TREATING BOYFRIEND AS EX

Chapter 6 Milk Tea, Twenty Thousand

Water continued dripping from above, though the cause remained unclear. She had reported it to the property management, who assured her they were handling the issue.

The following morning, as the mist lifted, Jiao Didi applied a steaming towel to her face before smoothing on some natural moisturizer. She wore a black, high-waisted Korean-style skirt that accentuated her delicate, youthful appearance.

As she prepared to unlock the door, an uneasy feeling made her hesitate. Peering through the peephole, she checked the hallway to ensure no one was around. Once she was sure the coast was clear, she quietly stepped out in her white low-heeled sandals, phone in hand, ready to hail a ride.

A group of students on skateboards whizzed by, laughing and shouting. Jiao Didi instinctively stepped aside to avoid them, but an elderly woman, leisurely walking in the distance, was not so fortunate. Due to her age and slower movements, she was knocked to the ground by the oncoming students, who, upon realizing the mishap, fled without so much as a glance back.

Without a second thought, Jiao Didi rushed to the woman's side. "Grandma, where does it hurt?" she asked, concern etching her features.

The elderly woman tried to rise, only to wince in pain. It turned out she had sprained her ankle, but thankfully, there were no other injuries. The woman, whose surname was Fang, explained that she was out for a stroll while her family was abroad and her only companion, a maid, was out shopping for groceries.

After dialing 120, an ambulance arrived quickly, and Jiao Didi accompanied the woman to the hospital, comforting her along the way. "What a good girl you are, truly a good girl," Grandma Fang kept saying as she patted her hand.

Once at the hospital, Jiao Didi helped Fang get checked in and registered. The maid arrived shortly after and profusely thanked Jiao Didi for her help. Before she left, Grandma Fang insisted on exchanging phone numbers, and the two women bid each other farewell.

As Jiao Didi raised her head, she noticed the gynecology department was located on the third floor. Deciding it was time for a checkup, she went there and received a referral for an ultrasound.

"What? I'm not pregnant?" Jiao Didi stared at the doctor in disbelief, her mouth slightly ajar.

The ultrasound technician, after examining her again, confirmed there was no sign of pregnancy. Confused and flustered, Jiao Didi explained that her blood test results from the previous day had indicated she was pregnant.

The technician immediately called the laboratory, but when the blood test results came back, they too showed no pregnancy. Jiao Didi was stunned—how could they have made such a mistake?

The hospital administrator rushed to apologize. "I'm terribly sorry, Miss Jiao. Please accept our deepest apologies!"

Her emotions, which had been on a rollercoaster ride, crashed from the peak of hope to the depths of disappointment. She had already accepted the idea of being pregnant, only to now find out it was all a misunderstanding. Feeling dejected, she wandered aimlessly to the hospital entrance, her heart heavy with confusion.

With a wry smile, she muttered, "Well, I suppose it's for the best. No need to worry anymore."

"Excuse me, excuse me..."

She was suddenly jolted as someone bumped into her, causing her arm to throb with pain.

A middle-aged woman, large and imposing, spun around with an angry glare, accusing, "Can't you see? I said excuse me!"

"You owe me for my milk tea," the woman snapped, pointing at Jiao Didi's ruined skirt, now splattered with the beverage.

The woman grabbed her arm, demanding compensation for the spilled milk tea. Without hesitation, Jiao Didi pulled out her phone and called the police. When dealing with such shameless individuals, calling the authorities was always the best course of action.

A crowd had gathered to watch the commotion, and when the police arrived, it took them considerable effort to push through the onlookers. After reviewing the hospital’s surveillance footage, it was clear that the middle-aged woman had been the one to collide with Jiao Didi.

"Fine, let’s call it even," the woman muttered, clearly embarrassed.

However, Jiao Didi, unimpressed, demanded compensation. "My dress costs eighteen thousand. You owe me for that."

"Wow, so expensive! Why don't you just rob a bank?" the woman scoffed.

Originally, the woman might have apologized and let the matter drop, but her dismissive attitude pushed Jiao Didi to take further action. Without hesitation, she called her lawyer.

"Who are you trying to scare? Eighteen thousand for a dress? I might as well claim my milk tea costs twenty thousand," the middle-aged woman sneered.

When Jiao Didi’s lawyer arrived, she presented her credit card bill as proof. At that point, the woman, realizing the situation was serious, threw herself to the ground and began to make a scene.

Jiao Didi, unfazed, let her lawyer handle the matter. Dealing with such people required the proper legal tools.

Later, Jiao Didi, now covered in milk tea, wandered around, searching for a place to buy new clothes. She spotted a few shops nearby, but they offered only cheap, low-quality items. She had never worn anything less than a few hundred yuan, so she decided to make do.

After finally picking out something to wear, she had the stained skirt sent to her lawyer as evidence. Still feeling frustrated, she decided that shopping was the only thing that could lift her spirits.

After all, every woman knew: shopping was the cure for any mood.

She headed to a high-end luxury department store, "Gu Hui." Initially, she intended to visit her usual counter, but upon second thought, she realized her outfit was too plain and out of style. She didn’t want to risk becoming the subject of gossip.

Turning, she entered a brand she had never visited before. The sales associate, who had been warmly greeting customers at the door, froze when she saw Jiao Didi's attire. The smile quickly faded from her face.

"Miss, the restroom is straight ahead and to the left," she directed, assuming Jiao Didi was only there to use the facilities.

Jiao Didi, unbothered by the sales associate's attitude, calmly replied, "I’m here to look at clothes. Please bring me the one from the display window."

Reluctantly, the sales associate fetched the dress. As Jiao Didi perused the rest of the garments, she noticed that while the fabrics were fine, the designs were more suited to office workers, not her taste at all.

She was unsure which to choose and felt a bit vexed.

The other sales associate, assuming Jiao Didi was concerned about the price, stepped forward and said, "This one is designed by a renowned Parisian designer, priced at 38,000 yuan."

Jiao Didi picked up another dress to examine.

"This one is 63,000 yuan," the associate continued.

The saleswoman kept emphasizing the prices, as though worried that Jiao Didi might damage the garments and be unable to afford them.

When the associate finally brought the dress to the fitting room, Jiao Didi overheard the other two whispering outside.

"People these days. They know they can't afford anything but still try it on."

"Exactly. These are high-end clothes. If she tries them on and doesn’t buy, the fit will be ruined for the next customer."

Their voices weren’t loud, but Jiao Didi heard them clearly in the fitting room.

She had been born with a silver spoon in her mouth, always dressed in designer labels. For the salespeople, she was a walking fortune. Although the dress suited her well, she ultimately decided not to buy it.

Furious, she removed the dress and put on her original clothes. She marched out of the fitting room.

"Smack…" she placed the dress on the counter with a decisive thud.

Turning on her heel, she exited the store. Behind her, the sales associates continued muttering about her being a poor, pretentious woman.

Jiao Didi wasn’t upset about the remarks. She simply didn’t want to contribute to their sales out of spite.

As she rounded the corner, she spotted a familiar couple approaching. Glancing down at her attire, she quickly dashed back to the original store.