DASFAM_CH 06
The car door closed.
Through the rearview mirror, Chen Yufei observed Bai Xu, “Mr. Xiao Bai, where would you like to go first?”
Bai Xu originally wanted to go out alone, but then he thought that he was unfamiliar with the capital, and the little memory of the original host was not enough.
So, he agreed to Xie Qi's suggestion and allowed Chen Yufei, the driver and bodyguard, to accompany him.
Bai Xu didn't have a specific destination in mind and simply said, "You decide, just take me to the nearest shopping district first."
Since he was already out, there were certainly things he needed to buy.
Chen Yufei was a serious man who didn't talk much. He started the car, "Alright."
The Shang’s manor was quite far from the center of capital, but there was an elevated highway nearby that made the drive convenient and quick.
Chen Yufei had been working for the Shang family for seven years since he retired from the military, so he was familiar with the major shopping districts in the capital.
In less than an hour, he drove the car into an underground parking lot at one of the shopping districts.
"Mr. Xiao Bai, we're here."
Bai Xu glanced at the sign on the wall outside the window, "Jinbai Shopping District?"
Based on his past experience, Chen Yufei said, “The Fourth Young Master has brought Old Madam here many times before, so it should meet your shopping needs.”
Bai Xu's attention was caught by the first part of the sentence, and he instinctively asked, "Fourth Young Master? Shang Queyan?"
Chen Yufei nodded, "Yes."
Bai Xu casually asked, "How is he doing?"
Chen Yufei shook his head, not daring to say much.
Ever since the two young masters had their accidents, he had been responsible for looking after Shang Yanxiao, but he had heard that the Fourth Young Master, Shang Queyan, had to undergo an amputation during emergency treatment in order to save his life.
It would be hard for any normal person to accept such a misfortune, let alone Shang Queyan, a professional race car driver.
Although Chen Yufei didn't say anything, Bai Xu could guess what was going on. He quickly changed the subject and opened the car door, "Let's go, you come along too."
Since they were already there, he didn't mind Chen Yufei continuing to accompany him.
…
Jinbai Shopping District was indeed the largest commercial area nearby.
From the B1 underground parking lot, you could go straight to the shopping levels, with five floors full of various light luxury and high-end brand stores.
The two of them entered the elevator one after the other.
Chen Yufei, always attentive in his service, proactively pressed the button for the second floor for Bai Xu.
As the elevator ascended, Bai Xu took the opportunity to adjust his somewhat messy bangs, using the elevator's reflective glass to scrutinize himself—
Looking at his current appearance, he indeed seemed a bit pitiful and timid.
When the elevator doors opened, they were greeted by a collection of luxury brand stores. The distinctively styled store signs instantly made people feel a sense of decadence.
Although this world inside the book was fictional, the shopping brands were consistent with those in reality.
Bai Xu had an eye for fashion and style. After quickly scanning the various clothing brands, he soon set his sights on a particular store and walked in.
A staff at the counter in uniform quickly greeted, "Hello, welc..."
But then the enthusiastic tone suddenly dropped, "Welcome."
He eyed Bai Xu’s obviously worn-out clothes and spoke with a dismissive tone, "Is there anything you’re looking to purchase?"
Bai Xu glanced at his work badge and found that he was an assistant store manager, he calmly replied, "I’ll look around first. I’ll call you if I need help."
Suppressing his disdain, the assistant manager led them into the store. "Feel free to look around, gentlemen.”
After saying that, he turned back to the main counter.
Another junior, a woman staff, noticed the customers and was about to serve tea when the assistant manager quietly stopped her, "What are you doing?"
“Pour, pour tea for the customers?"
“What to pour."
With his back to Bai Xu and the others, the assistant manager whispered, "Look at these cheap and shabby things. It's obvious that they’re not going to buy anything. Why bother with them?"
It was the off-season, and they had finally managed to get some customers in, only for them to be the type who just browse without buying anything. It felt like the whole store's class had been lowered.
Chen Yufei stared at the assistant manager’s back, always feeling that what he muttered was not good, so he simply asked Bai Xu, “Mr. Xiao Bai, should we try another store?”
“No need.”
Bai Xu calmly started browsing through the clothes and saying in an indifferent tone, “The style of this brand’s clothes is pretty good. We’re here to buy clothes, not to worry about other people’s attitudes.”
People in the service industry who lack awareness will never go far in life. They weren’t on the same level in terms of outlook, so there was no need to take it personally.
Bai Xu glanced at the resting area in the corner and motioned with his eyes to Chen Yufei, “Go have a seat. I’ll take a look slowly.”
Chen Yufei nodded, “Alright.”
The sound of high heels tapping on the floor echoed.
The woman staff still came up with the tea in her hand, and said in a friendly manner, “Hello, sir. These are our latest spring collections. Feel free to have a look and see if you like anything.”
“Thank you.”
Bai Xu accepted the tea and casually picked five or six items of clothing, “These, no need to try them on.”
He then asked, “Have this year’s limited runway pieces arrived? I remember your store also carries some exclusive designs from collaborations with designers.”
“……”
The woman staff didn’t expect Bai Xu to be so well-versed in the brand's offerings and hesitated for half a second before replying, “Yes, we do. Would you like to see them?”
Bai Xu nodded, “Yes, let’s take a look.”
Sensing the potential behind Bai Xu’s calm exterior, the woman staff quickly responded, “Of course, please wait a moment!”
Just as she finished speaking, the assistant manager's loud voice sounded at the entrance, "Young Master Chen, long time no see! Welcome!"
Both Bai Xu and the woman staff instinctively looked toward the entrance—
Three young customers had arrived, with the leader wearing sunglasses and dressed in a flashy manner, “Hmm.”
“Bring out all your store's limited edition pieces so my buddies and I can pick through them.”
The man referred to as ‘Young Master Chen’ twirled his finger in the air, “Hurry up. I’ve reserved the store for the afternoon.”
The assistant manager was overjoyed, “No problem!”
Chen Shaoxuan was the young master of the Jinbai Real Estate, and this shopping district was part of their family’s chain of businesses. Known for his wealth and extravagant spending, even his occasional visits brought in significant profits for the store.
The assistant manager escorted them into the store with great enthusiasm and shouted, "Xiao Zhao, bring all the limited edition pieces to the private room, and also..."
He then glanced at Bai Xu and Chen Yufei, who had been silent for a long time, and rudely added, “Please ask those two customers to leave. Our Young Master Chen has reserved the store.”
“……”
The woman staff, receiving the order, hesitated before speaking up, “Manager, this, this gentleman just said he wanted to see the limited edition items.”
The store's performance is calculated individually.
She naturally didn't want to give up on Bai Xu, a potential big customer.
But her words immediately caught Chen Shaoxuan’s attention before the manager could respond.
Chen Shaoxuan stared for several seconds, then, with a flick of his finger, pulled down his sunglasses. It was as if he had spotted something amusing, “Oh, isn’t this an old classmate? How rare.”
“...…”
When Bai Xu met those eyes, a surge of painful memories that didn’t belong to him flooded his mind, sending a chill through his heart—
Years ago, in an attempt to maintain their external image, Bai Xu’s family had sent the original host to one of the top private high schools in the capital.
Many of the students there were ‘young masters and young ladies’ from wealthy families, including Chen Shaoxuan, who was arrogant and took pleasure in tormenting others due to his family background.
He had torn up the original host’s textbooks, isolated him with the help of others, burned his hair with a lighter, drenched him in dirty water, knocked over his lunch, and even locked him in the dark equipment room overnight.
One by one, the more the original host dared not to resist, the more they went too far! The school bullying led by Chen Shaoxuan had been the original host’s nightmare throughout his three years of high school.
“……”
Now, hearing the words ‘old classmate’ felt particularly harsh. Bai Xu confirmed the malicious nature of the person in front of him and quickly sent a message on his phone.
Chen Shaoxuan swaggered over to him, giving him an unfriendly look, "What’s this? Don’t recognize me? It’s been a few years. You're not still living with the Bai family, relying on that bit of charity to get by, right?”
"Do I need to know you? Or communicate with you?"
Bai Xu put away his phone, casually returning the same ‘look’ to Chen Shaoxuan. “But as for you...”
There was no trace of the fear or timidity from his high school days in his eyes, instead, there was a hint of subtle provocation.
Chen Shaoxuan squinted in displeasure. "What do you mean?"
Bai Xu smirked, “Nothing, I just think you're not that great.”
"I’m not that great?"
Chen Shaoxuan laughed angrily and used his sunglasses to point up and down at Bai Xu, "Looks like the management of our family’s shopping district isn’t strict enough. I’ll be sure to talk to them when I get back."
He looked down on her, "How can anyone, letting stray cats or dogs, and peasant workers into a place like this? Manager, does he look like someone who can actually afford these clothes?"
One of his friends chimed in, “That right, looks more like someone who came in to mooch off the free stuff."
"I said, I’ve reserved the whole store."
Chen Shaoxuan gave orders to the assistant manager, "I don’t want to wear the same brand as this low-class stuff."
The malice in the latter half of the sentence was palpable, making the woman staff frowned. However, she didn’t dare offend such a big customer on the assistant manager's side, so she turned to Bai Xu, trying to ease the situation.
“Sir, how about I help you settle the payment for these clothes first, and then you can come back when—”
The assistant manager interrupted her directly, “Alright, let’s ask this gentleman to leave first, our store is temporarily closed.”
To him, Chen Shaoxuan was the real money-spender with the means to actually buy clothes!
As for Bai Xu, an unfamiliar face, he hadn’t taken him seriously from the start. It was the perfect opportunity to get rid of him.
Bai Xu observed the smug faces of the group in front of him and chuckled thoughtfully, “Oh~ So certain kinds of low-class should wear certain kinds of clothes? You’re right, this brand really suits you and your lot.”
Chen Shaoxuan’s face darkened, “What do you mean?”
“Ah?”
Bai Xu feigned surprise, with a hint of pity in his eyes, “You still don’t understand this? It seems like you haven't studied very well.”
“...…”
Hearing this mockery, Chen Shaoxuan and his group’s faces grew even darker.
“What I mean is...” Bai Xu’s smile instantly disappeared, his once gentle features turning cold as he didn’t give them a chance to respond:
“You’re all trash!”
Comments
Post a Comment