A Chance Encounter at Van Cleef & Arpels

On the third floor of Yintai Centre, the doorman at the Van Cleef & Arpels boutique opened the glass door when Su Jin was still three steps away, his movements smooth and practiced, as though rehearsed a thousand times.

The doormen here were shrewd judges of people. They could tell how much a customer could afford from the way they walked, how hard they pushed a door, and even how long their gaze lingered on a display window.

And the young woman before him, wearing a beige cashmere coat and carrying an elephant-gray Birkin Bag, her hair hanging loose yet every strand seemingly arranged with care, had a message written all over her:

I'm not here to browse. I'm here to buy.

In fact, Su Jin really had only come to "have a look." After all, she still had more than five million left in today's allowance, and Little Golden Egg had been going on in her ear all the way here:

"Van Cleef & Arpels has just released a limited-edition bracelet. There are only three in all of Asia. If you miss it today, you might never get another chance to buy it."

"You're even pushier than a livestream sales host," Su Jin told Little Golden Egg in her mind.

[This system is simply doing its duty!] Little Golden Egg retorted with conviction. [And this system noticed the way you checked the rearview mirror when you parked just now, Host. If you don't add a little sparkle to what you're wearing today, you'd be doing that outfit an injustice.]

Su Jin ignored Little Golden Egg and walked into the store.

The lighting inside was just right, never harsh, yet enough to make every piece of jewelry glow with its most alluring luster inside the glass cases.

A barely audible piano melody played in the background, and a faint, unfamiliar fragrance drifted through the air.

Several sales associates in matching black suits, brand badges pinned to their chests, were each attending to customers.

The associate nearest the door looked up at Su Jin. Her gaze rested on Su Jin's face for about half a second, and then-

It was neither a scrutinizing look nor a professional smile, but an almost instinctive pause of astonishment.

She had seen far too many beautiful customers with exquisite makeup, the latest fashions of the season, and limited-edition handbags, but the woman before her was different.

Her beauty wasn't a pileup of cosmetics, nor was it the "I'm expensive" aura created by luxury goods. It was something that shone through from beneath her skin, something in her very bones-skin fairer than snow.

The associate had only ever read that phrase in novels before, but now she felt it couldn't have been more fitting for this customer.

Under the soft lights, her face had a luminous glow, like a piece of freshly unwrapped mutton-fat jade still warm from the body. Her eyebrows formed natural arches, her lashes were thick without being exaggerated, and the nude-pink matte color on her lips looked as if it showed through naturally rather than having been applied.

Even more striking was her bearing: relaxed, assured, unhurried.

Unlike most customers, who looked around for what they wanted when they came in, she walked straight to the counter, her gaze falling on the jewelry beneath the glass as though she were casually looking for a new magazine in her own living room.

The associate instinctively straightened her collar. When she came forward to greet her, her voice was a few shades softer than usual. "Hello, ma'am. Welcome to Van Cleef & Arpels. How may I help you?"

Su Jin's gaze swept across the counter before settling on a row from the Four-Leaf Clover Collection.

"I'd like to see your newly arrived limited editions," she said, her voice quiet but every word clear. "I heard there are only three in Asia?"

The associate's eyes widened slightly for an instant. Only VIP customers had been notified about the limited edition's arrival. How did this customer know?

But she quickly recovered and nodded. "Yes, ma'am. It arrived just yesterday, and we haven't had time to put it on display. Please wait a moment. I'll go get it."

As she turned and headed inside, she caught her colleagues exchanging looks out of the corner of her eye. She knew those looks all too well. Translated, they meant: Who is she?

Two

A moment later, three black velvet trays were carefully set before Su Jin.

The first held a rose-gold four-leaf clover bracelet, diamonds set all the way around it and scattering specks of light beneath the spotlights. The second held the same design in white gold, with more closely set diamonds and a slimmer band.

On the third tray-

Su Jin's gaze stopped.

It was a wristwatch.

No, strictly speaking, it was a creation that brought jewelry and watchmaking together to perfection.

The mother-of-pearl dial shimmered with a subtle iridescence, surrounded by a ring of diamonds that gradually changed in size. The bracelet was made in the classic four-leaf clover design, each clover edged with tiny diamonds and set with a small ruby in the center.

The piece looked like both a bracelet and a watch. Worn on the wrist, it would surely have the effect of making someone notice it by chance and gasp in surprise.

[Beautiful!] Little Golden Egg cheered in her mind. [Buy it, buy it, buy it!]

Seeing her gaze linger on the watch, the associate spoke up at just the right moment:

"Excellent choice, ma'am. This is this year's limited edition, called 'Bonheur,' which means 'happiness' in French.

Only twenty were made worldwide, and there are just three in Asia. Our store was allocated one.

The movement was handcrafted in Switzerland to the highest standard. Every piece of mother-of-pearl on the dial was selected by hand, and the rubies are all matched to the same pigeon-blood red standard.

If you're interested, you can try it on."

Su Jin nodded and held out her wrist.

The associate carefully picked up the watch, handling it as gently as a fragile object, then fastened it around her wrist.

The bracelet fit perfectly. Against her fair skin, the diamonds and rubies shone all the more brilliantly, like a string of starlight frozen in place.

Su Jin raised her wrist and turned it beneath the light, watching the facets refract the glow.

"How much?"

The associate quoted a number.

Su Jin's expression didn't change at all. She merely nodded. "Wrap it up."

The associate froze for a moment. She had seen decisive customers before, but very few who were this decisive.

Even truly wealthy people often hesitated, compared pieces, or even haggled when buying jewelry. But this customer had been in the store for less than ten minutes and had tried the watch on for less than thirty seconds before saying she wanted it.

"Ma'am," she said, seeking confirmation, "are you sure you want this watch?"

"Mm." Su Jin took the black card from her bag and placed it on the counter.

"Also"-she pointed at the bracelets on the other two trays-"wrap these two up as well."

The associate's breath stopped for an instant.

Three trays, three pieces of jewelry, for a total of-

She calculated it quickly in her head, then silently swallowed the string of figures.

This was probably one of the biggest sales of the year, all bought by a single customer in one visit, without any hesitation, any deliberation, or a single "I'll think about it."

Her colleagues watched from the side, their expressions complicated-there was envy, amazement, and a little sense of unreality.

[Host,] Little Golden Egg said faintly in her mind, [the way you said "wrap it up" just now was so cool. This system has decided to add it to "Host's classic quotes" and preserve it forever.]

Su Jin ignored Little Golden Egg and watched the associate pack the items with idle interest. "Have you received any other new designs recently?" she asked casually.

The associate's hands paused. When she looked up, her smile had grown even wider. "Yes, yes. We have a few new pieces from this year's autumn and winter collection that haven't been put on display yet. If you're interested, shall I bring them out for you to see as well?"

Su Jin nodded. "Bring them all out. I'm already here, after all."

Three

Twenty minutes later, the counter in front of Su Jin was covered in black velvet trays.

She sat on a high stool reserved for VIPs, her posture languid yet naturally elegant. Her back was straight, the lines of her shoulders and neck smooth; she sat casually without slouching. At a glance, she was the kind of person who wouldn't hunch over even when eating alone at home.

This was, of course, the result of a month of private lessons, but Su Jin had to admit that some things really couldn't be bought with money, such as the composure in one's bones. And composure often came from "having seen the world."

She had seen more of the world in the past month than in the previous twenty-four years combined, so the confidence radiating from within her had naturally become etched into her bones.

She looked through the pieces one by one, occasionally picking one up to examine it under the light, occasionally saying "not this one" outright, and occasionally nodding to tell the associate to keep one.

The associate waited at her side, a long list already written in her notebook: three pairs of earrings, two necklaces, and a ring. Added to the three pieces from earlier, the total had already passed seven figures.

Su Jin picked up the last piece, a pendant necklace set with a huge sapphire that glowed a deep blue like the ocean under the lights. She looked at it twice, then put it down again.

"This is too formal," she said. "I don't have any use for it for now."

The associate nodded without trying too hard to persuade her. Every top salesperson knew that with a customer like this, there was no need to coax her. She would buy what she wanted, and no amount of talking would make her buy what she didn't.

Su Jin stood up and glanced at the pile of packed boxes. "Send them all to this address."

She took a card from her bag with the address of her apartment in China World Trade Center Phase III printed on it. "Can you deliver them today?"

"Yes, yes, of course." The associate accepted the card with both hands. "We'll arrange a dedicated person and vehicle. They'll be delivered within two hours."

Su Jin nodded, picked up the black card, swiped it through the POS machine, and entered her PIN. The transaction went through.

The sound of the machine spitting out the receipt was especially crisp in the quiet store.

She accepted the card the associate handed back with both hands, rose, and headed out.

"Goodbye, ma'am. We hope to see you again." The associate saw her to the door and bowed ninety degrees. Only after Su Jin had walked away did she straighten up, turn to her colleagues, and let out a long breath.

"Oh my god, who is she? How can she be that gorgeous? And that rich?"

A colleague came over and lowered her voice. "I sneaked a look at her card just now. It's a black card, one of those legendary black cards accepted throughout the whole mall. I heard there are no more than twenty people in all of Beijing who have one."

"But she looks so young, and that face..." The first associate was still savoring the memory. "I've been in sales for years. What kind of beauty haven't I seen? But that kind of beauty, how do I put it? It wasn't made with makeup. It came from deep inside her.

"When she raised her hand to try on the watch, her sleeve slipped down a little, and that little bit of wrist she showed had skin as good as a baby's. I'm almost jealous."

"All right, all right, stop swooning." Her colleague gave her a push. "Hurry up and pack everything for delivery. We can't afford to offend a customer like that."

Four

Su Jin left Van Cleef & Arpels and strolled slowly along the mall corridor.

Yintai Centre was quieter than SKP, with less foot traffic but higher spending per customer. Anyone who could browse here at leisure was no ordinary person.

She passed several stores, sometimes stopping at a window and sometimes walking straight past, as leisurely as if she were taking a stroll in her own backyard.

[Host,] Little Golden Egg said, floating beside her, [this system would like to commend you formally.]

"For what?"

[For the way you spent money today,] Little Golden Egg said earnestly. [You spent seven figures in ten minutes without so much as furrowing a brow. And the way you looked at that jewelry was like saying, "I've seen better, so I'm not impressed." That kind of look can't be faked.]

Su Jin kept walking, the corners of her lips curving. "Then tell me, when have I seen better?"

[You haven't, but you have the confidence for it,] Little Golden Egg said. [That kind of confidence either comes from piles of money or comes with you at birth. Now you have both.]

Su Jin was about to say something when she suddenly caught sight of someone out of the corner of her eye.

About twenty meters ahead and to one side, a man in a dark gray coat stood outside Hermès.

His back was to her as he took a call, one hand in his pocket and the other holding a phone to his ear.

The coat was impeccably cut, fitting perfectly from the shoulders to the waist and down to the hem. One look was enough to tell it was custom-made.

He was tall and lean, his stance casual yet distinguished, as though he were taking a call in his own home rather than standing in a busy mall corridor.

Su Jin thought his figure looked a little familiar from behind.

[Host,] Little Golden Egg said, suddenly sounding nervous, [this system ran a scan. That man is Lu Shen.]

Lu Shen.

The man holding coffee outside SKP.

Su Jin didn't break stride, but her gaze lingered on him for an extra second.

Just then, as if sensing something, Lu Shen suddenly turned around.

Their eyes met.

The instant he saw her, surprise flashed across his face, then gave way to the faintly amused smile she had seen before.

He said something into his phone, then ended the call and walked straight toward her.

[Here he comes, here he comes!] Little Golden Egg's wings trembled with excitement. [Host, he's coming over! What do we do, what do we do, what do we do?]

Su Jin ignored Little Golden Egg and stood where she was, watching the man approach step by step.

He stopped three paces away, his gaze moving slowly over her face. It wasn't an offensive stare, but the intent, appreciative gaze of someone studying a painting.

"Miss Su," he said, his voice deep and pleasant. "We meet again."

Su Jin raised an eyebrow slightly. "Have we met?"

"At SKP, outside Hermès." He smiled. "You carried away a Himalaya that day. You looked very good swiping your card, so it left quite an impression."

Su Jin didn't answer, only looked at him.

He didn't seem embarrassed and went on, "I wanted to get to know you that day, but I was afraid it would be too abrupt. I didn't expect to run into you here today. What does that tell us? Fate has brought us together, and it would be wrong not to say hello."

His line made Su Jin smile, an involuntary little curve of her lips.

"Mr. Lu," she said, "your approach to striking up a conversation is rather old-fashioned."

Surprise flickered in Lu Shen's eyes. "You know my surname is Lu?"

"The young master of SKP, heir to the Lu Group." Su Jin's tone was flat, as though she were reading a résumé.

"Your net worth is somewhere in the tens of billions, you're unmarried, you have no publicly known girlfriend, you like collecting limited-edition sports cars, and you recently bought a Monet Water Lilies at auction from Sotheby's. Anything to add?"

Lu Shen looked at her and said nothing for a long moment.

Then he laughed, genuinely, not with the false smile of a social occasion, but because he was truly amused.

"Miss Su," he said, "you surprise me."

"Do I?"

"Most people who know who I am either get nervous, try to curry favor, or pretend not to know me while their eyes give them away."

He looked at her, undisguised interest in his gaze. "You're different. You know who I am, but you don't care."

Su Jin neither denied nor admitted it. She simply stood there, waiting for him to continue.

Lu Shen took a step forward, narrowing the distance between them, his tone a little more serious than before. "Since you know who I am, I won't beat around the bush. Miss Su, I'd like to invite you for coffee. Would you do me the honor?"

[Host!] Little Golden Egg screamed in her mind. [He's asking you out! He's asking you out! This is a major plot trigger! Say yes, say yes, say yes!]

Su Jin ignored the system that had gone mad and looked at the man before her.

He was in his early thirties and genuinely good-looking-not in the pretty-boy way, but in the way of a mature man, with substance in his eyes and features.

He was dressed appropriately, had a distinguished bearing and a clear gaze that wasn't sleazy, and knew how to speak with restraint.

More importantly, he had a very faint but unmistakable air of ease, the kind only someone who had never wanted for anything growing up could have.

"Coffee would be fine," she said. "But not now."

Lu Shen raised an eyebrow. "Then when?"

Su Jin took a card from her bag-the same as the one she had given Lin Man, with only her name and phone number, no title or company-and handed it to him.

"I'll call you when I'm done with everything keeping me busy."

Lu Shen took the card and glanced down at it, then raised his head, something flickering in his eyes.

"All right," he said. "I'll wait for your call."

Su Jin nodded, walked around him, and continued on her way.

After a few steps, she heard his voice behind her.

"Miss Su."

She paused but didn't turn around.

"You look beautiful today," he said, a smile in his voice. "Was that Birkin Bag intentional? Elephant gray with a beige coat-understated and elegant. But what suits you even better is that lipstick color. What shade is it? I'd like to make a note of it for future gift ideas."

Su Jin finally turned and glanced at him.

"Want to know?" she said. "I'll tell you next time we meet."

With that, she turned and left, her steps unhurried, the hem of her coat tracing an elegant arc through the air.

Five

The moment she entered the elevator and the doors closed, Little Golden Egg finally couldn't hold back:

[Host!!! Do you know who you just turned down?! That was Lu Shen! Heir to the Lu Group! Worth tens of billions! Handsome! Distinguished! And he even said you looked beautiful! And you actually said "next time"?]

Su Jin pressed the button for the first basement level and leaned against the elevator wall, her expression calm.

"So?"

[So-] Little Golden Egg was at a loss for words. [So shouldn't you seize the opportunity? A high-quality man like that is hard to find even with a lantern!]

Su Jin looked at her reflection in the elevator doors. Her face looked almost unreal in the soft light.

"First," she said, "he's the one who wants to get to know me, not the other way around. I hold the initiative. I'll see him whenever I want, and if I don't want to, I won't."

[What's second?]

"Second," she said, the corners of her mouth curving up, "making him wait is more interesting than agreeing right away."

Little Golden Egg fell silent for two seconds, then let out a long sigh.

[Host, you really know how to play this. This system admits defeat.]

The elevator doors opened, and Su Jin headed for the parking lot.

Her phone vibrated. It was a spending alert from the bank-a seven-digit figure popped up. She glanced at it and dismissed it.

It vibrated again. This time, it was a WeChat message from Shen Mingwei, saying she could come to Beijing for an interview next week and that Su Jin could decide the time and place.

She got into the car and started the engine. The roar of the silver Pagani echoed through the underground garage.

The car pulled out of the parking lot and joined the traffic on Chang'an Avenue. The sun was sinking in the west, bathing the entire street in a warm orange-red glow.

Su Jin held the steering wheel with one hand and rested the other on the car window. The evening breeze lifted her hair, gilding its edges in the sunset.

[Host,] Little Golden Egg suddenly said, [this system recorded that scene just now, when you walked out of the elevator. It can be used as a teaching video later.]

"Teaching what?"

[Teaching what "a top beauty's mastery of expression" looks like,] Little Golden Egg said earnestly.

[That stride, that posture, that "I don't care about anyone" expression-perfect.]

Su Jin smiled but said nothing.

The car continued forward, blending into the lights of the city.

She suddenly remembered something. "By the way, did I spend today's allowance?"

[Let me see—1.38 million spent at Van Cleef & Arpels, leaving more than 4.6 million.]

Su Jin nodded and made a U-turn at the intersection ahead.

"Then let's go to the China World Trade Center," she said. "LV seems to have just gotten in a few new cashmere coats. Let's take a look."

[All right!] Little Golden Egg grew excited in an instant. [Now that's this system's good host! Charge! Spend money! Buy, buy, buy!]

Night deepened, and the city's lights came on one by one. The woman driving the silver sports car moved among them like a stream of light.