It was not yet noon in Taikoo Li, so the temperature hadn't reached its peak. As a renowned high-end commercial street in Rongcheng that had only opened in 2014, it had been heavily hyped and promoted. Consequently, a constant stream of tourists, both domestic and foreign, flocked to the area. The sweltering heat did little to dampen their enthusiasm for shopping.
Wu Yun and Qi Fei stepped out of the car, drawing the eyes of some of the tourists. The moment she emerged, Qi Fei stunned many onlookers. After all, having spent a year at the Modu Drama Academy, her makeup and fashion sense had been influenced to some degree by the upperclassmen and professors there.
Today, Qi Fei wore a pink floral dress with a discreet cutout just below the bust, revealing a sliver of her fair upper abdomen. The look was both innocent and subtly sexy.
Qi Fei wore a pair of light-colored, low-heeled sandals. At one-point-seven meters tall, she was nearly eye-to-eye with Wu Yun when they stood together.
This put a bit of pressure on Wu Yun, and he resolved to increase his height as soon as he got back.
Qi Fei took a pair of sunglasses from her handbag and put them on. Then, she pulled out a parasol and handed it to Wu Yun. "Xiaoyunzi, if you keep your Empress Dowager happy today, there will be a grand reward for you."
Wu Yun smiled as he took the parasol and opened it. He also took Qi Fei's handbag in his other hand and said, "As you command. Where would the Empress Dowager like to go first?"
Qi Fei glanced at her wrist, feeling that something was missing. Then her eyes fell on Wu Yun's wrist, and it dawned on her. "First, take me to buy a watch," she said. "My old one just doesn't suit my style anymore!"
"Oh, there are plenty of watch shops around here. I actually bought this one at the IFS across the street. What's your budget, Qi Fei?" Although Wu Yun knew her family was wealthy, he had no idea how much money she had personally.
'I'd love to buy it for her,' Wu Yun thought, 'but what's our relationship right now? On what grounds could I give her such a gift? It would be different if she were my girlfriend, but I don't want to confess just yet. I already have a plan in mind.'
"Let's just look first. I can accept anything from several tens of thousands to over a hundred thousand."
Holding the parasol to block most of the sun, Wu Yun and Qi Fei weaved through the crowd. As they went, passersby either snuck glances or stared openly at Qi Fei.
Street-style photography hadn't become popular in Taikoo Li yet; otherwise, someone would have definitely approached Qi Fei to ask if they could take her picture or film a video.
Following the directions on his phone, they walked down the pedestrian street and stopped in front of a single-story, vintage-style building. The sign above the door bore the name "Breguet" in an elegant English script.
Wu Yun closed the parasol, then pushed the door open and let Qi Fei enter first.
"Welcome to Breguet. Sir, Ma'am, do you have an appointment?" A beautifully dressed sales associate greeted them, her eyes briefly sweeping over the pair as she spoke.
"We don't," Wu Yun said with a joking smile to the sales associate. "Miss, could you recommend a few ladies' watches for us? Something in the low hundred-thousands. Nothing too expensive, we're just students, haha!"
The sales associate first led them to a seating area and had them sit down before turning to retrieve the watches. As she walked away, she scoffed internally, 'Covered head-to-toe in luxury brands and they say they're students...'
"Qi Fei, I'm afraid your budget will only cover Breguet's entry-level models," Wu Yun said, tapping his phone to show her the prices he'd just looked up.
"I know. I've heard my classmates discussing which watches are good. Breguet is a bit more niche, but I still want to take a look. If I find one I like, I'll buy it. It'll be a nice slap in the face to some of those little bitches at school. They can show off the watches their men bought for them, and I'll show off the one I bought with my own pocket money!" It seemed Qi Fei had been ostracized a bit at school; after all, the more beautiful the girl, the more jealousy she attracts.
"Sounds like you've been keeping a pretty low profile at school, huh?" Wu Yun commented. He noticed that her dress didn't seem to be from a luxury brand. In a materialistic place like a drama academy, where she didn't dress lavishly and rejected so many suitors, people would surely accuse her of being pretentious and aloof.
"Yeah. After a year there, I realized it's just one big, unspoken competition: who's more talented, who's richer, whose boyfriend is hotter and wealthier. Some are even proud to be the other woman," Qi Fei said with a pout.
"Luckily, my other three roommates are relatively normal. But this semester, I'm done pretending. If I have something to show off, I'll show it off. If there's something to fight for, I'll fight for it. That's also why I'm in such a hurry to learn to drive. I want to buy a car and drive it back to school."
"Qi Fei, how about I chip in for a supercar for you?" Wu Yun's words made the approaching sales associate purse her lips. 'And they said they didn't have money,' she thought. 'Now he's offering to buy the pretty girl a supercar!'
"No, thanks. My dad already promised to buy me a 911 once I get my license," Qi Fei refused. "Besides, we're not really anything to each other. I can't accept such an expensive gift." She didn't want to accept anything from Wu Yun right now. Unless...
"Pardon the interruption, Sir and Ma'am," the sales associate said. "Here are several of our ladies' watches from Breguet. These three are from the Classique collection, the three in the middle are from the Reine de Naples collection, and the last three are from the Marine collection."
"They are all priced between 110,000 and 150,000. Ma'am, please take a look and see if there is anything you like," the sales associate said, wearing white gloves and holding a velvet-lined tray.
Breguet's Classique collection looked rather unremarkable to Wu Yun—just a round face with a leather strap. The Roman numerals felt a bit odd to him.
Wu Yun looked further. The Reine de Naples collection was quite distinctive; the face was shaped like a gemstone, and it came with either leather or metal bands.
The final collection made Wu Yun's eyes light up. The Marine collection came in various colors and sizes, with different styles of bands. For someone like Wu Yun, who was a sucker for aesthetics, the deep blue face looked like the depths of the ocean, while the light green and light blue ones resembled the surface of coastal shallows.
Wu Yun figured Qi Fei definitely wouldn't choose the Classique collection. And sure enough...
"This Reine de Naples and the Marine collection are beautiful. May I try them on?" Qi Fei asked.
"Of course. Which models would you like to try, Ma'am?" the sales associate asked.
"This one... this one... and this one," Qi Fei said, pointing to three different watches: one from the Reine de Naples collection and two from the Marine collection.
The sales associate carefully placed the three different watches on Qi Fei's left and right wrists for her to see.
"Xiaoyunzi, which one looks the best?" Qi Fei asked excitedly, holding her wrists out for Wu Yun to see.
After seeing the three watches on her, Wu Yun thought the blue-faced Reine de Naples with the steel band was actually the best fit. It suited her style and perfectly complemented her fair-skinned hands.
"Go with this one. I think it looks the best! It really suits you, Qi Fei," Wu Yun said, pointing to the watch on her left wrist.
"Alright, I'll take your word for it." 'He really is the man for me,' Qi Fei thought to herself. 'We even have the same taste!'
"Miss, what's the price of this model?" Wu Yun asked.
"Sir, this model, the Breguet Reine de Naples 8967ST/V8/J50, is priced at 141,300."