Ji Xingmi would have been speechless if she knew the reason. She wasn't the one he had wronged; shouldn't he feel sorry for his own son? He had been hurting Gu Jingyi all along, not her. Instead, his marriage had ended because of her.
Ji Xingmi stayed at the Gu family's for three days. Only when Elder Gu's health improved did she leave with a pile of things. These were gifts from Elder Gu and Grandma Gu over the past two days, along with a shopping spree they took her on. Grandma Gu also gave Ji Xingmi several pieces of her jewelry. She hadn't intended to accept them at first, but she couldn't refuse and finally took them, thinking she would deal with it later.
When she returned home, no one was there; everyone was at work. Elder Hua had also departed for Japan a few days prior. Now Ji Xingmi truly had nothing to do. Seeing the Xiao she had brought back earlier, Ji Xingmi decided to go to the school. After leaving the items at the reception, she went shopping.
Ji Xingmi and Mushroom were browsing in the Overseas Chinese Store. She tried on a red dress, one she had fallen in love with the moment she walked in, and had pulled Mushroom in to try it on. As they were leaving, she accidentally bumped into someone.
"Excuse me, I'm so sorry!" Ji Xingmi apologized quickly, but the other person didn't seem easy to talk to and didn't give her a pleasant look.
"Are you blind? You dirtied my shoes!" The girl gave Ji Xingmi a glare. However, she had indeed not paid attention and bumped into someone, so she had nothing to say.
"Xing'er, are you alright?"
Ji Xingmi shook her head at Mushroom's question, indicating she was fine. She glanced back at the girl. She was likely another customer, also trying on clothes, holding quite a few items. There seemed to be companions with her, but their view was blocked, so Ji Xingmi couldn't see them.
Ji Xingmi quickly shifted her focus back to herself, looking in the mirror. The dress was a mid-length A-line cut, making her skin appear even fairer. As Ji Xingmi twirled in front of the mirror, admiring herself, she heard a commotion nearby.
"I don't like this one! I don't want it!" As Ji Xingmi turned to look, the other girl's gaze also fell on her. She then pointed at Ji Xingmi and said to someone nearby, "I want the dress she's wearing!"
Ji Xingmi was slightly taken aback by her action. Then she saw the girl walking towards her.
The girl spoke aggressively, "Hey! I want the dress you're wearing!"
"So?"
"So you have to take it off now!"
Ji Xingmi frowned upon hearing this and asked, "Is this shop yours?"
"No!"
"Did you buy this dress?"
"I'm about to buy it!"
"Then how can you be sure I don't want it?"
"What do you mean? Are you trying to snatch it from me?" Saying this, the girl prepared to grab it. However, she was stopped by Mushroom when she got too close. Ji Xingmi didn't want to argue with such an unreasonable person. Seeing her being held back by Mushroom, she went to the fitting room to change out of the dress.
As she changed, she could still hear the girl outside making a scene and even shouting that she would make Ji Xingmi regret it. When Ji Xingmi opened the curtain to come out, she saw the girl trying to force her way in. If not for Mushroom holding her back, she probably would have attacked.
Seeing Ji Xingmi emerge, the girl became even more agitated. "Hey~ Miss orders you to give me the dress in your hands!" httpδ:/m.kuAisugg.nět
The commotion here not only attracted onlookers but also the girl's companion.
"Wanwan!" Hearing this voice, the girl immediately turned and ran towards the sound. "Chen Gege, they're bullying me!"
The person's gaze fell on Ji Xingmi, who was also looking at him. At first glance, Ji Xingmi found him familiar, but he gave her a different impression than the person she remembered. Unbeknownst to her, a fleeting moment of admiration flashed in Zhao Chen's eyes. However, he quickly suppressed it and turned to Zou Wenwan beside him, saying, "Let's go buy somewhere else! The clothes here don't quite suit your temperament."
"No, I want this one! I've set my eyes on it!" What Zou Wenwan cared about now was not just a dress, but her pride. No one had ever dared to snatch things from her like this, or spoken to her in such a manner. If she didn't retaliate, how could Zou Wenwan maintain her face among her friends?
Zhao Chen knew her temper; she wasn't someone who could be easily persuaded. He thought he should try to communicate with Ji Xingmi. As he took a step forward, he was stopped. This time, it wasn't Mushroom who blocked him, but Xiao Ji.
He had been waiting outside but had just received a message from Mushroom, so he came in. As he approached, he saw Zhao Chen about to get close to Ji Xingmi and intervened.
"I just want to have a few words with this comrade!" Zhao Chen said gently, with a smile on his face, not showing any annoyance at being blocked.
"You can say it here!" Zhao Chen tried to negotiate with Xiao Ji, but Xiao Ji gave him no opportunity. This made Zhao Chen feel a bit defeated. He now didn't know who to persuade; it seemed like neither side was willing to budge.