Chapter 186: Chapter 46 Taking Down Lu Qingyun_2
Xiang Yiren brought the matter to a close. She raised her teacup and clinked it against the other two.
"Sister Ziyan, from now on, I’ll be number three. I will listen to whatever you and Sister Yiren say. Just tell me what to do, and I’ll do it. Wherever you point, I’ll strike." Lu Qingyun humbled herself completely.
If Jiang Ziyan refused to forgive her now, she would appear petty. She could only nod. "Qingyun, let’s put this unpleasantness behind us. From now on, you’re our good sister."
"That’s more like it! Come on, you two, shake hands and make up."
Xiang Yiren took several photos of the two sisters huddled together, then snapped a bunch of selfies with all three of them. She then posted them to their respective social media feeds.
"By the way, Ziyan, how did the inspection trip abroad go?"
Hearing Sister Yiren ask about business, Jiang Ziyan sat up straight and retrieved the inspection report from her bag.
"I visited quite a few countries and inspected many products. It’s still the big brands that are most trustworthy, even if their prices are a bit steep."
"Mm, then our salon should continue to brand itself for high-end customers. The lower-priced products are prone to issues and don’t yield much profit. It’s not worth it unless we open a huge number of branches."
"Exactly. If we opened more branches, I’d be worked to death. Brother Sun would feel bad for us, too. He wouldn’t let us open so many."
Jiang Ziyan placed the report back in her bag. Seeing Lu Qingyun staring enviously from the side, her sour mood instantly lifted. Although they were all Brother Sun’s women, there was a clear hierarchy based on favor and who had arrived first. She and Xiang Yiren now had everything provided for them, from their daily expenses to their own businesses. Lu Qingyun, despite having joined their ranks, currently had nothing. She didn’t even own a handbag worth tens of thousands, the kind Jiang Ziyan used casually every day.
Across from them, Xiang Yiren also noticed the look of longing in the newcomer’s eyes. She smiled but said nothing. The power to purchase such things rested solely with Brother Sun. He decided who received gifts and what those gifts would be; they couldn’t make such choices for him.
Speak of the devil.
The office door swung open, and the man himself walked in.
"Are you three sisters holding a tea party in here?" Sun Dasheng asked, entering with a spring in his step.
Xiang Yiren, ever the most perceptive, quickly went to greet him. "Brother Sun, don’t tease us. We were just strategizing for the future of the beauty salon."
"Oh? Tell me about your plans." He actually couldn’t care less about the salon’s prospects, but to humor the women, he chose to listen anyway.
"Hmm, not bad. You’ve all thought it through very well. Let’s go with that. Call me if you run into any problems."
Since everyone was present, he scanned them again with the system panel. As expected, Lu Qingyun’s Bond Value was below 60. Xiang Yiren’s, however, had risen to 80, making her the third woman to reach that level. That was the good news.
The bad news was that Jiang Ziyan’s Bond Value had plummeted to just 60.
Dangerous!
It seemed her best friend’s betrayal still weighed heavily on her. He had to take remedial action, and quickly. It occurred to him that they didn’t have their own cars yet. An idea formed.
"Yiren, Ziyan, you two don’t have a car yet, do you?" Sun Dasheng asked suddenly.
"Brother Sun, we have a driver who picks us up in a business vehicle every day. We don’t really need a car," Jiang Ziyan, ever the honest one, replied.
Xiang Yiren, however, remained silent. Her eyes darted about as she quickly grasped Brother Sun’s true intention. She decided to play along. "Ziyan, what are you saying? Brother Sun is worried that we don’t have our own cars to go out and have fun in. He feels bad for us and wants to give us one."
Sun Dasheng shot Xiang Yiren an appreciative glance. This woman is a true mind reader.
"Your Sister Yiren is right. You have a driver for commuting, but what about on weekends, or when you want to take a trip and just have some fun? Wouldn’t you need a car of your own for that?"
His words won her over instantly. When he put it that way, perhaps they really did need one.
"Alright, let’s go. My car is waiting outside. Ziyan, you can drive today. We’re going to the 4S dealerships to pick out a ride for each of you."
「On the Street of 4S Dealerships」
Women and men truly chose things in completely different ways. A man picking a car would have already memorized every detail online, selected a few options that fit his budget and offered the best value, and would only come to the dealership for a test drive before sealing the deal.
Women were different. For them, browsing a car dealership was no different from browsing a shopping mall. They would only stop to take a closer look at a car if its appearance caught their eye and they found it appealing. That’s right—they chose cars based on looks.
「BMW 4S Dealership」
Jiang Ziyan immediately fell in love with a BMW MINI. It was compact, cute, and had a fashionable exterior. The interior was just as exquisite. After a short test drive, she found the handling was great, too.
"Brother Sun, I’ll take this one."
The decision was surprisingly quick, much faster than when they shopped for clothes. The salesperson beside them was thrilled. She had barely said a word before the customer had chosen a model.
"This model has several configuration options, they are..."
Before she could finish her pitch, Sun Dasheng cut her off.
"Just give us the top-of-the-line model. How much is it? Draw up the invoice."
The salesperson sucked in a sharp breath. This was truly a big shot, a man with a woman on each arm and another to spare. The salesperson, who had been bracing for nitpicking after being interrupted, was now beaming.
"Of course, sir. Ladies, please make yourselves comfortable while I get the purchase contract."
The perceptive salesperson placed the contract in front of Sun Dasheng, but he simply pushed it toward Jiang Ziyan.
"Let her sign it!"
She sucked in a sharp breath again.
Is this what it’s like to be a rich big shot? Just giving away cars like they’re nothing? Giving away one car was one thing, but he had two other women with him! If I could close deals for the other two, wouldn’t that be killing three birds with one stone? Selling three cars at once would surely make me the top salesperson of the day!
But she had gotten ahead of herself. After the contract was signed and the payment was made, the group walked out and straight into the Mercedes-Benz dealership across the street.
The BMW salesperson seethed with frustration, especially since the salesperson who greeted them over there was her sworn enemy, who was now looking back at her with a smug, triumphant smile.
"Welcome, distinguished guests, to the Mercedes-Benz 4S dealership. How may I be of service?" The new salesperson had seen the group sign the contract at BMW, so she knew they were serious buyers. This was her lucky day.
Xiang Yiren’s eyes were immediately drawn to a Mercedes-Benz CLA. It was a compact sedan with a beautiful design and a fantastic interior. She took it for a test drive and liked the feel of it.
Soon, that deal was also completed.
After finalizing the sale, the salesperson decided to press her luck. "Is there anything else our distinguished guests might need?"
"Qingyun, she’s asking you," Sun Dasheng said, turning the attention to her.
Everyone looked at Lu Qingyun. Having kept her head down the entire time, she was startled by the sudden focus. Earlier, when they were discussing the cars, Brother Sun had only ever addressed Sister Yiren and Sister Ziyan, not sparing her a single word. She had assumed nothing was planned for her today. It was true that she hadn’t been with him for long and couldn’t compare to the other two sisters, but she still felt a pang of disappointment. After all, when everyone else gets something and you don’t, it’s hard not to feel like you’re the least important. Such psychological comparisons arise unconsciously, beyond one’s control.
Of course, Sun Dasheng was largely responsible for creating this situation. He had deliberately ignored Lu Qingyun. The reason, naturally, was to placate Jiang Ziyan.
As expected, his plan worked perfectly. On the system panel, Jiang Ziyan’s Bond Value had not only recovered but had even risen to 66 points.
Since his objective was achieved, there was no longer any need to give her the cold shoulder.
"Me? I get one, too?" Lu Qingyun asked, pointing at herself.
Her voice held a mix of confusion and giddy excitement, tinged with a hint of grievance. Brother Sun, I thought you didn’t like me anymore...