Reborn As Super Heiress

Chapter 77: Chapter 75 Cross-examination

Huo Sining’s face remained calm, and she didn’t change her expression due to Xue Jingjing’s “country bumpkin” remark. She merely glanced at Xue Jingjing before fixing her gaze on Du Yanlin and asked with a smile,

“Du Yanlin, do you really think it’s right to keep your best friend in the dark, letting her foolishly stand up and speak out for you? Everybody needs to save face, and I don’t want to blow this out of proportion. Just return the items to Luo Jinzhi, and I won’t pursue this matter any further.”

With her lips pressed into a thin line, Du Yanlin forced a stiff smile, “I don’t understand what you are talking about. Since entering the dorm, I haven’t spoken a word; it’s been you targeting me all along, hasn’t it?”

Huo Sining was genuinely amused, “I’ve finally seen what it means when they say ‘there is no dealing with a consummate scoundrel.’ Since you insist so, I have nothing else to say. I just want to tell you, ‘He who perpetrates injustice is doomed to perish.’ Taking a few bottles and jars serves no purpose, as the outer packaging boxes with their product batch numbers corresponding to the codes on the bottles are still with Jin Zhi. Those codes can’t be faked.”

Upon hearing this, Du Yanlin’s pupils constricted, evidently not having considered this factor, and she subconsciously glanced at her suitcase before looking up at Huo Sining in alarm.

Xue Jingjing, standing beside them, was confused by the conversation, but Luo Jinzhi understood. She tugged at Huo Sining’s clothes and asked cautiously, “Ningning, are you saying that the person who took my skincare products is Du Yanlin?”

...

Huo Sining nodded her head.

“How is that possible? How could Du Yanlin do such a thing?” Luo Jinzhi looked at Du Yanlin, both shocked and disbelieving.

But Du Yanlin reassured herself, certain that Huo Sining was just bluffing. If she simply denied all charges, what could Huo Sining, a mere country bumpkin, do about it?

Thinking this, her anxious heart settled somewhat. She smiled and feigned composure as she said, “What skincare products? Just because Luo Jinzhi’s skincare products are missing, you can’t wrongfully accuse others. I use high-end brands. Weren’t the items you gave to Luo Jinzhi bought at a farmers’ market? You said they cost over a hundred yuan per set, Xue Jingjing and I both heard it.”

Huo Sining had not wanted to escalate the issue and had so far spoken calmly and politely, but Du Yanlin’s obstinate denial infuriated Huo Sining in an instant:

“It doesn’t matter where I purchased them from. What matters is whether you took them or not. Caudalie is meticulous in its business; detailed customer purchase records are kept at their counters! Moreover, I forgot to remind you that a full set of Caudalie products isn’t cheap. Such expensive items can certainly be filed for at the police station. If you’re confident you have nothing to fear from an inquiry, by all means, continue to stand your ground!”

“You!” Du Yanlin turned white as a ghost upon hearing this.

Xue Jingjing, who was at her side, was angry to hear Huo Sining and Luo Jinzhi insinuating that Du Yanlin had stolen something. She wanted to curse out loud, but she was not a fool. Hearing Huo Sining’s pointed questions and observing Du Yanlin’s trembling, obviously guilty demeanor, she suddenly felt that something was off.

Xue Jingjing gave Du Yanlin a suspicious look before asking hesitantly, “Yan Lin, did you… did you truly take Luo Jinzhi’s things? Why? They’re just a set of knockoff skincare products. You can find as many as you want of these unbranded products at the wholesale market. Why would you…”

In a sudden outburst, Du Yanlin raised her head and scolded sharply, “You idiot, after hearing so much, have you still not understood? Those weren’t any knockoff goods, they were genuine Caudalie products from the official counter! She’s been making monkeys out of us, deliberately deceiving us, and then passing it off to that ignorant country bumpkin!”

Pointing an accusatory finger at Luo Jinzhi she continued bitterly, “Do you think she didn’t tan during military training just by chance? Because she was using real luxury products! The two of us were smugly self-satisfied, thinking we were superior, but what’s the reality? In the eyes of some, we’re just a pair of ridiculous clowns!”

Seeing Du Yanlin’s eyes brimming with resentment and jealousy, Huo Sining truly felt there was no helping such a person. She looked coldly at Du Yanlin and scoffed,

“So the thief even has the nerve to bite back, what a revelation. So what if I deceived you, it’s my stuff, I can give it to whoever I want; do I need your permission? And about that last thing you said, I actually agree with it. Pretentious and thinking you’re so smart; you’re right, you’re nothing but a clown right now!”

“So what if I took it?! What’s the big deal, it’s just some makeup products, I don’t even care for them!”

Huo Sining’s words completely infuriated Du Yanlin, who took out the skincare set from her suitcase and violently smashed it on the ground.

With a loud crash, several bottles shattered into pieces, and the milky-white nutrient lotion spilled all over the floor.

Xue Jingjing and Luo Jinzhi were both stunned by Du Yanlin’s crazy act, only Huo Sining remained expressionless.

“You don’t care for it, yet you took it without asking; you don’t care for it, yet you secretly used it and refused to admit it. Du Yanlin, don’t you find your dishonesty laughable?”

Huo Sining was almost amused to laughter by this idiotic logic. With a stern face, she said with a cold laugh,

“I wasn’t planning on making a big deal out of this. If you had just handed over the goods nicely, we could have left it at that. But you made the mistake of not knowing when to repent. Did you think, by smashing these things, I wouldn’t be able to do anything to you? You’re wrong. I’m not some soft persimmon you can just push around and bully at will. You’re definitely compensating for this skincare set!”

Having just smashed the skincare set felt good for the moment, but upon hearing Huo Sining’s demand for compensation, Du Yanlin’s face instantly froze, and panic flickered in her eyes.

It’s true that Du Yanlin was from S City, and she had previously mocked Luo Jinzhi for being from the countryside. However, her family’s financial situation was quite average.

The income of Du Yanlin’s parents was of the salaried class, and they only agreed to give her a thousand yuan a month for living expenses.

A thousand yuan wasn’t small for a university student’s budget, but it certainly wasn’t enough for high-end makeup products.

To come up with four or five thousand yuan to compensate Huo Sining, Du Yanlin was at a loss and could not afford it right away.

Du Yanlin couldn’t help but glance at Xue Jingjing, whose family was better off than hers. Xue Jingjing could probably come up with five thousand yuan.

But Du Yanlin forgot: the disaster was her own doing, and there was no reason for Xue Jingjing, regardless of how foolish or stupid, to foot the bill for her actions.

Seeing Xue Jingjing turn her head away, not looking at her, Du Yanlin felt both embarrassed and angry. Her eyes immediately turned bright red with rage. What friendship, what sisterhood; in the face of money, it was all just a fart!

Du Yanlin was angry, but she was unwilling to completely break with Xue Jingjing just yet.

Even though Xue Jingjing didn’t lift a finger to help her, Du Yanlin still saw the woman as somewhat naive and useful to her, and she felt it would be a pity to completely cut ties.