Chapter 407

“Claire is honestly incredible. Everything she’s been through and her grades are still perfect. It’s like nothing knocks her down p>

“She’s really put our school on the map. The teachers are so proud p>

“This year’s admissions will be a breeze. We totally outclassed those public schools p>

Hearing everyone go on and on about Claire made Cindy’s mood hit rock bottom.

So, as soon as the final bell rang, she messaged Rose and the others about hitting the mall. Retail therapy, or at least some distraction, seemed necessary.

“Cindy, I heard Gucci dropped a new line of bags,” Rose said with a grin. “Wanna check them out p>

They all tagged along, but it didn’t take long before they noticed Cindy wasn’t making any big purchases. She’d pick up some random cute things and kept it low- key. When it came to gifts, she just handed out a single lipstick to each of them,

which left the group a little disappointed.

Honestly, Cindy was being stingy.

Rose had been eyeing a Gucci wallet for weeks. It wasn’t crazy expensive and she figured Cindy could snag it for her alongside whatever bag she liked. Plus, Gucci scarves were in this season. Rose definitely pictured herself with one draped around her shoulders.

Cindy remembered how Latham had given her ten thousand yuan last night, and she’d only spent about two thousand so far.

She was quick to agree. “Let’s go. Gucci sounds perfect p>

But walking into the store, reality hit hard. Just one look at those price tags and her heart dropped. Bags in here started at more than ten thousand-Latham’s allowance wasn’t nearly enough.

If she wanted a bag, she’d have to use part of the monthly money Octavia gave her. Problem was, Rose and the girls had been dragging her out shopping nonstop lately. Cindy had already spent way too much, and some stuff ended up as gifts for these very friends.

She was worried that if she kept blowing through her cash, she’d end up broke. If she needed more, she’d have to ask her mom, and that would be a nightmare. If Octavia started asking where the last chunk of allowance went, that would get awkward fast.

Claire only got five thousand yuan a month from Octavia, but Cindy got six times that they gave her thirty thousand a month. For a high schooler, that was a fortune.

At first Cindy had been careful, not

daring to spend much. Lately though her friends had kept her busy shopping and her bank balancë was melting away. Even the extra cash she got for New Year was

pretty much gone now.

Thinking about how little was left, Cindy paused, torn. Did she really want to buy a bag?

“Cindy, look, this is the latest design,” Rose said, holding up a purse with an eager smile. “It’s honestly not that expensive. You should get it p>

Anyone watching would’ve thought Rose worked for Gucci the way she was talking. The other girls jumped in too.

“Yeah, Cindy, retail therapy is the way to go,” one of them teased. “You haven’t seemed happy lately. Two bags and you’ll feel totally better p>

It wasn’t their money on the line. If Cindy was going to splurge, they might even walk away with a gift themselves. Of course they were pushing her.

“Cindy, are you upset about Claire getting first place in the competition?” another asked, almost smirking.

“But honestly,” Rose said, “no matter what she does, she’s never going to be as good as you p>

Rose wasn’t sucking up to Claire anymore. Now, every compliment was aimed at Cindy.

Cindy shot her a look, trying to read Rose’s expression.

Even Shirley, who’d just come in to check out the handbags, glared at Rose. She pulled out her phone and casually started recording as if she wanted to catch whatever ridiculous thing Rose would say next.

Claire took first in the qualifiers. She

was about to represent the country.

Yet here was Rose, the chronic

flatterer acting like

Lacting like Claire wasn’t

even worth mentioning compared to Cindy. Was she delusional?

Shirley had always hated seeing Rose fawning over Claire. Now that Rose switched to Cindy, it was even worse. Claire’s talent drew people in, but Shirley never cared about the group that hovered around her. Cindy was different. If she hadn’t moved back to the James family, She’d be fust another ordinary student, not someone getting compared to someone like Claire, who aced every class and made everyone proud.