Chapter 20: Diligently Playing the Role of the Disposable Supporting Character

Qin Xinxia hesitated. This was a new collection. Since she was attending Shang Beiming’s inauguration announcement and banquet, she couldn't just rent an outfit like she used to, could she?

This time, Shang Beiming intended to publicly announce that she was his girlfriend. If she still wore those rented, outdated clothes, wouldn't it make him look bad?

Just as Qin Xinxia was steeling herself to make the purchase, she heard Lin Xianxian’s voice:

"Tsk tsk, it’s just a thirty-five-thousand-dollar dress; why the hesitation? Clerk, I’ll take this one!"

The arrogant tone was unmistakably Lin Xianxian's. The smile on Qin Xinxia’s face vanished instantly as she turned around to look at her.

Li Tiantian also frowned immediately. Although she had gained some favorable impression of Lin Xianxian after hearing what happened in the restroom and later seeing Qin Xinxia being saved by Lin Xianxian’s fiancé, Shang Yang, the way Lin Xianxian just spoke was simply... hard to like. After all, she and Qin Xinxia had witnessed too many of Lin Xianxian’s past misdeeds. Both of them tensed up. Qin Xinxia, in particular, no longer believed that Lin Xianxian had truly wanted to save her earlier.

"I saw this dress first."

Lin Xianxian said disdainfully, "So what? You’ve been hesitating for nearly five minutes, haven't you? Is this little bit of money really worth it?" She turned to the clerk, "Did you hear me? I said I’ll take it!" She brandished her black card.

The clerk, who had been addressed as a mere "clerk," didn't have a good impression of Lin Xianxian either. Looking at Qin Xinxia, she said, "This customer saw it first."

Qin Xinxia stared at the black card in Lin Xianxian’s hand and sneered, "So what if I’m poor? At least my money is earned through my own hard work. And you? You just have a better background and inherited wealth from previous generations. Lin Xianxian, don't forget your parents' positions! If you shop this extravagantly, what happens if people start questioning your parents or it affects their work?"

[The female lead is surprisingly kind-hearted... My parents' jobs certainly don't pay enough for this, but did she forget that the Lin family has more than just ancestral wealth? My grandparents and parents alone have given me enough to live in luxury for a lifetime without ever working a day? Still... why would I tell her that?]

Lin Xianxian put on the face of a smug villain: "See this? This is a supplementary card Shang Yang gave me. What’s wrong with me spending my fiancé's money?"

Li Tiantian couldn't hold back anymore. Although she had some newfound goodwill toward Lin Xianxian, it hadn't reached the point where she could hear her inner thoughts.

"Lin Xianxian, are you proud of spending a man's money?!" Li Tiantian chimed in.

Lin Xianxian felt no shame; instead, she looked smug. "I am very proud. My fiancé is wealthy and extremely generous to me, unlike her... Qin Xinxia, your boyfriend didn't even give you a card to attend his banquet, forcing you to buy your own dress!"

Both Qin Xinxia and Li Tiantian were furious. Lin Xianxian ignored them completely and spoke to the clerk: "Are you deaf? Didn't I tell you to wrap it up? If you don't want this job, just say so! Where is the store manager? Have the manager come and serve me!"

The System, watching the atmosphere, couldn't hold back anymore: [Host, your acting... it’s as if it’s your true nature! You could be a movie queen!] It even sighed, [You have the face of a bullying, wicked supporting character down perfectly!]

Lin Xianxian: [...Shut up.] It wasn't easy following the plot!

Lin Xianxian’s attitude caused the clerk’s expression to shift, but the store manager had already hurried over obsequiously. "Miss Lin, please, right this way!"

Li Tiantian’s expression changed, and she said in disbelief, "We saw this dress first!"

"So what if you saw it first? You can't afford it, so whoever buys it first gets it!" Lin Xianxian’s words infuriated Qin Xinxia.

However, the manager seemed to recognize Lin Xianxian and was very eager to please her. He personally went over, packed the dress, and handed it to her. Lin Xianxian looked at Qin Xinxia and Li Tiantian with a triumphant, hateful expression.

[Host, the way you look right now, I want to kick you!]

Lin Xianxian’s smile stiffened, and she gritted her teeth internally: [System, don't test me or I’ll bite you!]

Across from them, Qin Xinxia was seething. Seeing the clerk looking at her with sympathy, she became thoughtful. Li Tiantian, deeply angry, was about to pull Qin Xinxia away when she heard Qin Xinxia scoff coldly: "If you like it, take it. It’s just a thirty-five-thousand-dollar dress; I didn't really like it much anyway."

As she spoke, Qin Xinxia picked up another piece, clearly a limited-edition new arrival.

[Here it comes, the female lead is using reverse psychology to make the cannon-fodder supporting character buy a pile of useless junk! Hehe, nice, let me see, I like this one too!]

Lin Xianxian was delighted internally, but outwardly she maintained her wicked persona: "I want this one too! Wrap it up!"

"Yes." The manager immediately signaled another clerk to step forward.

The previous clerk was now looking at Lin Xianxian with visible annoyance, feeling deep sympathy for Qin Xinxia, whose clothes were being snatched away again. Yet, Qin Xinxia, having lost another dress, didn't seem angry at all; she simply grabbed another one.

"Then I’ll take this one."

"Wrap this one up for me too!"

Every time Qin Xinxia picked up an item, Lin Xianxian immediately ordered the clerk to pack it. In less than three minutes, Qin Xinxia had picked out nearly twenty outfits, all of them limited editions with an average price of over fifty thousand. And Lin Xianxian had ordered all of them to be packed.

By now, the clerk and Li Tiantian noticed something strange, and their expressions toward the two were odd. It was obvious that Qin Xinxia was intentionally baiting Lin Xianxian into buying a mountain of clothes. And yet, this fool Lin Xianxian actually thought she had won, gloating and looking smug...

Even the clerk who originally disliked Lin Xianxian now looked at her with a hint of pity. "A brainless idiot"—that was the assessment everyone present had of Lin Xianxian.

At that moment, Feng Wuchen, who happened to be touring the store, looked in Lin Xianxian’s direction, stunned. What had he just heard?

"Mr. Feng, is something wrong?"

Feng Wuchen shook his head and smiled slightly. "It’s nothing. Just saw an acquaintance."

Inside the store, Lin Xianxian didn't notice that someone outside had overheard her thoughts; she was simply focused on playing her role as the cannon-fodder villain. After diligently having all the clothes Qin Xinxia wanted packed up, she looked at the triumphant expression Qin Xinxia was intentionally showing...

"I just wanted to say, as for these clothes... I don't like any of them!"