Got any monthly votes? Trailing the number one spot by 61 votes—Hong Chang is going to flip out, seriously?
Wang Zhuo, at this moment, had no idea that his former classmate and her three companions were using him as fodder, tearing him apart with a variety of thinly veiled mockeries.
He was basking in the warm autumn sun, lost in thought, reminiscing about old junior high days. A smile tugged at his lips as he recalled the time he beat up a group of local thugs who were harassing Deng Jiao and subsequently ran them off.
Even back then, Deng Jiao was already tall and statuesque, towering over Wang Zhuo by half a head. She used to look clumsy during physical education, drawing chuckles from others. To think she was now working as a car model—the world truly changes in unfathomable ways.
Three or four years had passed, and Wang Zhuo had transformed from that carefree, somewhat dense youth into a discerning young man who understood the depths of human nature. Looking back now, he finally realized that Deng Jiao had harbored feelings for him back then, even hinting at it several times.
If he had accepted her then, would he no longer be a virgin now? Wang Zhuo chuckled silently at the thought.
But then again, he probably wouldn't have experienced the sweet relief of Gan Lin. Wang Zhuo weighed the options briefly, then tossed Deng Jiao’s long legs out of his mind—clearly, the ‘bowl of milk’ at home was better!
...
“The stuff in this shop isn’t much, but the sales staff are genuinely good.”
Manager Liu, his belly preceding him, had one arm draped loosely around the waist of a frail beauty, while the other hand rested casually in his pocket.
“I truly don’t understand how they run a business. Do they think a few handsome guys and pretty girls can push inventory?” Manager Sun chimed in, agreeing with Liu while sneaking glances at the flight attendant Wang Zhuo had hired first—the one who refused to play their unsavory games.
Seeing that the guests were unimpressed with the items on the ground floor, a handsome young salesman smiled and offered, “If you gentlemen are looking for items of a higher caliber, perhaps you might care to browse upstairs.”
“Based on what’s on the first floor, I doubt the second floor will be much more upscale,” Manager Liu chuckled derisively.
“Maybe not, but let’s go up and see,” Manager Sun gave him a subtle look. Lower quality might be better, after all—it meant saving a bundle when buying gifts for the women.
Upon reaching the second floor, the group was slightly taken aback. Manager Sun was the first to smile brightly, “I didn’t expect the owner of this shop to be such an interesting person. The décor up here really sets a mood.”
“Indeed. Looking at this, I find myself anticipating the merchandise on the second floor,” Manager Liu smoothly recovered his earlier slip of the tongue, following Sun’s lead.
When the four approached the display cases, Manager Liu realized he had completely misjudged the situation. The merchandise upstairs was in a different league entirely. Most items downstairs were trinkets, imitations, small decorative pieces, often the quality of tourist souvenirs. Upstairs, however, were the real goods—the first display case showcased a row of jadeite egg faces.
“Are these all real?” Deng Jiao casually glanced at the price tag of a 'Peace Buckle' pendant, looking genuinely surprised.
A sales attendant approached, her smile sweet, and said, “Sister, everything on the second floor is genuine Burmese jadeite, all verified by authoritative testing bodies. Every piece comes with an inspection certificate, a warranty card, and a qualification document.”
“Manager Sun, this egg,” Pingping, the frail beauty, pointed to a full-green jadeite egg face in the case, addressing Deng Jiao’s male companion, “it looks even bigger than yours, doesn't it?”
The two men stepped closer and saw that the egg face was not just slightly bigger; its green hue was rich, vibrant, and perfectly saturated—a lush, full color. Compared to it, the one Manager Sun wore on his hand was easily two tiers below, its value undoubtedly worlds apart.
Deng Jiao counted the string of zeros on the price tag, searching for the decimal point but couldn't find it.
“Ninety-eight thousand?” Pingping gasped in astonishment, “Are they robbing people?”
The men laughed and moved toward the next section of the display. While ninety-eight thousand might seem a bit steep, it certainly wasn't robbery; it might even be a relatively fair price. Since they lacked the means to buy, they figured it was best to move along before looking foolish.
Noticing the men’s strange behavior, Pingping sensed something was off and quietly tugged Deng Jiao’s arm. “Jiao, how much was Manager Sun’s egg worth again?”
“What egg? That sounds so vulgar,” Deng Jiao shot her a look, whispering, “Manager Sun’s ring setting was eighteen thousand. It’s clearly inferior to the one we just saw.”
Pingping’s expression cleared. She realized she’d spoken out of turn. She knew a little about gemstone pricing—a slight difference in quality meant a massive gulf in value. That piece they just looked at was likely worth close to a million.
Deng Jiao gave her a meaningful glance. She flipped her hair back, and as her arm dropped, her fingertips briefly traced a line across her own neck. Pingping nodded almost imperceptibly, having understood perfectly: The rich man is right here—let’s milk him dry.
...
“You make me uncontrollably passionate, uh, I mean, I lo—ve you—”
Singing a wildly off-key retro pop song, the portly Jin Chengyou swaggered up to the entrance of Shengshi Dynasty. He greeted Gao Haihe with an almost excessive level of enthusiasm before stepping inside.
Normally, he would have certainly spent time browsing the first floor, flirting with the beauties, but he was here on official business today, so he headed straight for the second floor.
“Manager Liu, doesn’t this bracelet look stunning on me?”
Pingping was holding her wrist up, trying on an ice-grade, flower-flecked, vibrant green bracelet under the sunlight. The tag read two hundred and eighty thousand—Manager Liu obviously wasn't going to buy it for her; she was just trying it on to indulge herself.
“It looks beautiful. Everything looks beautiful on someone as gorgeous as you, Pingping,” Manager Liu muttered to himself, already calculating that he might have to loosen his purse strings significantly today.
Meanwhile, Deng Jiao was more pragmatic. She was looking for a Peace Buckle pendant, claiming she needed it for her necklace. In reality, it was just an excuse to get a man to spend money; buying a few thousand yuan pendant for something she was likely to lose frequently would just be wasteful.
As she browsed, her attention suddenly landed on a vivid, four-bean-pod pendant in 'Clear Water' quality. It featured only two plump 'beans,' the color naturally soft and pleasing, a lovely tender green. Holding it up to the sun for a close look, she saw no blemishes or cloudiness—it was a rare, high-quality piece.
Deng Jiao instantly loved the pod, but the price gave her pause: eighteen thousand. The men probably wouldn't buy it for her.
“I think this buckle is nice,” Manager Sun nonchalantly picked up a Peace Buckle; the price was just over three thousand, very acceptable.
Before Deng Jiao could respond, a delighted shout came from beside her: “Deng Jiao? What are you doing here?”
Deng Jiao turned around to see a large, pale, fleshy face grinning at her. The fat guy looked familiar—Fat Dragon?
“Jin Chengyou?”
“That’s me, hah! What wind blew you all the way over here?”
Fat Dragon walked over, sizing up Deng Jiao from head to toe, repeatedly exclaiming, “You’ve truly changed a lot since high school! Luckily, I have my Fiery Eyes—otherwise, I wouldn’t have recognized you! You must be doing well; that watch is a Chanel.”
Deng Jiao smiled proudly, “You have a good eye.”
“Of course I do,” Fat Dragon nodded shamelessly. Seeing the bean pendant in Deng Jiao’s hand, he laughed, “What, you like this one? If you think it’s expensive, just tell Wang Zhuo; he’ll give you a discount.”
Pingping, overhearing this, deliberately teased, “Oh? You can get a discount just by knowing Wang Zhuo?”
Managers Sun and Liu exchanged a look and smiled silently. They had already mentally classified this fatty as hopelessly dim-witted. Does a massive corporation give a doorman the authority to offer discounts? What a joke.
“Of course, I can!” Fat Dragon laughed heartily and said to Deng Jiao, “Are these your friends? It might be hard for others, but surely Wang Zhuo wouldn't refuse you, Deng Jiao? Everyone in our class knew about you two back then, right? Hah!”
As he spoke, he winked suggestively at Deng Jiao, as if afraid she had forgotten their history.
“Hey, that’s not what I’m asking,” Pingping said irritably. “I’m asking, Wang Zhuo is just a security guard. What right does he have to give us a discount?”
“Security guard?” Fat Dragon paused in surprise. His gaze quickly swept over Deng Jiao and the other three, and he instantly grasped the truth.
So, these people were looking down on him, completely unaware of Instructor Wang’s real identity, mistaking him for a mere guard? Fat Dragon scoffed internally. How could you, Deng Jiao? It’s one thing for others to look down on Instructor Wang, but for you to join in? After he saved you once? You even had a secret crush on him for half a year! Now that you’ve latched onto a rich man, has your conscience been eaten by dogs?
“What’s wrong, little brother?” Manager Liu chimed in with a laugh when he saw Fat Dragon hesitate, teasing him, “Do you really think that even a doorman at a place doing this much business has the authority to discount high-end merchandise for customers? I don’t know about other places, but I’ve certainly never heard of that on Nanjing Road.”
“There are many things you haven’t heard of,” Fat Dragon retorted without courtesy, rolling his eyes and mentally cursing the man as an idiot. He sneered, “So what if he’s a doorman? A doorman still has the authority to throw you out, you fat pig! Let me tell you something, from this moment on, this shop doesn’t welcome you. Get out!”
Manager Liu was nearly choked with rage. This fat guy changed his tune faster than a February sky—turning hostile just like that? Fat pig? Buddy, take a good look at who’s fat between the two of us!
Manager Sun let out a cold sneer, about to speak, when a tower-like figure appeared at the top of the stairs—the same two-meter-plus giant who had been standing by the door earlier.
He strode over to Fat Dragon’s side, radiating an imposing aura, and stated in a deep voice, “Gentlemen, our boss mentioned that we haven’t been attentive enough in serving you. We fear we might have caused offense to our valued guests. You should leave now.”
Manager Sun’s retort died on his lips, utterly stifled. The fat man hadn't been talking nonsense after all! What kind of establishment was this, damn it?