Chapter 271 - 269: Buying a Bicycle

Wesley Yates placed the crab meat he had picked out into a bowl, added a few drops of fruit vinegar, then unhurriedly lifted it to his mouth with his chopsticks.

Only after savoring the bite did he slowly speak. "Don’t worry. I’ve had a plan all along."

Mr. Young watched him, finally nodding. "Alright. In any case, I’ll say my piece now. If you really need my help, all you have to do is ask."

Just then, Cecilia Sterling returned. Seeing her, Mr. Young and Wesley Yates quickly changed the subject.

After the meal, Cecilia Sterling and Wesley Yates took the elevator down to the underground parking garage. As expected, the few men who had come with Wesley Yates were all waiting there.

"Wesley, are you going to show the acquisition contract to Lawyer Quincy?" Cecilia Sterling asked.

Wesley Yates casually lit a cigarette and nodded. "Mhm. I happen to have some other things to discuss with him anyway. I’ll head over in a bit."

"Alright, then I won’t go through the trouble. Just let me know if there are no issues with the contract," Cecilia said.

The acquisition contract concerned the shared interests of all three of them, and the terms were identical for everyone, so there was no need for her to hire a separate lawyer to review it.

"Alright, I’ll get going then. Text me if you need anything."

Watching Wesley Yates’s car drive away, Cecilia Sterling’s expression grew serious and she pursed her lips. ’Something about the atmosphere today just feels a little off,’ she thought. ’It’s strange.’

Back in her car, Cecilia Sterling didn’t start the engine right away. Instead, she took out her phone and searched for information on bicycle brands.

The search results were startling. Basic models from high-end bicycle brands now started at one or two Dollars. In the currency she was used to, that was a starting price of ten thousand, with the upper limit exceeding one hundred Dollars.

Some special edition commemorative bicycles even sold for over a thousand Dollars—more expensive than her Cullinan!

Cecilia Sterling stared at her phone, secretly astonished. ’I don’t know much about this stuff, but I never imagined a two-wheeled bicycle could be so expensive.’

Perfectly suited for her current "rich woman" persona!

「The TREK Store at The International Trade Center」

Cecilia Sterling hadn’t even stepped inside yet, but just peering through the glass window, she was already dazzled by the array of bicycles on display.

To the untrained eye, all the bicycles looked more or less the same; it was impossible to distinguish the differences between them.

"Hello, Miss. Are you looking to buy a bicycle?"

The sales clerk was quick on his feet. He took one look at Cecilia Sterling’s designer clothes and inherent poise, instantly gauging her purchasing power, and approached her with professional enthusiasm.

The store was nearly empty, occupied mostly by staff. The sudden entrance of a customer as strikingly beautiful as her made everyone instinctively turn to look.

Cecilia Sterling glanced around calmly before addressing the clerk directly. "You’re the expert here. Can you give me a recommendation?"

"Of course! Miss, what’s your budget? I can give you some recommendations!" the clerk replied eagerly, his eyes fixed on Cecilia Sterling with sincere earnestness.

Cecilia met his gaze and stated calmly, "I don’t have a budget. Just recommend the best you have."

The clerk was visibly stunned for a moment. Snapping out of it, he gestured eagerly. "Understood! This way, Miss."

As he turned, he instructed a nearby colleague, "Go get a coffee for our guest."

’I’ve hit the jackpot today! A beautiful rich woman!’

"Miss, may I ask your last name?"

"Sterling."

"Miss Sterling, is that right? Are you familiar with our brand, TREK?"

"No."

"TREK was founded in 1976. We’re one of the most high-end bicycle brands in the world and a top choice for competitive racing, extremely popular with both cycling enthusiasts and professional athletes."

As he spoke, the clerk led Cecilia Sterling to a glass display case. Inside, a single white bicycle with a minimalist design was showcased.

"Miss Sterling, this is from this year’s ’Butterfly’ series. This has always been one of our brand’s classic lines, and we don’t release new models for it very often. The last update to the ’Butterfly’ line was back in 2017. The frame is light and agile, and the color scheme is bright and minimalist. It’s perfect for female riders."

The clerk had excellent sales skills. He knew that a customer might not understand—or even care to hear—too much technical jargon, so he focused on highlighting the bike’s aesthetic features.

Cecilia, in fact, didn’t care about the technical specs. For her, the biggest selling point was simply a comfortable ride.

A price tag was affixed to the bottom-right corner of the display case. The bicycle was priced at 78,888 Dollars.

Even though she had been back for several months, seeing a price tag like that still left her feeling a bit disoriented. She automatically rounded it in her head to 78,000.

’That’s really not cheap.’

"Can I take it for a test ride?" Cecilia asked.

"Of course!"

If she hadn’t needed to buy a bicycle for her younger brother, an opportunity that exposed her to the high-end products in this market, she might never have understood what truly set them apart from ordinary bikes—besides the price tag.

As it turned out, the difference was huge.

After riding just a short distance around the store, she could already feel the bike’s superiority. The feel and comfort were incredibly pleasant. As she rode, she felt a distinct sense of satisfaction, both physically and mentally. It didn’t just provide an excellent practical riding experience; it also offered an emotional fulfillment that an ordinary bicycle simply couldn’t match.

’No wonder so many people are willing to pay for this.’

’You get what you pay for.’

"I’ll take this one!"

Satisfied, Cecilia decided to buy it on the spot.

The clerk was instantly beaming. For him, nothing was more delightful than a customer who was so decisive.

But even better news was yet to come. Just as he handed Cecilia the coffee he had sent for, he heard her say, "Actually, I came here today to buy a bicycle for my younger brother. He’s a senior in high school, 177 centimeters tall. Could you recommend a model for him?"

"Still no budget?" the clerk asked, his voice filled with excitement.

Seeing her nod, he didn’t say another word and immediately led her to the other side of the store, stopping before an all-black bicycle displayed in a glass case that faced the street.

"Miss Sterling, this is from our brand-new ’Madone’ series. It’s an international bestseller. Any guy would fall in love with it at first sight."

The price tag on this model read 229,888 Dollars.

Enough for an average family to buy a commuter car.

’My brother likes black,’ Cecilia thought. ’The overall design is minimalist yet impressive, and it looks to have a very premium feel.’

Cecilia nodded and said decisively, "Alright, this one it is. My car is parked just outside. Could you have someone help me carry them over?"

"No problem. If you’ll just follow me to the counter, Miss Sterling, we can ring you up. Will you be needing an invoice...?"

As several employees worked together to load the two brand-new, still-boxed bicycles—totaling nearly 300,000 Dollars—into the trunk of Cecilia’s car, they finally understood why the beautiful woman was so extravagant.

The woman drove a Rolls-Royce Cullinan!

She was a true rich beauty!