43: Chapter 42 Anywhere is fine!

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

As soon as these words were spoken, the air in front of the entire Patek Philippe VIP counter seemed to freeze.

Su Ran's beautiful peach blossom eyes widened instantly, her pupils contracted slightly, and she stood frozen in place as if under an immobilization spell.

Give it to me?

Her mind was buzzing, and even her breathing stalled for a beat.

This wasn't some small gift worth a few hundred yuan, nor was it a handbag worth a few thousand.

This is a Vacheron Constantin Overseas!

When Qian Mengsheng was gossiping with her on WeChat the day before yesterday, she had clearly mentioned that this watch was just bought by Zhang Qi and cost over two hundred thousand!

Although this was a men's watch and not suitable for a woman to wear,

luxury watches were hard currency.

Even if she took it to the second-hand market for resale, this watch, having only been worn for two days, was in no different condition from a brand new one. She could easily find any watch dealer and get 170,000 or 180,000 for it with her eyes closed.

That was 170,000 to 180,000 in cash.

He was just giving it away so casually?

Su Ran felt her heart pounding wildly in her chest, the thumping sound so loud she could hear it herself.

Not just her, but the Patek Philippe store manager and the young salesperson standing nearby were completely dumbfounded at this moment.

They dealt with top-tier watches every day and had seen countless rich people.

They had seen plenty of wealthy men buying watches for women.

But that was buying women's watches.

What kind of decent person would just take a men's watch worth over two hundred thousand off their own wrist and casually give it to the woman accompanying them on a shopping trip?

This wasn't just being generous; this was f*cking throwing money at someone!

The store manager glanced at Su Ran's exquisite, charming face and her figure, which was wrapped in professional attire and appeared extremely alluring.

Originally, he had felt a bit jealous that this man had such a beautiful woman accompanying him.

Now, that bit of jealousy had turned into deep shock.

He deserved to have a beautiful woman with him.

If it were him, let alone a watch worth over two hundred thousand, he wouldn't even be willing to give away a twenty-thousand-yuan watch just like that.

"That's right, I'm giving it to you."

Zhang Qi looked at Su Ran's stunned, speechless expression and confirmed it in an extremely flat tone.

He continued.

"This watch doesn't really suit you, you can give it to your family later."

"If your family doesn't wear it either, you can just find a second-hand watch dealer and sell it."

Zhang Qi said this very casually.

He knew very well that if Su Ran really sold this watch for money, the system would determine that the money no longer belonged to him and would surely deduct the previous double cashback reward.

But he didn't really care right now.

There was over five million in cash sitting in his card.

Deducting a few hundred thousand in rebates was neither painful nor itchy to him.

Su Ran was smart, sensible, and proactive, but she still had some reserve. Zhang Qi wanted to speed up the progress now.

It just depended on whether she was sensible...

Su Ran stared fixedly at the watch in the tray, which was glistening with a metallic luster.

Her throat went dry, and she couldn't help but swallow.

It would be a lie to say she wasn't tempted.

This was real money worth over a hundred thousand, enough to cover her annual salary.

If she took this watch, her trip today wouldn't have been in vain.

But the string of reason in her mind was still pulling at her desperately.

She couldn't take it.

If she took it, her positioning in Zhang Qi's eyes would instantly change from a "charming and sensible confidante" to a "money-grubbing woman."

A money-grubber wouldn't be able to secure the position of an official girlfriend.

What she wanted was a long-term meal ticket, a ladder to cross social classes, not just this quick cash of over a hundred thousand.

"Brother Qi..."

Su Ran took a deep breath and forced her gaze away from the watch.

She lowered her head slightly and bit her rosy lower lip.

"This is too valuable, I can't accept it."

She forcibly resisted this huge temptation and said the words of refusal.

Her heart was bleeding as she said this.

Zhang Qi looked at her, a faint, almost imperceptible smile tugging at the corner of his mouth.

She could really endure.

"Let's go, we'll talk outside."

Zhang Qi didn't continue to dwell on this matter, nor did he act like those simps who were eager to please women and insisted on forcing things onto others.

He reached out directly and grabbed Su Ran's soft, boneless hand.

Su Ran's delicate body stiffened slightly.

This was the first time today that Zhang Qi had initiated physical contact with her.

Zhang Qi's palm was broad and warm, and the temperature of his palm traveled through her skin.

Su Ran didn't struggle, nor did she refuse.

She let Zhang Qi hold her hand, stepped in her high heels, and followed his pace out of the store.

"Goodbye, Mr. Zhang, welcome to Patek Philippe again next time."

The store manager and several employees bowed respectfully to see them off.

Although the fire of gossip was burning fiercely in their hearts, wanting to see how this drama would end, they could only watch the backs of the two disappear outside the store door.

Walking out of the Patek Philippe boutique.

The air conditioning in the mall blew on her, making Su Ran's hot head a little clearer.

Zhang Qi stopped.

He took the opportunity to raise the hand he was holding, and with his other hand, picked up the Vacheron Constantin Overseas and placed it directly into Su Ran's palm.

The metal watch case carried a hint of coolness as it pressed against Su Ran's warm palm.

Zhang Qi looked into her eyes, his tone unhurried.

"You are very smart, and I like smart girls."

"As long as you can keep being smart, I won't be stingy with you."

These two sentences were said extremely bluntly.

The expression on Su Ran's face froze instantly.

She was an extremely smart woman; how could she not understand the subtext in Zhang Qi's words?

This wasn't courting her, nor was it dating.

This was making an offer.

This was buying her.

As long as she accepted this watch, it would mean agreeing to Zhang Qi's terms.

From then on, she would be a canary kept by Zhang Qi, a mistress on call.

This was completely contrary to her initial plan.

What she wanted was a title, status, and the identity of a partner who could stand openly by Zhang Qi's side and enjoy all his wealth and resources.

Not a plaything who did things for money.

"Brother Qi, I..."

Su Ran clenched the watch in her palm, feeling as if it were a red-hot iron, burning her palm until it hurt.

She looked up, her eyes filled with a hint of stubbornness and grievance.

"I really don't want it!"

She used all her strength to shove the watch back into Zhang Qi's hand.

Even to make her stance clear, she took a half-step back, increasing the distance between them.

She couldn't compromise.

Once she compromised today, she would completely lose the initiative in this relationship and wouldn't even have the qualification to negotiate terms in the future.

Zhang Qi looked at the watch that had been shoved back into his hand.

His expression didn't change at all; there was no anger at being rejected, nor was there the slightest hint of embarrassment.

"Oh, alright then."

Zhang Qi replied extremely calmly.

He casually stuffed the watch worth over two hundred thousand into his suit pocket.

His movement was as casual as if he were pocketing a pack of tissues.

It was clear that Su Ran was not willing to be a mistress without a name or status.

She wanted too many things.

Zhang Qi knew it like the back of his hand.

They were on different paths and could not work together.

He was rich and had free time now, with the system by his side; the last thing he lacked was women.

Beautiful women were indeed scarce in this world, but that was only for ordinary people.

In the face of absolute wealth, beautiful women were like goods on a shelf; as long as the price was right, they could be chosen at any time.

Su Ran was indeed a top-tier beauty.

But if she wasn't willing to be as obedient and well-behaved as Sun Yiyao, and position herself correctly,

then Zhang Qi would absolutely not waste a single second of his time on her.

He didn't want to date, and he certainly didn't want to play those guessing games of pure love.

It was too tiring and unnecessary.

If he couldn't buy Su Ran, he could still buy someone else.

Shenzhen was so big; there were plenty of beautiful women who wanted to take shortcuts.

"Brother Qi..."

Su Ran looked at Zhang Qi's nonchalant appearance, and a feeling of intense panic suddenly welled up in her heart.

The development of events was completely beyond her expectations.

According to her past understanding of men.

After giving a valuable gift and being rejected, men would either think the woman was aloof, thus triggering a stronger desire for conquest, and find ways to continue pleasing her.

Or they would feel humiliated and become angry out of shame.

But Zhang Qi didn't play by the rules at all.

He wasn't angry, nor did he continue to coax her.

He just took the item back so lightly, as if nothing had happened just now.

This absolute coldness and rationality made Su Ran feel a deep sense of powerlessness.

"Where are we going next? I still want to shop somewhere, let me accompany you."

Su Ran spoke quickly, trying to break this suffocating silence.

Her voice carried a hint of fawning, and even a touch of humbleness she herself hadn't realized.

Zhang Qi raised his wrist and glanced at the Patek Philippe 5396R he had just put on.

"Forget it, no more shopping today."

Zhang Qi's tone had completely lost the harmonious warmth it had in the restaurant earlier.

He looked at Su Ran, his eyes as calm as a stagnant pool of water.

"I'll take you back."

As soon as these words came out.

Su Ran was struck by lightning.

She stood frozen in place, her face instantly turning pale.

She understood.

Zhang Qi was issuing an order to leave.

If she were sent back just like that today, it would probably be the end of things between her and Zhang Qi.

A man of Zhang Qi's net worth, once he felt you were trouble, would forget you completely the moment he turned around.

She would never have the chance to get close to such a high-quality male god again.

Su Ran's mind was in chaos for a moment.

Her reason and clarity, which she prided herself on, instantly crumbled in the face of Zhang Qi's dimension-crushing coldness.

She didn't want to lose this opportunity.

The scene of Zhang Qi buying a car in full this morning, and the scene of him casually spending over three hundred thousand to buy a watch just now, played back madly in her mind like a movie.

She was absolutely unwilling to be out of the game just like this.

In the face of huge benefits and the temptation of crossing social classes, the bottom line she had always held onto began to waver wildly.

When people face things they cannot resist, they are always good at making excuses for themselves.

A very lucky thought suddenly flashed through Su Ran's mind.

Qian Mengsheng had said that Zhang Qi had just been dumped by his ex-girlfriend.

He was acting so heartless now, so resistant to dating, surely because he was too disappointed in his last relationship.

He was just deeply hurt, so he used money and keeping a mistress to disguise himself, not daring to give his heart again.

Yes, it must be that.

As long as I stay by his side first.

As long as I do well enough, am considerate enough.

After a long time, when he feels my sincerity, he will surely be melted by me and eventually accept me.

Su Ran was frantically self-indoctrinating in her heart.

She took a deep breath, her chest heaving violently.

She looked up, a layer of mist rising in her peach blossom eyes, and looked at Zhang Qi with slightly red-rimmed eyes.

"It's not that I don't want to be with you."

"I just... I just don't want you to think that I'm the kind of woman who will do anything for money."

"Brother Qi, don't take me back, take me with you, anywhere is fine."