Leaving the boutique, Chen Jingxian was still in a daze.
'A watch that costs almost eighty thousand, and he just bought it like that?'
'Where did he get that kind of money?'
As far as Chen Jingxian was concerned, Lin Jiang splurging on a thirty or forty-thousand-yuan watch would have been within an acceptable range. After all, he could wear it for many years.
But spending over seventy thousand on a watch was a bit more than she'd expected.
Lin Jiang did some quick mental math. 'I've spent a little over seventy thousand, which means I still have over 170,000 left.'
'Next up is clothes, but that won't cost nearly this much. It seems spending money is a skill in itself.'
As they walked, they ended up in front of an LV boutique. Two saleswomen were chatting by the entrance, glancing in their direction.
Different Evaluation Labels flickered back and forth above the two women's heads.
The A-cup: [Loser] [Here to show off for a girl] [Cringe guy] [Don't want to serve]
The D-cup: [Potential customer] [So handsome] [A real prospect]
'Fuck!'
'So it's true... flat-chested and vicious!'
Lin Jiang glanced over and saw Chen Jingxian staring at a bag in the window display. 'Sure enough, all women love purses.'
Looking at the bag she was carrying, he noticed the material was peeling in places.
"Wait here for a minute."
With that, Lin Jiang walked straight inside.
"Sir, feel free to look around at any styles you like."
The A-cup walked over, hiding her true feelings quite well.
"I don't need your help." Lin Jiang looked at the D-cup and pointed to the bag Chen Jingxian had been staring at.
"I want that bag. Please get me a new one."
"Huh?"
Seeing that Lin Jiang was actually buying, the A-cup's eyes lit up. 'He's actually a potential high-roller!'
"Sir, we work on a rotation. It's my colleague's turn to assist you," the D-cup said politely.
"That's right, that's right. Sir, according to the rules, I should be the one to assist you," the A-cup said with a sycophantic smile.
"Do you know why I don't want your help?"
The A-cup grew flustered. "N-No, I don't know..."
"You were just bad-mouthing me, weren't you? You said I was a loser, a cringe guy here to show off for a girl, right?"
Lin Jiang said with a grin, "On the other hand, your colleague here had a much better opinion of me. I was a 'potential customer' and a 'real prospect.' Since I have the money to spend, I'm naturally going to buy from her."
Not only was the A-cup stunned, but the D-cup was also dumbfounded.
They had indeed judged him that way when they were chatting just now!
'But that was all just in our heads! How could he possibly know?!'
"Pretty surprising, huh?"
The two women said nothing, which was a tacit admission.
"Don't panic, and don't be scared. Just go ring it up."
"M-Maybe I should go then..." the D-cup said nervously.
"Mhm..."
The purchase process was smooth. He paid, and the bag was handed to him.
"Sir..."
"I'll be honest with you two. I'm a Daoist. I can do things like stick pins in effigies and lay curses, so I know what you're thinking."
Lin Jiang looked at the A-cup and said:
"The space between your eyebrows is dark. You may be facing a bloody disaster soon. Be careful."
With that, Lin Jiang swaggered out of the store.
The A-cup's face went white as a sheet, and she collapsed into a chair.
"I'm done for..."
...
Once outside, Lin Jiang walked up to Chen Jingxian.
"No need to keep staring. I bought it for you."
"Huh? For me?"
Staring at the tote bag in Lin Jiang's hands, Chen Jingxian was stunned for a long moment.
"Your bag is getting old, and since we were here anyway, I decided to get you a new one."
"You already lent me twenty thousand yuan. How can I possibly accept this?"
"Just take it. Don't overthink it. Besides, you're always helping out at my shop. Buying you a purse is no big deal."
Seeing Lin Jiang's insistence, and the fact that the purse was already bought, Chen Jingxian didn't know what else to say.
'I'll just have to find a chance to pay him back for this favor later.'
"Well, thank you then. I've never owned such an expensive purse."
You could tell Chen Jingxian adored the purse. Her mouth might have protested, but her body was honest.
"Don't be a stranger. It's nothing."
Lin Jiang still wanted to buy some clothes, but that was a more time-consuming affair. Since Chen Jingxian was short on time, he didn't plan on dragging her along any further.
"It's about that time, don't you have to get to class?"
Chen Jingxian glanced at her watch. "Yeah, I should get to class. Let's talk later."
"Okay."
After seeing Chen Jingxian off, Tongzi gave no reaction at all.
'I spent tens of thousands, and I didn't get a single point of Affinity?'
'Did I just waste all that money for nothing?!'
Lin Jiang cursed out Tongzi in his head and headed up to the third floor.
He glanced at his new watch, extremely satisfied.
The cashback card still had over two hours left on its timer, which was more than enough time.
Besides, shopping alone was more relaxing. He could browse however he wanted without having to consider anyone else.
Over the next hour, Lin Jiang bought himself five tops, six pairs of pants, and eight pairs of shoes. All told, he spent over fifty thousand yuan, finally getting a taste of what it felt like to be rich.
He checked his phone and saw he still had nearly eighty thousand yuan left—enough to buy a new phone.
His mind made up, he went back down to the first floor and got himself a new foldable phone. Including accessories, it cost 17,000 yuan, leaving him with a balance of over sixty thousand.
Looking at the remaining balance on his card, and trying to stick to practical purchases, Lin Jiang was at a bit of a loss for what to buy next.
But soon, Lin Jiang had a new idea!
He went to the Huaxia Gold boutique and bought two 50-gram gold bars. With the remaining money, he bought a gold bracelet. After paying, he had only three yuan left.
Lin Jiang felt he had exploited this loophole perfectly.
'Buying gold still counts as consumption, right? I can just sell it after I get the cashback. There's nothing wrong with that, is there?'
However, Lin Jiang had no intention of selling it. The older generation always had a special attachment to gold; he could just take it home for his mom to put away.
[You have comprehended the Dao of Investment. Comprehension +1]
Lin Jiang: ???
'Tongzi, you're really something else.'
Looking at the three yuan he had left, Lin Jiang didn't even hang on to that. He bought an ice cream, fleecing this opportunity for every last drop.
With his shopping spree complete, it took a great deal of effort for Lin Jiang to haul all his purchases home.
After putting everything away, he checked the system's countdown timer.
The cashback card would expire in less than half an hour. All he had to do was wait.
RING RING RING—
Just then, Lin Jiang's phone rang. It was a voice call from Xu Lin.
"Boss Lin, how's your day off going?"
"Much better already, it's not that serious. I'll rub some more medicated oil on it, and I shouldn't feel a thing by tomorrow."
"So don't overdo it today. Close up the shop early and just take a vacation day for yourself. Get some rest."
"I've already taken the day off. I'm just lounging around at home," Lin Jiang said with a laugh.
"You really don't need anyone to worry about you," Xu Lin laughed. "Since you're home, come down and help me. I bought a lot of things and could use a hand carrying them."
"Sure. Are you at the south gate of the complex?"
"The parking garage. You'll see me as soon as you come down."
"Alright, be right there."
After hanging up, Lin Jiang slipped on his flip-flops and headed downstairs.
He went down to the B1 level and saw Xu Lin in the underground garage, bent over and taking things out of her trunk.
Xu Lin was wearing a white, knee-length skirt with a small, wine-red knit top. The fabric stretched over her chest, becoming slightly sheer, but as she was wearing a bandeau top underneath, it didn't have much visual impact.
What was far more suggestive, however, was the small patch of her fair-skinned waist and the black edge of her underwear that were revealed when she bent over, leaving much to the imagination.
"Wow, you bought a lot of stuff."
Hearing Lin Jiang's voice, Xu Lin straightened up, tugging at her clothes.
"Just some daily necessities and a few vegetables. We were running out of everything at home."
"How come you're by yourself? Where's your son?"
As he spoke, Lin Jiang went over to help Xu Lin with her things.
He took two bags in each hand. They were a little heavy, but it was no problem.
"My mom said she missed him, so she picked him up today. It means I can relax a bit. I don't have to worry about him tonight."