16: Chanel

Before long, He Xiaomi emerged wearing Jiang Chen’s clothes. Even without makeup, she was quite striking, like a lotus flower emerging from water.

Her freshly washed hair, still damp, fell casually over her shoulders. Jiang Chen’s loose T-shirt couldn’t hide her attractive figure, especially her… He Xiaomi looked at Jiang Chen, who was staring at her, and her already rosy cheeks flushed even redder. She stood at the doorway, a little flustered, unsure what to say.

Jiang Chen snapped back to reality, realizing he had been staring intently. He quickly said, “Xiaomi, why don’t you go blow-dry your hair first? I read online that you should dry your hair immediately after showering, otherwise it’s bad for your health and can cause hair loss.”

This was clearly Jiang Chen’s nonsense, but He Xiaomi, hearing about hair loss, said skeptically, “Really?” Then she turned and went into the bathroom to blow-dry her hair.

Jiang Chen rubbed his nose. This He Xiaomi was quite interesting. Couldn’t she tell he was just saying whatever came to mind?

A knock sounded. Jiang Chen went to open the door. It was Xu Jinzhong, followed by a waiter pushing a dining cart. Jinzhong had arranged everything thoughtfully, providing easily digestible, stomach-friendly food like millet porridge, preserved egg and lean meat porridge, and two bowls of hangover soup.

Once the waiter had placed the food on the table, Jiang Chen said to Xu Jinzhong, who was standing nearby, “Hey Jinzhong, what kind of women’s clothing would be suitable for work? Not too formal, but a bit more expensive, preferably a big brand.”

Xu Jinzhong pondered. Jiang Chen was probably choosing for his secretary. Considering that he had learned Jiang Chen’s true identity yesterday because of serving their private room, Jinzhong recommended, “For women, and a big brand, that would have to be Chanel. It’s versatile for both daily wear and work.”

Jiang Chen nodded. He had some understanding of luxury goods, but not much, especially women’s clothing. He decided to go take a look later.

“Do you know any sales associates?”

Xu Jinzhong’s answer, as always, did not disappoint Jiang Chen: “Yes, Mr. Jiang. Do you need me to make an appointment for you?”

Jiang Chen immediately asked Xu Jinzhong to make an appointment. He planned to buy He Xiaomi a few sets of clothes as compensation for getting hers dirty yesterday. Besides, he himself only had a few suits and his old worn-out clothes, so it was a good opportunity to buy some clothes for himself for everyday wear.

Xu Jinzhong quickly confirmed that it was taken care of. He put down his phone and said to Jiang Chen, “Mr. Jiang, your appointment has been made. Just give your name when you arrive.”

Jiang Chen nodded, praising Jinzhong for being reliable. Jinzhong smiled and said it was his duty before excusing himself.

The hairdryer in the bathroom stopped. He Xiaomi came out. Jiang Chen motioned for her to sit down and eat, then told her that he would have her pick out a few clothes later as compensation.

He Xiaomi, hearing this, put down her spoon, waving her hands frantically in refusal: “There’s no need, Mr. Jiang. My clothes aren’t worth much. They can still be used after washing. You don’t need to buy me clothes as compensation.”

Then she found another reason: “Besides, I have to work today. I didn’t clock in this morning, so my salary will be docked.” She finished speaking and showed Jiang Chen her phone.

It was the Xinghe Group’s internal app, similar in function to DingTalk. He Xiaomi’s phone screen clearly showed the page indicating she hadn’t clocked in that morning.

Jiang Chen chuckled. He, who already had a good impression of her (which was just infatuation), found this He Xiaomi even more interesting. He picked up a spoon, took a sip of porridge, and said, “Whether you clock in or not is meaningless. As my secretary now, who would dare dock your pay?”

Then, making a decision, he continued, “Moreover, as my secretary now, you represent my image. It’s only natural for me, as your boss, to buy you a few sets of work clothes, especially since I was the one who got your clothes dirty. Alright, we’ll go after we finish eating.”

Seeing Jiang Chen’s undeniable stance, He Xiaomi found it reasonable and did not refuse, continuing to eat her porridge. Perhaps because she had vomited everything out yesterday, both of them finished all the food on the table in no time.

Then Jiang Chen and He Xiaomi left the hotel dressed in oversized shorts and T-shirts. Following the location sent by Xu Jinzhong, which was at MixC in Nanhai District, Jiang Chen set up the navigation and drove off.

MixC was about sixteen kilometers from the Mandarin Oriental Hotel where they were staying. Fortunately, it wasn’t rush hour, and they arrived in less than twenty minutes on the expressway. Jiang Chen drove into the parking lot and found a space.

He then took He Xiaomi up the elevator, and soon they found the Chanel store. The entrance was blocked by a barrier, and two handsome security guards in black suits stood there. Seeing Jiang Chen and He Xiaomi approach, they politely asked, “Hello, sir, do you have an appointment? Entry requires an appointment today.”

Jiang Chen took out his phone and showed them his chat history with Xu Jinzhong: “Is this alright? He said I could just come, that he had already made an appointment for me. Oh, and my surname is Jiang.”

The security guard glanced at it. It did indeed say there was an appointment, but he was still unsure and politely said, “Sir, please wait a moment, I’ll ask.”

He then turned his head and spoke into his earpiece: “Manager, Manager, is the client appointed for today surnamed Jiang? A Mr. Jiang has arrived at the entrance.”

Immediately, the earpiece replied. Jiang Chen didn’t know what was said, only that the security guard’s attitude instantly became respectful, “Mr. Jiang, please come this way. The Manager will be right out to greet you.”

Before the security guard even finished speaking, a woman who looked like a sales associate, dressed in a Chanel suit dress with a silk scarf tied around her neck, came trotting over. Her flat shoes made crisp tapping sounds on the marble floor.

Walking quickly to Jiang Chen, Wang Manni did not show any disdain despite Jiang Chen’s ordinary attire, only a slight surprise. Then she smiled and bowed, asking, “Hello, are you Mr. Jiang?”

Jiang Chen looked at Wang Manni in front of him, learning her name and position from her name tag. He said, “If Xu Jinzhong made the appointment for me, then I am that Mr. Jiang.”

Wang Manni immediately said with a smile, “Then that’s him! Jinzhong repeatedly instructed me to serve you well before you arrived, Mr. Jiang.

To properly receive Mr. Jiang, we specially cleared the store for you today.”

Jiang Chen was surprised to hear this: “From your demeanor, it seems you and Xu Jinzhong are quite familiar?”

“Yes, Jinzhong and I are quite close. We were high school classmates.”

Jiang Chen nodded in understanding, secretly praising Jinzhong for handling things so well.

Although they shared a high school classmate relationship, it was far from enough for Wang Manni to clear the store for someone just because of an old classmate’s words. It was because Xu Jinzhong had told her via Feixin about Jiang Chen’s importance and his spending at their hotel, urging her to take it seriously and treat Jiang Chen well.

Wang Manni, seeing this, decided to clear the store directly, temporarily serving only Jiang Chen.

Wang Manni ushered Jiang Chen and He Xiaomi into the VIP reception room, arranged for some tea and desserts, and had a rack of clothes wheeled in. Jiang Chen glanced at them, realizing he truly didn’t understand women’s clothing, so he asked Wang Manni to help pick out a few sets:

“Manager Wang, please help me pick out a few outfits that suit her.”

“Of course, no problem. Madam, would you like to see this set? It’s a Chanel-style design, paired with…” Wang Manni said to He Xiaomi.

“Whatever works for me. It’s up to Mr. Jiang…”

He Xiaomi at this moment was like a puppet, being arranged by Jiang Chen and Wang Manni to try on one outfit after another.

Seeing He Xiaomi unsure which set to choose, Jiang Chen finally made the decision directly, saying to Wang Manni, “How about this: take all the tried and untried ones that fit her size. Then, you can also look for some matching accessories and bags.”