23: Chapter 23 The Umbrella Purchase

As the central hub for luxury goods and a gathering place for internet celebrities in Shu City, Taikoo Li is now just as famous online—especially across various short-video platforms—as Shu City itself.

Naturally, Taikoo Li has also become synonymous with high consumption and fashion today.

Ever since he realized how to make money from Daily Intelligence 2, he had set his sights on this place, which was the reason he had stocked up on high-end rain gear.

An umbrella with a cost price of 38 yuan—Chen Sheng had searched for the same model online and found it selling for 48.8 yuan—so selling it offline for 68 or 88 yuan wasn't unreasonable, right?

A raincoat with a cost price of 26 yuan—the same model sold online for 35.8 yuan—so selling it offline for 48 or 58 yuan wasn't unreasonable either, right?

As for it being expensive? Please! It's an urgent necessity; can that even be measured by price?

Of course, he had some reservations when stocking up, so he hadn't taken too much inventory this time.

When Chen Sheng arrived at Taikoo Li, it was already 3:20 PM. He pulled out his phone to check the weather forecast and saw it still displayed "Sunny All Day." Only then did he truly feel that this gamble was a sure thing.

Chen Sheng emptied the plastic storage box he usually kept in his trunk for odds and ends, secured it onto a trolley, and sorted the raincoats and umbrellas into the box so they would be easy for customers to browse later.

After finishing this, Chen Sheng mentally prepared for his target demographic and potential sales pitches. When the time reached 3:35, he pulled the trolley out of the parking lot and began wandering around Taikoo Li, scouting for places where potential customers might appear.

At 3:50, Chen Sheng took out his phone again to check the weather forecast.

The information had finally changed; it had shifted from "Sunny All Day" to "Sunny to Cloudy."

Chen Sheng scrolled through his phone out of boredom. When the time reached 3:55, he checked the forecast again, and the information had changed once more, from "Sunny to Cloudy" to "Showers."

However, this rapid change in the forecast didn't attract much attention. After all, unless you were like Chen Sheng, who had obtained the news in advance and was planning to profit from it, who checks the weather forecast for no reason?

Until... the time reached 3:58.

A clap of dry thunder rang out across the sky, followed immediately by fierce winds. Amidst the gales, clouds—no, patches of dark, heavy clouds—were blown in, covering the previously bright sky, and the entire environment instantly grew dark.

The whole process took less than two minutes. It wasn't until raindrops hit their faces that the stunned crowd realized—it was raining.

"Damn! This rain came way too fast, didn't it?"

"The weather forecast didn't say anything about rain. Why did it just start raining out of nowhere?"

"Crap! I think I forgot to close the windows at home!"

"Damn it! Which fellow cultivator is undergoing their tribulation here? Hurry up and stop it!"

Just as the crowd was complaining and looking for suitable shelter, the light, pitter-patter raindrops had already intensified.

The rain grew heavier. The pitter-patter of raindrops hitting the ground was also constantly prodding at everyone's nerves.

"Damn it~ I was just a second too slow!"

"I shouldn't have hesitated. I should have just dashed to the car earlier. Now I have no idea how long this will last."

"Looking at how dark the sky is, this rain will probably last a long time." Chen Sheng, who had quietly snuck up to the crowd, seized the opportunity to pitch: "Would you like to buy an umbrella?"

"How much for this umbrella?" asked a man wearing glasses. It was the same person who had just been complaining about not closing his windows at home.

Chen Sheng held up his hand in an 'eight' gesture. "Eighty-eight for one. Just eighty-eight, and you can take it home."

"Holy crap~ You're selling this way too expensively." The man had been about to reach for an umbrella in the storage box, but upon hearing the price, he immediately pulled his hand back.

"It's not expensive! Not expensive at all. Besides, it's an urgent necessity; you know how it is." Chen Sheng replied with a face full of smiles.

"Lower the price a bit, and I'll buy one." The man glanced at the umbrella, mentally assessed its value, and held up three fingers. "How about this: thirty yuan, and I'll buy one!"

Hearing this offer that basically slashed the price in half, Chen Sheng pulled the trolley back a bit and dropped his smile. "I can't lower it even a bit. It's been this price for years. If you think it's expensive, you need to ask yourself: all these years, have you worked hard? Has your salary increased?"

"You think an eighty-eight yuan umbrella is expensive? Big Brother, this is Taikoo Li!" Chen Sheng didn't say the final part, "If you don't have money, why are you strolling in Taikoo Li?", but the look he cast, combined with the onlookers' gazes as if they were watching a show, made the man's face gradually flush red. Clearly, he understood.

"Who said I thought it was expensive!" The man... no, as long as he was buying, he was a Big Brother. At this moment, Big Brother expressed his dissatisfaction. "I just feel like I don't really like these styles of yours."

Big Brother waved his hand in feigned reluctance and continued: "Forget it! I'll make do with it. I want that black umbrella; just give it to me."

"Sure! Thanks for the business, Big Brother." Chen Sheng held up the QR code. With a "ding" sound, the eighty-eight yuan arrived. Chen Sheng handed the umbrella to Big Brother with both hands. "Take care, Big Brother, watch your step."

After sending Big Brother off, Chen Sheng cast his gaze toward the onlookers watching the show. When the crowd received Chen Sheng's glance, they hurriedly turned their heads in another direction—either looking up at the sky, down at the ground, or looking elsewhere. In any case, not a single one looked toward Chen Sheng.

Perhaps some were secretly observing him from the corner of their eyes, but Chen Sheng didn't notice.

"Tch~" Chen Sheng gave a disdainful snort in his heart and decisively pulled the trolley toward the next target location.

These people weren't his target demographic anyway. The purchase of an umbrella by that old "Big" Brother (a total sucker) was just a pleasant surprise.

His target customer base had always been those internet celebrities who wore fashionable and gorgeous outfits every day, walking back and forth in Taikoo Li to take street photos.

And sure enough, just as he arrived at the next target location, Chen Sheng encountered a group of cosplay Young Ladies dressed in anime character costumes.

You really have to say, these Young Ladies who dared to cosplay in Taikoo Li all had top-tier figures. As for their faces, with makeup, there was no such thing as ugly... no, there was no such thing as average. Even if you picked one out individually, she could be described as a beautiful school belle, department belle, or class belle.

The most eye-catching part was still those straight, long legs under the high-waisted slit skirts. Just those legs alone were enough to admire for a year.

"Beautiful ladies, would you like to buy an umbrella?" Chen Sheng walked up to this group of Young Ladies with what he considered his most amiable smile, displaying the storage box beside him in front of them.

"Handsome Guy! How much are they?" asked one of the Young Ladies.

"Beautiful lady! Just for calling me Handsome Guy, while I sell them to others for ninety-eight, you only need to pay eighty-eight."

"Eighty-eight, that expensive?" another Young Lady exclaimed in surprise.

"It's not expensive! Beautiful lady, look outside—it's empty. And think about how you usually film videos, looking for various angles, waiting for the right timing, and locking in positions. Now, if you hold an umbrella, this huge venue is yours to perform in."

"Also, don't you usually film on sunny days? Think about it, if you suddenly switch to a rainy day, wouldn't that be an unexpected surprise?"