A Star Reborn: The Queen’s Return

Xia Ling did not summon Sister Mai Na’s name instantly. Instead, she said, “Do I necessarily have to accept your apology?” Her temper had not been good all along, and though it was very much subdued in this life, she could not let it go so easily after being accused as a thief.

Lucas smiled kindly. “Of course, I have to be sincere with my apology. Miss, how about this, all apparels you get today will not be put on the tab. Additionally, I will issue you a membership card which grants you a 20% discount for subsequent purchases.”

The 20% membership discount card was the most esteemed for that brand — it was the same one Li Bei Er was currently holding.

Li Bei Er looked outraged upon hearing that. Why was it that she had to purchase so many apparels and go to so much trouble for that membership card, while this country bumpkin could just ask for it! However, she dared not have an outburst in Lucas’ presence. It was said that he had a mysterious background and that it never ended well for anyone who offended him.

Xia Ling saw Li Bei Er’s distorted expression in the corner of her eye. She smiled, “Sure, we’ll do it that way.”

“Hmph, the villain getting away with it.” Li Bei Er did not dare incur the wrath of the store owner, so she directed her anger at Xia Ling.

“Boss Lucas, the shopping environment in your boutique really isn’t all that good.” Xia Ling swept Li Bei Er an accusatory glance.

Lucas smiled at her statement. “Miss Li Bei Er, you know our in-store regulations — making a racket is strictly not allowed. Since you knowingly violated the rule, I have no choice but to invite you to leave.”

Li Bei Er widened her eyes in disbelief. What, Lucas actually chased a regular customer out because of a shabby country bumpkin? She was not about to comply. “How could you! I was not the only one who was creating a scene, this country bumpkin was also…”

“Insulting or degrading other customers will result in the termination of membership,” said Lucas calmly.

One line was all it took to shut Li Bei Er up. She was not going to allow that! She patronized the store often indeed, but she wasn’t all that wealthy — the 20% discount was a huge enticement for her. Without the discount, there would be so many beautiful pieces she would have to give up on! She did not want that, it stung too much.

Li Bei Er was fuming as she kept her mouth shut.

The smile on Lucas’ face did not change. “Still not leaving, do I have to call the security officer?”

Li Bei Er never expected that being the one to threaten Xia Ling with the security officer, she would end up being chased out herself. Infuriated, she turned red and stomped off briskly.

Xia Ling watched it unfold with no sense of regret whatsoever. Anybody who dared incur her wrath should be prepared to meet with a sorry end. If not for Lucas’ intervention, Xia Ling would not have let her off this easily.

Lucas turned towards Xia Ling, recovering his friendly tone. “Are you satisfied with how I handled it?”

Xia Ling remained silent and apathetically shot Xiao Li a glance.

Lucas got the hint, but internally he was shaking his head, wondering where this demanding lady came from. But Xiao Li’s way of differentiating treatment towards customers was a big mistake as well, thus she ought to be taught a lesson.

Hence, Lucas said, “Xiao Li, apologize to this lady over here.”

Xiao Li hated Xia Ling to the core now, but as Lucas’ employee, she could not disobey his orders. She muttered. “I’m sorry.”

“What did you say? I can’t hear you.” Xia Ling mocked.

“…” Xiao Li clenched her teeth, raising her voice this time. “I’m sorry!”

“Oh? Why are you apologizing to me?” In Xia Ling’s dictionary, there wasn’t such a thing as “going too far.” Moreover, Xiao Li looked unrepentant and indignant, it wasn’t as if Xia Ling could not tell.

What a bully! Xiao Li was furious as she lifted her head and turned to Lucas, hoping that he could save her from this unreasonable, insatiable woman.

However, Lucas said, “The rule of thumb for an apology is to ensure that the other party is appeased.”

Xiao Li could barely take this, but she had no choice given the situation. Swallowing all her anger and unhappiness, she spoke as meekly as she could. “I’m sorry, it’s my fault. I shouldn’t have been rude to the customer, much less accused her of theft. Please be magnanimous and let me off!”

Well, that was not too bad. Xia Ling finally showed a look of satisfaction.

Xiao Li had been keeping an eye on her expression, at this moment, she was finally relieved. But what happened next was unexpected. Lucas spoke again. “Since you acknowledge your faults, you have to take responsibility for them. Your bonus for the month will be wiped out.”

What —

Xiao Li inhaled sharply upon hearing this. Salespeople like her had a very low base wage and made a living out of the bonuses earned. Now that her bonus for the month was to be taken away, how was she going to pay the debt for her credit card loans? It was only now that Xiao Li truly regretted what she had just done. How did she end up provoking such a devil? Paying with her dignity was a small issue compared to everything that she had to sacrifice…

Xia Ling had no idea what Xiao Li was thinking, but either way, she wasn’t intending to help her. Lucas was right, one had to take responsibility for the consequences of their actions, don’t they? She smiled sweetly at Lucas. “The store owner is fair and just.”

All of the unhappiness had been resolved by Lucas.

Lucas saw her in a different light now — despite dressing shabbily, with his discerning eye he knew that she was no simpleton. She had a kind of presence that allowed her to stride like a diva even if the world saw her as nothing more than a pauper. With her confidence, her ability to dazzle in any setting, everybody seemed insignificant to her.

He took an interest in her. “I’m glad I could stand up for you. Could you then, on my account, let this store off? When you were about to leave just now, you were holding…”

“Oh, you mean this.” Xia Ling was stunned upon realization. No wonder Lucas did so much to help her, he must have seen her sly move. She took a mobile phone out of her jacket and deleted the audio recording in front of Lucas. All the evidence of Li Bei Er and Xiao Li accusing her as a thief and chasing her out was gone for good.

“You really did make a recording.” Lucas still had a lingering fear. If Xia Ling had handed this audio file to the media, the store reputation would have been badly tarnished. Not only was the employee rude, but even the regular customer was also of such undesirable and lowly character. The public would wonder: What kind of scum patronized this store? Especially since his main consumers were up-and-coming celebrities, all the more would they be influenced by public sentiments and steer clear of the brand, resulting in unthinkable losses for him.

This was also why Lucas had to quell Xia Ling’s anger, no matter how much it took.