CHAPTER 432: CHAPTER 432 DISDAIN FOR THE POOR AND LOVE FOR THE RICH

"Uncle Li is really this wealthy?" Jiang Xiaoti leaned close to Lu Yujing’s ear and whispered secretly.

She had seen too many middle-aged men pretending to be rich—acting all generous on the surface, but when it came to real action, they couldn’t even let out a fart.

Lu Yujing thought Jiang Xiaoti was petty and lacked insight. The corner of her lips curved into a barely noticeable mocking smile. "Uncle is just low-key. His wealth is something you couldn’t catch up with even after hundreds of lifetimes of hard work."

Jiang Xiaoti suddenly became overwhelmingly curious. "Don’t you think hundreds of lifetimes is an exaggeration? What exactly does Uncle Li do?"

Lu Yujing no longer responded and instead displayed an enigmatic smile. Jiang Xiaoti, sensing the cue, wisely refrained from further questions.

A shopping entourage grandly marched into the mall. This morning was part of the guests’ personal agenda, with no livestream cameras following them, so everyone relaxed a little. Otherwise, their behavior could easily be misinterpreted by the audience as flaunting wealth or being materialistic.

Although Li Haidong had offered to foot the bill, everyone knew better than to be ungracious. They kept themselves restrained, only purchasing things they needed.

The first stop for the group was an eyewear store—sunglasses being an essential item for the islands.

Lu Yujing and Jiang Xiaoti focused on picking out sunglasses based on style, also considering those in a reasonable price range.

But as soon as Sang Ning entered the store, she started flipping through tags, trying to find the cheapest pair of sunglasses available.

While others browsed leisurely, occasionally stopping to try on a pair of sunglasses and checking how they looked in the mirror, Sang Ning kept searching and didn’t pause even for a moment. A clerk noticed her unusual behavior and approached proactively, asking, "Miss, may I help you with a particular style of sunglasses? I can make some recommendations."

With the clerk’s inquiry, Sang Ning responded directly, "What’s the cheapest pair of sunglasses in your store?"

Sang Ning had never considered letting Li Haidong pay for her. There’s no such thing as a free lunch; one should avoid incurring social debts if possible.

But after a simple scan of the store just now, she found that all the sunglasses cost over a thousand yuan, way beyond her expectations.

As soon as Sang Ning asked, the clerk’s once-smiling face sank, but worried about complaints, she strained to remain polite. "Madam, if you want inexpensive items, the night market stalls would be the most suitable."

Sang Ning’s expression shifted slightly. She caught the sarcasm in the clerk’s tone and realized this mall wasn’t what she had assumed—a mid-to-high-end retail space. It had completely skipped over mid-tier, aiming directly for high-end. Getting mid-priced goods here was out of the question.

"Then could you tell me where the largest night market stall in Belis is?" Sang Ning ignored the clerk’s displeased look and asked sincerely.

In addition to sunglasses, she also wanted a shawl. Such items were disposable to her; after this trip, there might not be another opportunity to use them. Naturally, cost-effectiveness mattered most.

The edges of the clerk’s mouth drooped as irritation clouded her face. Without hesitation, she rudely snapped, "What do you think this store is, a night market stall? How dare such shabby and poor people step in here, lowering our standards? If you’re not serious about buying, then get out!"

Hearing the commotion from across the store, Lu Yujing hurried over before Sang Ning could respond and pretended to mediate with good intentions, pulling the clerk aside. "Apologies on behalf of my friend. She’s just really frugal and isn’t used to luxury items. Don’t worry, we’re definitely here to make purchases. We’ll cover her sunglasses for her."

Her words, laced with barbed ridicule, were a direct jab at Sang Ning’s perceived impoverishment. Someone this cheap and petty, dare she even dream of entering the Li Family’s doors?

The clerk, having polished her skills in high-end retail over the years, was a pro at discerning a customer’s worth. One glance at the strikingly expensive necklace around Lu Yujing’s neck, and her attitude shifted to obsequious politeness. "Oh, this lovely lady, rest assured. I’ll immediately find a few suitable sunglasses for you to choose from."

The phrase "treating people based on their status" was brought vividly to life in the clerk’s every gesture. Sang Ning remained silent, only clapping her hands slowly. The gesture looked sarcastic, prompting clear irritation from the clerk. "Lady, don’t think just because your friend promised to pay for you that you can act however you want! Believe me, I can toss you out this instant if I want."

Lu Yujing tugged at the clerk’s uniform. "No, no, don’t do that. You’ll embarrass my friend."

"Hah! Such audacity. Is this what you call customer service? Kicking people out whenever suits you? How can a store that looks so high-end employ staff with such poor manners?" Li Haidong’s commanding voice broke through angrily as he strode over.

His sharp gaze and deep, powerful voice exuded an overwhelming authority. Like a towering mountain, he made it impossible for anyone to meet his eyes directly—only revere him.

The clerk froze, intimidated at once. She snuck a glance at Li Haidong and noticed that he wore plain, inexpensive clothing, but there was an innate air of superior nobility about him.

She couldn’t quite figure out his status and began to falter, quickly lowering her gaze to apologize. "Sir, you’ve misunderstood me. That wasn’t what I meant."

Under the intensity of Li Haidong’s stare, the clerk felt like she was being stabbed by needles, and sweat began to bead on her forehead.

Li Haidong pointed at Sang Ning. "You should be apologizing to this young lady, not trying to explain yourself to me."

The clerk’s lips tightened, her face full of reluctance as she glanced at Sang Ning and then up at Li Haidong again.

"Don’t know how to apologize? What are you staring at me for?" Li Haidong sternly barked, making the clerk jump in fright.

At this moment, Lu Yujing interjected, "Uncle, it’s really not the clerk’s fault. Sang Ning came here with the intention to make things difficult. What shop wouldn’t feel frustrated by a customer clearly here to cause trouble?"

Sang Ning glanced sideways at Lu Yujing. "Wanting inexpensive items is now considered causing trouble? Which rule states customers are obligated to buy expensive things?"

Li Haidong interrupted, scolding Sang Ning, "Did I tell you to buy cheap items earlier? Are you doubting my financial capability and disrespecting me?"

A smirk of disdain curved across Lu Yujing’s lips as she added fuel to the fire in front of Li Haidong. "Exactly, Uncle. Isn’t Sang Ning clearly looking down on you? Who comes to places like this and thinks about getting cheap stuff? I’d be upset if I were the clerk too."

The clerk, feeling vindicated, nodded vigorously. "That’s right! This store operates on a high-end model. We can’t let some random riffraff drag down our standards."

"Silence!" Li Haidong roared. "A sales associate’s job is to serve diligently, not to classify customers into tiers. Guests wishing to buy something inexpensive is no reason for your attitude."

Lu Yujing’s heart sank, realizing she, too, had been subtly reprimanded. Much to her dismay, what came next was a harsh condemnation from Li Haidong. "Does the Lu Family’s upbringing involve scorning the poor and adoring the rich?"

Heat rushed to Lu Yujing’s face, her ears blazing red as humiliation swept over her. She felt like the ground might swallow her whole.

"Apologize!" Li Haidong directed toward the clerk, his tone unyielding.

"I... I’m sorry." Pressured heavily, the clerk muttered an unwilling apology to Sang Ning.

But that single apology weighed heavily on the clerk’s pride—and even more so on Lu Yujing’s fragile ego.

Her eyes brimmed with tears as she glanced around, realizing everyone had fallen silent and was staring at her. This kind of shame was something she had never endured in all her life.