By the time he took a cab back to his little shop, it was already past two in the afternoon.
There was no point in opening for business anymore.
He took out his phone, looked up the property management's information, and prepared to rent a parking spot.
After all, it was a luxury car worth over three million. Leaving it parked on the street wasn't a great idea.
[Mission Complete (Doesn't Want to Go Home): Reward: Cashback Card x1, 30 EXP]
[NPC: Qin Youyou]
[Affinity: 20]
Huh?
Seeing the sudden game notification, he thought, 'The mission is complete, just like that?'
BZZZT—
A message from Qin Youyou came through.
Qin Youyou: "Brother Jiang, because you showed up, my mom has given up on the idea of making me move back home."
Lin Jiang: "Oh? Why?"
Qin Youyou: "She probably misunderstood and thinks you're my boyfriend, so she figures you can take care of me and won't fuss so much. I'm a grown-up, after all."
Lin Jiang didn't know whether to laugh or cry. It felt like he had succeeded by accident.
Although, she really was quite big.
Qin Youyou: "Brother Jiang, I'd like to treat you to a meal. When are you free?"
Lin Jiang: "My schedule is flexible. We can go when your foot is a little better."
Qin Youyou: "It's a date, then. Wait for my message."
Lin Jiang: "Okay."
Just as he finished chatting with Qin Youyou, his phone buzzed a few times.
It was a text alert from the bank. Someone had transferred 100,000 yuan to him.
Lin Jiang froze for a moment, then immediately received a message from Chen Jingjia.
Chen Jingjia: "Did you get the money?"
Lin Jiang knew what money it was—the betrothal gift he had given her.
Lin Jiang: "Got it."
Looking at the extra 100,000 yuan in his account, Lin Jiang took stock of the money he had on hand.
With his previous savings, he now had 253,000 yuan.
After the cashback, it would become 506,000 yuan. That would solve his pressing financial problems, and he'd even have some left over.
Very nice.
The next mission was to spend all this money.
After tidying up the shop a little, Lin Jiang prepared to leave for a spending spree at Berkeley Mall.
CREAK—
The sound of the door opening made Lin Jiang turn around. He saw Chen Jingxian walk in from outside, carrying her bag.
She wore a color-block floral dress that reached her knees, paired with silver flats. The look was fresh, clean, and complemented her excellent temperament.
"Jingxian, what are you doing here?"
"The class I teach is at Fenglin International, so I came over early to drop by your place," Chen Jingxian said, looking around.
"Why aren't you open? Are you not feeling well?"
"I'm fine. I just had some things to take care of, so I decided to give myself a few days off to rest."
"You really are too tired. You can't do it all by yourself," Chen Jingxian said. "From now on, I'll come by and help when I'm free."
"Please don't. You have plenty on your plate already. Don't worry about me; this is nothing."
Lin Jiang got up and stretched. "What time is your class?"
"Six o'clock. I still have over two hours."
Lin Jiang checked his watch. "We've got plenty of time. Let's get something to eat first."
"Sounds good."
The two didn't go far, heading to Old Wang's sister-in-law's... er, dumpling shop next door. Chen Jingxian had eaten their dumplings before and thought they were pretty good.
"Hm?"
Just as they were about to reach Old Wang's place, Lin Jiang stopped in his tracks. He saw people moving things inside.
Following their path, he realized they were coming from Berkeley Mall across the street.
Standing at the entrance, Lin Jiang stared for a few moments and suddenly understood what was happening.
'Isn't this Ma Shangxi's younger brother's shop?!'
'I thought he went out of business, but it turns out he moved right next to me!'
'What the hell.'
"What's wrong?"
Chen Jingxian smoothed down her wind-tousled hair and looked at Lin Jiang.
"Nothing. Come on, let's go eat."
The two quickly arrived at Old Wang's dumpling shop. When the proprietress saw Chen Jingxian, she glanced over at Lin Jiang, a mysterious smile spreading across her face.
"Ma'am, that's a pretty suggestive look you're giving us. This is my former sister-in-law."
The proprietress's smile only grew more mysterious.
[Full of Vigor]
[Youth Makes You Bold]
Lin Jiang was speechless.
Lin Jiang ordered two plates of dumplings, a plate of braised beef, and a side of smashed cucumber salad—more than enough for the two of them.
Seemingly aware that there was no chance of him and her sister getting back together, Chen Jingxian didn't try to persuade him to reconcile. However, she did encourage Lin Jiang to try dating someone new if a suitable person came along.
After the meal, Lin Jiang checked his watch. "You still have over an hour before class. Want to walk around the mall?"
'The cashback card has to be used within 24 hours, so I need to hurry. I can also buy something for Chen Jingxian and raise her Affinity while I'm at it.'
"Sure! A walk after a meal keeps you healthy 'til you're 99."
The two went to Berkeley Mall together. After entering, Lin Jiang looked around.
"What are you looking for?"
"I want to look at some watches. I'm thinking of buying one."
"Buying a watch is a good idea. A man needs a good watch, just like a woman needs a good handbag. It gives you face when you go out," Chen Jingxian said.
"My semi-annual bonus is coming soon. With that and my salary, I can pay you back in two months at most."
"Don't get the wrong idea. I'm not here to buy a watch to pressure you for the money."
"I know that's not what you meant, but I can't just pretend it's not on my mind. I needed to tell you."
"Anyway, I'm not in a hurry. Pay me back whenever. It's up to you."
"Mm."
As they were talking, Lin Jiang spotted his target: Glashütte.
Chen Jingxian didn't say anything else and quietly followed behind Lin Jiang.
If it had been Chen Jingjia, she definitely would have said, "You can't afford it anyway, so what's the point of looking?" Then she would have immediately turned to look at luxury bags that she couldn't afford herself.
A few meters from the store's entrance, Lin Jiang glanced inside.
Zhou Wanyu was standing behind the counter, polishing a watch with a focused expression.
"We've got a customer. Xiaozhang, you're up."
Seeing Lin Jiang walking toward the store, the female manager, Liu Tingting, called out.
The boutique's sales associates took turns helping customers. Whether or not they'd actually make a sale was a matter of luck.
The person called Xiaozhang was named Zhang Yufei.
She had short hair and stood next to Zhou Wanyu. She was quite a bit shorter, and while her looks weren't bad, standing next to Zhou Wanyu made her seem a bit plain in comparison.
"Boss, what brings you here?"
Zhang Yufei's eyes lit up. 'He's being called 'Boss,' so he must be well-off. Definitely a potential customer.'
"Wanyu, you know this person?"
"He's the owner of the noodle shop across the street. I eat there all the time."
"Oh, so he's a noodle shop owner."
Zhang Yufei's enthusiasm cooled considerably. She had gotten excited for nothing.
'I need to be more chill in the future,' she thought. 'I can't get worked up every time I hear someone call a person 'Boss'.'
In today's world, if a billboard fell from the sky, it would hit ten managers and an assistant manager. These so-called titles didn't mean anything anymore.
Just then, Lin Jiang walked in and saw a tag appear above Zhang Yufei's head.
[Potential Customer]
Lin Jiang smiled. 'Even if you see me as a potential customer, I can't buy from you... huh?'
At that exact moment, Lin Jiang noticed the tag above Zhang Yufei's head suddenly change!
[No Spending Power]
'I haven't even said a goddamn word, and you've already judged me?'
"It's so early. You're already closed for the day?" Zhou Wanyu greeted him warmly.
"I'm taking the day off, so I came to look around. I've always been a fan of your brand's watches."
"If you like them, you should come look. It doesn't cost anything to browse," Zhou Wanyu said, smiling at Lin Jiang before whispering:
"Is that beautiful woman your girlfriend? Don't worry, I'll make sure you look good. No matter which watch you ask about, I'll tell you it's out of stock."
"Don't misunderstand. She's not my girlfriend, she's my former sister-in-law."
"Huh? You're out with your former sister-in-law?"
Zhou Wanyu stared at Lin Jiang in surprise, and a new tag appeared above his head.
[Homegrown Hero]
Lin Jiang: ???
'Whoa, girl, you know how to jump the wall, too?'
"Wanyu, since this is your friend, you can help him. I'll take the next one," Zhang Yufei said deliberately.
It made her seem considerate while also letting her pass off a customer with no spending power.
"Okay."
Zhou Wanyu welcomed Lin Jiang to the counter.
"Are there any models you've got your eye on? I can take one out for you to try on. The styles from Glashütte are really nice, especially the Senator series."
"I think the Senator series is great, too."
Lin Jiang looked down at the watches in the display case. "I'd like to see the one with the Panorama Date and moon phase, the one with the white dial and blue hands."
"Excellent taste. That's my favorite one, too."
Zhou Wanyu took the watch out and helped Lin Jiang put it on his wrist.
"See? It looks so good on you," Zhou Wanyu said with satisfaction.
"See any others you like? I can take them out for you to look at. I'll definitely make you look good."
Zhang Yufei glanced over at Lin Jiang, her eyelids drooping. She shook her head slightly, her expression full of disdain.
"I don't need to see any other models. I'll take this one. Is there a discount available right now?"
"There's a discount, but we're out of stock," Zhou Wanyu said bluntly.
After saying this, she even shot Lin Jiang a knowing look, as if to say, 'See? I get you, right?'
"Hold on, don't get so into character. I'm actually buying it."
"Huh?"
Zhou Wanyu exclaimed in surprise, "For real?!"
"For real. Can you give me the best possible discount?"
Seeing Lin Jiang's serious expression, Zhou Wanyu pulled him aside.
"I get a commission for selling watches, but I won't treat you like a stranger. Glashütte is a high-end brand, but it's very niche and doesn't hold its value well. On the secondary market, it's worth only about forty percent of the retail price. You should think about that."
"I've had my eye on this watch for a long time. Whether it holds its value doesn't matter. What's important is that I like it."
"The watch you're looking at will be nearly eighty thousand, even with a ten-percent discount. I have a connection for second-hand watches—totally reliable. You could get it for just over thirty thousand and save a lot of money," Zhou Wanyu said earnestly.
"At that price, you could get a Rolex 'Coke,' and that would actually hold its value. There's really no need to buy a Glashütte."
Other than married women, Lin Jiang wasn't interested in anything second-hand.
"I'll pass on the second-hand one. Just help me apply for a discount."
"Alright, I won't try to persuade you then."
"Yeah."
Zhou Wanyu walked over to Liu Tingting, whispered a few words in her ear, and then returned to Lin Jiang's side.
"After the discount, it's 77,850. I'll take another 50 off for you, making it 77,800. I'll go write up the invoice."
"Sounds good."
Zhou Wanyu was quick and efficient, finishing the invoice in no time. Then Lin Jiang went to Liu Tingting to pay.
Just before paying, he used the cashback card.
[Cashback Card Countdown: 2:59:59...]
Soon, Lin Jiang paid and returned to Zhou Wanyu's side. She helped him put on the watch, admiring it from every angle.
"It would be perfect if you wore a suit. You'd be absolutely slaying as you walked through the mall."
"Just for saying that, I'll have to go buy a suit."
"You can come to me for suits, too. We all work in the same mall. I can use my connections to get you a bit of a discount."
"Solid. I'm heading out now. Let's talk again when we have time."
"Okay."
Watching Lin Jiang's departing figure, Zhang Yufei practically ground her molars to dust.
'Why is it that the people she knows come to support her with a big purchase?!'
'While the people I know all want me to give them a goddamn discount!'