Lin Shi smiled, he wasn't just buying a few items; he was planning to buy dozens, even hundreds. With such an easy mark offering to pay, he wouldn't be polite. He turned to the sales assistant and said, "I want 50 of each of the jackets I just tried on. Pack them all up for me."
"What did you say?" The sales assistant thought she had misheard.
Lin Shi repeated himself, "Fifty of each, please."
The two sales assistants were shocked by Lin Shi's audacity. Their faces clearly showed their disbelief at his shamelessness. The sales assistant didn't move, instead, she looked at Li Duoyu.
Lin Shi, seeing the dumbfounded Li Duoyu, mimicked his earlier condescending smile, "I asked you if you could afford more, and you said you could. You're not going to back out now, are you?"
This was a direct return of Li Duoyu's own words. Lin Shi had tried on four jackets, and at 50 of each, that would be 200 pieces. Even with the discount, each jacket averaged around 3,000 yuan, totaling about 600,000 yuan. Li Duoyu's monthly allowance was 300,000 yuan, which was barely enough for himself. Lin Shi was asking for two months' worth of his allowance in one go.
"Are you messing with me?!" Li Duoyu's anger flared, feeling that Lin Shi was playing him, just to embarrass him in front of Xu Feifei. It wasn't that he couldn't afford 600,000 yuan, but he wasn't going to spend that much on a single man!
"Who buys 50 of the same jacket?!" Even Xu Feifei felt that Lin Shi was deliberately making things difficult for Li Duoyu. Two hundred warm jackets would last a person decades, and they'd be outdated long before then. But she didn't say anything, as Lin Shi was the man she favored, and she wouldn't contradict him in public.
"I am buying 200," Lin Shi stated firmly.
Li Duoyu, seething with rage, laughed sarcastically, "You, a poor guy who only buys discounted items, can afford 200? If you can, I'll kneel down and call you grandpa!"
Lin Shi chuckled, his mockery unhidden, "Call me grandpa? Who knows if you'll keep your word, or if it will be like the last time—just hot air. No, even hot air makes a sound, but your words are less than that."
"Pfft!" Xu Feifei couldn't help but laugh at Lin Shi's vivid metaphor. The laughter from the girl he liked wounded Li Duoyu's pride.
Completely enraged, Li Duoyu raised his voice, attracting the attention of a couple passing by. "Bullshit! I always keep my word! But how do you prove you're not trying to trick me into paying for 200 jackets?"
"It's simple," Lin Shi replied. "I'll buy these 200 jackets first. If I can afford them, you'll cover all my expenses in this mall today."
"And if you can't afford them?" Li Duoyu, not wanting to lose, pushed for a counter-bet.
"If I can't, you can do whatever you want," Lin Shi said.
Unconsciously, a crowd had gathered outside the store, many whispering and pointing. In front of so many people, Li Duoyu couldn't back down. Lifting his chin, he looked down at Lin Shi, "Fine, I agree. If you can't afford them, you'll kowtow to me and call me 'grandpa' three times!"
Li Duoyu didn't believe this "poor guy" could afford hundreds of thousands of yuan worth of clothes. Today, he was going to tear down Lin Shi's facade and trample it underfoot!
Lin Shi turned to the sales assistant, "Fifty of each, pack them up now!"
The sales assistant pursed her lips, displeased, and said, "Sir, these jackets will cost around 600,000 yuan." Her implication was clear: if Lin Shi couldn't afford it, he shouldn't be causing trouble.
Two hundred pieces was no small number, and if they called the warehouse to bring them over and Lin Shi didn't buy, they would face criticism or even punishment.
Lin Shi pulled out a card from his pocket, "Ring it up, I'll pay by card."
The sales assistant's eyes widened when she saw Lin Shi's black card. She carefully examined it, recognizing it as a card available only to those with millions in the bank. Realizing they had misjudged him, she quickly put on her most professional smile, "Please wait a moment, sir. Have a seat, and I'll have the warehouse bring the items over right away."
She led Lin Shi to a seat, offering tea, a stark contrast to her earlier behavior. Two hundred pieces, even at a discount, would earn her a substantial commission. The other sales assistant immediately called the warehouse.
Lin Shi said, "No need to bring them here, just deliver them to my address." The sales assistant eagerly noted down the address.
Soon, the total was calculated: 582,366 yuan. The sales assistant brought the card reader to Lin Shi, who entered his PIN, printed the receipt, and signed it, completing the transaction smoothly.
The sales assistant, secretly thrilled about her commission, was caught off guard by Lin Shi's next words, "Now, call your manager. I want to file a complaint."
The sales assistant, who had been rude to Lin Shi, panicked and started apologizing, promising various gifts. Li Duoyu, who had been ready to see Lin Shi humiliated, was left speechless. Unbelievably, he grabbed the sales assistant, "He really bought 200? Let me see the receipt!"
After verifying the receipt, Li Duoyu still couldn't believe it. If Lin Shi could spend 580,000 yuan, why was he buying from the clearance section? Was he crazy?
Li Duoyu believed Lin Shi was targeting him. He thought Lin Shi was just being stubborn and didn't actually need 200 jackets. However, Lin Shi genuinely needed them, and the bet was just a way to deal with Li Duoyu's annoying remarks.
"Are you sure? Ready to fulfill the bet?" Lin Shi asked, half-smiling, as Li Duoyu repeatedly checked the receipt.
Li Duoyu gritted his teeth, calculating his options. If he backed out now, he would lose any chance with Xu Feifei. If he didn't, he would be humiliated. As Li Duoyu was struggling, two young women entered the store, heading straight for Lin Shi.
These women, tall and beautifully made-up, were as attractive as Xu Feifei. Even Li Duoyu, in his dilemma, was drawn to them. The curly-haired woman smiled brightly and asked, "Is your name Lin Shi?"
"Yes, I am," Lin Shi nodded, not recognizing them.
Both women looked delighted. The straight-haired one exclaimed, "I'm your fan! You're even more handsome in person. I'm so happy to meet you!"
It took Lin Shi a moment to realize that his popularity from the bank robbery incident hadn't waned. The two women sat on either side of Lin Shi, chatting with him. More girls entered the store, also drawn to Lin Shi.
It turned out that many of the onlookers recognized Lin Shi, but weren't sure at first. Soon, everyone knew about the bet between Lin Shi and Li Duoyu, thanks to Lin Shi's "intentional" promotion. Some girls even started filming short videos to capitalize on Lin Shi's popularity.
Li Duoyu, who was still trying to weasel out of the bet, was furious. With so many witnesses, if he reneged, he would be the talk of the city tomorrow!