Chapter 128: Not a Good Brain But Knows the Situation
"Pay the bill? Pay for what?" Ren Hui echoed, trailing after Yun Zijin without hesitation. She didn't believe Zijin could afford anything in an Hermès store.
Zijin ignored Ren Hui entirely, walking to the cashier with the SA. She took out her black gold card from her bag and handed it to the cashier. At the moment she paid, Zijin received a system alert indicating she'd completed today's consumption task.
[Consumption task: Spend 3,000,000.00 yuan before midnight tonight; requirement: Shopping only.
Task reward: Triggering 4x rebate, 12,000,000.00 yuan has been deposited into the host's savings card. The host is further rewarded with full ownership of University Town Food Street—please check thoroughly.]
A food street? That must be the same one near campus, right by the bar Sheng Yang had opened. Is the system providing her properties conveniently located around her life again? She admired Suibianhua's consistent thoughtfulness, though she couldn't take out any documents here in public.
"Ms. Yun, here are your card and receipt, please keep them safe," the cashier said, passing the items back. As for the bag Zijin had purchased, Lingyi took charge of it.
She'd finished her purchase and completed the day's task; she was ready to leave the store, having no more reason to stay. "Okay, let's go," Zijin said, nodding to Qin Sitong.
"Wait!" Ren Hui exclaimed, stepping in front of them, arms outstretched to bar their way.
"What else do you want?" Qin Sitong demanded, placing herself protectively in front of Zijin. Her tone was unapologetically hostile.
"SA just mentioned the person who came with you is their VIC," Ren Hui said, eyeing Lingyi behind Zijin. Obviously, she'd misunderstood the situation. In her mind, the VIC must be this tall, handsome man. Zijin didn't even know how Ren Hui could arrive at such a bizarre conclusion—if Lingyi were the VIC, why was he standing behind Zijin, carrying her purchases instead of the other way around?
"You want to meet the VIC client?" Qin Sitong asked, raising an eyebrow.
Ren Hui huffed. "Don't spout nonsense. I just think that since we're all dormmates, we should meet each other's new friends. If I ever make new friends, I'd totally introduce them to you."
She was blatantly fishing for an introduction. Deep down, she was confident she could charm this so-called wealthy man away from them.
Zijin's lips curved in faint amusement. "Oh, so you want to meet him?" she said coolly.
Ren Hui's gaze flicked to Lingyi. "Yes. If you're too jealous to let me talk to him, just say so," she retorted.
Exasperation flitted across Qin Sitong's face at the sheer stupidity of Ren Hui's assumptions. Zijin remained calm. "He's my bodyguard. On the clock, his time belongs to me. After hours, too," Zijin said, faking a regretful shrug. "He protects my personal safety 24/7, so you might not get a chance to see him alone."
Ren Hui blinked, still not grasping it. "Bodyguard? As if! You must be worried he'll like me better once we meet."
Zijin was impressed at Ren Hui's mental gymnastics. "Alright, think whatever you please. We're done shopping, so please don't block the exit," she said, stepping forward. She'd paid with her own card, so the assumption that Lingyi was the VIC was laughable. How did Ren Hui not see that?
Li Cui, standing behind Ren Hui, looked mortified by her friend's dense behavior. "Huihui," she whispered, "I think you've got it all wrong."
Ren Hui ignored Li Cui. "No, you're not leaving till you give me a proper explanation!" She couldn't let the opportunity to meet this supposed wealthy patron slip by. She was determined to latch onto him.
Li Cui sighed and leaned in, deciding to speak more plainly. "Huihui, I suspect this VIC the SA mentioned is… probably Yun Zijin," she muttered. Indeed, the staff had been so deferential to Zijin, not Lingyi.
Hearing that, Ren Hui's face changed. She stared at Zijin, eyes wide. "You…you're the VIC client?"
Zijin just offered her a polite, almost bored look, confirming her guess. Ren Hui's face turned alternately pale and red. Everything she'd said moments ago about "the stench of poverty" was replaying in her mind with an altogether different meaning.
"If you've realized the situation, move," Zijin said. "We have more stores to visit."
Ren Hui, though not very bright, could sense she was out of her depth. Her expression told she still didn't fully understand. Yet she finally stepped aside, unwilling to cause more scene. She knew to adapt when necessary.
Zijin then led Qin Sitong and Lingyi out of Hermès. Yet Ren Hui, with Li Cui in tow, wasn't done. She decided to follow them quietly, wanting to see if Zijin would really shop at other high-end stores. Lingyi noticed immediately and reported it. Zijin merely shrugged. "It's no big deal," she said. "As long as they don't interfere, let them watch."
So they roamed one luxury boutique after another, with Qin Sitong tagging along. Everywhere they went, the staff's attentiveness toward Zijin was clearly sincere. Ren Hui, from a distance, could see how VIP customers got special treatment. She felt intense jealousy each time the SAs bowed politely, offered top-tier service, and showed genuine smiles to Zijin.
"How in the world did that orphan chick from G City suddenly become so rich?" she hissed at Li Cui. Both had spent the summer away from campus, missing all rumors about Zijin's transformation. "Ugh! I'll figure it out once I talk to some contacts tonight."
"Of course, Huihui," Li Cui nodded. "I'll ask around, too."
"Fine," Ren Hui grumbled, her own desire to shop gone. All she could think about was how and why Yun Zijin ended up a VIC. She had to find answers—and hopefully discover a way to reclaim her sense of superiority.
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