“Miss Song and Miss Han, the fabric that you are calling cheap is the western silk produced only in the early spring and is a very rare type of silk of Hexi. When one doesn’t look at it properly or hasn’t seen it before, it indeed looks like coarse linen to them,” saying Bai Yu Yan stepped towards the mannequin and held it by the shoulder like she was examining her creation.

She had received this silk from the emperor when he had gifted her and Lu Tong Xiao the treasures at the banquet. After some research, she found its special features. Generally, the silk of heavyweight is considered of better quality but for Hexi silk, it was just the opposite. Its lightweight and flowy texture made it ideal for comfortable summer clothing.

Turning her head towards Song Mei Lin and the girls, she said, “Earlier when I said its price is hundred and fifty gold taels, I only meant it’s design cost. Adding the cost of fabric...it will be five hundred gold taels.” Her words earned shocked gasps from the onlookers. As if realizing something, Bai Yu Yan tapped her chin with her delicate finger and blinked her eyes, ”If the servants in Young Miss’s manor use this silk as their bedsheet, shouldn’t they be wealthier than their master?”

The woman who had offered to buy the dress for double the price lowered her head to hide the shock in her eyes. She hadn’t expected Bai Yu Yan to know its real price and had thought of getting it at a much lower price.

The subtle sarcasm in Ba Yu Yan’s seemingly harmless question didn’t go unnoticed by the people present there. Xiao Fan couldn’t control the bursting giggle and covered her mouth with a fake cough.

Song Mei Lin bit her lip and suppressed the shame coursing through her. Her hands clenched into a tight fist which was covered by the flare of her dress so that nobody could see her nail embedded to her palm. Never in her dream had she imagined that the dumb Bai Yu Yan who she had always humiliated in every occasion would venture into the fashion world and have the audacity to challenge her.

“Even Miss Song, who is the best designer in the capital, didn't know about the Hexi silk?” came someone’s voice from the crowd.

“Miss Han even went as far as saying that the servants in her manor use it as their bedsheet. Don’t you think it’s hilarious?”

“Thankfully we didn’t return the clothes like others after hearing what Miss Song said.”

Song Mei Lin felt a sense of Deja Vu at the scene unfolding before her. She had witnessed it before but at that time the one at the receiving end was Bai Yu Yan who hadn’t been able to differentiate between high-grade fancy fabrics at one of the tea parties of the noble ladies. Bai Yu Yan who only thought of gaudy glittery clothes as expensive was publicly mocked by Han Ruolan and her other followers at Song Mei Lin’s call. After that incident, Bai Yu Yan had become the joke of the noble circle.

Thinking about the incident, Song Mei Lin belly full of anger slightly subsided. She didn’t believe that she couldn’t do the same to Bai Yu Yan once again. Before coming here, she had thought about teaching a small lesson to Bai Yu Yan before letting her go if she submitted to her. But now, she would not have a moment of peace until she completely destroyed Bai Yu Yan, making her a ridiculous joke of the capital. Let’s see if Bai Yu Yan would still have the courage to call herself a designer after that.

“Ruolan, I have always told you not to be so reckless when speaking” Song Mei Lin furrowed her brows at Han Ruo Lan and her other friends. Her exquisite makeup highlighted her every expression while making it look soft and natural.

“Bai Yu Yan, it seems we all have misunderstood you but you see inside this glass, we really cannot see what kind of fabric the dress has. And it was your mistake that you kept this thing turning towards the back so you cannot fault us as all we saw was some minimum embroidery,” said Song Mei Lin pointing at the mannequin with her perfectly manicured finger. “So how about this, even though it is expensive, I’ll buy this dress from you as a compensation?”, she said and gave an amiable smile.

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“Heavy embroidery? That’s so last season!” muttered Bai Yu Yan while mentally rolling her eyes.

What a way to shift the entire blame on the other party effortlessly while standing on a high pedestal, Manager Gao thought, shaking his head. While Song Mei Lin's words implied it was Bai Yu Yan’s fault which caused the whole misunderstanding, she pushed the remaining blame on Han Ruolan and her friends while making it seem like she was making a compensation by buying an expensive dress even though she was not at fault. Her big-hearted nature and moral standing were out for everyone to see.

Her words didn’t give any way to Bai Yu Yan. She could neither make the other person apologize nor could she directly refuse the compensation offered to her in a friendly way in front of everyone.

Bai Yu Yan secretly laughed at how they were underestimating the thickness of her face. There was one thing she was sure of and it was that Song Mei Lin truly wanted to buy the dress. Not as compensation but because she liked it.

With a sweet smile plastered on her face, she said, “Miss Song, I am already grateful to you that you took time off your busy schedule to come to my boutique knowing that I have a questionable taste in fashion. I am flattered, you know? So, there is no need to compensate as I have no hard feelings towards you”

Song Mei Lin had the urge to rip off her smile. Before she could calm herself and say anything more, Bai Yu Yan added, “Moreover, I have changed my mind about selling this dress. I’ll use this dress for myself. But if you really want to buy it then I will reluctantly part with it at...one thousand gold taels.”

Her pearly white teeth and slightly curved eyes made her look seductive but cute at the same time, making people unable to take their eyes off of her. Not many people took notice of the exorbitant price she said at the end.

When Song Mei Lin was expecting people to diss Bai Yu Yan for shamelessly stating such a ridiculously high price, she saw how they were looking at her as if they were enchanted and gritted her teeth in anger. She turned her head and glared at Han Ruolan where people couldn’t see.

Han Ruolan panicked when she saw that their plan backfired and Song Mei Lin was angry at her. Others may not know but she was aware that if Song Mei Lin kicked someone out of her group, it wouldn’t take long before they became the outcast in the noble circle.

“Bai Yu Yan, don’t be too much. Mei Lin was only being kind by extending a helping hand to you. We were only thinking for your sake but you don’t know how to differentiate good from the bad. Don’t come to Mei Lin in regret later!” scowled Han Ruolan in anger.

“Oh yes! And just for confirmation, is the position for your student still vacant, Miss Song?” asked Bai Yu Yan curiously.

Before Song Mei Lin could say anything more, fits of laughter were heard in the room. Those who were saying Bai Yu Yan was unworthy of being Song Mei Lin were completely shut off, unable to say anything more.

After that, Song Mei Lin sighed as if she tried to do her best but was helpless against Bai Yu Yan’s attitude. “Ruolan, let it be. Let’s go now and not bother her anymore” saying the group of her girls turned to leave the shop.

Seeing that they were leaving, Bai Yu Yan shouted, “Miss Song, do let me know if the offer is still open!” making Song Mei Lin flinch before hurriedly exiting the shop.

With the viruses gone out of her shop, Bai Yu Yan took out her kerchief to wipe non-existent sweat and turned her attention to the customers.

“Manager Gao, what are you waiting for, my permission? Go ahead and refund their payment. Let’s not waste their time by keeping them waiting,” leaving the instruction, she headed towards her office.

The customers who were making a ruckus earlier were shocked by her words. They were confident that Bai Yu Yan would try to convince them to make the purchase since they were customers and more customers means more money. But to think that she wouldn’t try to convince them, their teeth itched in regret for believing Song Mei Lin’s words. They didn’t have the face to cause another ruckus demanding the dress instead of the refund.

“Yes, Boss!” saluted Manager Gao in glee before scoffing at the stupid people who were complaining earlier but now were unwilling to leave the dress, “The most important thing for Silver Closet is the trust between us and our customers. Since you couldn’t find that with us, I hope you find what you are looking for in other shops.”