12: Spending money is for my parents to enjoy themselves.

When Shen Qian came out of the pool, it was already past 7 o'clock; his parents found he wasn't in the room and had called him, but he hadn't picked up.

"Where did you go so early in the morning?"

"The hotel has a gym, so I went to work out. If I had known you'd wake up this early, I would have sent you a message to let you know."

"I told you it was fine. What could go wrong in such a high-end hotel?"

Father Shen joked from the side.

"Sigh, only a mother is truly good in this world. If I ever went missing, the old man would probably think I went to travel the world."

The old man was choked up and speechless; he could only wave his hand and surrender.

Feeling the harmony of the family, Shen Qian became even more determined in his belief to be a scumbag.

The hotel included breakfast, but Shen Qian didn't plan on letting his parents eat there. With their temperament, once they knew the hotel provided breakfast, they would eat there every day for the next few days. Since Shen Qian wanted them to enjoy themselves, he naturally considered every aspect.

The family first went to a famous breakfast shop. The three of them spent over 400 yuan, which pained not only his father but his mother as well.

Shen Qian had no choice but to open his account. This was an account he had specifically opened to reassure his parents, and it clearly showed 200,000 yuan.

"Two!"

Seeing the number, his father was so shocked he almost cried out, but his mother covered his mouth.

"Son, where did all this money come from?"

"Didn't I tell you before? I made it from stocks. But Dad, keep a low profile; don't flaunt our wealth, you know? A big shot said that with a bit of management, this 200,000 could probably turn into 400,000. After that, when you go back, pay off the mortgage first."

"How much is left depends on the situation. It would be best to take over a small convenience store or something."

"Son, this money... it was earned legitimately, right?"

Shen Qian knew his mother would ask that; he was both exasperated and amused.

"Mom, you have to understand one thing. For ordinary people like us, who would lead us down any path other than the legitimate one?"

"I told you, this is a big shot. He eats the meat, and I just follow along for the soup. Your son has met a benefactor. But again, don't tell anyone, or people will get jealous."

"Then how much can you earn in a month?"

"In the stock market, sometimes you win and sometimes you lose. I'd love to make a million every day, but how is that possible? It's only because you and Dad rarely get to enjoy yourselves; otherwise, why would I spend so much money?"

"Anyway, just enjoy yourselves these few days. Later, we'll go home and be frugal again. You've worked hard for so many years; what's wrong with being a bit carefree for once?"

"We can't wait until we're truly old, unable to walk or eat properly, to regret it."

Shen Qian's words were very persuasive, and his parents were clearly moved. Father Shen was the first to speak up.

"Alright, then let's be carefree for once. Let me bask in my son's success!"

Since their son had put it that way, what else could his mother say? She could only nod. For the past few years, not only the two of them but their son had also suffered a lot. Her heart had long since ached for him. Now that the family was having fun together, she really shouldn't spoil the mood.

At noon, in the Peace Hotel, Father Shen's smile couldn't be suppressed.

"The Peace Hotel! I've been in Shanghai for so many years and never came to the Peace Hotel. I never thought my son would be the one to bring me here."

Although the J Hotel Center was also luxurious and extremely high up, it lacked heritage, unlike the Peace Hotel, which was known by almost everyone.

Shen Qian was relentless when it came to spending money on his parents. If he weren't afraid of being lectured, he would have wanted them to try every single dish on the menu.

He took plenty of photos during the meal. Although he couldn't post them on his Moments yet, it didn't mean he couldn't in the future. Even if he wouldn't necessarily come here to eat alone, he should accumulate as much material as possible.

From yesterday until today, messages on his phone had almost never stopped. The most frequent ones were from Shen Qian's first love, the girl he broke up with after less than a week of dating.

Originally, she was the one who got dumped. Yet after the breakup, Shen Qian was looking down at the Huangpu River from high above and making new friends—and that new friend was very pretty, prettier than her.

How could she stand that?

In the end, she was just throwing a small tantrum. Of all the boys who have a Girlfriend, which one doesn't deal with their partner acting up? Forget a small tantrum; even if they were told to kneel, they would do it immediately.

Why was it that with him, not only did he refuse to agree to her conditions, but he also broke up immediately after a tantrum? Who acts like that?

After thinking it over and considering that Shen Qian had arrived in Shanghai, she immediately found a reason for him. They were about to have a long-distance relationship. Starting a long-distance relationship right after beginning to date made Shen Qian unhappy. As a result, when he was unhappy and she went to cause trouble, he naturally broke up in a fit of impulse.

Looking at message after message, Shen Qian truly had a headache. This was the price of wanting to "keep a pond"; what else could he do?

"Stop messaging me. I don't blame you, but regarding our relationship, give me some time to think about it."

Shen Qian felt he was being quite affectionate even as he typed.

After he sent that sentence, the other party immediately fired back a long essay. It made his head spin, but the general meaning was that she would wait for him.

"Will wait for me."

Shen Qian smiled and didn't say anything. Who in this world couldn't live without someone else? Saying "I'll wait for you" translated to: I'll secretly date someone else who isn't as good as you behind your back, but once you come back, I'll kick that inferior person to the curb.

Having been a scumbag for over a month, Shen Qian had long since become immune to these emotions. He knew deeply what was truly useful.

In the afternoon, Shen Qian took his parents to two more scenic spots. However, whenever they went to a slightly high-end restaurant, his parents always felt awkward because of their clothes.

Realizing this, Shen Qian immediately took his parents to the IFC. As expected, it was full of foreign brands. When the clerks saw the family of three, they provided the necessary reception, but while they were polite enough, they lacked enthusiasm.

But once Shen Qian bought the first item, the service staff became much more enthusiastic. After all, the price points of each store weren't that different; if you could afford something in one store, you could certainly afford it in others.

Because the unit price of luxury clothing is lower than that of cars or watches, commissions are more important. The old couple usually argued with people when buying things at street stalls, but now they were being dazed by a group of enthusiastic salespeople.

Of course, Shen Qian didn't lose out either. He basically struck up a conversation with one or two service staff members at every store. At first, he couldn't get their contact information, but as he bought more and more things, the staff began to proactively add him on WeChat.

Back at the hotel that evening, Shen Qian looked at the day's bills. He had spent over 200,000 yuan on clothes for his parents, meals, and so on, but today he had earned 260,000 yuan through striking up conversations and adding contacts.

He felt delighted and very satisfied.

"I'm at The Bund. Do you want to come and hang out?"

The message was from Liu Xinyao. Shen Qian walked to the floor-to-ceiling window and looked at the glittering buildings.

"Sure, I'll buy you all a drink."

The fish has taken the bait.