42: Chapter 41: Let's give her a little thrill!

After finishing the meal, Zhang Qi and Su Ran wandered around the mall.

Buying the car today had pushed his balance to over five million, and Zhang Qi was actually quite satisfied with that.

But on second thought, he still had plenty of time in the afternoon. Since he was idle anyway, he might as well take the opportunity to farm some more rewards.

The question was what to buy. Clothes and shoes were out; he didn't even have a permanent residence right now, so there was nowhere to put too much stuff.

The spoils of war he had swept up earlier at The MixC were still piled up in his suite at the St. Regis Hotel.

He needed to buy something small in size but high in unit price.

Zhang Qi's gaze swept over the high-end watch section of the mall, and he had an idea.

Buying watches was the most convenient. They were small, expensive, and as long as they were in stock, they were the perfect items to farm rewards with.

He took Su Ran and walked straight into a Patek Philippe boutique.

The air conditioning in the store was blasting, and the air was filled with a faint scent of woody aromatherapy.

Several salespeople in black suits were standing behind the counters. Seeing Zhang Qi and Su Ran enter, they immediately came forward to greet them.

People who work in luxury sales have very sharp eyes.

The custom-made suit Zhang Qi wore, which had no visible logo but felt incredibly high-quality, the Vacheron Constantin Overseas on his wrist, and the stunning, curvaceous woman in black silk stockings accompanying him—all of these signaled that this was a high-net-worth client with immense purchasing power.

"Good day, sir, and welcome to Patek Philippe. How may I help you?" a young male salesperson said with an extremely respectful attitude.

Zhang Qi had no interest in listening to all that convoluted brand history and got straight to the point.

"What is the most expensive watch you have here that is currently in stock?"

As soon as these words were out, not only was the salesperson stunned, but even Su Ran, who was standing beside him, couldn't help but glance over.

When buying luxury watches, especially from a top-tier brand like Patek Philippe, customers usually pick out a model in advance or even have to join a waiting list for an allocation. Who walks in and asks for the most expensive item in stock like they're buying cabbage?

The salesperson reacted quickly, immediately realizing he had encountered a real big shot. His smile became even brighter, and he bowed slightly to lead the way.

"Sir, please come this way. We just happened to receive a 5396R-011 watch from the Complications collection today. It is a rose gold annual calendar watch with a moon phase function. It is extremely rare, and we happen to have one in stock right now."

The salesperson led the two to a VIP counter, put on white gloves, cautiously took an exquisite wooden box from the safe, and opened it.

The dark brown alligator strap and the rose gold case shimmered with a charming luster under the lights. On the silvery-white dial, the day, month, and date displays were all present, and the moon phase dial at the six o'clock position was exquisite to the extreme.

"The official price for this watch is 365,000 yuan," the salesperson said softly, his tone carrying a hint of probing.

Zhang Qi glanced at the watch.

It was indeed quite good-looking, but to him, there was no difference between 360,000 and 3,600; they were both just numbers used to trigger the system.

"Fine," Zhang Qi nodded, his tone devoid of any ripples. "Swipe the card."

The air suddenly went quiet.

The salesperson's hand, holding the introduction brochure, froze in mid-air, his mouth slightly agape. He had prepared a bellyful of sales pitches about movement polishing and historical heritage, but hadn't managed to say a single word.

He was buying it just like that?

A 365,000 yuan watch, and he just swiped his card after one look?

Su Ran, standing to the side, also felt her heart skip a beat.

She had just watched Zhang Qi pay in full for a 2.6 million yuan Porsche that morning without blinking, and she had thought her psychological endurance was already quite strong.

But that was a car after all, a tangible means of transportation.

Yet this small object in front of her, just a watch, cost 365,000.

Even if she worked at the Porsche Center for a year, without eating or drinking, without buying cosmetics or paying rent, she still wouldn't be able to save up enough money for this watch.

Yet for Zhang Qi, buying it was as casual as buying a bottle of mineral water at a convenience store.

"Sir, are you sure you want to swipe the card now?" the salesperson swallowed, his voice sounding a bit dry.

Zhang Qi couldn't be bothered with small talk; he took the savings card directly out of his pocket and slapped it onto the counter.

"Hurry up."

The salesperson seemed to wake from a dream and, with somewhat flustered movements, took out the card machine.

Beep.

The success tone of the transaction sounded.

In Zhang Qi's mind, the familiar mechanical voice rang out right on time.

[Ding! Detected that the host has spent 365,000 yuan on himself. Cashback conditions met.]

[Double cashback triggered. 730,000 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 accumulated consumption: 5,593,538.50 yuan.]

His phone vibrated, and a bank text message popped up.

"Your savings account ending in 9527 has received 730,000.00 RMB. Current balance: 5,646,825.50 RMB."

Zhang Qi glanced at the screen and pocketed his phone.

By this time, the store manager in the distance had already noticed the commotion. Seeing Zhang Qi swipe over 300,000 yuan so decisively and neatly, the manager immediately straightened his suit, walked over quickly, and shoved aside the young salesperson who still hadn't come to his senses.

"Hello, Mr. Zhang. I am the manager of this store. Thank you for choosing Patek Philippe." The manager's attitude was extremely respectful, bordering on fawning.

He personally put on white gloves, took the 5396R out of the watch box, and respectfully handed it to Zhang Qi.

"Please check it. This watch has no flaws whatsoever, and it keeps time with extreme precision."

Zhang Qi glanced at it casually.

"No problem," he waved his hand. "Wrap it up."

He was still wearing the Vacheron Constantin; this Patek Philippe was purely something he bought while passing by to farm rewards, and he had no intention of wearing it right now.

Su Ran stood to the side, watching Zhang Qi's indifferent demeanor, her mind racing.

Since leaving the restaurant, she had been thinking about how to get closer to him. Zhang Qi wasn't taking the initiative, so she had to find an opportunity to create some ambiguity.

Now, the opportunity had arrived.

"Brother Qi," Su Ran spoke up suddenly, her voice soft and sweet. "Since you bought a new watch, why not try it on? If it's inconvenient for you to put it on yourself, I can help you."

Zhang Qi turned his head and looked at her.

Su Ran was wearing her black Porsche professional attire, the white shirt stretched tight by her ample chest. She tilted her head slightly, her moist peach-blossom eyes filled with anticipation and docility.

Offering to help put on the watch was an extremely clever move. It allowed for legitimate physical contact without seeming frivolous or casual.

Zhang Qi saw through it but didn't expose her, a smile curling at the corner of his mouth.

"Sure, go ahead and put it on for me." He extended his left wrist directly.

"Alright!" Su Ran's eyes lit up, her tone cheerful.

She took a step forward, pressing very close to Zhang Qi. The scent, a mixture of high-end perfume and the fragrance of a woman, instantly enveloped him.

Su Ran extended both hands, gently cradling Zhang Qi's wrist.

Her fingers were slender and fair, her skin delicate and cool to the touch. When she touched Zhang Qi's warm wrist, it brought an incredibly comfortable sensation.

Su Ran lowered her head slightly, her expression focused.

She first carefully unclasped the folding clasp of the Vacheron Constantin Overseas, slid it off Zhang Qi's wrist, and placed it on the velvet tray to the side.

Then, she picked up the brand-new Patek Philippe.

Because she needed to adjust the holes in the strap, she had to lean in even closer. The warm air from her breath gently brushed against the back of Zhang Qi's hand.

Su Ran could feel her heartbeat accelerating. Usually, when facing big bosses at the Porsche dealership, she always maintained an absolutely safe distance, never giving anyone a chance to take advantage of her.

But now, she was proactively creating contact.

Zhang Qi's wrist felt powerful, his pulse steady and strong. Su Ran wrapped the alligator strap around his wrist, carefully aligned it with the hole, and fastened the buckle.

"There you go." Su Ran looked up, a faint blush spreading across her cheeks.

Looking at the new watch on Zhang Qi's wrist, she praised him sincerely: "This watch looks even better. The rose gold color really complements your temperament; it looks absolutely perfect on you, Brother Qi."

Zhang Qi raised his wrist to look; it indeed looked more steady and composed than the previous one.

"Then I'll wear this one," Zhang Qi nodded.

Su Ran turned around and said to the manager waiting on the side: "Please trouble yourself to pack up the previous watch."

The manager quickly nodded and bowed, taking an exquisite portable watch pouch, preparing to put the Vacheron Constantin inside.

Just at this moment.

"Wait," Zhang Qi spoke up suddenly.

Su Ran and the manager both stopped simultaneously, both looking at him in confusion.

Zhang Qi ignored the manager and instead fixed his gaze on Su Ran's face.

He was actually quite satisfied with Su Ran's initiative just now. This woman was smart, knew when to advance and retreat, and was sensible.

However, it wasn't enough.

Deep down, Su Ran still carried a sense of pride and reserve; she wanted to climb the social ladder, yet she also wanted to maintain her dignity.

Zhang Qi decided to give her a heavy dose of medicine. Since he was going to play, he would completely break through this woman's psychological defenses and see just how much sincerity she could show.

Zhang Qi pointed to the Vacheron Constantin Overseas on the tray, his tone as casual as if he were discussing a worthless old piece of clothing.

"I don't want this old one anymore; I'll give it to you."