Chapter 16: With Money, You Too Can Become Stronger
Chapter 16: Chapter 16: With Money, You Too Can Become Stronger
Fu Hang glanced impatiently at his buzzing phone and hung up immediately. Then, he opened WeChat and tapped on a contact with a cute animal avatar, whose alias had the words "love-struck" appended to it. He typed a single line:
"Something came up on my end. If I don’t reply in half an hour, we’ll have to cancel our date today. Sorry, babe!"
Without waiting for a reply, he locked his phone. Consequently, he missed the immediate response: "Is everything okay? Can I help you with anything? I’m completely fine on my end! Just focus on taking care of your business first; I’ll wait for you! Love you!"
"Fu Hang, if you have something to do, you should hurry up and take care of it," Chi Xinyue suggested.
"It’s nothing, just a spam call from a telemarketer. Chi Xinyue, there’s a new designer toy store that opened nearby. Do you want to check it out later?"
"No thanks. I promised to help Zhang Yan today, and he treated me to a feast in return. I’ve already eaten the meal, but I haven’t finished helping him yet, so I really don’t have time today."
"A feast? What did you have for lunch? If you like it, I’ll treat you to it next time."
"It’s a newly opened place nearby called Guanye Street Macau Hotpot. I did like it quite a bit, but the two of us spent twelve thousand on one meal today. If it were just me, I wouldn’t be able to afford it."
Fu Hang fell silent. He wondered what kind of hotpot restaurant could cost twelve thousand for a simple lunch between a man and a woman.
The restaurant had recently opened a branch in Meng City, so it was no surprise that Fu Hang hadn’t heard of it. The Guanye Street Macau Hotpot located in the Beijing International Trade Mall had been awarded a Black Pearl One-Diamond rating for five consecutive years. Since the branch here maintained the same quality of service, such a high price tag was to be expected. However, Zhang Yan was completely unaware of this. He had merely stumbled upon a video by a wealthy influencer and decided to visit the restaurant simply because there happened to be one nearby.
Chi Xinyue feigned a casual expression, but inwardly, she felt a Xiaoxiao burst of smugness. If possible, she didn’t want to make things too awkward between classmates. The best outcome would be for him to realize the gap between them and back off voluntarily.
Just as Fu Hang gritted his teeth, ready to put up a brave front, Zhang Yan walked out, followed by the handsome middle-aged manager.
"Ying, ring up this customer. The total is 18,880."
"M-Mr. Manager, are you sure? Since when does our salon have such high prices?"
The cashier was a young girl with above-average looks and a short stature. She looked like she might not even be as old as Chi Xinyue. Displaying a rather blunt personality, she widened her eyes and questioned her own manager.
"We usually don’t, but this customer made a bet with me. If he was satisfied with the haircut, he’d pay me ten times the normal fee. If he wasn’t, the haircut would be on the house.
"I gave it my absolute all to earn this money. Every penny is filled with my hard work and sweat."
Despite being the manager, the handsome middle-aged man didn’t put on airs, nor did he get angry at the young receptionist’s questioning. Instead, he explained the situation patiently.
"Hard work and sweat, my foot! Did you even spend twenty minutes cutting his hair?"
The manager smiled awkwardly. "Well... my skills are quite advanced, so it’s understandable that I work fast. Stop chatting now; the customer is waiting."
Only then did the receptionist quickly turn to Zhang Yan, who was waiting to the side. "I’m so sorry, sir! I didn’t mean to waste your time.
"Your total today is 18,880. I suggest you sign up for a VIP membership card to immediately enjoy a five percent discount.
"Even though we don’t have a top-up cashback promotion right now, I still highly recommend topping up ten thousand to become a lifetime member.
"That way, you can immediately get a fifty percent discount. You’ll only need to pay 9,440 today, and you’ll still have 560 left on your card!"
The manager watched his receptionist taking the customer’s side, his expression turning increasingly sour. He agonized over how she had just slashed his hard-earned, blood-and-sweat money in half.
Zhang Yan found it somewhat amusing. Usually, for a first-time customer, taking a smaller profit on a membership top-up to secure a long-term returning client was indeed the right business strategy. However, this situation was different. Zhang Yan had just racked up a bill of 18,880. If half of that was waived, and he only came back for the cheapest basic cuts afterward, the salon wouldn’t recoup that loss from him for years. But since the System was footing the bill, Zhang Yan didn’t feel the pinch at all. On the contrary, paying less meant he was earning less cashback—rounding up, he felt like he was basically losing a hundred million.
"Thank you, Miss Receptionist, but this was a bet between your manager and me. It shouldn’t be counted as a normal transaction, so it naturally shouldn’t be eligible for a discount.
"Just consider it a tip and ring me up for the full 18,880. As for the membership, go ahead and sign me up. I’ll just use the discount next time."
"Sir, you’re so generous! Just call me Ying. Add me on WeChat, and I’ll make sure you’re the first to know about any future promotions in the salon!"
The manager sighed as he watched his receptionist fraternizing with the enemy right in front of him. However, seeing Zhang Yan being so respectful, he decided to return the favor. "Ying, add a free hairstyling session from me to his membership card. Young man, if you ever want to change your hairstyle again, just come find me."
While they were chatting enthusiastically, Fu Hang overheard their conversation. He was so shocked that he completely stopped his attempt to converse with Chi Xinyue. He wondered if Zhang Yan was really going to pay that much. Spending nearly twenty thousand on a haircut? He thought the man must be a complete spendthrift; even if someone had money, they shouldn’t throw it around like this! Moreover, the salon had offered him a lifetime membership that instantly cut the bill in half, yet he had refused it. Fu Hang couldn’t understand what the point was. He wondered if the money was burning a hole in the guy’s pocket.
Beside him, Chi Xinyue was also somewhat surprised when she heard the terms of the bet, but remembering the amount Zhang Yan had casually spent on two outfits earlier, she felt at ease again. Instead, she simply felt that this was exactly something he would do. Noticing Fu Hang staring blankly in that direction, she delivered a timely verbal strike.
"Hehehe, this bet really is just Zhang Yan’s style."
Hearing this, Fu Hang’s attention was successfully drawn back. "His style? Does he always throw his money away so casually?"
"Whether it’s throwing money away or not depends on everyone’s different concepts of wealth, I suppose.
"I think it’s perfectly normal to tip well for something you’re satisfied with.
"Just like how you guys tip streamers or donate to authors when reading web novels. You’re paying for your own happiness. Isn’t that totally normal?"
"You can’t really compare the two. Spending a little pocket change for some entertainment is normal, but what normal person throws around tens of thousands at a time?"
"Fu Hang, is it possible that a few tens of thousands is merely pocket change to Zhang Yan?
"After all, when he asked me to help him pick out two outfits this morning, he spent over two hundred and fifty thousand."
Fu Hang fell silent once more. Everyone’s definition of "pocket change" was different. Fu Hang, who had always been considered one of the wealthiest among his peers, felt as though he was truly understanding this phrase for the first time today. It wasn’t that he couldn’t produce two hundred and fifty thousand. If he made up his mind to buy a car and fought hard enough for it, he believed his parents would eventually give him the money. But that would be for a car! Spending over two hundred and fifty thousand on just a few clothes and accessories? His parents would kill him. He looked at Zhang Yan again, and the ordinary aura surrounding him seemed to have completely vanished. So that was the aura of a true powerhouse.