At the start, I had to choose one of four options, and I immediately picked the Brahmin from the cou

Lin Miaomiao's words were like a resounding slap, landing squarely on Xu Manman's delicate face.

Xu Manman's face was ashen, her hands clenched so tightly at her sides that her sharp nails almost dug into her flesh. She'd always been a bully in art school; when had she ever suffered such a humiliating defeat?

"Lin Miaomiao, stop being sarcastic with me!"

Xu Manman took off her sunglasses, her eyes, which were painted with exquisite eyeliner, blazing with anger as she glared at the people in the private room through gritted teeth.

"Booked VIP room number one? Ha, anyone who didn't know better would think you won fifty million! Trying to act like a socialite with that lousy fake Chanel, aren't you ashamed!"

"A fake bag?"

Tang Tingting burst out laughing instantly, forgetting all about the curling iron that had just been used to curl her hair.

"Xu Manman, go get your eyes checked if you're blind! This is a brand new item that I just brought back from the Deji Plaza store this morning. The invoice and packing slip are in the bag. Do I need to slap you in the face? You can't afford it yourself, and you've been waiting for half a month through a proxy buyer, but it still doesn't work. So it's a fake bag in Miaomiao's hands? Is it so hard to admit that others are richer and more capable than you?"

"you--"

Xu Manman's face turned pale as she realized she'd been hit where it hurt. She had indeed asked three personal shoppers to buy the black and white hobo bag, but they kept saying it was out of stock. She never expected Lin Miaomiao to so openly and brazenly leave it on the table today.

Just as tensions were running high between the two sides, Wang Yali and Zhou Xin, who were hiding behind the shampoo chairs at the far end of the private room, wished they could just disappear into the ground.

The two of them had been bowing and scraping as they followed Lin Miaomiao out, fawning over her like two lapdogs.

When they came in, the two of them deliberately chose the most secluded seats, just to avoid running into acquaintances and feeling awkward.

Who could have imagined that the most coincidental thing in the world would happen to them?

Xu Manman had to come at this exact moment, of all times!

Wang Yali kept her head down, desperately trying to shrink into the pile of towels, wishing she could bury her whole face in her collar.

Zhou Xin was so frightened that she trembled and even tried to breathe softly. Her heart was in her throat, and she prayed that Xu Manman was too angry to notice them in the corner.

If Xu Manman knew that the two of them not only betrayed her, but also fawned over Lin Miaomiao like dogs to beg for a black card booth at SPACE, given Xu Manman's extremely vengeful temper, they would definitely be ostracized to the point of wishing they were dead in the art academy!

Unfortunately, God did not wish.

Tang Tingting had absolutely no intention of letting these two two-faced opportunists get away with it.

She spotted Wang Yali and Zhou Xin huddled in the corner, looking like two quails, and a hint of extremely malicious mockery flashed in her eyes.

"Hey, Manman, why are you staring at Miaomiao's bag?"

Tang Tingting suddenly raised her voice, her crisp, sweet voice echoing throughout the VIP room, even reaching the head waiter and cameraman in the hallway outside:

"Didn't you notice that your two most loyal and devoted followers are in this private room today? Ya Li! Zhou Xin! What are you two doing huddled behind the shampoo chair? Did you get a stiff neck? Back in the dorm, when you two were begging Miao Miao to take you to the SPACE Black Card booth, you were saying much sweeter things than you are now. How come you don't even dare to greet your former sister Manman now?"

Tang Tingting's words were like a bombshell dropped into a pool of boiling oil.

Xu Manman's gaze instantly swept in the direction Tang Tingting was pointing.

When her gaze passed through the figures of several hairstylists and she saw Wang Yali and Zhou Xin huddled in the corner, holding the imported sparkling water that Lin Miaomiao had asked for, and wearing matching luxurious permed and dyed cloaks, Xu Manman completely exploded.

"Wang Yali! Zhou Xin!"

Xu Manman's voice was so shrill it almost pierced eardrums. She took two quick steps forward in her high heels, pointed at the two of them, and trembled with rage.

"You two traitors! Yesterday you were following me around calling me 'Sister Manman' and mooching off my Japanese food! And today you're running off to Lin Miaomiao's feet like dogs? Have you no shame?!"

Wang Yali and Zhou Xin were publicly called out, with no way to avoid it. The disdainful and amused looks from the hairdressers, assistants, and supervisors outside felt like stinging whips lashing their faces.

Wang Yali's face flushed red and then turned pale, extremely embarrassed. She could only steel herself and stand up from her chair, stammering an explanation:

"Manman, it's not what you think. We just... we just happened to be going with Miaomiao and the others to get our hair done..."

"On the way?"

Chen Xiaoxue added insult to injury with a cold laugh, completely cutting off their escape route.

"On the way, you apologized to Miaomiao in her dorm room? On the way, you practically knelt down and kowtowed to Miaomiao just to get a spot in a SPACE black card booth? Xu Manman, your dog-raising skills aren't that great either. Someone gives you a little something, and your dog runs off with them."

"You guys—! Great! Very good!"

Xu Manman's eyes were red with anger as she glared at Wang Yali and Zhou Xin, her gaze almost murderous.

"Wang Yali, Zhou Xin, you just wait! From now on, as long as I, Xu Manman, am in charge at the art academy, neither of you will have a good day!"

Wang Yali and Zhou Xin stood there, their faces ashen, their bodies icy cold, their hearts utterly broken. They had not only offended Xu Manman, but also lost face with Lin Miaomiao, truly becoming a laughingstock who pleased neither side.

Lin Miaomiao remained seated aloof in front of the large mirror throughout, not even lifting an eyelid. She elegantly adjusted her cloak and gave a faint smile to her reflection as Tony the hairstylist.

"Tony, could you please ask security to remove these irrelevant people? They're giving me a headache and ruining my and my sister's mood for getting our hair done."

"This..." Tony looked embarrassed and chuckled awkwardly while rubbing his hands together.

Although Lin Miaomiao had spent a fortune today, Xu Manman was a regular customer with an annual membership, and both were powerful figures he couldn't afford to offend. He tried to smooth things over: "Ladies, calm down. Why don't you two go sit in room number two for a while, Sister Manman? I'll personally..."

Xu Manman knew she had lost all face today, and staying any longer would only make things worse. She gritted her teeth, her eyes practically overflowing with hatred.

"Lin Miaomiao, you just wait! SPACE tonight, huh? We'll see!"

After uttering those harsh words, Xu Manman put on her sunglasses, slammed the door shut in a fit of rage, and left in her high heels.

Inside the private room, Tang Tingting and Chen Xiaoxue burst into unrestrained, joyful laughter, while Wang Yali and Zhou Xin huddled in the corner, trembling with fear, wishing they were dead.