15: Chapter 15 This is called emotional value

Zhang Qi brought Qian Mengsheng to the shopping mall downstairs.

This was a newly opened high-end Japanese restaurant called "Sushi · Yin". The storefront wasn't large, featuring sliding wooden doors and a plain-colored noren hanging at the entrance, exuding a cold, aloof vibe that practically shouted, "I'm very expensive, poor people keep out."

After entering, a waitress wearing a kimono approached with quick, small steps, greeting them in fluent Japanese mixed with Chinese, and led them into a private room with excellent seclusion.

Once they were seated, the waitress handed over two menus made of gold-stamped washi paper.

Qian Mengsheng opened the menu. Her face, which had been somewhat excited, visibly stiffened after seeing the long string of zeros following the prices.

She had researched the place on Xiaohongshu beforehand and knew it cost over two thousand per person. She had originally planned to fleece Zhang Qi for a good meal and see the world while she was at it. But when it actually came time to order, looking at those small dishes that cost hundreds or thousands, her "ordinary worker" DNA couldn't help but twitch.

After flipping through it back and forth for a long time, Qian Mengsheng's gaze finally locked onto a few relatively affordable business set meals at the back of the menu.

"Brother Qi, how about we order this couple's set meal? I see it includes a sashimi platter and sukiyaki, it's quite a good deal." Qian Mengsheng pointed to a set meal priced at 1888 yuan and said cautiously.

Zhang Qi glanced at the set meal she was pointing at and shook his head.

He reached out, took the menu from Qian Mengsheng's hand, closed it casually, and set it on the table.

"Why order sukiyaki at a Japanese restaurant? Isn't that just a pot of sweet Chinese cabbage stewed with meat?"

Zhang Qi turned his head to look at the waitress standing to the side, his tone casual.

"Which is the most expensive set meal in your shop?"

The waitress's eyes lit up, the smile on her face instantly becoming eight degrees more sincere, and she bowed slightly to reply.

"Sir, our shop's current highest-spec offering is the chef-customized top-tier Omakase set. All ingredients are premium goods air-freighted from their origins, including bluefin tuna belly, Hokkaido bafun sea urchin, wild black abalone, and A5 Wagyu beef. The price per person is 12,000 yuan."

"Fine, let's have two of those." Zhang Qi waved his hand, making the decision immediately.

"Very well, sir. Two top-tier Omakase sets, totaling 24,000 yuan. Will you be paying by scanning the code or by card?"

"Scan the code."

Zhang Qi took out his phone, pulled up the payment code, and held it out.

A soft "beep" sounded. Payment successful.

Zhang Qi withdrew his phone and leaned back against the tatami chair, silently grumbling to himself.

In all honesty, as someone with a native Chinese stomach, he really didn't have much affection for cold, raw things like Japanese food. A small clump of rice topped with a slice of raw fish, or a few pieces of raw meat dipped in soy sauce and wasabi—you could eat for ages and never feel a warm sensation in your stomach.

To put it bluntly, you're just paying for the atmosphere and the prestige; essentially, it's a total "IQ tax."

But an IQ tax is great!

What he feared least right now was an IQ tax.

Even though it was a rip-off, it was genuinely expensive. 24,000 for a meal—if he went out for hotpot or skewers, he wouldn't be able to eat that much even if he stuffed himself to death. This was practically a tailor-made money-grinding tool for him.

Just as he was sighing to himself, that wonderful mechanical voice rang in his mind right on cue.

[Ding! Detected that the host has spent 24,000 yuan on themselves, meeting the cashback conditions.]

[Double cashback triggered. 48,000 yuan has been transferred to the host's savings card ending in 9527. The source of funds is absolutely safe, please feel free to use it.]

[Current cumulative spending: 132,386 yuan.]

Buzz. His phone vibrated.

Zhang Qi looked down at the screen, and the bank's SMS notification popped up.

"Your savings card account ending in 9527 has received 48,000.00 RMB. Current balance: 219,793.50 RMB."

Looking at the balance that had broken the 200,000 yuan mark, the curve of Zhang Qi's mouth became even more pronounced.

While Zhang Qi looked at his phone calmly, Qian Mengsheng, sitting opposite him, was completely dumbfounded.

She widened her already beautiful eyes, her mouth slightly agape, looking at Zhang Qi in utter disbelief.

Twenty-four thousand!

Just for this one meal, he spent twenty-four thousand yuan!

Qian Mengsheng felt her breathing become somewhat obstructed. She worked herself to the bone every month, and between her base salary and performance bonuses, she only took home a little over ten thousand. Zhang Qi's meal had wiped out more than two months of her salary.

She had previously seen food bloggers online say this place cost two thousand per person, which she already thought was an astronomical price, the kind of level you'd only dare to splurge on after receiving a year-end bonus.

She never expected that Zhang Qi wouldn't even bat an eye and would order the top-tier set meal directly.

The key was the ease with which he paid, without even blinking, as natural as buying a bottle of mineral water at the convenience store downstairs.

Qian Mengsheng looked at the man in front of her, who was both familiar and strange.

Back in the office, although Zhang Qi had strong professional skills, he always exuded a sense of mediocrity, like a pushover. Every day, he would squeeze onto the subway to save a few dozen yuan in taxi fare, and he'd search everywhere for discount coupons when ordering takeout.

But now.

He leaned casually against the chair, his expression indifferent, and the sense of relaxation and confidence radiating from him due to possessing absolute wealth was simply incredibly charming.

Qian Mengsheng suddenly felt her heart skip a beat.

Immediately after, an inexplicable heat spread from her earlobes, and her heartbeat began to accelerate uncontrollably. Thump, thump.

She and Zhang Qi had been in the same department for over half a year, and Zhang Qi was even her nominal mentor. In all those months, she had never had any thoughts about Zhang Qi outside of work.

But just a moment ago, she had the feeling of being struck right in the heart.

A man's charm, as it turns out, is indeed built on real gold and silver.

Not long after, the sliding door of the private room was opened by the waitress. Dish after dish, as exquisite as works of art, were served to the table.

The 12,000 yuan set meal certainly went all out on presentation and ritual. First came the appetizer served in a glass bowl, followed by a sashimi platter wreathed in mystical mist on dry ice.

Those slices of bluefin tuna belly, known as "O-toro," had fat marbling as evenly distributed as marble, glowing with an enticing pink luster.

The Hokkaido bafun sea urchin was carefully piled onto a shiso leaf, displaying a bright orange-yellow color.

Next was the nigiri sushi prepared by the chef on the spot, with the temperature of the rice and the freshness of the raw fish perfectly balanced.

Finally, there was the A5 Wagyu beef sizzling on a piping hot stone slab, the aroma of the fat instantly dominating the entire room.

Qian Mengsheng was very busy during this meal. Every time a dish arrived, she had to find the right lighting, take several photos with her phone, and only then would she carefully taste it.

Zhang Qi, on the other hand, ate quickly, finishing a piece of sushi in a few bites, like Zhu Bajie eating ginseng fruit, completely failing to appreciate any "high-class" feeling.

Over an hour later. The final dessert made of Shizuoka melon was cleared away.

Zhang Qi picked up the barley tea on the table, took a sip to cleanse his palate, and looked at Qian Mengsheng opposite him.

"How was the taste?"

Qian Mengsheng picked up a tissue to wipe the corner of her mouth, her movements pausing for a second. She savored the memory of the top-tier ingredients she had just eaten.

The bluefin tuna belly did indeed melt in her mouth, but it was a bit greasy if you ate too much. The sea urchin was fresh and sweet, but the portion was really too small, not even enough to fill the gaps between her teeth. As for those few pieces of A5 Wagyu, besides the mouthful of fatty aroma, there didn't seem to be anything particularly amazing about it.

Most importantly, after eating a bunch of cold things, her stomach felt empty, as if she hadn't eaten her fill.

"It felt… just average." Qian Mengsheng said quietly, feeling a bit embarrassed.

She was afraid that her comment would make her seem unrefined and would waste the twenty-plus thousand yuan Zhang Qi had spent.

Zhang Qi nodded in deep agreement.

"It is indeed average, not as satisfying as the Longjiang pork trotter rice downstairs."

Hearing this, Qian Mengsheng couldn't help but chuckle.

But after laughing, a trace of apology appeared on her face.

"Sorry, Brother Qi. I haven't eaten Japanese food of this level before. If I'd known it was so average, I wouldn't have let you spend so much money. It was a waste of your money."

"It's not a waste."

Zhang Qi put down his teacup, a meaningful smile tugging at the corner of his mouth. He pointed to the phone Qian Mengsheng had placed on the table.

"Didn't you take quite a few photos just now? Once you post them on your WeChat Moments, the money for this meal will be worth it."

"Ah?" Qian Mengsheng was stunned for a moment, then her cheeks flushed red instantly.

Zhang Qi looked at her embarrassed appearance, his heart clear as a mirror.

Girls, you see, when it comes to such high-end places, whether the food is good or not isn't the most important thing at all. What matters is that unique sense of experience, and the envy and admiration received from others after sharing that experience.

This is called providing emotional value.

Qian Mengsheng had indeed planned to post on WeChat Moments. When she was taking those photos, she had even decided which filter to use. But because Zhang Qi was sitting right across from her, and this meal was truly too expensive, she was afraid that posting on WeChat Moments in front of Zhang Qi would make her seem too materialistic.

So she had held back and hadn't posted. Now that Zhang Qi had called her out, although she felt a bit ashamed, the little conflict in her heart was resolved.

Since the big shot had given the word, why be polite?

Qian Mengsheng simply picked up her phone, opened her album on the spot, and carefully selected nine photos with the most perfect composition.

One of them was a close-up of the sashimi platter, with one of Zhang Qi's hands, resting on the edge of the table, inadvertently visible in the background.

She added the caption: "An occasional indulgence, thanks for the treat~" along with a playful tongue-sticking emoji. Click, send.

Almost the moment the WeChat Moments post was sent, the notifications for likes and comments began to flash frantically.

"Wow, Sushi · Yin! One of the most expensive Japanese restaurants in Shenzhen, rich lady, please keep me!"

"The marbling of this tuna is amazing, it looks delicious, I'm crying with envy."

"Did Mengsheng get rich? Or did you start dating a wealthy boyfriend?"

The comment section was filled with exclamations and gossip.

Looking at these comments, Qian Mengsheng's little bit of vanity was greatly satisfied. Even the regret of not being full from the Japanese meal vanished into thin air.

Just then, a private message popped up on WeChat. It was from her best friend, Su Ran.

Su Ran sent a screenshot of the photo from the WeChat Moments that showed the man's hand, and used a red brush to draw a conspicuous circle around that hand.

"Confess honestly, who is sitting opposite you?" "Did you start dating in secret? And is he a wealthy, high-quality man?"

Looking at her best friend's barrage of questions, Qian Mengsheng's heart beat a little faster.

Logically speaking, if she encountered this kind of misunderstanding in the past, she would definitely explain it clearly and draw a line immediately. But today.

She looked up and stole a glance at Zhang Qi sitting opposite her.

Sunlight filtered through the blinds of the private room, sprinkling onto him and gilding his well-defined profile with a golden edge.

For some reason, she suddenly didn't want to explain it so clearly.

Her fingers tapped on the screen a few times. First, she replied with a "shy" emoji to everyone on her WeChat Moments, neither confirming nor denying. Then she switched back to the chat interface with her best friend and replied vaguely.

"It's not that, just a very good friend."

After sending this message, Qian Mengsheng put down her phone. She looked up again, her gaze falling on Zhang Qi.

Her originally fair cheeks were now stained with a noticeable blush, and even her slender neck showed a hint of pink. In those watery, large eyes, there was a shyness hidden that even she herself hadn't noticed.

Zhang Qi keenly caught her gaze. He leaned back in his chair, raised an eyebrow, and teased with a smile.

"Why are you looking at me? Did I become more handsome in the time it took to eat a meal?"

Qian Mengsheng, having her thoughts exposed, averted her gaze in a panic and reached out to tuck a strand of hair behind her ear.

"No such thing." She muttered softly.

But immediately after, she looked up again and examined Zhang Qi very seriously.

"But seriously, Brother Qi." "You actually have a pretty good foundation. Your features are well-defined, and you have the height. It's just that you don't like to dress up usually."

"If you properly tidy yourself up, get a new hairstyle, and buy a few sets of well-fitting clothes, you'd absolutely be a big hunk."

This wasn't her buttering him up. Previously, in order to save money for Sun Qianwen to buy bags, Zhang Qi's own clothes were all discounted goods scoured from online shopping platforms; he would still wear T-shirts that cost a few dozen yuan even after the collars were washed out of shape. His hair was also just whatever was pushed flat at a roadside barbershop. He was the spitting image of a slovenly, miserable programmer.

Now that he had the system and money, he naturally couldn't continue to be so shabby. Clothes make the man—that's an eternal truth.

Moreover, his primary task right now was to spend money. Buying clothes and getting a makeover were also solid, real-deal spending.

Zhang Qi took the opportunity to agree. "You have a point. I really don't have any research into these styling and fashion things."

He looked at Qian Mengsheng, his tone carrying a sense of taking it for granted. "You usually understand these things well. Since I'm free this afternoon, why don't you help me out? I plan to get a haircut and buy a few decent outfits while I'm at it."

Qian Mengsheng was stunned. She had only said it offhandedly and didn't expect Zhang Qi to take the opportunity to push forward.

If it were before, she might have hesitated, as she still had to work in the afternoon. But after eating someone's food, one is soft-mouthed. The 24,000 yuan top-tier Japanese meal hadn't even finished digesting in her stomach, so how could she have the nerve to refuse? Besides, being able to accompany a big shot who was generous with his spending and easy on the eyes to go shopping for clothes was a delightful thing in itself.

"Sure." Qian Mengsheng agreed without hesitation.

She took out her phone, looking at Zhang Qi with a beaming smile. "Then I'll go ask Sister Danni for leave right now. This afternoon, this young lady will be serving Boss Zhang exclusively!"