C48 We Are Lowkey Not Poor!

"Sorry, but I, Xiong Miao, certainly don't lack for men." Xiong Miao dismissed her and headed straight for the bathroom.

The following day was Sunday. The company had planned to require overtime, but Gu Yi called Xiong Miao, taking pity on her illness, and granted her a day off.

At home, Xiong Miao and Su Mumu crunched some numbers. They had a total of 80,000 yuan. After setting aside the 50,000 yuan to repay Zhan Yeling, they were left with 30,000 yuan. Paying back 12,000 yuan to Su Mumu left them with 18,000 yuan.

Xiong Miao decided to enroll the little ones in kindergarten; she couldn't let Su Mumu's time be consumed any longer. Since the kindergarten term was already halfway through, the registration fee for the six children was only 8,000 yuan.

Once the children were signed up, they had an afternoon trial class. The adults were required to leave the premises to allow the kids to adjust to being on their own.

Thus, Xiong Miao and Su Mumu headed out for a leisurely day of shopping.

With ten thousand yuan in her pocket, Xiong Miao intended to buy some clothes for the children.

They took the bus to the mall.

"Miao Miao, there's a women's clothing store over there. Let's check it out," Su Mumu suggested, linking arms with Xiong Miao and pointing to a chic boutique.

"Let's not. I don't need any clothes," Xiong Miao replied. What woman could resist the allure of beautiful clothing?

It wasn't that Xiong Miao didn't want lovely clothes; she just felt the card in her hand and, thinking of the dwindling balance, lacked the nerve to indulge.

"Miao Miao, you're now the manager of the Design Department at Rich Corporation. You can't go around in such drab attire every day; people will judge you," Su Mumu chided, well aware of the workplace's superficial judgments.

"But..." Xiong Miao was still reluctant.

"No more 'buts.' Besides, isn't the Design Department's seasonal product launch coming up? As the lead designer, do you really want to show up at such a significant event in clothes that look like they're worth just a few dozen yuan from Taobao?"

Su Mumu had taken a look at Xiong Miao's closet, filled with inexpensive clothes purchased online.

They hardly held their shape after being worn.

It was definitely time for her to spruce up her wardrobe.

"Alright, let's check out the styles. If they're too pricey, we'll find something similar online," Xiong Miao suggested, a tactic she'd often resorted to since brand-name stores were out of her budget.

"You win, let's head out," Su Mumu said, leading her friend into the brand store.

The store clerks were dressed in uniform business suits, complete with ties and neatly styled buns.

The ambiance screamed luxury.

Today, both Xiong Miao and Su Mumu were dressed in clothes that cost just a few dozen yuan from online retailers.

To the discerning eye, these were clearly knock-offs.

The head clerk looked them over in their humble attire and couldn't hide a disdainful sneer.

"Excuse me, ladies, but our establishment caters to a high-end clientele," the clerk said, his tone brusque and lacking in manners.

Xiong Miao and Su Mumu felt utterly disrespected.

"What are you implying? That we're too 'low-end' to afford your clothes?" Su Mumu, never one to tolerate disrespect, challenged him.

The clerk gave them another evaluative glance, noting that their entire outfits didn't even add up to two hundred yuan, and his contempt grew. "Miss, our clothing isn't meant for the financially challenged."

Before Su Mumu could respond, Xiong Miao stepped forward, visibly upset, "Show some respect. We prefer to be understated, not impoverished!"

Catching sight of an apricot checkered blazer that looked stylish, Xiong Miao pointed and said, "That one, I've set my sights on it. Bring it down for me to try on!"