With a mischievous glint in his eye, he reached into his spatial stone and retrieved a small packet of special seasonings. He sprinkled it over the food when Tao Keke wasn't looking, eager to see the difference it would make.
As they continued to eat, Tie Zhu couldn't help but feel a sense of satisfaction as Tao Keke's face lit up with delight at the flavors in her mouth. In the meantime, Tie Zhu's' attention had also been focused on the chefs in action. He was fascinated by the precision with which they sliced the ingredients and the artistry they displayed in arranging the food on the plates and taking mental notes of the techniques he had observed, determined to try them out himself in the future.
* * *
"What do you want to do now?" Tao Keke asked after leaving the restaurant.
"Well, we're going to be graduating soon, and we're going to need some new clothes for the graduation party. Why don't we go buy some new clothes for now?" Tie Zhu suddenly recalled, remembering that he currently did not have a suit of his own and that most of his clothes had now become too small for him. Even the ones that he was currently wearing were a size too small.
"Yeah, you really do need new clothes. You've been wearing the same ones for years now, I'll even help you choose." Tao Keke replied happily as she grabbed Tie Zhu's hands as they eventually found themselves within a luxury clothing store.
"1000 RMB for a T-shirt!?" Tie Zhu quietly exclaimed to himself as he looked at the price tag of a seemingly normal t-shirt. Although he had more than enough money within the card that Xiao Ling had given him, such a figure for a seemingly simple T-shirt had caught him off guard.
"Hi, is there anything I can help you with?" came the voice of a petite looking sales woman as Tie Zhu and Tao Keke were scanning through the clothes.
"Uhmm, yes, what do you have for formal events?" Tie Zhu replied.
After hearing Tie Zhu's reply the saleswoman's eyes quickly scanned Tie Zhu's body before once again stopping at his face.
Although she was somewhat hesitant at first because of his ragged clothing, she still kept a smile on her face as she explained the stores selections. The reason why she was not so quick to judge was perhaps partly due to Tie Zhu's handsome appearance, but the largest part was that more recently many wealthy second generation kids would actually purposefully dress in such a way.
Although she never understood why, she did not want to take any risks especially since something similar had happened not so long ago, where an employee had been fired for mistakenly offending and insulting such a person.
"Apart from these suits here, we can also customize them especially for you. You can select the material you want and we will send your measurements to a world renowned tailor in Italy who will personally create the suit." The saleswoman said.
Because Tie Zhu had never worn a suit before he was unsure of what he should get. There were so many choices that at first he thought he could just purchase something quickly without needing any customization.
"How about I try this one first, if it doesn't fit properly I'll think about getting a customized suit." Tie Zhu said after a while, as he pointed to a well cut midnight blue suit.
"Sure, the changing rooms are just over there" she replied after handing Tie Zhu the suit Tie Zhu had pointed to.
"Here, try this on as well, you can't just wear the suit with what you have on right now." Just as Tie Zhu was about to try on the suit, Tao Keke walked over and handed him a black button up shirt to try on as well.
After thanking Tao Keke, Tie Zhu made his way to the changing room and began changing clothes. Even though the suit was not personally customized to fit him, he could immediately tell that it was handcrafted with extreme attention to detail with high quality fabrics. The suit jacket had a slim fit, hugging his broad shoulders and tapering in at the waist, creating a sharp silhouette. The pants were tailored to fit his long legs, and he felt a sense of comfort in the way they hugged his thighs. He straightened his tie and adjusted his collar, feeling a sense of maturity and sophistication that he had never experienced before.
As he looked at himself in the mirror, Tie Zhu couldn't help but feel a sense of confidence and pride wash over him. The suit was a deep shade of navy blue, complementing his skin tone and bringing out the intensity in his dark eyes. The fabric was soft to the touch, and as he ran his fingers over it, he could feel the luxurious quality of the material.
"Are you done in there, what's taking so long? Do you need any help? " Tao Keke asked. Although it had only been a few minutes, she still called out impatiently as she herself had never seen Tie Zhu in a suit.
"No, everything fine, I'm just not used to it. Don't be too surprised though when you see me." Tie Zhu could not help but add cheekily.
"Hmph, do you really think...." Tao Keke snorted, however was stopped mid sentence as the door to the dressing room opened up.
Not only her, but even the saleswoman was talked aback as they witnessed the transformation of Tie Zhu. Although she had heard of the saying that "clothes make the man" she had never seen such a shocking example. Although Tie Zhu had been handsome before, compared to now it was almost like comparing a homeless person to a fashion model. She could not help but feel a slight hint of jealousy towards Tao Keke.
"... So, what do you think?" Tie Zhu asked as he looked towards Tao Keke.
"Ahhemm... Not bad, not bad." Tao Keke said as she closely scanned Tie Zhu's body once again, while trying to hide her blush. Although Tie Zhu had jokingly warned her not to be too surprised, she could not help herself from becoming shocked as the man in front of her looked almost like a completely different person.
"Hmm... Although it fits well I still think you should get it custom fitted." Tao Kek finally as she carefully examined him. Although she was somewhat reluctant in making that decision she knew that it would most likely be the better decision.
"Yes, yes I agree!" As if she were a fan girl, the saleswoman suddenly called out excitedly.
"It would be a waste if you didn't get it custom fitted! If you want we can sort out the details of it now." She said enthusiastically. "So how about it?"
".. Okay" After turning his head both sides looking at both women's faces of approval Tie Zhu let out a sigh before finally agreeing. As someone who rarely went out to buy clothes, he was not a huge fan of shopping and he himself could not find anything wrong with the current suit.
"Great, let's get started then. First I'll take your measurements and then we can talk about the materials and styles." She said excitedly, as this in fact was one of the reasons why she has so wanted Tie Zhu to order a custom suit.
* * *
After sorting out all the details with the suit, the total had come down to 150 000 RMB. Although he felt somewhat uncomfortable paying so much money for a piece of clothing he reconciled himself at the thought that he had only paid an incomparably small price of the contents within the spatial ring.
"Thank you for shopping with us. Could you please give me your phone number, I'll give you a call when your suit is ready. Also here's my number as well if you have have any questions." She said somewhat flirtatiously.
"Oh, that's right I almost forgot. Thanks" Tie Zhu replied as he gave her the details.
"... Hmph". Although Tie Zhu did not pick up on her flirtation, her behavior was not unnoticed by Tao Keke. 'Hmph, it looks like I'll have to speak with him later.' she thought to herself.