Chapter

In high spirits, I hummed a cheerful tune as I walked down the street. Just a moment ago, I had bought a spacious apartment in the west of the city—a large property, and in 1997, real estate was truly cheap. Three bedrooms, two living rooms, nearly two hundred square meters, and it cost just over three hundred thousand. I remembered how, in my previous life, the real estate market had overheated—a house of just over a hundred square meters could sell for more than a million. It seemed real estate really was a lucrative venture.

After completing the paperwork at the sales office, and after being informed by Miss Zhang about the availability of a three-story apartment, I took out my recently purchased Nokia 9000 Communicator and called Li Dabiao to tell him about the apartment. Once they returned from the Northeast, they could move in immediately.

By 1997, the era of the "big brother" brick phone had faded away, replaced by mobile phones, though pagers were still more common. Mobile phones were considered luxury items, unaffordable for the average person. The 9000 model I had bought was the latest—a flip phone with a stylish look, selling for over eighteen thousand yuan. For me, a mobile phone was essential now; as business picked up, such a device would be indispensable.

After the call, I played with the phone in my hand as I walked toward the pedestrian street in the city center. I wanted to buy a piece of jewelry for Su Xin. Our relationship was complicated, at least from my perspective—there was a thin film between us, one that could not be pierced, and it left me uneasy. I could tell Su Xin liked me, but perhaps because of my family background or my age, she consistently evaded my advances. So I decided that if sweet words wouldn’t work, I’d try a display of wealth. I wanted her to understand that I, Xiao Qiang, was not someone to be underestimated—I could give her happiness.

"Miss, could you please show me that crystal necklace?" As soon as I entered the jewelry store, my eyes landed on a crystal necklace. A heart-shaped pendant, seemingly made from sapphire, hung from it, gleaming beautifully. I imagined how enchanting Su Xin's fair neck would look adorned with this sparkling necklace. Glancing at the tag, I saw its name: "Blue Romance"—a lovely name.

"I'm sorry, but this necklace is not for casual viewing," the nearby saleswoman replied dismissively, judging by my age and attire that I was merely a window shopper.

I couldn’t help but sneer, "Why can't I see it? Is this how you treat your customers? Call your manager."

"Our manager is busy and doesn’t have time to deal with a child. If you’re done looking, please leave—you’re in the way of real customers. This necklace isn’t for just anyone to see. Come back when you can afford it," she said, her tone dripping with disdain.

Her arrogance ignited my annoyance, but I held back my anger and asked quietly, "How much is the necklace?"

"Isn’t the price right there? Eighty-three thousand—high-end crystal and sapphire. You don’t look like you can afford it, so move along," she said impatiently, waving me away.

"Miss, don’t judge people by appearances. Let me tell you, you can’t measure the sea with a bucket, nor a person by their looks. Don't let one rash thought cost your store a customer," I warned coldly. Although I understood why, given my age and clothes, she doubted I could afford such an item, her attitude was unacceptable. Even if someone can’t afford it, that’s no excuse for such words.

"Save your speeches. I know better than you about business. Are you leaving or not? If not, I'll call security," she retorted, still mocking me. "A student like you buying this necklace? Only if the sun rose in the west."

"Well, since you put it that way, I must buy it now. Wrap it up—I'll take the necklace!" I slapped the glass counter and stood up. Tens of thousands was nothing to me, but dignity was priceless. I’d show her whether she had misjudged me today.

"Wrap it up? Don’t boast. If you can’t pay, you’ll have to cover the handling fee!" she scolded, believing I was just bluffing.

"Enough nonsense; no need for your reminders. Just wrap it up," I said, scanning the rows of diamond rings in the case. "And wrap up that pair of diamond rings as well."

She was stunned when she realized I was referring to a pair of rings priced at fifty-eight thousand. "Are you out of your mind? You want these rings too?"

"Yes! Wrap them up!" My voice grew louder, drawing the attention of nearby customers. At that moment, a man in a suit, likely the manager, hurried over and quietly asked the saleswoman, "Xiao Wang, what’s going on here?"

"You must be the manager," I said, noting his attire. "Your store’s service is remarkable—your staff won’t even show jewelry to customers. This is the first time I’ve seen such behavior. I told her to wrap up the jewelry, but she just stands there. Or do you expect me to do it myself?"

Thinking I was causing trouble, the saleswoman whispered to the manager, but he silenced her with a glare and turned to me with a courteous smile. "Sir, I apologize. If our staff was at fault, please forgive us. I’ll have your jewelry wrapped immediately. Will you be paying cash or by card?" It was a clever move—if I had the means to pay by card, I was a true customer; if not, he could simply have security escort me out. Either way, he would lose nothing.

In front of everyone, I nodded. "Very well. You, manager, are a professional. I’ll pay by card. But I won’t patronize this store again—any store that doesn’t treat its customers as honored guests will never earn anyone’s respect." With that, I placed my phone and wallet on the counter, preparing to take out the gold VIP card I’d just received from the bank.

The manager’s eyes widened as he spotted my Nokia 9000 on the counter. In 1997, few owned mobile phones, and as an enthusiast, he immediately recognized it as the latest model—worth nearly twenty thousand yuan. Anyone who could afford such a phone would surely have no problem buying jewelry. When I handed him my VIP gold card from the Construction Bank, his hand trembled. Credit cards were rare then; most cards were debit cards, and only high-spending places like jewelry stores accepted them. A bank gold card usually indicated assets of over a million yuan—there could be no doubt now.

Watching the manager scurry off to run my card and seeing the saleswoman’s ashen, stunned face, I almost felt sorry for her. I sighed, "I’m not showing off because I’m wealthy—it’s just that you judged me too hastily. As a saleswoman, you aren’t yet qualified for your job."

What happened next was predictable: the manager returned, handed me the packaged jewelry, and harshly reprimanded the saleswoman, reducing her to tears and snot. I left as if nothing had happened. Looking at the two jewelry boxes in my hand, I couldn’t help but smile at the thought of how charming Su Xin would look wearing them.

Lost in these thoughts, I slowly crossed the street, planning to return home and spend time with my mother—to recover from my surface wounds and the swelling on the back of my head from that recent attack. Just then, as I glanced absentmindedly at a couple walking into the distance on the other side of the street, I suddenly froze, my face turning pale.

Why? Because the person I laid eyes on was none other than Su Xin, the very woman I longed for. At that moment, she was holding the arm of a handsome man, her face radiant with happiness as they walked into the clothing mall across the street together.

A thunderous silence roared in my head, and my heart was seized by agony. So this was the reason she never accepted my feelings—it was because she already liked someone else. The reason she avoided my advances was because she already had a boyfriend.