"Oh, still writing, huh? It's going alright now—making a bit more from manuscripts than a salary, enough to scrape by," Li Bin tossed out casually, waving the waiter over to order.
Since they were here for late-night eats, might as well dig in. He wasn't about to waste breath on a prick like Cui Tianjiao—he just wanted to chow down on some hot pot.
Qiao Shanshan had damn near drained him dry this afternoon, and now he needed to refuel—slam some food, then head home to bang Wen Wan raw and tune up her bedroom skills.
"Oh? Heh—typical writer, full of hot air. Scribbling random shit online and out-earning a paycheck? You think people's wages are still two or three grand a month? Me—15k base, no bonuses counted. You pulling that kind of cash?" Cui Tianjiao sneered, not buying a word.
"Huh? 15k a month? My bad, then," Li Bin said, scratching his head, playing sheepish.
He wanted to say he'd fucked up alright—claiming "a bit more than a salary" when he'd raked in 2 million this month was underselling it hard.
But that cash came from banging chicks and training housewives—not exactly flex-worthy. Chatting with a vain asshole like Cui Tianjiao was a snooze anyway.
Better to pivot to Ling Hanrui—stir some shit between her and her husband, lay groundwork for the next move.
"Whoa, Wan'er—isn't that a Cartier watch? Damn! My favorite Ballon Bleu! Real or knockoff? Since when do you splurge on stuff this pricey?" Ling Hanrui suddenly clocked Wen Wan's watch, grabbing her wrist with a jealous gasp, eyeing it up.
"Me, splurge? No way! Li Bin's the one who lost his mind—snuck out and bought it for me. I nearly cried over the cost!" Wen Wan said, slipping it off carefully to hand it over.
"Little Li got it? Probably a fake then. Hanrui, if you like it, I'll grab you one too. Saw a guy on WeChat selling 'em—diamond-studded for three or four grand," Cui Tianjiao scoffed, glancing at it, already writing it off as a cheap copy.
"It's real," Ling Hanrui said after a close look, jaw dropping as she stared at Wen Wan and Li Bin. "Wan'er, your man's got some guts! Over 40k for a watch—he doesn't mess around!"
Ling Hanrui was a watch nut—obsessed with luxury gear, especially Cartier. She'd seen colleagues rock both legit and fake versions of this model, so she spotted the real deal fast.
Real Cartiers had smooth, polished pinions—fakes were rougher, uneven. Wen Wan's? Flawless craftsmanship, even the back engraving was pristine.
No knockoff could pull that off.
"Crazy! 40k-plus on a watch? Save that cash for a decent car instead!" Cui Tianjiao snapped, catching his wife's envy and getting pissy.
Here's the shot! Li Bin saw Ling Hanrui's flicker of annoyance, a sly grin tugging his lips. "Cui, that's where you're off. Everyone's into different shit—you love cars, but you can't force that on others, right? A thing's worth isn't what you think—it's what your wife thinks. Wen Wan digs watches, so I got her a watch. If she wanted a car, I'd bust my ass to buy her one. Whatever she likes, that's what matters—that's what's got value."
Li Bin dropped that line straight out of the feminist playbook—shit he'd picked up from Twitter battles between straight dudes and radfems. Perfect for cracking the rift between Ling Hanrui's girl-power vibes and Cui Tianjiao's stiff-ass cluelessness.
He'd skimmed plenty of those "men vs. women" bait posts on Weibo for a satire novel—knew the script by heart.
Ling Hanrui's eyes lit up, nodding hard—Li Bin's take hit her sweet spot. Her gaze softened, warming up a bit.
[Intimacy with Ling Hanrui: +10 (-35, Wary)]
"Bullshit! What kinda twisted logic is that? Watches beating cars in value? Your 40k toy's nothing—my BMW landed at 380k!" Cui Tianjiao bristled, Li Bin's jab stoking his temper.