The "they" Joslyn was referring to were her father and stepmother. Apparently, they treated her badly.
Joslyn and Blair entered the Shining International Plaza and were dazzled by a superb collection of beautiful things inside.
Standing outside a clothing store, Joslyn admired a beautiful dress in the shop window. "Wow, that dress is amazing. The price is amazing too—29, 999 dollars. There was a time you could have afforded that."
She was right. When Blair's parents were still alive, her mom was rich, even though her dad was a poor professor. However, after the accident, Blair had to pay her neighbors back for their losses. The huge fire had caused a great damage in the villa zone.
Her uncle and cousin offered to give her pocket money many times, but she turned them down every time. She got a scholarship every semester, enough to cover her living expenses.
"Hey Blair, why not try it on?" Joslyn asked and pinched her arm.
Blair shook her head. "Why bother? I don't have the money. It'll tick off the salespeople."
Her words made sense to Joslyn. "All right. Let's go."
While walking, Joslyn put a comforting hand on Blair's shoulder. "I'll find a good job and work hard after graduation. And I'll give you a dress as expensive as this one as a birthday gift," Joslyn promised.
"Really? Then I'm looking forward to it." Blair kissed Joslyn on her cheek.
Joslyn laughed out loud. "No problem. That's me, studying hard for your future. However, I think maybe you should buy me the dress. You are a straight-A student. You'll be a postgraduate one day. Or even a doctor. You'll probably make a ton more money."
Looking at the clothes in the mall, Blair answered absentmindedly, "I hope so. But I'm really burned out. I feel like all I do is study." Actually, she didn't want to be a strong, self-made woman. She just wanted to marry Wesley and be a housewife, taking care of her husband and children every day. That was hard, because he didn't like her.
Joslyn leaned in and patted her softly. "Bless, don't give up. Not everyone can get a scholarship every semester, but you can. You are the best, Bless."
Blair sighed, "Of course I won't give up. What else is there?"
Wesley had turned her down, so she had to get a job. She would study hard and earn as many certificates as possible. That way she might have a chance at some good money.
Joslyn selected a belt for Hartwell. It was usually a girlfriend's gift. At the thought of it, she grinned ear-to-ear.
Blair's eyes fell upon a cigarette lighter. It had a simple yet classic design. She thought it would suit Wesley, who was a heavy smoker.
But her face fell when she saw the price tag. '6, 800? Why is it so much?'
Joslyn took the cigarette lighter from Blair and gave it back to the saleslady. "Wow, you must really have it bad for that guy. And he doesn't even like you. Why would you get him such an expensive gift?"
Her words were like a knife piercing Blair's heart. "What are you talking about? It's for my cousin," Blair spat.
Joslyn snorted. "He doesn't smoke."
'That's right. I forgot!' Blair sighed inwardly.
She did some mental calculations. She could use the virtual credit card Ant Credit Pay to buy the lighter now, and pay it off next month. After that, she had about 2, 000 or 3, 000 dollars in her account. She found a part-time job tutoring a kid. She believed she could make ends meet.
"I'll take this. Ring it up for me, please," she said to the saleslady.
Joslyn grabbed her hand and said anxiously, "You crazy? It's $6, 800! Do you have that kind of cash?" Then she lowered her voice and added, "He's not your boyfriend yet. Get a grip!"
Blair mumbled something in English. Joslyn cast a warning glance at her and asked, "What's that supposed to mean?"
Blair gave her a smile. "You can't make an omelet without breaking eggs."
Seeing Blair's excited look, Joslyn sighed helplessly and said, "Fine. If you're low on cash, I got your back. After all, I'll be your cousin's wife someday."
"Sure." Blair didn't turn her down.
They left the boutique, and Blair picked up an ordinary gift for her cousin. It only cost her 600 dollars. Joslyn rolled her eyes and taunted, "Seriously? You spent 600 on Hartwell and nearly 7, 000 on Wesley. If Hartwell finds out, he'll be crushed."
"Hartwell doesn't care about my gift at all. He cares about yours. I'm merely acting as a foil," Blair said with a smile.
"Come on! When we're together, people always look your way."
"Don't say that. I believe my cousin will totally fall for you."
"Meh!"
The two girls laughed out loud together.
A month later, Blair posted an update on her Moments, which said, "There's less than 1, 000 in my account. And I still have to pay off the credit card. Are you guys in the same boat? Leave a comment so I can see how much misery loves company."
She had originally found a part-time job as a family tutor, but the family moved to another city. So her job went bye-bye. Although she was short on money, she was long on hope.
When Talbot finally got a chance to get to his Moments, it was already three days later. He put his phone in front of Wesley and said, "Chief, look at this. Poor Blair! She lives in a pretty pricey area, right? If she could afford an apartment there, why is she having money issues?"
Wesley saw the post, and after a short pause, he simply said, "I don't know."
"Isn't she Lieutenant General Ji's niece? He has money, right?"
"I have no idea," was Wesley's answer.
Talbot rolled his eyes and went to talk about Blair with others.
Blair had forgotten to block her relatives when she sent the post. Soon, Natalia Deng, Adalson's wife called her. "What do you mean, Blair? Are you complaining that we don't give you money? You want others to look down on us?"
"It's not like that, Aunt Natalia. I was just kidding. I've got a scholarship. And Uncle Adalson paid for my rent. I'm really grateful to you and him," Blair answered softly.
Natalia Deng spat, "I don't care what you were thinking. I'll wire you some money tonight. When you get a job, remember to pay us back."
"There's really no need to—" She was going to get a scholarship soon.
However, before she could finish, Natalia Deng cut her off. "Just shut up! What can you do with less than 1, 000? Do you want to starve? We'll feel bad if you starve. How will we ever face your mother in heaven if we let that happen? You refuse to live with us, and that's bad enough. Now you don't have the money to support yourself. You want people to think we're mean?"
Natalia Deng was starting to yell. Blair had to take the receiver away from her ear.