Chapter 96

Su Xiaoqi was pressed onto a cream-colored chair.

The surroundings were illuminated by lights, and there was a large mirror in front of her.

A beautiful young lady in a black uniform with a purple bow belt around her waist carefully held a cotton swab. It wasn't lipstick on the swab, but something different from what Xiaoqi was used to seeing. It was a small brush. The cotton swab picked up a bit from the brush and applied it to Xiaoqi's lips.

Xiaoqi didn't usually wear makeup, nor did she apply lipstick in the summer. Except for the school anniversary performance, where others danced while she stood in the back, waving her hands in a long-sleeved dress. The makeup artist applied lipstick to her uniformly, but it was a terrible experience. After the makeup was done, Xiaoqi felt even uglier than her usual self.

Her lips felt greasy and uncomfortable, and she wasn't allowed to eat anything for fear of smudging the lipstick.

Sitting there, Xiaoqi had a tense expression, and the effect of the unattainable buff on her body became prominent.

Even though the Armani counter lady saw her dressed plainly, she didn't look down on her. On the contrary, she provided even more careful and serious service.

Looking at herself in the mirror, Xiaoqi felt that she looked a bit serious and stern.

She carefully experienced the feeling of the unattainable buff manifesting itself. It meant maintaining a proper posture, a serious expression, and a clean and focused gaze without flinching.

She only glanced at herself in the mirror for a moment while Zhou Teacher was excitedly selecting foundation nearby, and the saleswoman was trying it on her hand.

"Your skin is really good, so fair and flawless. Not a single pore in sight," the saleswoman who applied lipstick to her couldn't help but exclaim.

Usually, such words were just a way to please customers and build rapport.

But while she lowered her head to apply lipstick for this young girl, she truly felt envious.

The girl was indeed fair, extremely fair. Not a single pore could be seen on her face. She had a bit of fine hair on her face, indicating that she was quite young. But she exuded a strong presence. The saleswoman spent some time applying the lipstick before she dared to speak.

Xiaoqi didn't know how to respond to such compliments because she couldn't even smile while applying the lipstick.

However, looking at herself in the mirror, she was already quite fair, and now she appeared even fairer than before. Combined with the effect of the surrounding lights, the girl in the mirror looked exceptionally fair, just like the feeling she had when she first saw Zhou Meiling, radiating with brightness. "It's done. Take a look. This lipstick color suits you perfectly. It's simply perfect. You're young, so you don't need much makeup. Just a touch of lipstick will bring out your aura," the saleswoman said.

In the mirror, there was now a girl with red lips, truly red. Xiaoqi didn't know how to describe it, but it was the tomato red that Zhou Teacher had wanted from the moment she walked in. Her lip line wasn't very distinct—it was usually a bit blurred. But after applying the lipstick, her entire lips became vividly clear, and there was a unique sensation that made Xiaoqi want to take a bite herself.

Zhou Meiling finished trying on the foundation and ultimately chose the lightest shade of Armani's liquid foundation. Then she turned around and saw Su Xiaoqi.

She was instantly struck by something in her heart.

There was a feeling of both envy and discomfort.

Standing in front of the mirror, she dared not scrutinize her own face. Covered in makeup, it concealed the blemishes and enlarged pores. There were fine lines around her eyes, and her cheeks showed signs of fatigue. However, the young girl possessed a naturally full face, with skin so fair it seemed to glow. There wasn't a single visible pore, and when she applied lipstick, it truly dazzled. If she weren't a woman but a middle-aged man, even then, just one glance at her would make anyone want to buy everything for her. She was captivating, beautiful, and simply stunning.

That was the beauty of youth.

A beauty that could never be reversed.

She had once possessed it.

"Give me three of these lipsticks, in this shade."

"Madam, you have excellent taste and great luck. The popular shade 405, Rotten Tomato, sold out as soon as it arrived today. These are the last few remaining."

Zhou Meiling was delighted by the compliments. This was precisely what she had come for. The regular price for one Armani red lip gloss at the counter was 309 yuan. Lvshan City didn't have such a counter. Previously, she had bought it from Armani's official store on Jingdong for 499 yuan, which was nearly 200 yuan more expensive for the same color. With that money, she might as well drive to Fucheng and make up the cost in gasoline savings.

As Su Xiaoqi prepared to remove her makeup, Zhou Meiling quickly stopped her.

"No need to remove it. Armani lipsticks have excellent staying power and a natural look. It won't affect eating at all. Applying lipstick makes a girl look good and energetic."

Su Xiaoqi: ...

After Zhou Meiling came out with three lipsticks and one foundation, the total cost exceeded 2,000 yuan. She reluctantly handed a lipstick to Su Xiaoqi.

"This is for you."

Su Xiaoqi quickly declined.

"Thank you, Teacher Zhou, but I don't usually wear makeup, so I won't use it."

"You're about to start university. How can you not use it? Take it, consider it a travel expense for accompanying me on this shopping trip. Don't you know how boring it is to shop alone?" Zhou Meiling insisted on giving the lipstick to Su Xiaoqi.

Then she added, "Don't refuse anymore, or I'll regret it. This color looks so good, the more I look at it, the more beautiful it becomes. I wish I could buy a hundred of them."

Su Xiaoqi: ...

Fortunately, Teacher Zhou was very decisive at the cosmetics counter. She was loyal to the brand and only visited the Armani store. They finished shopping there and left.

Then they went upstairs.

Teacher Zhou walked really fast, and even Su Xiaoqi, who was used to running, felt like she couldn't catch up. She hoped Teacher Zhou would put her high heels back on. Right now, she looked like a martial arts master taking off the sandbags from her legs, moving as if flying.

Zhou Meiling led Su Xiaoqi to the second floor, where they found mature women's clothing that suited Zhou Meiling's taste. The stores were quite spacious, with few customers. The air conditioning was so cool, as if the electricity bill didn't matter. Seeing the well-dressed sales staff in suits, Su Xiaoqi thought they were probably afraid of getting too hot.

Zhou Meiling only visited a couple of stores before leaving without making any purchases.

Su Xiaoqi glanced at the prices and understood why. It was because they were already transitioning to autumn clothing, and that small jacket was priced in the five digits... over ten thousand yuan.

Zhou Meiling's expression was a bit off. In Lvshan City, this small town, she was considered the most fashionable when it came to wearing clothes from brands like "GODI" and "Amass." Her friends often said she spent a lot of money, but compared to this place, her choices were simply not up to par. Xiaoqi saw a trendy little jacket from MaxMara with a five-figure price tag; Zhou Meiling had bought a coat from the same brand for over 20,000 yuan. It was expensive, and she couldn't bear to part with it even after several years. However, she loved wearing new clothes, so she would hang them in the closet each year—taking them out in the winter and putting them away in the summer.

Upon reflection, it wasn't really worth it. Women's clothes couldn't be worn for a lifetime, and keeping them for a few extra years only made sense because they were truly expensive and she couldn't bring herself to throw them away.

They explored a few shops on the second floor, and Zhou Meiling bought a silk scarf for over 2,000 yuan before moving on to the upper levels.

The third floor had men's clothing, and the fourth floor was entirely dedicated to shoes.

The fifth floor was where they found the section for teenage girls.

This was the place Zhou Meiling intended to bring Xiaoqi to.

Compared to mature women's clothing, teenage girls' attire was much cheaper. After all, young girls didn't fuss over the fabric and anything they wore looked good.

Xiaoqi noticed that women shopping were all the same, whether it was the elegant and sophisticated Zhou Teacher or her laid-back aunt. When they entered a store, they would enthusiastically pick out many clothes for her to try on.

The most outrageous item was a formal gown, which was incredibly heavy to hold and adorned with numerous frills.

Zhou Meiling even insisted that the salesperson take the dress off a mannequin. It took three salespeople to dismantle the mannequin just to remove the dress because it was really large and had a tight waist.

Perhaps because Zhou Meiling had just been shopping on the second floor, where even a scarf cost several thousand yuan, now that they were on the fifth floor, she suddenly felt that the clothes were cheap, as if they were free. It exuded an air of nouveau riche.

Quietly, Su Xiaoqi calculated the amount of money she had in her wallet. She could only bring out a limited sum, and buying clothes was definitely out of the question. She already felt embarrassed taking the lipstick from her teacher.