53: Buy a bag - 2

Ye Cheng tilted her head and leaned close to him, smiling as she watched him fiddle with his new phone: "So, are you satisfied, Young Master Jiang?"

Jiang Ye glanced at the system interface showing the just-received 79,790 yuan cashback notification. He was about to speak when he turned his head and found himself face-to-face with Ye Cheng's profile, so close he could almost touch it.

Under the bright lights of the mall, the girl's skin was fair and delicate, her eyelashes long and curled, her nose bridge straight, and the corners of her mouth slightly upturned. She stared intently at the phone screen, her eyes sparkling.

At that moment, she exuded a rare sense of tranquility, an indescribable charm that made Jiang Ye's heart skip a beat, leaving him momentarily stunned.

Seeing him silent for so long, just staring at her, Ye Cheng waved her hand in front of his eyes: "Hey, Buddy, what are you spacing out for? Gone dumb?"

Jiang Ye snapped back to reality, coughing lightly in embarrassment. He quickly averted his gaze, focusing on the iPhone 14 in Ye Cheng's hand as he forcibly changed the subject:

"Ahem... So, you've been using this phone for quite a while, right? Not planning to upgrade yourself?"

A hint of embarrassment flashed across Ye Cheng's face as she sighed regretfully: "I do want to! I've had my eye on the iPhone 17 Pro Max for ages. But lately, for some reason, my money just never seems to last, and I haven't been able to save up... But it's fine!"

Suddenly perking up, she clasped her hands together in a pleading gesture toward Jiang Ye, blinking her eyes:

"Once Brother Ye sends me two more allowances, I should have enough! So... Brother Ye? Boss Jiang? Dear Sugar Daddy? Could you consider doubling next week's allowance? Help me get my dream phone sooner?"

Looking at the face that had instantly switched from a tranquil girl to a little money-grubber, the fleeting heartbeat from earlier vanished without a trace. Jiang Ye couldn't help but twitch the corner of his mouth.

Indeed, it must have been an illusion earlier!

This woman has nothing to do with the word 'tranquil'!

Annoyed, he stuffed the new phone into his pocket and turned to leave: "Let's go, next stop."

Ye Cheng stuck out her tongue behind his back and quickly caught up, continuing to act as his guide.

While checking the mall directory, she led Jiang Ye through the spacious corridor and straight into a luxuriously decorated store with a prominent logo—Gucci.

This was Jiang Ye's first time stepping into a luxury boutique of this caliber.

The store had soft lighting, a quiet atmosphere, and the air was filled with the scent of high-end perfume.

He instinctively observed the store Clerks, secretly hoping to encounter the kind of snobbish, mocking salesperson from novels, just to experience the 'don't bully the poor youth' face-slapping plot.

Unfortunately, reality was rather mundane.

The Saleswoman who greeted Ye Cheng had a warm, friendly smile and was very enthusiastic, showing no hint of neglect despite Ye Cheng's youth or Jiang Ye's 'plain' attire.

Another Clerk, seeing that he didn't seem interested in browsing, proactively guided him to the sofa in the rest area and even brought him a glass of warm water.

This left Jiang Ye, who had already prepared his '30 years east of the river, 30 years west' line, feeling inexplicably... disappointed and bored.

Of course, he didn't know that these luxury brand SAs undergo strict training, with the most basic rule being not to offend any potential customers.

Perhaps they do make initial judgments based on a customer's attire, demeanor, or shopping intent, but the differences in their behavior are at most 'enthusiastic,' 'very enthusiastic,' or 'extremely enthusiastic.' It's rare to see the kind of plot found in novels.

Moreover, besides attire, the more important criteria for judging a customer's purchasing power are their 'confidence' and 'demeanor.'

A pretty girl like Ye Cheng, with clear goals, sparkling eyes, and eagerness, naturally has a high conversion rate.

And a customer like Jiang Ye, dressed plainly but without any timidity or restraint, instead wearing a 'come and mess with me' expression, is precisely the type they wouldn't easily offend—such people either genuinely don't care or genuinely have the confidence. Either way, they're not to be trifled with.

Ye Cheng had clearly done her homework beforehand and didn't wander around the store much.

Before Jiang Ye could finish his glass of water, she had already picked out a bag—the Dionysus.

She twirled in front of the mirror with the bag on her shoulder, then ran over to Jiang Ye by the sofa, slightly turning her body: "How is it? Does it look good?"

Jiang Ye looked at the smiling girl before him. The expensive bag added a touch of mature femininity to her, perfectly balanced by her youthful energy, lending an air of refinement and elegance.

He nodded, giving an honest evaluation: "It looks good, suits you well."

Ye Cheng's eyes immediately curved into crescents as she smiled, snapping her fingers: "Great! If my boyfriend says it looks good, then it's the one! Let's go, time to pay, boyfriend!"

Jiang Ye smiled, stood up, and followed the Sales Clerk to the checkout counter.

The Clerk handed over the printed receipt. He glanced at the number: 34,600 yuan.

Huh?

Miss Ye is quite considerate. She said the budget was 40,000, and she saved over 5,000.

Without saying much, he smoothly took out his phone to scan and pay.

Ye Cheng stood quietly beside him, watching him enter the password to complete the payment. A complex flicker passed through her eyes, but it quickly returned to normal.

The Clerk skillfully wrapped the bag in a dust bag, placed it in the iconic Gucci paper bag, and said to Ye Cheng with a smile:

"Miss, would you mind adding me on WeChat? I'll notify you first about new arrivals or promotions."

Ye Cheng instinctively wanted to refuse—she wasn't fond of adding salespeople.

But glancing at Jiang Ye out of the corner of her eye, she hesitated for a moment before taking out her phone, scanning the code, and adding the Clerk as a friend.

The two walked out of the Gucci boutique carrying the shopping bag. Jiang Ye stretched, checked the time—it was almost noon.

"Alright, bag bought. Let's go, Student Xiao Ye. I'll treat you to lunch. What do you feel like? Japanese? Western? Or..."

He didn't finish his sentence, noticing that Ye Cheng hadn't followed. Instead, she stood a few steps away, leaning against the mall's glass wall, quietly watching him with a somewhat complex look in her eyes.

"What's wrong?" Jiang Ye walked back to her side, puzzled.

Ye Cheng looked down at the bag in her hand, then raised her eyes to meet Jiang Ye's gaze. She pursed her lips as if making a decision.

She took a step closer, shaking the bag in her hand: "Jiang Ye, this bag... I'm accepting it."

Jiang Ye was a bit confused: "Huh? Accept it, then. It was bought for you anyway. What's wrong? Don't like the color? We can still go back and exchange it."

"It's not about the color."

Ye Cheng shook her head, her tone turning serious: "What I mean is, look at me now—receiving your 'allowance' every week, and today accepting such an expensive bag from you... Even though I've been stubborn about it before, the fact is, the nature of our relationship has actually changed."

Jiang Ye was taken aback, his first thought being a supply crisis:

"Damn? What do you mean by that? Don't want to continue 'supplying' anymore? Did you get athlete's foot?"

Ye Cheng: "..."