Hearing the SA's slightly mocking tone, Wang Yixin wished she could crawl into a hole and disappear.
Damn that Wu Jun—how dare he give her a fake! Now she’d made a complete fool of herself in front of Zhou Yi!
Wang Yixin was so embarrassed she didn’t know what to do.
Zhou Yi asked, "A friend gave it to you?"
Wang Yixin could only nod awkwardly. "Yeah... I never expected him to give me a fake. He’s supposed to be a rich kid, too."
The SA laughed again. "These days, who knows if these so-called rich kids are even real? Students like you shouldn’t be shopping here. This isn’t the place for you."
Zhou Yi raised an eyebrow. "What’s that supposed to mean? You think we can’t afford it?"
The woman looked down her nose at them. "The real thing is way more expensive than fakes, kid. How much pocket money do you even get a month? Save it for food."
In this line of work, many sales associates judged customers by their clothes and appearance to decide whether they could actually afford the luxury goods.
The staff at high-end boutiques practically wore their snobbery on their sleeves.
Zhou Yi replied flatly, "How expensive? More than what you make standing here for a month?"
His words struck a nerve.
The woman immediately sneered, "Why don’t you head left when you leave? There are some budget makeup stores over there that’d suit you better. We’re a luxury brand—not for your kind."
Her condescending attitude pissed off both Zhou Yi and Wang Yixin.
Wang Yixin was so mad she wanted to curse her out, but Zhou Yi stopped her. With a lazy, dismissive tone, he shot back, "Chanel might be high-end, but you sure aren’t, auntie."
"After being ‘served’ by you, even Chanel feels cheap."
"Whatever, let’s just go to CL next door."
The woman’s face twisted in fury.
"What did you just call me? Auntie? How dare you!"
She scoffed. "You two losers with your fake goods think you can afford CL? Don’t make me laugh."
Zhou Yi smirked and didn’t bother arguing further. He simply took Wang Yixin to the CL counter.
The CL SA was dressed more elegantly, wearing a sleek black blazer with an air of sophistication, her smile warm and welcoming.
"Good evening, sir and miss. Welcome to CL. What kind of product are you looking for today?"
This sales associate’s professionalism was miles ahead of the one at Chanel—at least she didn’t judge customers by their outfits.
Wang Yixin whispered, "Can we just look around without buying anything?"
She was worried Zhou Yi couldn’t afford it and didn’t want them to be looked down on again. If they didn’t like any shades, they could just leave—at least they’d tried.
The SA smiled gently. "Of course. What kind of shades do you usually prefer? I can recommend some..."
Her kindness instantly won over Wang Yixin and Zhou Yi. This was how a salesperson should act.
Wang Yixin tried on a few shades the SA recommended in front of the mirror. One of them was a color she really liked, but the brand’s lipsticks cost over a thousand. She never expected Zhou Yi to actually buy it for her.
After all, they weren’t even dating—who would be that generous?
"Do you like this one?"
"Mmm... Maybe we should find a dupe at another counter. CL’s stuff is expensive."
Zhou Yi chuckled at how carefully she was tiptoeing around his pride. He pulled out his card and handed it to the SA.
"We’ll take this one. Card payment."
"Right away, sir."
Without a single doubt, the SA accepted the card with a smile and went to process the payment.
Wang Yixin gasped. "Zhou Yi, this brand’s lipstick costs 1,800!"
Zhou Yi glanced coolly at the Chanel SA still glaring at them, then winked at Wang Yixin. "Don’t you want to rub it in that woman’s face?"
Wang Yixin grinned. "I do, but a lipstick this expensive... It’s like smearing gold on my lips."
Zhou Yi patted her head. "Relax. This amount is nothing to me."
Who knows? Maybe some of that money even came from you.
Wang Yixin’s favorability toward him had to have gone up after this purchase.
"Next time, be more careful about who you befriend. Someone who gives fakes isn’t worth your time."
"Actually, it was from my ex. He was a rich kid too—I never thought he’d be so stingy."
"From our school?"
"Yeah, Wu Jun from our class. You’ve heard of him, right?"
"Ah... him."
Rumor had it he was some loaded rich kid with a flock of girls chasing him—though everyone knew what they were really after.
"Good thing I only dated him for a month."
"Why’d you break up?"
"He asked for something I wasn’t comfortable with. We’re still students—I didn’t want to be reckless."
Zhou Yi understood what she meant.
Probably that Wu Jun had pushed for sex after just a month. When Wang Yixin refused, he dumped her—after all, he had no shortage of options.
"Sounds like you dodged a bullet. A guy who gives fakes after a month? Doubt he’s even a real rich kid."
"Yeah, I bet he’s fooled tons of girls. What a scumbag. Tomorrow, I’m throwing that fake Chanel right in his face."
"Sir, your lipstick has been packaged. We’ve included some complimentary samples and testers. Have a wonderful day."
"Thanks, sis! We’re heading out now."
"My pleasure. It was a joy serving you."
As Zhou Yi and Wang Yixin passed the Chanel counter, the girl deliberately stopped in front of it. She pulled out the lipstick and applied it while checking her reflection.
"Zhou Yi, does CL look good on me?"
"Gorgeous. Way better than some cheap knockoffs."
The woman who’d mocked them earlier turned red with anger but couldn’t say anything nasty.
These two had bought a CL lipstick in under five minutes—they clearly had money, especially the guy.
Now she regretted her earlier arrogance. That sale could’ve been hers.
Forcing a smile, she asked, "Would you like to see our new lipstick shades? The colors are lovely—perfect for the young lady."
Zhou Yi had to admire how quickly salespeople could flip their attitudes the moment they sniffed money.
He smiled faintly. "No thanks. My Yixin doesn’t use cheap stuff. Come on, Yixin—let’s not catch any bad vibes."
Wang Yixin giggled. "Auntie, you’re not that old, right? How come you’ve got so many wrinkles? Maybe Chanel’s skincare line isn’t cutting it. You should try the store next door."
Then she gasped dramatically, covering her mouth in faux apology. "Oh! Silly me—I forgot your salary probably can’t cover that. So sorry~"
After thoroughly roasting the snobby saleswoman, Wang Yixin left the mall in high spirits, arm in arm with Zhou Yi.
"Brother, let me treat you to dinner tonight. I feel bad for making you spend so much."
"No need, I have something else to do this evening. Maybe next time."
"What are you going to do, Brother? It’s not to meet some other pretty girl, is it?"
Wang Yixin pouted, her eyes lingering on him with reluctance.
Zhou Yi pulled out his phone to show her. "I’ve got an appointment with a real estate agent to check out a property. Here, see the record."
"Purple Bay... You’re buying a house?"
"Yeah, and the appointment’s almost due. I won’t be able to walk you home."
"Alright then, goodbye, Brother!"
Wang Yixin rose on her tiptoes and pressed a soft kiss to Zhou Yi’s cheek.
Before leaving, Zhou Yi tapped her lips lightly and said, "Since you’re wearing the lipstick I gave you, these lips aren’t for anyone else to kiss. Otherwise, Brother won’t be happy."
His gaze was deep and mesmerizing, and for a moment, she felt lost in it.
They weren’t even in a relationship, yet she couldn’t help wanting to obey him.
Wang Yixin’s heart and eyes were filled with nothing but Zhou Yi. She smiled sweetly and agreed, "Okay, only for Brother to kiss."
In this game of subtle tension, Zhou Yi had already taken the upper hand.