Chapter 403: Shopping Spree in the City
by xennovelHuaihai Road, Apple Store.
Xu Chen led Xie Bingran to the MacBook display.
“I’ll buy you one.”
Xie Bingran: “Ah?”
Xu Chen: “I’m getting you a computer. It’s the latest model this year!”
Xie Bingran blinked her big eyes.
“I probably won’t use it much.”
Xu Chen: “It’s not just for homework. You can surf the web in the dorm, watch movies, and listen to music.”
“Oh…”
Xie Bingran glanced at the price tag on the table.
“This is way too expensive—over ten thousand!”
Xu Chen: “I’ll buy it for you!
Besides, you’re a little rich girl now. What’s a bit of money to you?”
Xie Bingran thought for a moment, as if calculating her savings, and decided Xu Chen had a point.
“Then I’ll buy it myself!”
The little rich girl paused. “What about you? Should I get one for you too?”
Xu Chen gently squeezed Xie Bingran’s small hand.
“Let me give it to you. Be good!
I don’t need one. My dad got me a great computer when school started.”
He took Xie Bingran’s hand and walked to another display.
“I’ll get you an iPod Nano too. It’s just been released this year.”
Xu Chen turned and saw Xie Bingran blinking her big eyes, looking a bit lost.
He smiled.
“It’s for listening to music. You can use it during runs or training to make things less boring.”
“Oh…”
……
Half an hour later, Xu Chen and Xie Bingran walked out, bags in hand.
It was late 2006, and the iPhone hadn’t been released yet, or Xu Chen would have bought a pair…
Xie Bingran looked at the Apple laptop in her hands and said timidly,
“But I… don’t really know how to use it.”
Xu Chen: “I’ll teach you over the next couple of days!”
“Oh…”
Besides the MacBook and iPod Nano for Xie Bingran, Xu Chen also bought two iPod shuffles.
They’d be for the company year-end party gift exchange—his and Bing Ge’s gifts.
They loaded the purchases into the car, and Xu Chen took Xie Bingran to browse a few malls on Huaihai Road.
These places were full of expensive luxury brands, and Xie Bingran blinked her big eyes, occasionally murmuring,
“Everything here is so pricey!”
Xu Chen reassured her,
“Bing Ge, you can afford it now.”
Xie Bingran was quiet for a bit, then said,
“But spending like this feels a bit wasteful.”
Xu Chen: “You deserve the best.”
……
Xu Chen specifically took Xie Bingran to the Louis Vuitton store.
A pretty sales assistant hurried over with a smile.
Xu Chen wore that twenty-thousand-yuan LV jacket, and Bing Ge had on a pair of LV work pants.
The assistant saw they were serious customers and became very welcoming.
Xu Chen didn’t want to be bothered, so he just smiled and said,
“We’ll browse on our own.”
The assistant bowed with a smile: “Of course, sir. Just let me know if you need anything.”
……
Xu Chen held Bing Ge’s hand as they looked around the store.
“Bing Ge’s about to shoot an ad for them, so we can check it out first.”
Xu Chen brought Xie Bingran to these high-end stores not just for fun—he had a purpose.
Though Xie Bingran was now a top-tier sports star, she was still young.
Just over half a year ago, she was a struggling girl from a small county town.
Now with her earnings up, it was time to show her the wider world of luxury.
Bing Ge grew up in hardship; she acted tough and cool in public, but Xu Chen knew she had deep-seated insecurities.
He couldn’t always be there for her dealings with the outside world…
In the future, she’d handle business events and meet all sorts of people, so she needed broader life experience.
Of course, a shopping trip wouldn’t fix everything, but it was a start.
An athlete’s life was mostly confined to training fields and arenas, so Xu Chen wanted to show the little rich girl more of the world when he could.
Xie Bingran stared at clothes costing five figures and bags in six figures, completely baffled.
“Anything you like? I’ll buy it for you,” Xu Chen said with a smile.
Xie Bingran shrank back behind him and shook her head gently.
Xu Chen: “Then let’s just look around!”
He smiled and added,
“We don’t have to buy anything.
But Bing Ge, you need to know that if you want it, you can afford it all.
You’re Asia’s best—you deserve every good thing out there.”
Xie Bingran blinked her big eyes, looking like she half-understood.
……
Xu Chen and Xie Bingran stopped at a juice bar for a break.
Bing Ge wasn’t into overly sweet drinks, so Xu Chen ordered two refreshing lemon mint waters.
They sat at a window table, both wearing matching baseball caps.
Xie Bingran sipped through her straw, her lips soft and plump.
She slurped her juice, her big eyes blinking gently—she looked adorable.
She noticed Xu Chen staring and asked,
“What?”
Xu Chen: “Don’t move. I’m snapping a mental picture.”
……
With time to spare, Xu Chen took Xie Bingran’s hand and wandered more along Huaihai Road.
They strolled back to the car and drove off at a relaxed pace.
……
……
Early afternoon, downstairs at Tonghai Creative Design Building.
Xu Chen parked the car, checked his phone, and turned to Xie Bingran.
“We’ll wait in the car. My dad and Coach Fang Jun are almost here.”
“Mm…”
……
A few minutes later, a taxi pulled up.
Fang Jun got out from the back.
The passenger door opened…
And there was Xu Chen’s dad.
Old Xu wore all black with his hair slicked back.
He stepped out and fumbled in his pocket—clearly craving a smoke.
He lit up, took a couple of drags, then casually grabbed Fang Jun’s luggage from the trunk.
“Dad!”
“Uncle Xu!”
Xu Chen and Xie Bingran stood in front of Old Xu.
Xu Zhiquan turned around, his face lighting up with a broad smile.
But he ignored his son and went straight to Xie Bingran, saying,
“Ranran, you won that gold medal—Uncle Xu is so proud of you!”
Xie Bingran looked a bit shy.
“Thank you, Uncle Xu!”
Xu Chen rolled his eyes, thinking his own dad had just skipped right over him…
He turned to greet Coach Fang Jun instead.
Fang Jun kept her cool, aloof expression, her high ponytail swaying as she nodded at Xu Chen.
She quickly moved past him and linked arms with Xie Bingran.
Looking up at Xie Bingran, Fang Jun’s face softened with obvious affection.
……
Xu Chen shook his head in resignation.
It felt like Bing Ge had totally outranked him in the family pecking order…
Old Xu finally glanced at his son and clapped him on the shoulder.
“Heard your company’s doing great. I’m here to learn a thing or two!”
Xu Chen: “You’re too kind, President Xu. I owe it all to your big support.”
Xu Zhiquan chuckled heartily and squeezed his son’s shoulder hard.
“You’re still too skinny!
Work out more, eat up—take a page from Ranran’s book!”
Xu Chen: “……”
Xie Bingran: “?”
……
Xu Chen: “Anyone hungry? Want to grab a meal first?”
Fang Jun: “We’re good. We ate on the plane.”
Xu Chen: “Alright, let’s show President Xu and Coach Fang around the company!”
Fang Jun: “Sounds good. I haven’t checked the renovations yet!”
Xu Chen remembered something and pulled his dad aside.
“Dad, let me show you the car first!”
Old Xu perked up, cigarette in mouth, and followed along.
……
The white Jeep Grand Cherokee caught Old Xu’s eye.
As a car enthusiast, Old Xu was thrilled.
He circled the vehicle, grinning.
“Nice! It’s got real presence!”
Xu Chen popped the hood to show off the V8 engine.
“Eight cylinders—perfect!”
Old Xu nodded in approval.
He thought for a second.
“I gave you fifty grand, right?
This must’ve cost seventy…”
Before Xu Chen could respond, Fang Jun explained,
“Xu Chen did a project for the Jeep brand, and they gave him a special deal.
He got it for fifty thousand.”
Xu Zhiquan nodded with a proud smile and patted his son’s shoulder.
Xu Chen fished the keys from his pocket and handed them over.
Xu Zhiquan hesitated, then took them with a laugh.
“Perfect! I’ll drive it around the next couple of days…
Test out that eight-cylinder engine!”
Xu Chen paused, then added with a smile,
“Just don’t let anyone sit in the passenger seat…”
Xu Zhiquan: “Huh?”
Xu Chen chuckled awkwardly.
“The passenger seat is Xie Bingran’s.”
Old Xu laughed heartily. “No problem!”
Xie Bingran looked confused and glanced at Xu Chen timidly.
Old Xu kept eyeing the car and said,
“I’m thinking of getting a new one, but I’ll stick with a sedan for now.”
Xu Chen: “Why?”
Xu Zhiquan: “I have to consider the occasions I drive to.
A sedan fits better…”
Xu Chen: “How about a Mercedes S-Class or an Audi A8?”
Xu Zhiquan nodded. “S-Class is solid.
A lot of officials drive A6s, so A8 might be a bit much for me…”
……
Fang Jun, still arm in arm with Xie Bingran, watched the father-son chat and rolled her eyes.
“Let’s go up and see the office!”
……
Xu Chen led his dad straight to the large office on the sixth floor.
“Dad, this is all your empire. Welcome to inspect it!”
Xu Chen played tour guide, showing Old Xu around and explaining everything with pride.
Old Xu puffed on his cigarette, beaming and nodding—he was clearly impressed.
“You young folks really know how to make things stylish. This office is top-notch!”
Xu Chen glanced at Coach Fang Jun and quickly added,
“The renovations here were all overseen by Coach Fang Jun!
Without her input, it wouldn’t be this upscale.”
Fang Jun, still holding Xie Bingran’s arm, said flatly,
“The execution fell short on some details compared to the designs.”
Xu Chen: “……”
Fang Jun remembered something. “Where’s my liquor?”
Xu Chen: “It’s in the cabinet upstairs. I haven’t touched it!”
Fang Jun nodded.
Xu Chen pointed to the general manager’s office.
“My small office has a dedicated liquor cabinet.
And in the financial room, we set aside some shelves for it too!”
Fang Jun acknowledged with a nod, seeming pleased.
Xu Zhiquan was in high spirits.
“Let’s pull out a good bottle tonight!
We have to celebrate Ranran’s championship and your company’s success!”
Fang Jun nodded.
“If you want my liquor, just say so. No need for excuses!”
……
Old Xu surveyed the office and said to Fang Jun,
“This style is great!
We can use something similar for our new building and park.”
Xu Chen paused, surprised. “New building? New park?”
Xu Zhiquan chuckled.
“I haven’t told you yet—that’s good news!
The city approved another plot for ‘Chenfeng Technology’, right across from our current park…
We’re building a new office and adding two production lines!”
Xu Chen lit up with excitement.
“President Xu, you’re unstoppable! Are you already Tiancheng’s richest?”
Xu Zhiquan smiled humbly.
“It’s coming soon!”
Xu Chen: “……”
He turned to Fang Jun. “Why didn’t you mention this?”
Fang Jun said coolly,
“It’s not a big deal…
The launch went well, so the city stepped up support.
Plus, new funding’s coming in to expand production…”
Xu Chen shook his head at her casual attitude.
Xu Zhiquan, cigarette in hand, looked at Fang Jun.
“We owe a lot to Coach Fang Jun!
‘Chenfeng Ice Power’s first sale brought in funds, but we had gaps…
The city helped, and Coach Fang secured loans from major banks!”
Xu Chen glanced at Fang Jun.
“Tonight, I’ll drink a few more with you, Coach Fang!”
Fang Jun nodded.
“We can have a little at lunch too.”
Xu Chen: “……”
After checking the sixth floor, Xu Chen took the group up to the eighth-floor office.
Xu Zhiquan was clearly proud of his son’s ventures.
But he knew these companies were tied to Xie Bingran, so he kept praising her too.
Xie Bingran stayed a bit reserved around ‘Uncle Xu’, blinking her big eyes without knowing how to respond.
Fang Jun, arm around her, whispered,
“Don’t worry, those two just love their fake pleasantries.”
Xu Chen: “??”
……
They opened the liquor cabinet in the eighth-floor general manager’s office, and Fang Jun bent down to inspect it.
After counting, she nodded in satisfaction.
She pulled out a bottle of Guojiao and looked at Xu Zhiquan.
“Let’s keep it light at lunch.”
Xu Zhiquan seemed thrilled.
“Sure, just a little…”
Xu Chen sighed.
“Don’t get too tipsy, though. We have Wu Feifei and Su Rong coming tonight.”
Fang Jun eyed the bottle.
“It’ll wear off by afternoon.”
Xu Zhiquan nodded.
“No issue. I can have a couple more, and Coach Fang can have less.”
Fang Jun frowned slightly, as if challenged.
“That’s my liquor!”
Xu Chen: “……”
Xie Bingran: “?”