Spending

Gu Jiangfeng had been run off his feet at the company lately. Besides approving contracts in his office, he also had to supervise work at the construction site. He went there personally every single day without fail, and he was also there to oversee the approval of materials.

When Gu Zhiyue found out, he marveled to Xiao Jiu, [That's a big boss for you. His ability to foresee the future is incredible.]

[Every time, Gu Jiangfeng knows about danger in advance and takes measures to deal with it. Could he really predict the future?]

Gu Zhiyue flopped onto his bed. [Whatever. Dad's already started dealing with it anyway. As long as the company's fine. Oh, right, I'm going out after lunch to buy a few things. School starts next week.]

A knock came at the office door. Xing Yisheng set down his pen. "Come in."

His assistant walked in carrying a document. "Boss, this covers the initial funding needed for this research and development project, along with manpower and resource consumption. Everything has been assessed in detail."

"All right, leave it on the desk. I'll read it later."

The assistant placed the document on the desk and asked, "Boss, it's almost noon. Will you be having lunch in your office, or...?"

Xing Yisheng considered for four or five seconds. "I'll head down to eat myself later. You can go."

"All right."

The door opened and closed, and the office fell quiet again. Xing Yisheng picked up the document, opened it, and read it carefully.

He also needed to find time to discuss their subsequent cooperation with the Gu family in detail. He wondered how the gifts he had asked them to prepare were coming along.

Gu Zhiyue went out after lunch. Gu Shuoyan was heading to the racetrack with his friends, so the two left together. After dropping Gu Zhiyue off at the Huanjin Financial Shopping Center, Gu Shuoyan stepped on the gas and sped away.

Gu Zhiyue glanced at the car rapidly disappearing from sight and raised a hand to adjust his hair. [Come on, let's spend some money. I've got to spend ten or twenty thousand today.]

Xiao Jiu gave a calm "wow." [Host, if you told Gu Jiangfeng and the others about this amount, you might give them a fright. Ten or twenty thousand!]

[Enough talk. Let's go inside and look around first.]

Soft, lilting classical instrumental music played throughout the shopping center. The merchandise in every area and on every floor had been arranged into designated sections, making it easy for customers to find what they needed.

Gu Zhiyue passed a floor-to-ceiling glass window and glanced inside. [All that gold and jewelry is sparkling. So pretty. Should I buy some? My balance has eight digits now, after all.]

Xiao Jiu agreed. [Buy it if you like it, host. What's the point of having so much money if you don't spend it?]

Gu Zhiyue continued walking. [Let's start upstairs and work our way down. We'll come back to buy some later. I'll get Mom and Mom Qinglan eight big gold bangles each, enough to cover their wrists!]

Gu Zhiyue entered a men's shoe store. All sorts of shoes were displayed on the shelves, and the tiled floor reflected the white lights overhead. The sales assistant wore a black suit and a professional smile.

"Hello. What sort of shoes do you like? I can make some recommendations."

Gu Zhiyue picked up a white platform sneaker with black trim from a shelf. "I'd like to look at sneakers."

The sales assistant took the shoe and explained its materials and craftsmanship to Gu Zhiyue, making it sound rather tempting.

Finally, the sales assistant said with a light smile, "These are on sale right now at twenty percent off. They're only twenty-eight hundred yuan."

Gu Zhiyue's eyes widened in astonishment. "Twenty-eight hundred, and that's after the discount? Does anyone buy them at full price?"

"Of course. These sneakers are made from quality materials, and they're comfortable and lightweight. Lots of university students like this style. With the sale going on, they'll be even more popular."

Gu Zhiyue rubbed his chin and thought for a moment. "Then I'll buy a pair. Do you have any others? I'll get another pair in a different color."

"This way, please. Let me show you our latest styles."

Twenty minutes later, Gu Zhiyue walked out of the store carrying two kraft paper bags, sighing as he went. [Over five thousand yuan. That really hurt.]

Xiao Jiu consoled him. [You'll get used to it if you buy more, host. Just think of it this way: the money's only sitting there anyway. You might as well spend it.]

[That makes sense, but spending that five thousand felt just like spending fifty. One beep from my phone and it was gone.]

Gu Zhiyue headed in another direction and took the escalator down. There was a supplies store downstairs, and he needed some new everyday essentials and school supplies.

The merchandise in the supplies store was neatly arranged by category on the shelves, with product labels and prices underneath. Checkout counters stood by the exit, and several people were browsing among the shelves.

Pushing a small shopping cart, Gu Zhiyue picked up a box of five ballpoint pens from a shelf. After looking it over, he tossed it into the cart, then picked up a box of pencils and two erasers and tossed those in too.

Then he slowly pushed the cart through the aisles. When he reached the everyday essentials section, he stood before a row of toothpaste and began to struggle. [Which one should I buy? Why don't they have the one I usually use? It's hard to pick a toothbrush too. Whatever, I'll try the bestseller.]

By the time he finished browsing the store, the assortment of items in his cart was piled almost to the top. Holding a barcode scanner, the cashier scanned each item and put it into a bag.

Gu Zhiyue felt a little regretful. [That really was a spending spree. I should have bought one less washcloth. And those pens-can I even use up a whole box?]

The cashier stopped. "That's two hundred and seven yuan altogether. You can pay here."

He brought up his payment code and held it toward the scanner. The payment went through.

With another bag in his hand, Gu Zhiyue looked up at the floor sign overhead. Fourth floor.

[I'm feeling tired from all this shopping. Let's go home.]

[Are you still buying the big gold bangles?]

[Yes! Those are a must!]

Gu Zhiyue went down to the first floor and entered the jewelry store he had seen at the beginning.

A sales assistant came over to help him. Looking at the gold bangles in the glass display case, Gu Zhiyue said, "I'd like to buy some for my moms."

The sales assistant took a bangle out of the case. "This is a display piece. Once you confirm your purchase, we'll get the stock for you. What size do you need?"

"Size? I don't know."

"Then there's nothing we can do. If you don't know their wrist sizes, the bangles you buy might not fit."

Gu Zhiyue looked down at the bangles in the display case. Six or seven seconds later, he lifted his head and pointed to another style with an engraved design. "I'll take this one and the one we just looked at. I'll pay half first. Once I go home and find out their wrist sizes, I'll come back and pay the other half. Tomorrow, or the day after at the latest."

The sales assistant nodded lightly. "Certainly. You can pay over here. We'll take down your contact information and issue you a receipt. Bring it with you next time to pay the balance and collect your items."

"All right."

After leaving the jewelry store, Gu Zhiyue was heading toward the exit when he felt someone put a hand on his shoulder from behind.

Gu Zhiyue turned around and exclaimed, "Luo Yunhe?!"

"Huh? You know my name?"

Gu Zhiyue managed a smile. "After I got back from that time on the road, I got curious and looked you up."

Luo Yunhe wore a happy smile. "I've been wanting to find a chance to thank you. It's a good thing I ran into you that day. I never expected to meet you here again today. Let me treat you to a meal!"

"Ah... there's really no need. It was hardly any trouble. Anyone would have done the same."

Luo Yunhe shook his head. "That's different. It might have been hardly any trouble for you, but to me, you saved my life. Just give me a chance to treat you to a meal and thank you properly."

In the end, Gu Zhiyue agreed. "All right, then. I'll let my family know I'll be home a little later tonight."