Chapter 384: Spent All the Money on Him

Shen Meng said nothing. She had no intention of browsing the first floor; instead, she walked purposefully into the Rolex store.

Cool-toned light filtered through the glass storefront of the Rolex boutique, illuminating the magnificent, golden display cases within. The floor was laid with high-end tiles, polished to a mirror shine.

The wristwatches were meticulously arranged on the display stands. A Submariner (M126610LV-0002) and a Daytona (126508-0008) gleamed under the spotlights.

As the two entered, a sales associate in a short skirt suit and black stockings strode forward. She stopped and bowed, a perfect thirty-degree angle of formal etiquette. “Good afternoon, ma’am. Welcome to Rolex.”

She discreetly sized up their clothes and overall appearance, instantly identifying Shen Meng as the target customer.

“The Datejust, model 116238-0059. I’d like to try it on.”

Wu Min tugged on her arm and whispered, “What are you doing?”

The sales associate immediately recognized her as a serious buyer with a specific purchase in mind.

Donning a pair of white gloves, she retrieved a lavender watch box. As she opened it, the soft friction of the velvet lining sounded like suede being polished. “This is the Datejust 116238-0059, 36mm in 18k yellow gold.”

The tray settled perfectly against the edge of the counter. Wu Min frowned at the price tag—¥232,400. She couldn’t understand what Shen Meng was thinking. You could buy a Mercedes-Benz C260L for that price.

Shen Meng didn’t answer Wu Min. She took the gold Rolex—the very one she had spent all afternoon researching online—from the sales associate. The moment her fingertips touched the case, the coolness of 18k gold seeped into her skin, carrying a substantial, metallic weight. The bracelet draped naturally around her wrist, and each link of the Jubilee bracelet shimmered, catching the store’s spotlights in a dazzling display of luxury.

The folding clasp snapped shut with a ceremonial CLICK. Shen Meng raised her wrist to the mirror. The green, patterned dial, set against the gold, gave off a youthful energy, almost like a mint-green version of the Datejust. The diamond hour markers suddenly caught an overhead light, and the resulting burst of fire made Wu Min gasp. ‘So extravagant,’ she thought, her eyelashes fluttering.

With a glance at Wu Min, Shen Meng unclasped the watch and handed it back to the sales associate. “I’ll take it.”

Wu Min’s pupils contracted at the BEEP of the successful card transaction. Her fingertips dug into her palm, her mind still reeling. By the time Shen Meng had picked up the shopping bag from the associate and turned to her, all she could do was stare. “Let’s go,” Shen Meng said.

On the way to the underground parking garage, Wu Min’s lips were still trembling when she spoke. “Shen… Shen Meng, you… you didn’t buy that for Yang Hui, did you?”

Shen Meng smiled beautifully. “If not for him, who else? Am I going to wear it? It’s a men’s watch.”

“What—” Wu Min was floored. Spending over 200,000 yuan on a watch for a boyfriend was something completely outside her reality. Never mind such an expensive watch; she found the very idea of giving such a lavish gift to a man incredible.

“Are you insane? You got a lucky break and made a little money this month, and you just spent it all on him in one go!”

In the elevator down to the second basement level, Wu Min stared at her, her expression a mixture of exasperation and disbelief.

“It’s not a big deal. He spent 300,000 on a car for me,” Shen Meng said casually, completely ignoring Wu Min’s eyes, which were red with envy. To Wu Min, this was just rubbing her happy relationship right in her face.

Their cars weren’t parked in the same section, so they parted ways after exiting the elevator to head home. On the drive, Shen Meng sent Yang Hui a message telling him to come by Yanghe Commerce the next day, but she didn’t say why. She wanted to give him a surprise.

「The next day」

Early in the morning, Yang Hui was still thinking about Shen Meng’s message from last night. ‘That girl is trying to be mysterious now, telling me to come over without saying what for.’

‘Fine, I’ll play along,’ he thought. ‘A girlfriend that beautiful deserves to be happy in every way.’ Still, he went to Ruijing Commerce first that morning. He only planned on staying with the company for a month and wanted to use that time to help solve as many problems as he could. It was a good way to build his reputation.

Li Chao had worked overtime the previous night to submit the renewal applications for all 21 stores through the company’s internal system. After that whole affair, he was completely in awe of President Yang. ‘I have to work twice as hard,’ he kept telling himself. ‘Otherwise, with President Yang’s connections, my role as Head of Channel Development doesn’t seem all that valuable.’

Now, he was looking at a case file on his desk, wondering if he should report it to President Yang ahead of schedule.

Qingzhou’s Guoqing Road Pedestrian Street was a commercial thoroughfare in the Government New District. While its foot traffic was nowhere near that of the main Qingzhou Pedestrian Street, it was still considered the city’s second-best. Ruijing Commerce had a street-front store there. The rent was 500,000 yuan a year for an 80-square-meter space, but its current revenue was only 100,000 yuan a month—a 20% decline year-over-year. And from the looks of it, the situation was only getting worse.

Li Chao’s former company also had a store there, so he knew that 500,000 yuan in annual rent was a bit high. But a few years ago, many smaller brands had no choice but to overpay on rent to secure a spot. From Ruijing Commerce’s perspective, however, this store made no sense. The price per square meter was even higher than what Ruijing Commerce was paying for its prime location in Xinyue Square, and the two commercial districts were worlds apart in terms of quality and traffic.

In terms of performance, their store in Xinyue Square averaged 280,000 yuan in monthly sales with a high profit margin. In contrast, the store on Guoqing Road Pedestrian Street was already operating at a loss. Li Chao knew why: foot traffic in street-level shopping districts had been steadily declining for years, and now, with consumer spending power also on the wane, it was becoming incredibly difficult to run a profitable street-front business.

The lease on this location was set to expire in three months. Should they close the store? Or should they try to negotiate a rent reduction and keep it running? He couldn’t decide.