"Can you even afford to pay for those?"
My ears perked up, but I didn't need to turn to know who it was. The woman stood there, her arms crossed over her chest, a sneer plastered on her heavily makeup-caked face.
She looked at me as if I were a beggar who had wandered into the palace, daring to touch her royal attire.
Beside me, Qiao Mei was vibrating with rage.
"Excuse me?" Qiao Mei stepped forward, her voice rising an octave. "Who do you think you are talking to? Do you have any idea—"
I reached out and placed a calming hand on Qiao Mei's arm, stopping her mid-sentence. I didn't feel anger. In fact, looking at this woman, dripping in flashy, logo-heavy jewelry that screamed "new money", I only felt a sense of profound boredom.
Wasn't this a bit too cliché to be happening right now? I can count a number of times that I have experienced this.
