Chapter 550 - 358: Born to Live Off Women (Part 2)

The corner of Xue Rui’s mouth twitched. Gu Qingshan couldn’t care less if Guo Ziyang smoked. ’But am I in the same boat as Guo Ziyang?’

On the surface, Gu Qingshan’s words seemed fine. But they were meant for Guo Ziyang; Xue Rui had to read between the lines.

Xue Rui sighed. "Bad habits like smoking and drinking are often tied to social resources," he said. "For people of Uncle Gu’s generation, it was unavoidable."

Xue Rui first made an excuse for Gu Qingshan’s smoking, then added with grave sincerity, "But times are different now. I’m still young, so I believe I should quit these bad habits to spare my family from secondhand smoke in the future."

Gu Qingshan was stunned. Xue Rui’s response was completely airtight.

"They went to get ice cream. What do you want to eat for lunch?" Gu Qingshan walked over to Xue Rui and clapped him on the shoulder.

Xue Rui’s shoulder flinched. He was terrified Gu Qingshan was about to slap him.

’Thank goodness she didn’t tell Gu Qingshan about getting sick. Otherwise, I can’t even imagine what kind of beating I’d be in for.’

"Whatever Muxue wants to eat. I’m not a picky eater, so anything is fine with me," Xue Rui said without a moment’s hesitation.

Gu Qingshan nodded slightly. "Alright. We’ll wait for them to get back."

He was very satisfied with Xue Rui’s performance. Whether it was quitting smoking or deciding where to eat, he put his daughter first in everything.

Gu Qingshan couldn’t tell if the words were sincere, but it didn’t matter. As long as he was alive, Xue Rui would have to keep up the act, even if it was just for show. His daughter would absolutely not be mistreated.

Guo Ziyang mulled it over and was utterly astonished. ’This kid, Xue Rui... He’s a natural at being a kept man!’

He now understood why his old man had made that call. He still had a lot to learn.

...

Meanwhile, Gu Muxue and Lin Ruoxi had bought their ice cream and were now on their way back.

But Lin Ruoxi’s attention was suddenly caught by some Terracotta Warrior "figurines" at a small stall. She stopped in front of it, ready to buy something.

The vendor was a man in his thirties. "Ten yuan each," he said with a smile.

Gu Muxue picked one up to examine it. It was a cultural souvenir made of a metallic-looking material. The craftsmanship was shoddy, with burrs still visible along the molding seams.

"How about twenty for three?" Lin Ruoxi asked meekly.

"You want them?" Gu Muxue asked.

Lin Ruoxi’s hobbies weren’t like those of other girls. ’Having these things in her room would look so strange...’

Lin Ruoxi pulled Gu Muxue aside and whispered, "You can’t show you want it, or you lose your bargaining power."

This was a lesson Xue Rui had taught her.

Gu Muxue laughed at that. ’So Ruoxi has these little tricks up her sleeve now. That means she really does want them, doesn’t it?’

"Sir, I’ll take one of each style you have," Gu Muxue said, walking up to the stall.

"You got it! I’ve got thirteen different kinds. They’re ten each, but you can just give me a hundred for the lot." The vendor’s face lit up. Judging by her outfit, he could tell she was wealthy.

Lin Ruoxi quickly grabbed Gu Muxue and muttered under her breath, "You haven’t even bargained yet."

Gu Muxue sighed. Her spending habits were different from Lin Ruoxi’s. As she saw it, the time spent haggling was a cost in itself; if the price was reasonable, it was better to just buy it.

"It’s a waste of time," Gu Muxue said.

Lin Ruoxi mumbled, "Xue Rui says bargaining is part of the fun."

A small smile played at the corners of Gu Muxue’s eyes. ’It seems Ruoxi is determined to bargain, but how can you haggle when you sound so timid?’

After the vendor finished bagging the items, Gu Muxue thought, ’It seems like Ruoxi won’t be happy if I just buy them at full price?’

Gu Muxue didn’t take the bag. Instead, she said, "Sir, that’s too expensive. Can you give me a better price?"

The man was taken aback. ’Someone wearing Louis Vuitton is haggling?’

"I’m already giving you a thirty yuan discount. It’s a small business, I’m barely making a profit," the man said, looking helpless.

"I saw them for eight a piece in that shop over there. Are your costs for a little stall really higher than a proper store?" Gu Muxue said, then turned and started to walk away, pulling Lin Ruoxi with her.

Lin Ruoxi looked at Gu Muxue in surprise. ’But we didn’t look in any other shops...’

Gu Muxue was lying.

Suddenly, the man behind them called out, "Eighty."

Lin Ruoxi froze. So that was Gu Muxue’s goal. ’Xue Rui seems to have used this trick before, too.’

But Gu Muxue didn’t break her stride. She kept pulling Lin Ruoxi along, calling back over her shoulder, "Thirty. We’re in a hurry to get lunch."

’The production cost for these kinds of souvenirs is rock-bottom, and he likely has a huge inventory. Every sale is a gain; even making a tiny profit is better than nothing.’

’It was lunchtime, and the man was clearly about to pack up. He’d sell them as long as the price was above his cost; otherwise, he would have wasted a plastic bag and the time it took to pack them.’

Lin Ruoxi was so scared she clapped a hand over her mouth. She was terrified the vendor would get angry. ’Gu Muxue is so ruthless with her bargaining!’

"Sixty?"

"Forty, then?"

Seeing that the two girls had no intention of stopping, the man gritted his teeth, slapped his thigh, and yelled, "Thirty! Take them!"

Gu Muxue stopped walking. "Go on, go buy them," she said softly to Lin Ruoxi.

"Okay, I’ll be right back." Lin Ruoxi nodded with a smile, taking out her money to buy the big bag of Terracotta Warrior figurines.

The man took the money and handed the bag to Lin Ruoxi. "So young, and already such a sharp bargainer."

"Well, she’s amazing, isn’t she?" Lin Ruoxi said earnestly.

Xue Rui had taught her a shopping trick: follow behind an older woman, wait for her to finish bargaining, and then ask the vendor for the same deal. She had planned to try it herself today, but Gu Muxue was much better at it, managing to haggle the price down from 100 yuan to 30.

She got a huge pile for just thirty yuan, which was even cheaper than buying them online. Online purchases had shipping fees, after all.

Lin Ruoxi gazed at the plastic bag with deep satisfaction. "Muxue," she asked meekly, "who taught you how to bargain like that?"

Gu Muxue gave Lin Ruoxi a puzzled look. ’Is that something you need to be taught?’ she thought.

But she didn’t want to get into it with Lin Ruoxi, so she just smiled and asked, "So, where are you going to put all of those?"