Chapter 2 Yang Xia’s Surprise

• It was a lie. When my parents and elder sister claimed to be at work, it was all a lie.
• Later, when Chen Hao confronted his parents, they were upset that his elder sister blurted out to him that he was from a rich family. Then, they apologized to him.
• His father said he had only one son, so of course he’d have to raise him carefully. He basically said a lot of things.
• In the end, Chen Hao withdrew 100,000 in cash from the bank, and he later received several VIP shopping cards that his elder sister sent in the mail.
• Only then was Chen Hao completely convinced.
• This was not a dream!
• Chen Hao felt conflicted.
• “Huh, Yang Xia, if only you didn’t break up with me, you might now be able to own anything you please.”
• “Besides, Xu Nan and Lu Chen, you both come from rich families, always surrounded by people. You’ve bullied me several times, so let's see what happens from now on?”
• Chen Hao laughed bitterly.
• It was almost noon when he left the bank and reached the school gate.
• Chen Hao's cell phone rang. It was the dormitory's head.
• “Dormitory's head!”
• “Chen, are you ok? Why are you not in the dormitory?”
• “Oh, I came out for a walk.”
• “You scared us to death. By the way, it’s Ma Xiaonan’s birthday today. She couldn’t reach you, and wanted to know if you’ll spend her birthday with her. Apparently, she mentioned this to you a few days ago.”
• Hearing this, Chen Hao scrolled through his missed calls. There were many, including one from Ma Xiaonan.
• Ma Xiaonan was Chen Hao's desk mate. She was very beautiful and they got along well.
• Come to think of it, other than Yang Xia his ex-girlfriend, Ma Xiaonan was the only female friend he had.
• She did insist that I must go to her birthday but at that time, I could barely eat, so I didn’t promise her that I'd go.
• But now, Chen Hao had resolved to live like a normal person with his own circle of friends.
• So why not?
• “Should I bring a gift?”
• After hanging up, Chen Hao glanced around. Of the gift shops present, only Hermès caught his attention.
• This was an internationally acclaimed luxury store. Their products were expensive, but it attracted a lot of rich kids on campus, mostly to bolster their image.
• At first, Chen Hao didn't plan to enter the outlet, but he then remembered the VIP shopping card that his sister posted to him today.
• He couldn't help but feel excited.
• Chen Hao was reluctant to spend money, but spending with credit cards incited less guilt.
• Taking a deep breath, Chen Hao walked into the Hermes store.
• "Hello sir, how may I help you?"
• The good looking promoter greeted Chen Hao politely.
• She eyed Chen Hao’s outfit. Although she remained professional, there was a flicker of contempt on her face.
• Many people loved window shopping for luxury items. Yet, how dared he enter in those tattered clothes?
• "Let me take a look first," Chen Hao said. It was his first time shopping in such a high end place that he didn't know what to buy.
• The promoter’s attitude changed for the worst instantly. She even rolled her eyes.
• "Chen, can you buy me a bag?"
• At this moment, he heard a familiar voice. A tall and beautiful girl appeared, hanging off the arm of another boy.
• Chen Hao turned his head and looked. His face changed.
• It was Yang Xia and Lu Chen.
• "Oh, it's Mr. Chen. Is this your girlfriend? She is beautiful!"
• When the promoter saw Lu Chen, her attitude did a drastic U-turn. She hurriedly welcomed him with a smile.
• Lu Chen's family was rich, so he was constantly in the spotlight no matter where he went. He smiled at the promoter and said, "Miss Zhang, this is my girlfriend, Yang Xia. She is here to have a look and to buy a bag!"
• A blush spread across Yang Xia's pretty face. It's typical of Mr. Chen. He is respected everywhere he goes.
• Yang Xia pointed at a branded bag and said, "Mr. Chen, I want this!"
• Sitting in a cabinet, a bag shone with luxury and grandeur.
• The promoter, Zhang Ru, said with a smile, "This bag is from the Hermes Collector’s Edition, designed to commemorate Hermes’ 200 years old birthday. Only 200 sets have been produced worldwide. It cost 360,000!"
• “Ah!”
• Yang Xia covered her mouth in shock.
• Lu Chen's eyelids fluttered slightly. He said with a smile, "Zhang Ru, if I didn't guess wrongly, this bag is handmade by Hermes. Given its excellent workmanship, it's ranked among the top ten in the world of luxury goods, despite being on the market for only a year. Am I right?"
• Zhang Ru was slightly surprised, "Mr. Chen, you know a lot!"
• Lu Chen shook his head. "Although I enjoy luxury goods, I can’t claim to be a pro." He looked at Yang Xia. "My dear, you really have good taste. You set your eyes on it at first glance. Let’s check out the other bags though, preferably in the range of five to six thousand.”
• Lu Chen would rather die than pay 360,000 for a bag.
• Yang Xia pouted. "But Yan’s husband bought her a bag that cost more than 8,000!"
• “Okay, maybe next month when I have more spare cash.”
• At this point, Lu Chen’s description of the Collector’s Edition bag had caught the attention of many people. They surrounded the bag in awe.
• They were young students, itching for their first taste of luxury goods.
• Lu Chen started chatting with Zhang Ru about luxury goods, ranging from those that cost 30,000 to those of 200,000 to 300,000.
• He appeared to have an arsenal of impressive knowledge.
• Chen Hao wanted to leave the moment the promoter started ignoring him, and seeing Yang Xia only added to his resolve. He really wanted to leave.
• At this point, a young promoter walked over and gave Chen Hao a bow.
• "Hello, sir, w-what can I do for you?"
• She sounded new.
• And a little timid.
• But her manners warmed Chen Hao’s heart.
• “Oh, I’m shopping for a gift for a friend,” Chen Hao replied.
• "Sir, do you have our store’s shopping card? If you do, you will be entitled to discounts.”
• Chen Hao was her first customer. She didn’t care about Chen Hao's clothes. She simply served him like she was trained to.
• "Oh, yes, is this the one?"
• Chen Hao retrieved the VIP shopping card.
• The hostess’ eyes widened at once.
• "Is that... the Centurion card?"
• She was full of disbelief. How could an ordinary student own a Centurion card?
• Chen Hao was stunned. "What is a Centurion card?"
• "It's a VIP shopping card. The card limit is 30 million, and the minimum spending is 300,000, sir!"
• Chen Hao was shocked. He knew that his elder sister was a spendthrift, but he didn't expect this extent of luxury!
• “Sir, given the price range of our goods and the limitations of your card, the Collector’s Edition bag is the only item you may buy. Allow me to sample it for you.”
• The hostess bowed repeatedly. Chen Hao was too embarrassed to leave.
• On the other side of the store, Yang Xia was admiring Lu Chen’s exhaustive knowledge on luxury goods.
• The promoter used a key and removed the Collector’s Edition bag from the cabinet.
• The promoter Zhang Ru frowned and asked, "Wang Xiaofei, what are you doing?”
• Wang Xiaofei winced and replied, "I am taking the bag out for a customer!"
• Zhang Ru’s frown deepened.
• “You can’t parade this bag in front of any random person. Who’s interested?”
• Wang Xiaofei looked at Chen Hao respectfully. "This gentleman!"
• Lu Chen and Yang Xia glanced at the 'gentlemen'. Everybody’s eyes widened.
• “Hahaha!”
• When Chen Lu saw that it was Chen Hao, he laughed heartily.
• He wanted to roll all over the floor with laughter.
• “You mean, this person wants a look at the Collector’s Edition bag?"
• Lu Chen pointed at Chen Hao, behaving like he had encountered the world’s biggest joke.
• Yang Xia, too, looked at Chen Hao with disdain. He was humiliating himself in front of all these affluent people.
• Zhang Ru had a long expression on her face. “Wang Xiaofei, are you crazy? Do you think a person like him can afford a bag like this? Are you kidding me?”
• “He has a Centurion card. He’s a VIP customer!"
• "Oh please!" Lu Chen did not hold back his laughter. "VIP customer? This person is our school's famous poor dude!"
• Yang Xia scolded Chen Hao. "Chen Hao, if you know shame, hurry up and get lost!"
• Haha...
• Chen Hao listened to their taunts. A few promoters had started to look at him with disdain.
• Right then, in the midst of all that ridicule, he marched toward the counter and slammed the Centurion card on the table.
• “Give me that Collector’s Edition bag,” he said.