"What the heck is this thing?"
Jiang Chen turned the sleek black card over in his hand, his fingertips brushing the embossed gold logo.
Han Yan slipped it into his palm with a smile that made the fine lines at the corners of her eyes crinkle with warmth.
"Tianzun Card from Tianfu Group. You can use it at any of their hotels or malls. If your purchase is under a thousand yuan, it's free—up to ten times."
"Ten times under a thousand? Isn't that like a ten-thousand-yuan gift card?" Jiang Chen almost felt bad accepting it. "Auntie, you already paid me for the treatment. You should keep it."
He'd always believed in "no shame taking rich people's money," but looking at the kindness in Han Yan's eyes, he hesitated.
"That's payment for the massage." Her eyes twinkled with suggestion. "You just gave me a quick rub this time. Next time, how about a full-body session?"
"A full set?" Jiang Chen instinctively glanced at the alluring woman in front of him. His heart skipped—did the Seven-Star Needle fail to calm her down?
Nope. Time to bounce!
That heat in her eyes… he couldn't risk making a mistake. What guy could resist? With skin like that, that scent—just thinking about it made his head spin.
"Ah, look at the time! I've got patients waiting back in the village for IV drips. Rain check, okay?"
He snatched the card and bolted.
Outside, it was only 7:30 p.m.
The city was celebrating its 500th anniversary. Polluting factories had been shut down, and the sky was a rare shade of perfect blue.
Drums boomed in the streets, and local dancers were in full swing. Jiang Chen found himself enjoying the festivities—then suddenly thought of Wen-xian. They'd been married a while now, and she'd never had a honeymoon. Right now, she was probably helping her parents in the cornfields.
He pulled out his phone. "Wen-xian, I'm done. The city's buzzing tonight—why don't you grab a cab and come hang out?"
Wen-xian, knee-deep in corn stalks, was going to decline. But her parents urged her to go. "Go have fun with Xiao Fan!"
She gave in and caught a returning taxi at the village entrance. Soon, she was by Jiang Chen's side.
As soon as she got in the car, she narrowed her eyes at him. "You were alone with that rich lady for a long time. Didn't get up to anything, did you?"
Jiang Chen thumped his chest. "If something had happened, would I be inviting you out right now?"
Wen-xian giggled and gave him a light slap. "Don't brag too soon. If you don't deliver tonight, we'll be having words."
They strolled hand-in-hand through the city until it got dark.
Then Wen-xian remembered the old sow at home was about to give birth and said they should head back.
But Jiang Chen pulled up in front of Tianfu Mall. "Let's grab you some nice clothes."
He waved the card. "You bought me brand-name stuff last time. My turn now."
Wen-xian reluctantly followed him inside.
The moment they entered, she dragged him toward the discount section.
"Why are we going this way?"
"We can buy more if it's on sale!" she said.
But Jiang Chen steered her to the high-end racks. "Today we're playing rich. Anyone gives us a discount, we walk!"
There weren't many customers in the luxury section. A few sales clerks glanced at them—probably thinking, those clothes scream bargain bin.
Wen-xian said she wasn't buying anything, but her eyes lit up at the displays.
She brushed her hand across a silk blouse. "This fabric feels amazing…"
Then she saw the price tag—¥2,800—and gasped.
Just then, a mannequin's outfit caught her eye: sleeveless top with red stripes on gray, paired with a cobalt-blue pencil skirt. Price: ¥888.
"This set's perfect for you," Jiang Chen said. "You've got the figure for it—slim waist, long legs. You'd look amazing."
He grabbed a medium and handed it to her.
Wen-xian hesitated. "This one set would use up the whole limit. I could get a few pieces on sale for the same amount."
"Try it on. If it looks good, it's worth ten outfits. If not, even a hundred won't help."
He held the clothes up to her. She glanced in the mirror and blushed.
Just as she turned toward the fitting rooms, a shrill voice cut in.
"What do you think you're doing? This ain't your kind of place!"
A female clerk caked in foundation stormed over, eyeing them like they'd crawled out of a dumpster.
"Trying on clothes. What else?" Jiang Chen shot back in her harsh northern accent.
"Do you know how expensive this is? One piece costs more than your whole outfit! You get it dirty—can you afford it?"
Wen-xian didn't want trouble. She quietly hung the outfit back and tugged Jiang Chen away.
But the saleswoman wouldn't stop.
"Don't waste time here. Nothing in this store is for you. Try the night market. That's more your speed."
Wen-xian's face turned crimson. "Are you here to sell clothes or pick fights?"
The clerk doubled down. "I'm picking a fight—what now? You don't like it, complain in the bathroom!"
That was too much.
"You need your mouth washed out," Jiang Chen snapped. "Tianfu Group really hired trash like you?"
The woman shrieked for the manager.
A pudgy young man waddled over. The clerk immediately switched to suck-up mode. "Manager, these two bumpkins are making a scene."
The manager gave her a token scolding—"Customers are gods"—but turned to Jiang Chen with veiled disdain.
"You two might be in the wrong section. The clearance rack's over there," he said, pointing to the tag. "This outfit's a thousand yuan. Judging by your look… maybe stick to what you can afford."
"Now that you've said that, I definitely want it!" Jiang Chen slapped the card on the counter. "Wrap it up!"
The manager smirked as he bagged the outfit. "Just so you know, special sales are final. No returns, no exchanges. A thousand yuan is a lot for folks like you."
Jiang Chen ignored him and handed over the card.
The manager's eyes widened.
"A Tianzun Card?" He gave Jiang Chen a once-over. "Only fifteen of these exist… Who gave you this?"
Jiang Chen lowered his head and scuffed the floor. "Someone gifted it to me. Why, is that a problem?"
The manager thought the card had to be stolen and called security.
Within moments, a dozen guards swarmed in with electric batons crackling.
"Who's making trouble?" the lead guard barked. "You know whose turf this is?"
The manager sneered. "Be honest—where'd you steal this card?"
"I told you—it was a gift!" Jiang Chen played the pitiful card. "Look it up if you don't believe me!"
Suddenly, the manager remembered a certain VIP upstairs. He whispered to the guards to call Young Master Xu Peng
Within three minutes, the elevator doors slid open. Xu Peng hobbled out, limping noticeably, with Ren Li close behind.
"You again!" Xu Peng's face turned ghostly pale the moment he saw Jiang Chen.
The last time they met at the auction, Jiang Chen had humiliated him thoroughly. He'd been seething ever since—and now, of all places, they crossed paths again.
His bad leg seemed to tremble even more, and his limp grew worse.
Jiang Chen grinned and walked up cheerfully. "Yo, old classmate, your limp's looking worse than ever. Want me to lend you a cane?"
On the other side, Wen-xian and Ren Li locked eyes. Sparks flew.
Wen-xian clutched Jiang Chen's arm tighter and whispered, "Is that your high school crush? The so-called campus beauty?"
Jiang Chen chuckled. "What do you think?"
Wen-xian curled her lips. "Her? That's it? And people called that a school belle?"
Ren Li overheard and snorted. "Bumpkin will always be a bumpkin. Can't even recognize class when you see it."
Wen-xian shot back without hesitation. "Honey, I seriously feel sorry for you. What were you thinking back then, falling for someone like that?"
The chubby manager, sensing a full-on feud, quickly handed the card to Xu Peng. "Young Master Xu, this card seems… suspicious."
Xu Peng accepted the card with a cold sneer. "Old classmate, are you seriously stealing cards just to impress a girl? Not afraid I'll call the cops on you?"
The female clerk jumped in, fanning the flames. "No wonder he looked like a thief! A repeat offender, I bet!"
Xu Peng gave Jiang Chen a mock-pitying glance and sighed dramatically.
"Man, we were classmates once. It's fine to be poor—but stealing? That's just low."
Jiang Chen looked at his smug face and let out a mental scoff. Oh, this performance… Looks like it's about to get interesting.
He folded his arms and said slowly, "Alright. You want to turn me in? Fine by me. But first, ask the actual owner of this card if they approve."
The moment those words landed, Xu Peng and the manager both froze.
The manager's heart started pounding—What if this card was really gifted by someone important? Then I've just stepped in it big time.
Even Xu Peng felt a flicker of doubt. As arrogant as he was, he knew how powerful the holders of those fifteen Tianzun Cards were within Tianfu Group.
The room went dead silent. The only sound was the crackling hum of the security guards' electric batons.
Wen-xian tugged at Jiang Chen's sleeve, urging him not to cause trouble—but Jiang Chen stood taller than ever, eyes gleaming with mischief.