Chapter 188: Chapter 47 Friends: Lu Qingyun, you have soared to success!_2
Lu Qingyun lay on the comfortable big bed, a look of utter contentment on her face. The life of the rich is truly wonderful.
The door opened.
She looked over, her face beaming with surprise. "Brother Sun, why are you back? Weren’t you at the company?"
Sun Dasheng came over, sat beside her, and held her in his arms. "I was worried about you, so I came back to check on you."
She wrapped her arms around him, resting her head on his shoulder. "Brother Sun, you’re so kind."
"Have you finished packing?" Sun Dasheng asked.
"Yes."
"It seems like you have very few clothes." Sun Dasheng stood up and opened the wardrobe. It was nearly empty, with the clothes inside filling less than a tenth of the space.
"Let’s go," Sun Dasheng said as he pulled her up.
"Where are we going?" she asked.
"To fill your wardrobe, of course."
Lu Qingyun’s eyes sparkled. Listen to that. He’s the epitome of a domineering CEO. I’ve read so many novels about them, but I never thought I, Lu Qingyun, would actually meet one in real life.
「Nanjing Road Pedestrian Street, Shanghai’s most bustling thoroughfare.」
Even on a weekday, the crowds here were frighteningly large.
"Do you have any favorite brands?" Sun Dasheng asked as they strolled down the pedestrian street after parking the car.
Lu Qingyun shook her head. With her previous meager salary, she never dared to even learn about designer brands, fearing her small savings might vanish in an instant. Some of her former colleagues had even maxed out their credit cards and taken out online loans to buy designer goods. They ended up bankrupt, with debt collectors calling the office. This had instilled in her a significant fear of luxury brands.
"Then let’s start with this store. It’s Prada. Your Sister Yiren and Sister Ziyan are quite fond of their handbags."
Lu Qingyun glanced at the price tags in the store and felt an immediate urge to run. A tiny handbag costs hundreds of thousands. This is highway robbery! Some of these bags cost as much as my car.
The sales associates in luxury stores were all stunningly beautiful women, each one sharp and perceptive. Shortly after they entered, a sales associate approached them. She didn’t speak, but simply stood beside them with a quiet smile, ready to be summoned.
When she saw the man gesture, she immediately took two steps forward and smiled. "Sir, it would be my pleasure to assist you. How may I help you?"
Sun Dasheng pointed to a handbag in the display case. "Can we try it on?"
"Certainly, sir," the sales associate replied, her smile never faltering. "The lady beside you has an exceptionally refined temperament. Our handbags would be very suitable for her. Please, let me know which one you’re interested in, and I’ll get it for you."
Sun Dasheng was unfazed; he had heard such flattery countless times. The salespeople in luxury stores all had the gift of the gab. Lu Qingyun, however, blushed slightly, embarrassed by the blatant sycophancy.
Seeing her discomfort, Sun Dasheng chose a small, white handbag for her.
"Sir, you have an excellent eye," the associate gushed. "This is a new model we’ve just released. It has a fresh and fashionable design that’s perfect for the modern lady beside you." As she spoke, she retrieved the bag and handed it over.
Sun Dasheng gestured for Lu Qingyun to try it. Lu Qingyun obediently complied.
"This bag is honored to be carried by you. There’s a full-length mirror right here, ma’am. Please, take a look and see if you like it." The sales associate’s words were as sweet as honey.
Lu Qingyun did as she was told, examining herself from every angle in the mirror. It was genuinely beautiful and exactly to her liking.
Just as she was about to nod in approval, an untimely voice cut in. "Honey, I want that bag too."
An uninvited couple had appeared beside them. It was a man in his fifties with a protruding belly and a sleazy look, and a woman in her twenties, gaudily dressed. She was somewhat attractive, but more importantly, very showy.
"I’m sorry, this is a limited-edition piece. It’s the only one we have in the store, and this customer saw it first," the sales associate hurriedly explained.
"Alright, someone else already wants it. Besides, there are plenty of other bags here. Let’s go look at something else," the older man said reasonably.
"I don’t care! I want this one!" the woman pouted.
The old man was about to refuse, but the moment he saw Lu Qingyun, the flesh on his face quivered. His entire attitude shifted as he said gruffly, "Just bring it over. Are you afraid we can’t pay for it?"
Interesting. Sun Dasheng noted the man’s expression and asked the woman beside him, "Does he know you?"
Lu Qingyun nodded, her face slightly pale. "He’s the vice president from my old company."
I see. He’d heard stories about what this feisty woman of his had done before. This should be interesting. Enemies meeting face-to-face.
The sales associate was caught in a dilemma.
The store manager walked over with a smile and greeted the old man first. They were clearly old acquaintances; he was probably a regular customer.
"What’s going on?" the manager asked.
The sales associate truthfully explained the situation.
After listening patiently, the store manager glanced at Sun Dasheng and Lu Qingyun and said with a smile, "Sir, madam, would you mind choosing another item?"
"Oh? And why should we?" Sun Dasheng asked, his interest piqued.
The manager wasn’t annoyed. She maintained her smile and said, "Because I am the manager of this store. And if you’re willing to give up this bag, I can offer you a discount on another item."
"Heh, what kind of discount?" Sun Dasheng laughed.
The manager laughed as well, thinking she had persuaded him. She proudly stated a frankly insulting number, "I can give you a two-percent discount."
"Wow, what a huge discount!"
As expected of a luxury store manager, she could take a customer’s mockery in stride. Still smiling, she said, "This discount is the maximum my authority allows. As you know, luxury stores rarely offer any discounts at all."
"Why are you wasting your breath explaining this to these country bumpkins? They’ve probably never bought luxury goods before. What would they know?" the woman beside the old man sneered.
The store manager simply smiled without a word. She wasn’t about to stoop to the woman’s clueless level. From the man’s clothes alone, she could identify several major luxury brands. They were just the more understated items, the kind without obvious logos that only someone deep in the industry could recognize.
Even so, she still chose to side with her regular customer. After all, he was a known quantity—rich and a big spender. She couldn’t risk alienating a reliable high-roller for a potential one, could she? As a shrewd manager, she quickly weighed the benefits and losses.
"Are you sure? You won’t sell this bag to us?" Sun Dasheng asked one last time with a smile.
He received a firm nod from the manager.
"Fine." He turned to Lu Qingyun. "Give them back the bag."
Then, he led her out of the boutique.
"Tch! I thought he was so tough, but he was just pretending to be a big shot, putting on a brave face," the flamboyant woman said, hooking her arm through the old man’s. "You’re the real big shot, darling. Those posers can’t fool you. They show their true colors instantly."
The woman’s sweet-talking worked wonders. The old man was pleased and bought her the bag, which cost over two hundred thousand. "Mwah! Thank you, darling."
The store manager stood at the door, preparing to give her loyal customer a warm send-off. The next second, the smile froze on her face.
She saw the manager from the LV store next door personally escorting a man and a woman out. Following them were several sales associates, their hands full of shopping bags, large and small.
"Well, Sister Yun, looks like your store landed a whale today, huh?" the Prada manager asked with feigned surprise.
The LV manager, Sister Yun, didn’t hold back. She smiled and said, "I really ought to thank you. If you hadn’t driven those customers over to our store, how else would we have sold more than a dozen bags at once for a sales total of over two million?"
A blow aimed straight for the heart!
The Prada manager instantly felt dizzy, her body swaying unsteadily. A deep, consuming regret washed over her. But in this world, there was no medicine for regret.
Her expression was awful, which the departing couple misinterpreted.
"Darling, that manager is so rude! Her attitude changed the second we paid. We should return this bag!"