Others might be willing to show off their beautiful romance, but unfortunately, Xu Keke is not a good audience.
"I heard your boss won an award for a set of jewelry. Can I take a look?" Xu Keke asked the shop assistant who came out carrying the jewelry box. Her voice was neither too loud nor too soft, just loud enough for everyone to hear.
The shop assistant, of course, did not refuse. She opened the glass case, carefully took out the jewelry box, and laid it out in front of Xu Keke. "This is the set that our boss designed personally and that won an award in France."
"So beautiful!" Xu Keke picked up each piece and examined it closely, praising it sincerely.
"This is the most beautiful jewelry set I've ever seen. The whole set is absolutely gorgeous. Each piece, on its own, has a unique beauty. This set is so versatile; whether you wear the whole set to a party or just wear individual pieces when you're out shopping, it's perfect! What I love most about it is that I don't have to wait. I don't have to wait for your design or for you to finish it; it's beauty I can have instantly."
Xu Keke glanced at the tag, clicked her tongue, and said regretfully, "Why is it so expensive? Forget it, you should just put it away. Who can afford it anyway? But it's really so beautiful!"
The salesperson was very considerate. "The reason you can still see it in our store is because many people, like you, love it but are deterred by its high price. This was designed by our designer specifically for women in love; it's called 'Rose Romance.' It's like beautiful love—something you can only dream of."
“I like its name, and it’s definitely worth the price. Here, you can keep it for now. I’ll bring my aunt to buy it in a couple of days,” Xu Keke promised the shop assistant reluctantly.
"Let me see that set," Ji Mingkai said loudly to the shop assistant.
“Mr. Ji, this isn’t right. I saw it first.” Xu Keke stood up and looked directly at him.
Ji Mingkai ignored her and stared at the shop assistant. The meaning in his eyes was clear.
The sales assistant looked at the jewelry from all sides and quickly determined which customer was the easiest to talk to. "Ms. Zhou, how about I show it to the gentleman and lady over there first? They might not like it as much as you do."
"Yeah, right," Xu Keke said, pretending to be angry as she sat down.
No girl can resist beautiful jewelry, especially when it's expensive. Besides, another woman wanted it too, and kept stealing glances at them warily.
"Mingkai, forget it, it's too expensive!" It really is expensive; this amount of money could buy a small apartment.
It's not that I don't want it, it's just too expensive—such exquisite language. Xu Keke lowered her head to carefully examine the jewelry Wang Shujin had asked her to get, a slight smile playing on her lips.
“Then let’s buy this set.” Ji Mingkai had obviously noticed Xu Keke’s little trick earlier and said generously.
"Mr. Ji, what are you doing? This is what I chose first. I just didn't bring enough money today." To make the other party feel that it was worth the money, Xu Keke stood up and put on an act.
"Thank you very much, you flatter me." Ji Mingkai smiled smugly. It seems he's just as good at annoying people as anyone else.
“Um, Mr. Ji, I need to explain to you that the design of this jewelry set has won a major award, but it is…”
Before the shop assistant could even utter the word "counterfeit," Ji Mingkai interrupted him, "Don't worry, I don't need a discount. I'll take this set. Wrap it up for me now."
The genuine article is in a French art museum; this is a replica. The high price tag indicates they don't want to sell it. If someone really wanted to buy it, they would usually make that clear to the buyer. That's why it hasn't sold yet; otherwise, with so many wealthy people in Shanghai, how could it not have sold?
Merchants are driven by profit; who wouldn't want to sell goods and make money? The shop assistant turned and went into the studio inside, emerging a short while later. "Our boss said, thank you for appreciating his design, but we still need to make it clear to you that this is a replica. It's not suitable for you to buy it."
"This is because they don't want to sell it to me," Ji Mingkai thought, glancing at Xu Keke's barely suppressed laughter. The shop owner probably said that because they wanted to sell it to her.
"I want the counterfeit too."
The shop assistant was stunned. "But we won't lower the price."
Ji Mingkai grew impatient. What did the shop assistant mean? Was he implying that he couldn't afford it? Ji Mingkai glanced at his own attire—a simple blue cloth robe—and realized that was why the shop assistant looked down on him.
Ji Mingkai had always prided himself on being a scholar, never imagining that in the decadent and extravagant Shanghai, nothing mattered more than force and wealth. A scholar with no physical strength was nothing.
"I want this set. I'm buying it today, right now."
The shop assistant had no idea that Ji Mingkai had been provoked from that day at the coffee shop to today at the jewelry store.
The young shop assistant was taken aback by Ji Mingkai's firm tone and gaze. She cleared her throat before saying, "Our boss said that if you really want them, although we can't offer a discount, we can give you an extra pair of earrings."
The sales clerk somewhat sheepishly took a pair of earrings studded with small diamonds from the tray. A flicker of delight crossed the girl's eyes; these were the ones she had initially liked, but hadn't mentioned them because she thought they were a bit pricey and was afraid Ji Mingkai would think she was greedy. She hadn't expected the observant sales clerk to notice.
Ji Mingkai was too preoccupied with this to care. Ever since he stopped mentioning announcing his engagement with Tang Wan and even showed signs of wanting to befriend her, the Ji family had stopped financially pressuring him. But even so, Ji Mingkai couldn't possibly carry that much money with him.
He borrowed the shop's phone to call a friend and asked him to bring over cash. While they waited, Ji Mingkai and the girl were also invited inside. A clerk brought out two cups of coffee from the back workshop and served them.
Xu Keke, keeping her accomplishments hidden, took the jewelry Wang Shujin had ordered and left the store. She hadn't gone far when a shop assistant caught up with her and handed her a velvet box. "This is a gift from a friend of our boss."
She added, "Our boss said he didn't charge us for this. Consider it a thank you for helping us sell the goods."
It was a bit complicated, and Xu Keke didn't know whether to laugh or cry. The shop assistant gestured for her to open it. Inside was a note that read, "Giving roses leaves a lingering fragrance," signed Lu Tao, and inside was a beautiful ruby rose brooch.
Xu Keke smiled, unable to contain her joy. It was because of this note.
She closed the box and smiled at the shop assistant, saying, "It would be impolite to refuse! Please tell your boss that I'll accept it."
Xu Keke never mentioned that person from beginning to end; she needed to talk to him face to face.
Zhou Xiangnan has always used the driver arranged for her by Feng Shaozhe. Now that Xu Keke also goes out frequently, Zhou Zi'an has arranged for Sun Cheng to drive her. He doesn't own a car himself and uses government vehicles for all his travel.
Today, Sun Cheng first dropped Xu Keke off at the shop, and then dropped Wang Shujin and Chen Le off at the church before turning back to pick up Xu Keke.
As the car approached the Zhou residence, Xu Keke spotted a figure standing under a sycamore tree not far from the mansion. The man was wearing a top hat and occasionally peeked out from under the gate of the Zhou residence.
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