I Don’t Want To Be Popular - Chapter 9

Chapter 9: Elegance

Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation

After viewing the apartment, Li Qing, Xiangyun and Chen Chuan went shopping.

Chen Chuan bought three bars of Häagen-Dazs ice cream at the shopping mall.

They all had ice cream while shopping.

[You have spent 240 yuan. You have earned double cashback totaling 480 yuan. The amount has been transferred to your account.]

They walked past the Starbucks store and entered to take a rest inside. 

Chen Chuan ordered three cups of latte which cost 117 yuan.

[You have spent 117 yuan. You have earned double cashback totaling 234 yuan. The amount has been transferred to your account.]

After getting some rest, they went to the upper floor of the mall to buy clothes.

Li Qing bought an autumn wool coat, which was manufactured by the Erdos Group, at a discount price of 6,999 yuan. What an affluent woman.

Xiangyun thought that she should not miss out as well.

At that point, she kept comparing it with another coat, which was originally priced at 58,000 yuan but sold at a discount price of 5,800 yuan. 

Chen Chuan noticed the somber expression on Xiangyun’s face. He knew that she was concerned about her money.

“Xiangyun, this camel-colored one matches your elegance. You have fair skin, and it suits you well.” Li Qing added, “Furthermore, it costs only 5,800 yuan which isn’t expensive.”

“Yeah. I’m just rummaging around to see if there’s a better one… In fact, the gray one manufactured by the Youngor Group looks good, doesn’t it? Don’t you agree, son?” Xiangyun asked, her gaze shifted to Chen Chuan. 

“Gray makes you look old, and what’s more, the one manufactured by the Youngor Group costs only 4,000-plus yuan. You get what you pay for. In terms of quality, that coat is definitely incomparable to this one. Is this coat too pricey for you, Xiangyun?” Li Qing asked.

“Fine, this is it.” Gnashing her teeth, Xiangyun made up her mind, her back facing Li Qing. 

She took out a bank card from her purse and was ready to swipe it.

“It’s already 2017, and you still use your bank card for transactions? You can just make payments through WeChat Pay or Alipay,” said Li Qing. 

Xiangyun replied, “But I’m not used to storing such a huge amount of funds online…”

“It’s not much, just a few thousand yuan. It’s really convenient. These days, I just bring my phone along when I’m out,” Li Qing said as she raised the iPhone 6s Plus in her hand, which was encased in rose gold.

Chen Chuan seized the opportunity to say, “Mom, I’ll pay for the coat.”

“No worries. I’ll pay.” Xiangyun smiled. “Ah, that’s very filial of you, son.”

On the other hand, Li Qing picked a scarf and paid for it. She then said, “This scarf matches the coat well.”

Xiangyun threw a glance at it and realized that the ordinary checked scarf was sold at 1,998 yuan. 

“Xiangyun, this red scarf is a better match for the coat. Try this scarf.” Li Qing handed her the scarf.

Xiangyun took it and looked at the price tag first: 6,888 yuan, 70% off.

Upon doing a mental calculation, she found out that it was 2,066 yuan. 

As Xiangyun was trying it on, she grumbled, “Actually, I don’t get why such a normal scarf can cost a few thousand yuan. The scarf is just made of cotton, isn’t it? Cotton can be found anywhere. Is it even valuable? That’s a bit much.”

“Miss, this is not cotton. It’s cashmere.” The salesgirl in the shop corrected her. 

As Xiangyun was trying on the scarf, Chen Chuan headed to the counter where the bill was made out. He then paid for the scarf at the service counter. 

[You have spent 2,066 yuan. You have earned double cashback totaling 4,132 yuan. The amount has been transferred to your account.]

Li Qing witnessed the situation beside Xiangyun and said, “Xiangyun, that’s very mature of your son. But you’re young, Chen Chuan. You’re still a student anyway. You’re spending your parents’ money after all.” 

“Yeah. Anyhow, it’s the thought that counts,” Xiangyun replied.

It was now lunchtime. 

Xiangyun said, “Li Qing, come over to our hotpot restaurant to have lunch. Chen Chuan’s father is already waiting there. Everything is ready.”

Li Qing replied, “It’s okay. As you know, my stomach can’t tolerate that kind of average hotpot seasoning. I’ll get diarrhea after having it. Let’s just have something at a nearby restaurant here. Lunch is on me.”

“Sounds good too,” said Xiangyun. 

The three of them headed to the fifth floor of the shopping mall. They picked a western restaurant.

With a glum look, Xiangyun forced a smile.

Chen Chuan knew that it was because of Li Qing’s forthright manner.

Although Chen Hotpot Restaurant offered affordable hotpots, Li Qing should not have called it an ‘average kind of hotpot seasoning’ in front of Xiangyun.

What was more, the seasoning that the Chen Hotpot Restaurant used was not too bad. It was an honest business. 

Chen Chuan ordered a set of Avocado Appetizer with Ham worth 128 yuan, a set of Italian Oxtail Soup worth 88 yuan, a set of Grilled Giant Tiger Prawns worth 128 yuan, two sets of M7 Wagyu Beef Steaks worth 488 yuan and one set of Lava Mousse worth 52 yuan. 

Xiangyun said, “I’m not sure what to order. Just give me one more set of what Chen Chuan has just ordered.”

“I’m afraid I won’t have enough to eat, so I ordered two sets of steak,” Chen Chuan reminded her.

“I just want one set of steak then, and the same goes for the rest,” Xiangyun said.

After Li Qing had ordered the set, she surprisingly said, “Ah, that’s the right sequence of ordering a course meal. I just realized that.”

Chen Chuan raised a faint smile. 

He had never dined at an upscale Western restaurant, and this was considered to be the first in his entire lifetime. However, he had done some research on it when he wrote the novel earlier. 

“Your total is 3,346 yuan.” The female server showed the bill.

Li Qing was momentarily stunned having to pay the bill before the meal. Nevertheless, she then acted normal and took out her cell phone to settle the bill.

Xiangyun felt like paying for the meal. Looking at the price, however, she could not afford to offer to make the payment.

Chen Chuan said, “Aunt Li, let me pay.”

“No worries. It’s only a meal. Just enjoy it.” Li Qing scanned the code and completed the payment.

Xiangyun said, “I can’t believe the dishes here are so pricey. They cost 3,000 yuan. I’m sorry to have made you spend so much money. Now that we’ve finished our lunch, let’s go to a spa. The spa is on me.”

“Sure. It’s good to relax after our meal,” replied Li Qing.

…

Chen Chuan indulged himself in the meal.

The steak had a sweet and buttery flavor as well as a velvety mouthfeel. The marbling fat in the beef was just perfect. 

A bite of the steak instantly filled his mouth with meat juice, and the aftertaste spread throughout his mouth. 

A sumptuous meal brought about so much pleasure and satisfaction. 

“Take your time, Mom and Aunt Li. I’m going out for a while.” Chen Chuan finished his food and left the restaurant. 

He went to the spa located on the lower floor and signed up for two membership cards. He then topped up 3,000 yuan in each card and paid 6,000 yuan altogether. 

[You have spent 6,000 yuan. You have earned double cashback totaling 12,000 yuan. The amount has been transferred to your account.]

Chen Chuan returned to the restaurant with the two membership cards. He handed them to Xiangyun under the table and said, “Here, take these two membership cards. Both of you go and have a spa in the afternoon. I’m going to play ball with my schoolmate later.”

Upon receiving the cards, Xiangyun took a look at them. It was an expensive spa called the Meitang Beauty Spa on the lower floor.

“So, you just went to sign up for the cards and topped up some money? How much did you top up? Where did you get the money from?” She asked the three questions with a curious gaze. 

However, she did not get a prompt response from Chen Chuan.