Chapter 11

Before I could even open my mouth, the auntie clutched her chest and slid dramatically to the floor.

“Oh dear, I’m so old and my heart’s not good. I’m going to be bullied to death by little girls like you.”

As expected, a total shrew.

I was so angry my hands were shaking. I pointed at her, about to lash out, when the uncle standing next to her stopped me.

He apologized on her behalf, said he’d pay for my dress, and told me I should go back and rest.

The auntie on the floor shot up the instant she heard that. “Old Li, don’t you dare!”

I stared at her coldly. “This is a luxury cruise ship. There are cameras everywhere. Who’s right and who’s wrong-the surveillance will show it clearly.

“This dress cost over twenty thousand. If you don’t pay, I’ll sue you the moment we dock.”

The auntie was furious and flustered, her eyes rolling as she searched for an angle. “A little girl like you, where would you get the money for such an expensive dress? I bet you’re-”

Before she could finish, her husband clapped a hand over her mouth and dragged her away.

As he walked, Old Li kept turning back to bow and apologize to me.

From a distance, I heard him say, “Don’t embarrass us on a ship like this. You’ve already made me lose all face.”

I was still fuming, grabbed my bag, and headed off to find a staff member to pull the surveillance footage.

At the service center, I ran right into Old Li asking around for my cabin number.

When he saw me, his face bloomed into a smile. “Miss Wu, this is all my wife’s fault. How much was your dress? I’ll compensate you.”

You don’t hit a smiling face.

I sat down to negotiate. “The original price of this dress was twenty-eight thousand. It can’t be dry-cleaned. It has to be hand-washed by a professional and then laid flat to dry quickly.

“Whether this stain will even come out is still up in the air. You need to compensate me ten thousand.”

Old Li was gentle and refined, and actually reasonable. “Alright. Then please send me proof of purchase. If the original price really was twenty-eight thousand, I can compensate you ten thousand.”

His request was fair. I reached out my hand to add him on WeChat. “I bought the dress at a brick-and-mortar store. I’ll have my best friend take a photo of the receipt and send it to you.”

“Okay,” Old Li agreed readily. “Once I see the receipt, I’ll transfer the money to you.”

The network was especially bad today. It took us a good ten-plus minutes just to add each other on WeChat.

The staff member explained, “The ship has already sailed into international waters, so the signal is naturally poor.”