"Hey, I've been looking forever and finally found something I think I can afford. Wait a sec, let me count my money to see if I have enough, or I'll have to look for more." Chen Hao walked out as if no one else was there, completely ignoring the shocked and dumbfounded looks around him, and approached the manager.
"588 yuan, wait, let me check my money..." Chen Hao first took out the 500 yuan that Li Bingshuang gave him, then after a long search in his pockets, he pulled out a bunch of crumpled banknotes, and perhaps feeling there was more, he dug deeper and pulled out a handful of coins, including some one-jiao coins.
Then, he licked his fingers and started counting the money.
Li Bingshuang almost fainted when she saw him acting like a common hustler. Oh my God, are you intentionally sending him to torture me?
After carefully counting twice, Chen Hao finally looked up at the manager and said, "Hehe, good thing I have enough money on me. These socks are 588 yuan, and I have exactly 588 yuan and ten cents. Here, take it all, this ten cents is your tip."
"Thank you, thank you for shopping..." The manager, with a forced smile, awkwardly held a big handful of money, not sure whether to leave or stay.
Li Bingshuang had already experienced Chen Hao's shameless behavior despite having only just met him, and at this moment, she just wanted to leave as soon as possible. Seeing that Chen Hao had made his purchase, she immediately stood up, ready to head outside.
"Hold on, let me ask, uh, can I try these on?" Chen Hao had no intention of leaving and asked the manager, who was standing beside him with a professional smile and holding the money.
Bang!
Clang clang clang...
Everyone around dropped their jaws to the floor, staring at Chen Hao in disbelief.
The manager's mouth hung open, and the money in his hands dropped to the floor as the coins scattered everywhere.
Damn, I've been in this business for so many years, and this is the first time I've heard of trying on socks before buying!
Amidst the shock, the manager quickly came to his senses, looking helplessly at Li Bingshuang behind him, who was about to blow up, before the latter let out a heavy sigh and nodded.
Seeing this, Chen Hao, holding the socks, cheerfully headed to the fitting room.
Once inside, he discovered it was like a mini villa: a large room outside with a king-size bed, a dressing table, several mirrors, shining clean, and even a sofa set and an LCD TV.
There was also a bathroom inside.
Chen Hao observed all this and thought to himself, Goodness, this is indeed the life of the wealthy; even the fitting rooms are hundreds of times better than what the average person lives in!
He sat comfortably on the bed, took off his socks that smelled like stinky tofu, put on the new ones, walked around to feel the fit, and then stepped outside.
Goodness, these brand-name socks are different, putting them on is simply more comfortable than rubbing my feet on those masseuses' chests!
As soon as Li Bingshuang saw him come out, she quickly got up and hurried out. She felt that if she stayed any longer, she would never be able to shop here again.
"Please take your time leaving..." The manager bowed and scraped as he showed them to the door and waited until the two were far away before he finally let out a long breath, sitting down on the floor with a thump, "Xiao Yang, bring me a glass of water..."
——————
Li Bingshuang and Chen Hao descended the stairs and came to the car. Throughout, Li Bingshuang had not taken off her sunglasses because she felt that being seen with someone like this would leave her too embarrassed to face anyone in the future.
"Miss Li, in consideration of your company in buying socks, let me drive for you. Hehe, I do have a driver's license, you should believe that," Chen Hao said to Li Bingshuang with a chuckle as he stood in front of the car.
Li Bingshuang glanced at him but didn't object because she felt that speaking with him any further would probably provoke some incident, so she turned and pulled open the passenger-side door.
Chen Hao also smiled and didn't mind, as he opened the door and got into the car.
At this time, during the rush hour, the roads were packed with cars, and it would take two or three light changes to get through an intersection, but Chen Hao expertly gripped the steering wheel, darting left and right with incredible speed.
Li Bingshuang, sitting in the backseat, had no expression on her face, but her hands were tightly clutching the seat, feeling as though her heart was going to leap out of her throat.
This rascal, he wasn't driving; he was racing!
Throughout the drive, Chen Hao focused entirely on driving and didn't speak, which eased Li Bingshuang's mind quite a bit. However, she now started to worry that once they arrived at the Civil Affairs Bureau, this rascal in front would cause some embarrassingly terrible scene.
After all, buying clothes had almost led to a scene, and she hoped that he wouldn't make a mess of things when they were about to register their marriage...
Chen Hao wasn't as absorbed in driving as he seemed. His mind was replaying the moment of parting.
"I'm entrusting the girl to you. You're the person I value most. I hope you can do me this favor..."
He was trusted to protect Li Bingshuang, and now he was supposed to marry her, even if it was a sham. But doing so would make protecting her much more convenient in the future.
Before long, the two arrived at the Civil Affairs Bureau and got out of the car. Chen Hao was about to walk inside when Li Bingshuang pointed at his clothes and said, "Are you really going to go in wearing that?"
Chen Hao was taken aback before saying, "What, my clothes aren't good? Honest work, I don't steal or rob, I earn my food with my own hands. I'm a glorious laborer, don't you know that laborers are the most honorable?"
Li Bingshuang was completely floored by that and had nothing to say. She rolled her eyes at Chen Hao and followed him inside.
At the same time, she firmly resolved that once this ordeal was over and the uproar had completely died down, once she had firmly taken control of the company, she would immediately kick this guy out, not letting him stay a minute longer!
There weren't many people inside, and the two went to a counter. They were handed two forms to fill out, and when a young female employee glanced up and saw their attire, she was clearly taken aback. However, Chen Hao promptly gave her an intimidating look, and the young woman quickly lowered her head and bustled with her work.
After Chen Hao finished filling out the form, he noticed a young couple also registering. The woman gently leaned on the man's shoulder, her face radiating with happiness. He nudged Li Bingshuang and pointed in their direction.
As soon as Li Bingshuang saw, she understood. Before she could react, an unexpected large hand reached over and wrapped around her waist!
For the first time in her life, a man touched such a sensitive spot, and Li Bingshuang's body stiffened instantly. Her first impulse was to push away, but she found the hand to be unyieldingly firm, clamped on like a vise, impossible to budge.