Lu Xiaoxiao had never imagined she would run into Bai Xinyan again here, under these circumstances.
Although Bai Xinyan wore a mask, recognizing her by her eyes was easy enough.
The woman stood just a few steps away, also pointing at the moonstone necklace in the display case. Her nails were painted a vivid red, exactly as Lu Xiaoxiao remembered.
Only...
Lu Xiaoxiao's gaze instinctively swept over her.
Bai Xinyan wore a dress from a certain brand's previous season. Although it was still expensive, by the standards of a woman who used to wear nothing but the latest collections, this already counted as "understated."
She wore meticulous makeup, attempting to conceal the traces of fatigue. On closer inspection, however, the anxiety she had once carefully hidden deep in her eyes, along with a barely perceptible hint of hostility, seemed harder to mask completely than before. She no longer had an assistant or manager hovering around her, treating her like the center of the universe. Only someone who appeared to be a shopping attendant stood a little behind her, looking rather uncomfortable.
She gave the impression of a rose that had spent some time exposed to real wind and rain after leaving a greenhouse with perfectly controlled temperature and humidity. Though she still struggled to maintain her dazzling appearance, the edges of her petals had begun to show signs of wilting.
It really is her... Lu Xiaoxiao's heart jolted, and an intensely complicated mix of emotions surged through her.
Surprise, disgust, a flicker of irritation at why she had to be everywhere, and even a tiny hint of... something almost absurdly wistful?
After all, ever since their last confrontation on set, when Ji Yunhuai had intervened, Bai Xinyan's patron Wei Linfeng had abandoned her completely, and she had signed that humiliating