Chapter Fifty-Two: The Competition of Wealth (Part Two)

My Rebirth Legend—No Pop-Up Ads

This French boutique is a dedicated store for Chanel clothing, a brand established in 1913 in France known as Nete1 (Chanel). Its founder’s legendary story and strong personal style are widely celebrated, and its early designs were renowned for their elegant, high-class women’s suits. Since 1983, when Karl Lagerfeld became the creative director, the brand has been revived and elevated. To this day, women who don Chanel clothing and wear Chanel perfume are often called the happiest women. Ranked just below LV as France’s second top fashion brand, Chanel is undoubtedly a beloved treasure among wealthy women.

However, I know that Su Xin beside me is not attracted to Chanel because of its brand, but because of the beauty of that dress. From the beginning until now, she hasn’t mentioned the brand even once. I’m certain she has no admiration for such luxury labels as Chanel.

Chanel is indeed a luxury, at least for most people in City C in 1997. Just by looking at this modest storefront and the few styles inside, you can see how extravagant it is in this era to buy French fashion from such brands.

“Miss, could you please let my girlfriend try on the dress in the window?” I smiled politely at a saleswoman in the shop. “If the size fits, I’ll buy it.”

The saleswoman looked at me with some doubt, but since I spoke so straightforwardly, and being used to serving wealthy customers, she didn’t seem as scornful as the one in the jewelry store last time. She nodded slightly, turned, and carefully handed the dress to Su Xin, saying, “Miss, please be careful while trying it on. I’m only letting you try it because this gentleman said he wants to buy it. This is the original dress from the French model fashion show—there’s only this one in the world.”

“Alright, I’ll be careful.” Su Xin bit her pink lips, a bit embarrassed, nodded, and was about to walk to the fitting room when she suddenly stopped and turned in surprise to ask the saleswoman, “Miss, wasn’t this dress marked at eight thousand last week? Why is it fifty-eight thousand now?”

“Ah, so it’s you! You’re the young lady who came last week with your parents, right? Sorry, I didn’t recognize you just now,” the saleswoman quickly explained, recalling Su Xin, “Sorry, miss, the dress you saw last week was a replica, also from Chanel, but because it was a replica, it was priced at eight thousand, and it was sold a few days ago. This dress was just brought in from France by my boss—it’s the genuine original, and there’s only one, so it’s much more expensive.”

Su Xin frowned, a little unhappy. “But this is too expensive—over fifty thousand! How many other dresses could that buy? Miss, can’t you lower the price?”

“I’m sorry, the boss said not a cent can be taken off. If you don’t want it now, I won’t blame you. You can look at other styles,” the saleswoman apologized, feeling bad for not recognizing Su Xin from last week.

Su Xin stared wistfully at the dress in her hands, reluctant, but finally shook her head. “Forget it, let’s not buy it. It’s just too expensive…”

“Darling, what a beautiful dress! I really like it!” Just as I was about to say I’d buy it, a woman’s voice piped up beside me. I turned and saw a strikingly sexy, seductive young woman clinging to a portly middle-aged man, pouting and flirting. Her sultry gaze was fixed greedily and joyfully on the dress in Su Xin’s hands. I frowned; this woman was clearly the typical mistress type, her coquettish demeanor almost unbearable.

“Of course, dear, anything you want, I’ll buy it.” The middle-aged man, eager to please, waved his large hand and stroked the woman’s curvaceous hip, chuckling lewdly, “Sweetheart, consider this dress my gift to you today. Do you like it?”

Instead of speaking, the woman pressed her alluring lips to the man’s fleshy face in a passionate kiss. Su Xin, helpless, handed the dress to the saleswoman, her eyes full of resignation.

As if! The woman I love wants something, I’d pluck the moon for her—how could I just let it slip away? I let out a cold laugh, pulled Su Xin’s hand as she held the dress, and said to the saleswoman, “Sorry, my girlfriend really likes this dress. We’ll buy it.”

“Xiao Qiang, let’s not. It’s so expensive; we really shouldn’t buy it…” Su Xin hurriedly shook her head, flustered. Buying a dress for over fifty thousand was simply throwing money away.

“If you like it, we’ll buy it. As long as you’re happy, even a hundred thousand or a million doesn’t matter!” I resolutely took the dress and handed it to the saleswoman, ignoring the couple beside us. “Wrap it up, please. I’ll pay by card.”

“Darling, they’re taking my dress!” The woman immediately ramped up her act, clinging to the middle-aged man, who, eager to impress, glared at me and said coldly, “Kid, your girlfriend didn’t want it. Are you afraid you can’t afford it, trying to show off? Fifty thousand for a dress you’ll never wear—what a waste. Tell you what, since you saw it first, I’ll pay sixty thousand, and the extra can be compensation for you. Don’t try to show off in front of women if you don’t have the means; sooner or later, you’ll be exposed.”

He thought my cheap clothes meant I had no money and was buying the dress just for Su Xin. But he didn’t realize that I never cared for expensive clothes, nor did I want to dress like some rich playboy. To me, a man’s attire isn’t important, but a woman’s beauty is enhanced by what she wears. And because Su Xin is my woman, I could never let her leave disappointed.

“Whether I have the means is none of your business. I’m determined to buy this dress, sorry,” I replied, not even looking at the portly man, and turned to the saleswoman, “Since he offered sixty thousand, I’ll pay seventy thousand.”

The saleswoman was truly stunned now. The dress had sat on the mannequin for days, and no matter how admired, its price drove everyone away. Yet today, two men were suddenly bidding up the price? Clearly, the middle-aged man and the young man before her were locked in a contest, and now the price had soared to seventy thousand. She was already dreaming of how much her bonus would increase this month…

“Well, well! Kid, you dare compete with me? Do you know who I am? You must be asking for trouble!” The middle-aged man shouted, “Saleswoman! I’ll pay a hundred thousand—wrap it up for me!”

“One hundred fifty thousand,” I said calmly, cutting off whatever he was about to say. Compete with me over wealth? The interest in my Swiss bank account alone could buy dozens of these dresses—I hardly need to compete.

“Two hundred thousand!” The man yelled, his face red, and the woman beside him applauded. But as soon as I spoke again, his triumphant look faded.

“Three hundred thousand.” I spoke lightly. Su Xin, anxious, tugged at my sleeve, signaling me to stop. I smiled, patting her fair hand, reassuring her.

“You… you…” The middle-aged man was livid. After a long moment, he finally sneered, “Kid, I, Huang Qi, am known for being ruthless, but it seems I’ve met a tough one today. Four hundred thousand! I’ll pay four hundred thousand for this damn dress!”

“Six hundred thousand.” I shrugged deliberately, disdainful. “Don’t get it wrong—I’m buying this dress for my woman, not to compete with you. I have no interest in pointless spending.”

“You’ve got nerve! I never imagined someone so young could have money to burn. Hmph!” Huang Qi’s face was ashen, and he tugged at the woman’s arm. “Sweetheart, forget the dress. Let’s go buy a necklace—you liked that platinum necklace last time, right? I’ll buy it for you now.”

The woman seemed reluctant, naturally. Spending at this level had stopped being about buying a dress and was purely a contest of wealth and victory. Now that Huang Qi was giving up, she naturally lost face. But seeing his darkening expression, she could only nod, wrap her arm around his, and leave the shop under the pointing and whispering of the other customers.

PS: Hehe, dear readers, please get your flowers ready to welcome Little Violet’s debut. Only a few days left!