Chapter 109: A Duel of Masters, Every Move a Trap
Bai Zhi looked herself over in the mirror, nodded, and brought the conversation to a close.
After buying the earrings, Wan Qing took Bai Zhi to one of her favorite clothing stores, where she got many of her outfits.
She picked out quite a few. Since she was a regular customer, a robot projected each outfit onto her virtually. In the end, Wan Qing selected more than a dozen outfits using the robot’s interface.
Once the clothes were selected, the system sent the order directly to the front counter. So, while Wan Qing was making her selections, Bai Zhi went to the checkout.
Bai Zhi gestured in Wan Qing’s direction and said to the receptionist, "Hello, I’d like to pay for all the clothes that female has selected."
The Sub-female receptionist glanced in the direction she had pointed and asked, "Are you referring to Wan Qing?"
Bai Zhi nodded.
The Sub-female receptionist checked the terminal for the outfits Wan Qing had selected. "Alright," she said, "the total is 1,867,600 Star Coins."
Bai Zhi paid immediately.
The Sub-female receptionist handed the receipt to Bai Zhi. "Here is your receipt."
When Wan Qing finished her selections and went to the front counter, she carried herself with her usual pampered air. Even her voice was tinged with arrogance. "Ring me up. And as usual, have it sent to my private residence."
After a quick confirmation, the Sub-female receptionist gestured toward Bai Zhi. "That female has already paid for you."
Wan Qing looked over at Bai Zhi, who gave her a small smile. A flicker of surprise appeared in Wan Qing’s eyes; she clearly hadn’t expected Bai Zhi to pay for her.
She walked over to Bai Zhi, frowning. "You paid for me?"
Bai Zhi stood up, a faint smile on her lips. "Where I’m from, we have a saying: Courtesy demands reciprocity."
She then briefly explained what the phrase meant.
After listening, Wan Qing repeated the phrase. Then, as if she were seeing Bai Zhi for the first time, she stared intently at her for a moment.
After a long moment, Wan Qing suddenly spoke. "You’re quite interesting. Far more interesting than those people who try to suck up to you with fake smiles. I’m actually starting to like you for real."
Bai Zhi accepted it with grace. "Thank you for the compliment."
Wan Qing smiled at her words.
Because of her father’s status, she was constantly surrounded by people trying to flatter her. Many gave her expensive clothes and jewelry, but without exception, they all had ulterior motives.
But Bai Zhi was the first person to be so straightforward and just say what she meant.
’The things she’d bought for Bai Zhi seemed numerous, but in reality, they weren’t all that expensive, adding up to just over a million Star Coins.’
’But this shop she frequented was the most expensive and famous one on the street. She hadn’t expected Bai Zhi to pay for her, much less to be so blunt about it. This whole "courtesy demands reciprocity" thing was really just her way of saying she didn’t want to owe her any favors.’
’After all, anything else was easy to pay back, but a personal favor was the hardest debt to clear.’
’So Bai Zhi didn’t want to be indebted to her...’
’It made sense. How could the wife chosen by a Beastman who was friends with Zelda be anything but remarkable?’
’In any case, Wan Qing now truly believed that when Bai Zhi told Zelda she wasn’t short on Star Coins, she really meant it.’
’Her mood instantly lightened.’
Wan Qing extended her hand to Bai Zhi with open sincerity. "Hello. Let’s reintroduce ourselves. I’m Wan Qing. I quite like you, and I hope we can be friends. I’m truly sorry for how I treated you earlier. I hope it won’t affect our chances of being friends."
Bai Zhi glanced at the offered hand and shook it with a smile. "Bai Zhi. I’d be glad to be your friend."
’It had taken this entire outing, but she’d finally gotten Wan Qing to see her in a new light and, for the moment, let down her guard.’
’It might have seemed like just a short shopping trip, but it was honestly more exhausting than a full day at her old job.’
’Every conversation between them had been a test, a probe. Even when Wan Qing seemed to be opening up about Zelda, wasn’t she just trying to confirm again and again that Bai Zhi truly had no designs on him?’
’Even bringing up Yalan was just a way to gauge Bai Zhi’s reaction.’
’It wasn’t until the very end, when Bai Zhi paid for her and uttered that phrase, that things changed. Combined with how Bai Zhi had let her pay for everything else earlier, the sudden reversal caught Wan Qing completely off guard, giving her a totally new impression. Only then did Wan Qing finally lower her defenses.’
Wan Qing asked, "Where do you live? Do you need a ride home?"
Lang Qiu and the others had messaged her just a few minutes ago, asking where she was so they could pick her up. Hearing Wan Qing’s offer, she told them to just head back without her.
Bai Zhi told her the address Hu Yan had given her before.
A flash of surprise appeared in Wan Qing’s eyes. "You live *here*? A lot of people were wondering who bought this place. I never would have guessed it was you."
Bai Zhi gave a slight, wry smile but said nothing.
’This was Hu Yan’s private residence, not her house.’
Wan Qing saw her to the door. Before she left, they exchanged Star IDs. "If any other females give you trouble," Wan Qing said, "just drop my name."
She thought for a moment, then added, "Actually, forget that. Just tell me, and I’ll go bully them right back for you."
Her words made Bai Zhi laugh. "Okay. If anyone bullies me, I’ll let you know."
Wan Qing nodded in satisfaction, then drove away.
After watching her leave, Bai Zhi turned and went inside. Yue Junxiao and the others had already gotten back before her, and they immediately ran out when they heard her arrive.
Yue Junxiao looked her over with concern. "Wife, that female didn’t bully you, did she?"
Yan Yichen added, "That female looked like she’d be difficult. Wife, you should probably stay away from her."
Bai Zhi explained with a smile, "She’s not that hard to get along with, really. She was only so hostile because she thought I was trying to steal her Beast Husband. In fact, she’s the one who just drove me home."
Yan Yichen was more naive and believed Bai Zhi without a second thought. "Oh, is that right?"
Zelda and Lang Qiu came out one after the other. They breathed a sigh of relief when they saw Bai Zhi had returned in one piece.
Bai Zhi tilted her head slightly. "Why do you all look like that? Do I seem that easy to bully?"
Zelda said with a grave expression, "I promised Hu Yan I’d take good care of you. If you get bullied on my turf, Hu Yan will skin me alive when he gets back!"
Bai Zhi didn’t know whether to laugh or cry. "Wan Qing isn’t that much of a bully," she explained.
At the mention of Wan Qing, Zelda’s expression grew even more solemn. "You haven’t been on the Main Star long, so you don’t know her," he cautioned. "She’s bullied dozens of females, if not a hundred. She has a pampered, arrogant personality and acts with impunity because she’s an Earl’s daughter. She’s constantly picking on people."
’Hearing Zelda’s description of Wan Qing, Bai Zhi understood that his impression of her was truly awful. It was probably because, as Wan Qing herself had mentioned, the methods she used to drive away the people around Zelda were less than savory, which had given him the impression that she was a chronic bully.’
’That impression was deeply ingrained; it wouldn’t be easy to change his mind. Wan Qing’s road to winning over her man was going to be a tough one.’