Chapter 90 - You Disgust Me (2)
'You'll pay for all the hurt you've caused Ying, you unworthy creature!' was Li Chuntao's unspoken words when she looked down at the woman who was shivering across her.
"Lady Li, long time no see. Do you remember me?" Lin Meirong berated herself for asking Lin Xiuying such a stupid question. She could feel her sweat dripping from her temple down the side of her face. The airconditioning within the shop was working well but she was sweating profusely.
Li Chuntao's expression dulled. Why was her hand itching to slap this woman's face right here, right now? Was Lin Meirong testing if she'd truly forgotten her affair with Mu Jianyu? The dead won't remember anything but those who were left behind from their sudden passing would.
"I'm sorry, but who are you again?" Li Chuntao replied as she forced a smile towards Lin Meirong. She tried to hide the frosty look in her eyes.
"Hmm… I see," Xia Yuhan understood now. "Ying, this is Lin Meirong, the one I'm talking about earlier. She's the second female lead of the film you sponsored before your accident." She reintroduced Lin Meirong to her.
"Oh," Li Chuntao's eyes widened dramatically and gave Lin Meirong a once-over. "I'm so sorry Miss Lin… I... " she pursed her lips and looked down bashfully. "I don't remember anything past my twentieth birthday and that includes you."
Relief suffused Lin Meirong's features as Li Xiuying confirmed her memory loss but still, it wouldn't hurt to be wary whenever she was in front of Li Xiuying.
"It's alright, Lady Li. I heard about what happened and I understand your predicament but I do hope you're on the road to recovery." Lin Meirong started to relax. At least today, she was spared from Li Xiuying. She wouldn't know what to do if Li Xiuying started asking her questions.
"Sister Ying, I didn't know you were familiar with Miss Lin," came Shen Lingqing's comment, bursting the peace that Lin Meirong nursed on her heart. For fucking sake this demon princess really knew how to shatter her hopes!
As if understanding Shen Liqing's intention, Li Chuntao hid the amusement in her eyes and raised a brow to the demon princess.
"I am?"
"You seem to be. Were you friends with her before your accident? I heard you previously visited their filming set." Shen Lingqing hummed as she tapped her chin. "Anyway, who wouldn't like you, Sister Ying. I'm sure you and Miss Lin shared some similarities."
"Qingqing, I didn't know you patronize me this way," Li Chuntao said with a grin, enjoying how Lin Meirong's nibbled on her lower lip. "I'm not that good."
"What nonsense are you talking about Sister Ying?" Shen Lingqing gave Lin Meirong a dirty look making her fidget on her seat. "I don't see why Miss Lin wouldn't be able to befriend you. You're one of the kindest and most generous people I know. You might have shared more with Miss Lin than you are aware of."
"Eh? What could it possibly be?" Li Chuntao blinked innocently and placed a hand on her cheek, a habit that her twin sister had when she was alive. A mere gesture that had completely fooled those people who were familiar with Ying, convincing them that Li Chuntao was indeed Li Xiuying.
"I dunno. You better ask Miss Lin instead," said Shen Lingqing. "Maybe she would be kind enough to let you know how your relationship with her was before your accident." She added, eyeing Lin Meirong.
'Why don't you tell her you shared the same man with Sister Ying? That you slept with her husband.'
Meanwhile, as Li Chuntao and Shen Lingqing conversed together ignoring how Shen Yuyan laughed behind them amusedly, Lin Meirong was on the verge of tears. Her eyes glistened. Shen Lingqing was low-key insulting her.
Shen Lingqing knew… knew of her affair with Mu Jianyu that she was making it hard for her. That Director Yao… such a liar! He dared to say that the Shen family wouldn't come after her? Then why the fuck wouldn't Shen Lingqing leave her alone!
Li Xiuying surely had a good relationship with the Shen princess and the princess wouldn't mind tormenting her for Li Xiuying's sake.
"Since Miss Lin is your friend, why don't I give her something she could wear for the banquet?" Shen Lingqing suggested. "Auntie, do you still have those dresses from the previous collections? I'm sure I can help Miss Lin to find something her size."
Xia Yuhan wasn't sure what was happening between Shen Lingqing and Lin Meirong but she wasn't blind not to notice the disdain in the Shen princess's expression and tone. It reminded her so much of how Lu Xinyi speaks whenever she was annoyed with someone.
"Why, of course. We usually keep them upstairs but because we are renovating the rooms, we temporarily moved them across this room," she told Shen Lingqing.
Shen Lingqing thanked her and pulled herself back on her feet. She then looked at Lin Meirong's way and invited her, extending a hand for her to take.
"Miss Lin, why don't you come with us and let us see if we can find something you could wear for the occasion. Consider this as my apology for troubling you earlier."
Li Chuntao clapped her hands together.
"Ohh, that sounds like a great idea. What do you say, Miss Lin?"
Lin Meirong had a bad feeling about this and gave her companion a pleading look. Instead, her friend gasped and pushed her forward.
"Miss Shen, you really don't have to do this…" she didn't want to be left alone with Shen Lingqing!
"Sister Lin! What are you waiting for? Go now, Miss Shen is waiting for you! Don't waste this chance to befriend her too." Unfortunately, her companion fell for Shen Lingqing's lies, and really thought that Lin Meirong were friends with Li Xiuying.
"But I…"
"Just go. You can't possibly lose this chance to befriend someone from the Shen family when you are already in good terms with Lady Li." her friend insisted. Oh, how dumb could she possibly be? Lin Meirong thought. Couldn't she see how Shen Lingqing was trying to bully her?
Lin Meirong had no choice but to agree and followed Shen Lingqing to the other room where she was greeted with hundreds of expensive dresses and gowns in different styles and lengths. Never in her life had she owned such beautiful dresses to flaunt.
"Are you really an actress? Because I think you are a bad one, so you must be a comedienne." Shen Lingqing's words broke Lin Meirong's trance. She turned around and saw the Shen princess leaning on the door frame with a sinister smile curling on her lips.
Lin Meirong swallowed and stepped back, not understanding what Shen Lingqing wanted from her.
"Miss Shen, may I know what you want from me? I'm pretty sure this is the first time we've met. Have I done something to offend you?" She asked.
Shen Lingqing arched her brow and chuckled. Her long raven hair cascading on her right shoulder down to her chest.
"The mere fact that you are breathing the same air with me disgusts and annoys me to death.. I've never seen such a shameless woman who would dare to pollute the area around me until I met you."