Wu Yun remained calm as he spoke to the sales associate. "Hello, could you help me pick out a wallet?"
"Of course, sir. Please follow me!" Wu Yun followed the sales associate to the second floor.
Wu Yun then realized the first floor was entirely for women's products; the men's section was on the second floor.
The sales associate, who was quite beautiful, selected a few different styles of men's wallets for Wu Yun. He could immediately tell from the touch that they were far more comfortable than the cheap cowhide ones he'd purchased in the past.
"Sir, these men's wallets are all made of calfskin and have been meticulously handcrafted by Bottega Veneta's artisans."
Wu Yun flipped through the wallets, casually glancing at the prices. They ranged from around three to five thousand.
Wu Yun casually picked out the most expensive one, priced at 5,200, and said to the sales associate, "I'll take this one. Please wrap it up for me."
Hearing this, the sales associate's smile grew even wider. "Is there anything else you need, sir?"
"Not right now. Where do I pay?" Wu Yun wasn't the type to be immobilized by a pretty face.
"Please follow me." Amid the astonished stares of her colleagues, the sales associate rang up Wu Yun's purchase and swiped his card.
"[Huaxia Industrial Bank] July 5, 2014, 11:20 AM. A transfer of 5,200 yuan has been made from your account ending in 416. Remaining balance: 51,688.55 yuan."
EXP +5,200, Character Level 4 (39,899/10,000,000).
Wu Yun selected the spending rebate.
"System Notification: 3x spending rebate triggered. Rebate: 15,600. Current limit: 3,224,400 (3,240,000)."
"[Huaxia Industrial Bank] July 5, 2014, 11:21 AM. An amount of 15,600 yuan has been deposited into your account ending in 416. New balance: 67,288.55 yuan."
Seeing his account balance hadn't decreased but had actually gone up, Wu Yun had the urge to tell the system, 'Please remove my rebate limit. I could spend my way to becoming the richest person in the world within a year.'
Wu Yun took the elegant shopping bag from the sales associate and left Bottega Veneta with her escorting him out.
As he strolled around, he noticed most of the store signs were in English. 'Are they fucking looking down on Huaxia People or just trying to look high-end and classy?' Wu Yun grumbled to himself.
Wu Yun was quite familiar with the Balenciaga logo. 'I heard their logo-print stockings tear really easily. The quality must be pretty bad.'
Wu Yun wandered over to a watch shop called IWC. A huge promotional poster by the entrance caught his eye, and he felt a stir of interest.
Wu Yun pulled out his phone and did a quick search, discovering it was a specialty store for IWC watches. After getting a sense of their price range, he felt more confident.
He pushed the door open and walked right in.
"Welcome to IWC!" A sales associate, who was slightly less stunning than the one at Bottega Veneta, walked over.
"Sir, do you have a particular watch model in mind?" the sales associate asked.
"I'd like to see this one from the Portugal collection." Wu Yun said, handing his 5s to the associate to show her the picture he'd just found on Taobao.
"Sir, we have the model you selected—the Portugal series IW371491 automatic men's watch—in stock. Would you like to try it on?" The sales associate, noticing Wu Yun's Bottega Veneta bag and the latest model Apple phone in his hand, decided he had real purchasing power and posed the question.
Wu Yun had barely settled onto the sofa when the sales associate returned, wearing white gloves. She carried a tray lined with a silk cloth, which she placed gently on the coffee table.
The sales associate knelt beside Wu Yun, picked up the watch, and fastened it onto his left wrist. Staring at the blue-dialed watch, Wu Yun thought it looked pretty good.
'The watch seems a bit business-casual,' Wu Yun thought, 'but who cares? The system is footing the bill anyway.'
"How much is it?"
"Sir, this watch is currently priced at 58,700 yuan."
"Alright, run the card," Wu Yun said bluntly.
The sales associate froze for a second before saying, "Please wait a moment, sir. I'll go get the card reader."
WHIRRR. The sound of a receipt printing filled the air, and Wu Yun's account balance changed once again.
Transfer out: 58,700 yuan. Balance: 8,588.55 yuan.
EXP +58,700, Character Level 4 (98,599/10,000,000).
"System Notification: 2x spending rebate triggered. Rebate: 117,400. Current limit: 3,165,700 (3,240,000)."
Transfer in: 117,400 yuan. Balance: 125,988.55 yuan.
The sales associate returned with the invoice and other paperwork. "Sir, we should exchange contact info," she said. "If you have any issues with the watch in the future, you can contact me directly, and I'll help you take care of it."
After adding the IWC sales associate, Zhou Xue, on WeChat, Wu Yun left the store. He couldn't help but sigh. 'There really is a huge difference between having money and having none.'
If he had met a woman like Zhou Xue, an 8 out of 10, on the street and asked for her WeChat, he'd probably have been rejected.
But after displaying a certain degree of financial strength, they came to him. Of course, he couldn't rule out the possibility that Zhou Xue was just being professional.
It was just like at Bottega Veneta; when he asked the sales associate for her WeChat, saying he'd contact her for future purchases, he got it with no trouble at all.
Wu Yun spent half the morning wandering around by himself. He didn't buy much, but he learned a lot by looking things up on Baidu as he went.
Feeling hungry, Wu Yun found a random place to grab a bite, contributing a few dozen EXP to the system.
Sitting on a bench, Wu Yun considered his options for the afternoon: continue his shopping spree to rake in more cash, or find a hotel and rest for a bit.
He pulled out his phone, opened Meituan, and searched for nearby hotels, filtering for the closest luxury or five-star options.
The top result was the Chengdu Niccolo Hotel, less than 300 meters away, with a 4.8-star rating.
Wu Yun saw that it was a new hotel that had just opened this year. He browsed the reviews, which mentioned that the night view was excellent, offering a look at the lights of Taikoo Li Chunxi Road.
Wu Yun booked a room designated as an "N3 Deluxe Grand Room" for 2,200 yuan.
System EXP +2,200, Character Level 4 (100,837/10,000,000).
He chose the spending rebate, but it only triggered a 1x rebate. Wu Yun wasn't upset; it was basically a free night in a luxury hotel, courtesy of the system.
The reviews mentioned that even though the Neyro Hotel was right inside IFS, it was a bit difficult to find, so you had to rely on GPS navigation.
Resigned, Wu Yun followed his phone's navigation out of the mall and was once again hit by the oppressive summer heat.
The ROAR of engines periodically echoed from the street. Just from the sound, he knew they were the kind of loud supercars that loved to make a scene.
IFS was a known gathering spot for supercars in Rongcheng. You could often see all sorts of sports cars and supercars coming and going from the parking garage, and without fail, there was always a pretty girl in the passenger seat.
An orange Lamborghini drove past not far from Wu Yun. The ROAR of its engine, punctuated by the growl of its exhaust, drew the eyes of many pedestrians.
Wu Yun felt a pang of envy. 'Don't people say the passenger seat of a supercar gets really hot? Why are they out on a day like this?'
'No way. After I collect my prize money, I'm going to buy one and experience for myself just how hot it really gets.' Wu Yun watched the Lamborghini turn into the underground parking garage, then he turned and followed his navigation toward the Neyro Hotel.
Wu Yun looked at the location pin for the Neyro Hotel. The tall glass curtain wall was adorned with the letters "NICCLLO." He was speechless. 'No wonder the reviews said it was hard to find. Using just a few letters for a hotel sign... if you didn't already know, how the hell would you guess this was a hotel?'