At that moment, the Cartier boutique was far from crowded; including Jiang Cheng and Zhou Ying, there were only four customers in total.
Zhou Ying quietly followed Jiang Cheng, calmly gazing at the jewelry inside the display cases.
A Female Sales Associate quickly stepped forward, smiling as she asked, "Good afternoon, sir, madam. May I help you with anything?"
Jiang Cheng pointed at a necklace above and asked, "Which one do you like?"
Zhou Ying was startled. Her bright eyes fixed on Jiang Cheng for a moment before she said, "You're asking me?"
"Didn't you say you'd like whatever I give you?" Jiang Cheng countered.
"I was only joking." Zhou Ying knew perfectly well how expensive Cartier could be.
She felt their relationship hadn't reached the stage where she should accept gifts from him.
"I wasn't joking—I'm serious." Jiang Cheng looked at her with a devoted expression.
Seeing that look, Zhou Ying wanted to pull her hand away again, but Jiang Cheng's large hand still held hers firmly.
Zhou Ying glanced at the Female Sales Associate beside them; the woman was staring straight at Jiang Cheng.
She secretly grumbled that a rich, Handsome Guy was always popular with women wherever he went.
Since Zhou Ying wasn't choosing, Jiang Cheng scanned the displays and skipped right past the cheaper pieces.
He pointed to a new PANTHÈRE DE Cartier panther necklace in 18k yellow gold priced at eighty thousand yuan.
"Sir has excellent taste. This PANTHÈRE DE Cartier necklace is crafted in yellow gold with black lacquer, set with one tsavorite garnet and nineteen round brilliant-cut diamonds totaling 0.07 carats. It's a newly launched classic—delicate, exquisite, and stunning to wear."
The Female Sales Associate quickly brought out the necklace and, with eager eyes, handed it to Zhou Ying, who politely tried it on.
The sleek little panther lay quietly against Zhou Ying's elegant collarbones.
Jiang Cheng was entranced; his intense gaze made Zhou Ying blush.
After a few seconds he nodded. "It suits you."
Looking at the exquisite necklace, Zhou Ying could find no fault with it and could only agree. "It really is beautiful."
Since she didn't refuse, Jiang Cheng kept pulling her around to view other pieces, but after browsing he was slightly disappointed—even the boutique's watches weren't pricey enough.
In the end he reluctantly chose a ladies' watch for 230,000 yuan, a bracelet for over 80,000, and a pair of earrings for more than 8,000.
At checkout he barely managed to push the total to four hundred thousand yuan.
Seeing Jiang Cheng swipe the card with a grin, the nearby Female Sales Associate grew even more envious.
As soon as he left, she immediately discussed it with another Female Sales Associate.
"Other people's boyfriends never disappoint—did you see how happy he was to pay? The girl looked reluctant by comparison."
"Of course I saw. Handsome and generous—so enviable."
"Why don't we ever meet men like that?"
"Right? Usually it's the girls dragging the guys in here. When the bill comes those guys look pained; rarely do you see someone so happy to pay."
"And he picked the most expensive pieces. I'm so jealous—your commission this month must be huge."
…
The reason Jiang Cheng was grinning at checkout was that he'd used a Shopping Rebate Card and earned fifty times the amount back.
Twenty million yuan!
He'd bought Zhou Ying a gift and netted a pile of cash for free—of course he was in a great mood.
He still had four rebate cards left, but Zhou Ying absolutely refused to continue shopping.
She didn't want to spend any more of Jiang Cheng's money.
Soon Jiang Cheng drove Zhou Ying home.
Before them stood an old residential complex—its buildings looked at least twenty years old.
"Which floor? This place doesn't have elevators, does it?"
"My dad bought this when he was young. It's decades old; all our other properties were mortgaged, leaving only this one. No elevator—we live on the fifth floor."
Jiang Cheng nodded. "Shall I walk you up?"
Zhou Ying shook her head. "No need. My mom's upstairs. You head back."
Jiang Cheng nodded reluctantly and let go of her hand. "Take it slow on the stairs."
"Okay." Zhou Ying waved shyly, then turned and went inside.
The moment Zhou Ying entered, Fang Yuan rose from the sofa.
Only thirty-six, Fang Yuan looked after herself extremely well; she didn't resemble Zhou Ying's mother at all.
"Ying'er, how did it go?"
Seeing Fang Yuan's expectant look, Zhou Ying replied glumly, "How did what go?"
"Wang Yuan. How was your date with him?"
"Mom, I don't like him." At the mention of Wang Yuan, Zhou Ying's face darkened.
Fang Yuan's sharp eyes spotted the Cartier shopping bag in Zhou Ying's hand. "If you don't like him, why are you taking his gift?"
"It's not from him—it's from my classmate."
"Your classmate? Ying'er, I'm not lecturing you, but while Wang Yuan may not match our family's former status, you know our situation. Your father's gone and left a mountain of debt. I don't much like Wang Yuan either, but I'm out of options. They said if you get to know him and eventually marry, they'll clear the debt. And the families are acquainted, so I feel reassured. I'm tired of hiding from creditors."
With that, Fang Yuan snatched the shopping bag and opened it.
"I've been job-hunting. I'll find a way. And you know what Wang Yuan used to do…"
"How many years would you have to work to pay off millions? I'm exhausted."
"I won't be with Wang Yuan—no way."
"You stubborn child—" Fang Yuan began to scold, but the moment she saw the receipt she fell silent.