Chapter Thirteen: The Snobbish Woman

Downtown Moonsea City, on the pedestrian street.

Inside an upscale clothing store, Lin Chen watched as Leng Hanyan emerged wearing yet another outfit.

Deep blue denim shorts revealed a pair of endlessly alluring long legs, paired with a pink short-sleeved top and black leather shoes adorned with fringes.

A simple ensemble, yet every man and woman in the store looked on with admiration.

Leng Hanyan twirled before Lin Chen and then eagerly asked, “Lin Chen, how do I look in this one?”

Lin Chen repeated the phrase he had uttered dozens of times today: “Pretty good.”

Annoyed, Leng Hanyan rolled her eyes. “Why do you always say that? No sincerity at all! Can’t you change your words for once?”

Lin Chen sighed helplessly. “Sis, you’re naturally beautiful; anything you wear looks great. It really is pretty good. But we’ve been shopping for hours, and you haven’t bought a thing. What’s the point? Aren’t you tired?”

He found that accompanying a woman on a shopping trip was far more exhausting than fighting or healing.

Leng Hanyan pouted. “You’re not satisfied, are you? Women always shop like this. I’m happy just to get out and shop. It’s not often I get the chance. Are you really complaining about accompanying a great beauty like me? Forget it, it’s getting late. How about you help me pick out an outfit? Let’s see how good your taste is.”

Hearing this, Lin Chen didn’t refuse. He just wanted to finish shopping quickly and go home. He browsed the store and chose several items—all black: black high heels, a short leather skirt, a tank top, a leather jacket, and a black military-style cap.

He didn’t overthink it, only feeling that Leng Hanyan’s aura of “strangers keep away” suited black perfectly—mysterious and alluring. The clothes were finely made, so he picked them.

However, Leng Hanyan’s expression turned strange when she saw the selections. “Lin Chen, you don’t happen to like playing some kind of queen role-play, do you?”

Her cheeks flushed slightly as she said this, and before Lin Chen could respond, she took the clothes into the fitting room.

Lin Chen looked at her background, speechless. Queen role-play? What nonsense.

He hadn’t really thought about that. But if she thought so, why was she trying them on? Perhaps deep down, she was willing to tempt him with a queenly allure?

Though uncertain, he felt a flicker of anticipation—what would the tall, sexy Leng Hanyan look like in these outfits?

As Lin Chen pondered this, a voice sounded near his ear—surprised and mocking.

“Lin Chen, what are you doing here?”

He turned and saw someone he least wanted to encounter.

Zhang Jing, an employee of Qixing Model Company, a former colleague of Lin Chen’s, fairly attractive and well-figured.

Lin Chen didn’t want to see her because he harbored a deep dislike for her.

She had joined the company after him, starting as an intern fresh out of school, knowing little. Lin Chen had helped her a lot, and they became close.

He didn’t mind then, though many in the company gossiped that they were dating. It wasn’t true, and he paid no attention.

But after she became permanent staff, she started dating a rich second-generation heir and acted as if she were superior. Later, in public, she even called Lin Chen a toad who never went to college, saying they could never be together.

Lin Chen had no particular feelings toward her, but recalling her pitiful act during the internship and comparing it to her later arrogance made him feel cold.

Zhang Jing showed no embarrassment upon seeing him; she grabbed the man beside her and said, “Darling, this is my former colleague Lin Chen.”

Lin Chen noticed the man was no longer the rich heir from before; clearly, she had switched to someone else. It was none of his concern, and he ignored them.

The man was about thirty. Hearing Zhang Jing, he glanced at Lin Chen’s clothes and snorted dismissively, as if Lin Chen wasn’t worth a word.

Lin Chen thought, “Dogs judge by appearance. Birds of a feather flock together.”

Zhang Jing continued, “Lin Chen, you haven’t been to work these days. Didn’t they fire you?”

Her words sounded caring but were laced with disdain. “Although the job doesn’t pay much, you didn’t even go to college. What can you do? Go work on a construction site? You’re so scrawny, even they wouldn’t want you.”

Lin Chen replied coldly, “What I do is none of your business. Mind your own.”

“You...” Zhang Jing acted as if insulted, snorting, “Lin Chen, don’t be ungrateful. Someone like you can only be a migrant worker at best. Do you think working in a company makes you a white-collar intellectual? What qualifications do you have to be arrogant? Do you know how much my darling earns a month? He makes more than you do in a month!”

“Enough. Why waste words on someone like this? Look at what he’s wearing—probably bought online for twenty or thirty bucks. Arguing with him only lowers our standards,” the man beside her said impatiently.

“Got it, darling,” Zhang Jing replied with a coy smile, making Lin Chen feel sick.

She sneered at Lin Chen and said to the man, “When I first joined the company, I talked to him a few times. He actually thought I liked him and kept pestering me for no reason. How shameless! Doesn’t he know what kind of person he is?”

Her man looked at Lin Chen disdainfully and lectured, “Young man, you have to know your place. Don’t just chase after anyone pretty! This world values ability. If you don’t have it, don’t fool yourself, or you’ll just become a joke!”

Lin Chen laughed. “I think you’re mistaken. I never had feelings for a woman like her! Even if she stripped naked and climbed into my bed, I’d kick her off—don’t want her taking up space. Women like her sleep with whoever has money. I’m not a prude, but I find it disgusting.”

Zhang Jing, like a cat whose tail was stepped on, snapped, “Nonsense! Who’s disgusting? Who do you think you are? Me crawling into your bed? You’re just a poor nobody! I’ll tell you, you’ll only ever find some ugly nobody to settle down with! Someone of my caliber—don’t even dream of reaching that level!”

She sneered as if she had Lin Chen’s fate all figured out—doomed to live and die with a so-called ugly nobody.

Then a cool, gentle voice spoke: “Oh? This is the first time someone’s called me an unwanted ugly nobody. How rare.”