Jiang Cheng held Lin Qingxue in his arms, his gentlemanly hand gliding back and forth along her smooth thigh.
The view outside the window, combined with the restaurant's elegant music, made Qingxue's heart flutter more and more.
After a while, Qingxue finally couldn't take it and grabbed Jiang Cheng's hand.
Jiang Cheng looked at her pouty lips and asked in confusion, "What's wrong?"
"Stop touching— you'll ruin it." Qingxue glanced downward, pouting unhappily.
Jiang Cheng noticed a sizable hole had opened in her black stockings and gave an embarrassed chuckle.
"I haven't even started to pick at them; a couple strokes and they split?"
"Your finger slipped inside just now—didn't you notice?"
"Too slippery—didn't pay attention. Sorry."
"Now it looks awful."
Jiang Cheng pinched her cheek and grinned. "Your legs do look amazing in black silk. Since they're ruined, let's go— I'll buy you a few fresh pairs."
Qingxue eyed the damaged stocking; it really was unsightly, so she nodded.
After leaving the restaurant, Jiang Cheng drove straight to the nearest shopping hub, Hang Lung Plaza.
Seeing Jiang Cheng lead her into a Balenciaga boutique, Qingxue tugged him back.
"Jiang Cheng, we're buying stockings here?" she asked in surprise.
Jiang Cheng nodded matter-of-factly. "Yep, aren't their stockings super famous?"
He pointed at the model on the door poster wearing the logo-print black stockings.
"I've heard of them, but their hosiery is crazy expensive, and online reviews say they snag easily—wear them today, trash them tomorrow."
Qingxue clung to him, clearly reluctant to step inside.
Balenciaga's black stockings were legendary; of course she'd heard.
But the price was anything but pretty.
Two thousand yuan a pair—sky-high.
Aside from the Balenciaga logo, those two-grand stockings were no different from ordinary ones.
One careless snag and they'd end up like the pair on her leg—total loss.
Jiang Cheng knew full well they were fragile; after all, wasn't the whole point of wearing them to tear them off?
Where's the fun if they won't rip?
As for two thousand a pair—small change.
At his current system level—
Level 12—he earned 2 yuan every second.
One hundred twenty yuan a minute,
Seven thousand two hundred an hour.
A day raked in one hundred seventy thousand.
So tell him two thousand is expensive?
Not in the least!
"So what? They look great, and I want to see you in them—I can't wait."
With that, he pulled her inside.
Under a sales assistant's eager guidance, Jiang Cheng promptly picked ten pairs of Balenciaga black stockings—twenty thousand yuan total.
A fall-season black jacket (5,498) plus an Hourglass mini-bag (9,889),
And a pair of pink sneakers perfect for Qingxue (2,278).
With Balenciaga's relatively low prices, the haul stayed under forty thousand, so Jiang Cheng couldn't use his Consumption Cashback Card.
Leaving Balenciaga, he strolled hand-in-hand with Qingxue.
"Walk with me after lunch to help digestion."
He didn't announce plans to buy her more things.
If you're going to buy, just buy—no need to ask.
Otherwise, how's a Girl supposed to answer?
Saying yes sounds gold-digging; saying no feels fake.
Either outcome is awkward.
Besides, Jiang Cheng didn't need her answer.
He firmly believed no Girl dislikes luxury.
He meant no insult by it.
To him, it's simple human nature.
Just like when he got rich, the first thing he did was upgrade everything he wore.
Everyone has vanity; Jiang Cheng thinks that's fine.
What's bad is wanting something, lacking the ability to get it, then condemning it.
He checked his system backpack:
One Bad Luck Card, one Basic Consumption Cashback Card (max 500,000), two Intermediate Cashback Cards (max 2,000,000 each).
If a good deal popped up, he'd milk it; if not, no biggie.
Qingxue clutched the Balenciaga tote, her vanity soaring yet her heart uneasy.
Besides a kiss, nothing had happened between her and Jiang Cheng, yet he'd already spent so much—burdening her.
The more you receive, the greater the responsibility.
She used to joke with her roommate:
About Girls riding in luxury cars—
They might look happy,
But who knew how fiercely they'd be "ridden" at night?
Today, it was her turn.
Thinking that, she glanced at her fresh Balenciaga stockings and unconsciously pressed her thighs together.
After another loop around the mall, Jiang Cheng added skincare, an irresistible Chanel mini-bag, and LV fall outfits for her.
The prices stayed in the low tens of thousands, so he still didn't use his Consumption Cashback Card.
Seeing it was getting late, Jiang Cheng casually said, "There's a Ritz-Carlton nearby—great ambience. Want to head over and check in?"
Qingxue blushed at his words, lowered her head, and nodded.