yue, who are you calling a pastime?”

“What? Hit a sore spot and got mad? You laugh at my nouveau riche background — is your family so much better? Don’t kid yourself. Xie Yanli was just playing with you. As for your breakup, I bet he got bored of you, and you only dumped him first to save face or try to lure him back.”

The moment she finished, Song Qiao raised her hand — smack! A resounding slap landed squarely on Fu Yue’s face.

Song Qiao didn’t hold back, and Fu Yue stumbled backward, nearly falling to the ground.

Clutching her swollen right cheek in front of everyone, Fu Yue shrieked:
“Song Qiao! You actually dared hit me? I’ll fight you!”

She lunged at Song Qiao, but before she could even raise a hand, Song Qiao grabbed a half-bottle of baijiu from the table and poured it over Fu Yue’s head.

Seeing the expensive Chanel outfit she’d spent tens of thousands on soaked in liquor, Fu Yue nearly exploded with rage.
“Aaah! Song Qiao! This outfit cost me tens of thousands — you better pay for it!”

Song Qiao calmly set the bottle back on the table and glanced at Fu Yue.
“That’s what you get for running your mouth. Serves you right.”

Jiang Xinhui, who had been watching the drama from the side, suddenly noticed Xie Yanli had returned. She quickly approached Fu Yue and gently advised:
“Yueyue, your clothes are soaked. You should take them off quickly, or you’ll catch a cold.”

A few other women, seeing this, helpfully tried to help Fu Yue remove her outer jacket. Fu Yue was about to refuse, but they had already taken it off for her.

As her jacket came off, a glaringly bright price tag was revealed underneath — and everyone froze.

Fu Yue’s face instantly turned red as she stammered,
“I… I was just…”

Song Qiao quickly caught on. Staring at Fu Yue, she bluntly asked:
“Buying clothes without removing the price tag? Planning to return them?”

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