Chapter 1585 - 1599: Women Who Love to Compete

Chapter 1585: Chapter 1599: Women Who Love to Compete

"Oh wow, it’s meal time again before I even noticed. What should I eat today?"

Lin Mu yawned. Just as he was tangled up over where to go for dinner, a familiar voice sounded by his ear. ℯℯ𝑙.

"Ah Li, what are you doing here? These are all international luxury brands..."

"What’s wrong with luxury brands? Just because we can’t afford them doesn’t mean we can’t look and feast our eyes."

Lin Mu turned around and saw Lei Xiaojiao walking this way with a stylishly dressed girl. Pink short-sleeved top with light blue straight-leg jeans, casually showing off a perfect body curve. Her pretty face had a delicate light makeup on, her ponytail at the back was let down and cut into shoulder-length choppy hair. She looked a bit less heroic now, with more soft, pure girly vibes.

"You find this fun?" Lei Xiaojiao said with a bitter smile.

"You don’t get it, do you? Fashion is all about looking more, knowing more. Otherwise how are you supposed to mix with high society, how are you going to bag yourself a rich husband?" Zhu Xiaoli glanced around, suddenly spotted Lin Mu sneaking away like a thief, and casually said, "Look at him—tacky taste, sloppy image, my god! He even goes out in flip-flops. Any halfway decent-looking girl would dodge a loser like this as if he’s contagious! If he can marry some village girl to warm his bed in this lifetime, that’d already be a win."

"Ha, you’re not a kid anymore, why is your mouth still so poisonous? People didn’t even offend you... ah... Lin Mu!"

Lei Xiaojiao turned her head, and her smile instantly froze on her face.

"Seriously? You can recognize me like this?" Lin Mu’s mouth twitched. Now that Lei Xiaojiao had seen him, walking away would look super guilty, so he took off his big sunglasses, forced a smile and walked over. "Heh heh, beauty, hello there!"

"Since when were we close?"

When she called out Lin Mu’s name just now, Lei Xiaojiao already kind of regretted it. After all, what happened between them was pretty tangled and suffocating, and she still didn’t know how to face him. But the moment Lin Mu opened his mouth with that stranger-like tone, a wave of grievance rose in her heart, and her pretty face cooled down on the spot.

"Uh!" Lin Mu froze, a little confused. Did he mistake her for someone else? Wasn’t she that long-legged, slim-waisted, gorgeous police beauty?

"Sister Xiao Jiao, you two know each other?" Zhu Xiaoli asked suspiciously.

"Hmph!" Lei Xiaojiao curled her lips in a cold sneer, just about to speak, when a fake-friendly laugh floated over from a distance. "Xiao Jiao, long time no see, I didn’t expect to run into you here, what a coincidence."

The speaker was a woman about the same age as Lei Xiaojiao. Her face wasn’t top-tier, but her skin was fair and her figure was sexy. Add to that a full outfit of luxury brands from head to toe, and her swaying catwalk did catch quite a few eyes.

Right now, she was affectionately holding the arm of a middle-aged man. Clearly a "successful person": Armani shirt, Louis Vuitton leather shoes, and a Patek Philippe worth several hundred thousand on his wrist. This gear made Zhu Xiaoli feel a wave of jealousy, and she muttered under her breath, "Homewrecker, hooked another rich sucker..."

"Zhang Mei, weren’t you in Wancheng? When did you come back?" Lei Xiaojiao forced a little smile.

The three of them had known each other since school. Normally, old classmates reunion should be a happy occasion. But both Lei Xiaojiao and Zhu Xiaoli didn’t look too thrilled. It’s a long story, but basically it’s just those petty conflicts between women. The main thing was, Zhang Mei holds grudges way too hard—every time she gets the chance, she’ll mock the two of them without giving any face, as if she’s determined to make up for the embarrassment she suffered back in school.

"Hehe, I just got off the plane yesterday." Zhang Mei said with a squinty smile, then acted like she’d only just seen Zhu Xiaoli and exclaimed, "Oh! Isn’t this Ah Li? Why are you hiding at the back, made People almost miss you."

Zhu Xiaoli curled her lips. "Who’s hiding? I’m just worried seeing you will ruin my appetite."

As if not noticing Zhu Xiaoli’s attitude, Zhang Mei flirtatiously brushed aside the hair over her forehead and said, "Come on, Xiao Jiao, let me introduce you. This is my boyfriend, Liu Dong, the boss of Gem Company. He’s a social celebrity in the Central Plains. The young talents he knows are countless. Oh right, Xiao Jiao, you’re still single, right? Why don’t you let Liu Dong introduce a few to you? We’re all sisters here, no need to be shy."

"Thanks for the offer, but I think I’ll pass..." Lei Xiaojiao shook her head, ready to say goodbye and leave.

Ever since school days, Zhang Mei had believed Xiao Jiao stole her boyfriend, and she’d held onto that grudge. Every time they met, she would always, openly and secretly, use Xiao Jiao’s single status to jab at her. If she stayed any longer, who knew what nasty remarks Zhang Mei would come up with.

"Are your eyes broken? Who said People is single." Just then, Zhu Xiaoli spoke up. She yanked over Lin Mu, who was just standing around watching, and pushed him to stand next to Lei Xiaojiao. "This is Xiao Jiao’s boyfriend, a manager at Su’s Great Enterprise. You know Su’s Great Enterprise, right? That’s one of Dongguang’s famous name-brand companies. They just formed a powerful alliance with an international giant like Robert, business is booming..."

Although Yunhai had run into a crisis some time ago, not many people actually knew. To outsiders, it was still a giant, the pride of the Pearl River Delta. Of course, Zhu Xiaoli would never imagine that the random "extra" she grabbed was really someone from Su’s Great Enterprise—just not nearly as high up the ladder.

"Sigh, Ah Li, why do this to yourself? Even if you’re going to brag, at least find someone who looks the part. Just look at him..."

Glancing at Lin Mu, Zhang Mei shook her head and sighed with a face full of "can’t bear to look."

"Seriously, is this what they call ’getting shot while lying down’?" Lin Mu rolled his eyes but stayed quiet.

Zhu Xiaoli’s expression hardened, and she couldn’t help snapping, "What do you mean by that?"

"What can I mean? I’m just feeling sorry for Xiao Jiao, that’s all. Her situation might not be great, but it’s not so bad she has to wrong herself like this, right?" Zhang Mei said, theatrically sighing.

"You..." Zhu Xiaoli was about to retort when Lei Xiaojiao suddenly spoke. "Ah Li, drop it! We finally have some time out, let’s keep shopping. I heard that Hermes boutique up ahead just stocked a bunch of new bags..."

"Really? Hermes is one of my favorite brands too. Why don’t we all go take a look?"

Before she could finish, Zhang Mei cut in, a subtle mocking glint flashing across her delicately made-up oval face.

She knew their situation perfectly well: Zhu Xiaoli was a white-collar at a small company, and Lei Xiaojiao was a detective. The two of them together only make a few thousand a month. Even if they didn’t eat or drink, they still couldn’t afford a new Hermes ladies’ bag...