It was a proven fact that when prices exceed expectations, a person could be spurred into laughter and be relieved of their stress. It reached an extent where people who were in a bad mood would go there just to see the prices and de-stress themselves.
When Xu Zhen heard that the price of a piece of clothing was RMB30,000, she was utterly dumbfounded. She did not even dare to touch it, and the three of them then left with a smile.
“Those clothes just now. What kind of material makes them so expensive?” Xu Zhen asked in shock.
“Mom, those clothes just now aren’t only expensive. They’re formal dresses that can’t be washed and are usually only worn once,” Ye Lingchen replied.
“Spending thirty thousand just to wear it once?” Xu Zhen gasped. “Being poor limited my imagination.”
After a pause, Xu Zhen said worryingly, “Son, don’t buy any clothes here. You shouldn’t spend like this even if you’re rich!”
Ye Jin nodded too. “I know you’re making money now, but don’t spend money wastefully like how you did last time. The gold pipe you bought is still at home. It’s useless!”
Whenever Ye Jin and Xu Zhen thought of the gold pipe and the jadeite that Ye Lingchen bought, the corners of their mouths twitched in distress.
That Ye Lingchen brought them to look at those luxury clothes was a huge surprise for them, since they were worried that he would spend money arbitrarily.
“Dad, Mom, don’t worry. I’m not this extravagant.” Ye Lingchen said with a smile.
Although he was making money then, the clothes he used were provided by Vatti free of charge, so he rarely needed to visit such places.
This street was filled with luxury brands and the three of them walked around until the evening. He would occasionally tell his parents to try on some clothes, but after seeing their expressions, Ye Lingchen decided not to buy it. He was prepared to wait and purchase it secretly as a gift for his parents.
“Mom, Dad, when will the distant relative arrive?” Ye Lingchen looked at the sky and asked.
“Should be soon.”
Ye Jin had just finished speaking when the phone rang, “It’s them. They’re calling.”
After picking up the phone, Ye Jin immediately brought them out of the mall, “They’re not too far away from here and will arrive soon.”
Ye Lingchen nodded, and the three stood outside the square and waited.
However, there was no sign of those people even though an hour had passed since the three of them waited outside. Ye Lingchen’s brows were slightly furrowed, and displeasure was beginning to surface in his heart.
They waited so long that the sky was gradually getting dark. Only then did a black car arrived—albeit late. Three people then got off.
They were a middle-aged man, a woman, and a girl.
“Hahaha, Old Ye, I haven’t seen you for a long time. You still look the same!” The middle-aged man laughed. He then saw Ye Lingchen and said, “This is your son, I believe? I never imagined he’s this grown-up already! I heard he was admitted to Capital University? Such a talented student!”
“Lucky in the exams, that’s all.” Ye Jin smiled.
Everyone introduced themselves to each other. The middle-aged man’s surname was Lu, and his name was Lu Yuan. His daughter was Lu Qi and she was a sophomore in an average school. His wife’s name was Sun Hong and she was standing quietly to one side.
“Ah, how embarrassing of me. I’m late because of all those traffic jams on the road,” Lu Yuan explained, although his words were said in quite a nonchalant manner. “Capital is a nice place but it’s too crowded. I live less than two kilometers away from here, but was stuck on the road for an hour.”
He originally wanted to boast about living within Capital’s 3rd Ring Road, but it was obvious that Ye Lingchen’s parents did not get what he meant to express.
“It’s okay. Capital is just too packed. It’s still more comfortable to live in Rugao City,” Xu Zhen remarked.
Lu Qi could not help but smirk slightly and twitch her lips. She then whispered, “Bumpkin!”
“So, did you manage to buy any clothes that you like after walking around here?” Lu Yuan continued to ask.
Ye Jin shook his head and sighed. “The clothes here are too extravagant.”
“Hahaha, well, things are really expensive here, but the clothes worn here symbolize a person’s status. It’s has a different kind of significance.” Lu Yuan chuckled. “It embodies the saying that ‘clothes make a person’. This is the only way to show the gap between each people.”
Sun Hong cracked a slight smile. “We come here only once a week, so It’s normal if you can’t afford it. We have plenty of these bags at our home and they’re just lying there. You can choose one for yourself, Sister Xu.”
“That’s not necessary.” Xu Zhen shook her head. She clearly noticed the smugness in their tone.
“I booked a private room at the Grand Capital Restaurant. We can talk while having our meal there,” Lu Yuan said. He then led everyone to the car.
“Dad, our car can’t fit in too many people.” Lu Qi frowned and stared at Ye Lingchen’s family in disgust. She was wholly unwilling to let those three people sit with her in the back seat.
“This…” Lu Yuan slapped his head. “Agh! My mistake, I forgot that you don’t have a car.”
“We’ll manage.” Ye Lingchen remarked plainly and remained expressionless. He then called a taxi at once.
He could see that the family came with to stroke their sense of superiority. Those city parvenus were doing so at the expense of an old friend from the countryside and were obscenely pretentious. He would have long left if not for the sake of his parents.
After getting into the car, Ye Jin had a slightly displeased expression. He lamented, “They were not like this before. Lingchen got along well with Lu Qi when they were kids. How did it become like this?”
“They’re well-off now, so they look down on us,” Xu Zhen said uneasily. “It’s better that we skip this meal with them.”
“Dad, Mom, it’s okay. It’s just a meal,” Ye Lingchen remarked as though he was not affected by it. Deep down, however, he was very angry.
‘You can piss me off, but don’t you dare make my parents unhappy!’
Someone once flaunted their wealth in front of his mother and was given a slap on the face. To think that another person was trying to boost their superiority in front of his parents yet again!
He took out his phone and sent a text to a number.
“Am heading to your restaurant for a meal tonight!”
At this time, a middle-aged man in the Grand Capital Restaurant heard a sharp ringing from his mobile phone.
His complexion changed suddenly.
As the owner of the Grand Capital Restaurant, he had a unique way of paying special attention to some of the more important VIPs. He set his ringtone in such a way so his cell phone would produce an exaggerated response when their messages came!
That sound was a signal that there were VIPs looking for him!
Afraid that he would overlook it, he glanced at his phone immediately. His face then turned red.
Although it was just a simple sentence, his body shivered slightly. The sender was…Grandmaster Ye!
He would never forget the Master Ye’s elegance that day. Leaving aside the Lin family for a moment, the Lu family even came to him later on out of their own initiatives, saying that he must do his best to please Grandmaster Ye if he ever saw Grandmaster Ye at the restaurant!
Grandmaster Ye was going there to eat that night!
Preparations! Proper preparations must be made!
He took a deep breath and forced himself to calm down. Then, he replied carefully, “Yes, I shall prepare everything for Grandmaster Ye!”
…
