The shopping center mentioned by the butler was indeed sparsely populated, offering VIP-style service. As Zhong Ziyan stepped onto the red carpet leading to the entrance, a staff member dressed in a women's three-piece suit stood waiting to greet her.
Wearing a sweet, flight-attendant-like smile—professional yet warm—the woman said, "Hello, Ms. Zhong. My surname is Wang, and I’ll be accompanying you today on your visit to Yansha. I hope you’ll have a pleasant shopping experience."
Zhong Ziyan nodded, thinking to herself that spending money was always a pleasure.
She glanced at the woman’s name tag and noticed her title was "Manager." "Manager Wang," she acknowledged.
"You’re too kind, Ms. Zhong. Please follow me," Manager Wang replied with a smile, guiding her inside. "An hour ago, I received a call from your butler, but he didn’t mention your shopping preferences for today?"
—Ah, no wonder the service is so attentive. They know who my boss is, Zhong Ziyan mused.
"Just browsing for now," she replied casually as she stepped through the main doors of Yansha—and was instantly dazzled.
The exhibition hall before her resembled a luxury art gallery more than a typical shopping center divided into island-style counters. The walkways were absurdly spacious, and the exquisitely lavish displays were designed like museum exhibits.
Wealthy patrons dressed in opulent attire strolled leisurely among the counters, accompanied by elegant personal shoppers, casually splurging fortunes.
"The first floor features mass-produced luxury items, the second floor showcases handmade goods, the third floor houses artisan studios, and the fourth floor is the VIP lounge," Manager Wang explained in a gentle, refined tone. "If you don’t have any specific preferences, may I begin guiding you from the first floor?"
Zhong Ziyan nodded solemnly, her gaze lingering on a woman in a strapless, trailing wedding dress who walked past.
—Clearly, she wasn’t here to buy a wedding dress. She was just shopping in one.
And no one around them batted an eye, as if this were just another ordinary day for the rich.
A few passersby, however, did cast odd glances at Zhong Ziyan’s conspicuously plain outfit.
She had a million thoughts she wanted to voice but swallowed them back in public.
Manager Wang also glanced thoughtfully at the wedding dress and remarked, "The second floor has a permanent studio from an internationally renowned wedding designer."
Zhong Ziyan briefly considered whether a contractual marriage required a wedding before shaking her head. "Not today." She’d have to consult her boss first.
Manager Wang smiled gracefully. "Of course. Please follow me."
Given the vast space and sparse clientele, most counters were unattended.
The first display Zhong Ziyan approached with Manager Wang featured several oddly shaped glass objects.
In her opinion, they were worth fifteen yuan at most.
But unlike other stores, there were no price tags here.
"Is this a decorative piece?" Zhong Ziyan picked one up casually. "How much?"
She mentally added two zeros to her estimate, feeling generous.
"The piece in your hand is twenty-three thousand yuan."
Zhong Ziyan: "..." This glass? Give me three seconds, and I’ll shape you something more creative!
"This was designed by a Greek artist. The set of four symbolizes the inevitable stages of life: birth, aging, sickness, and death," Manager Wang explained knowledgeably.
Following her gesture, Zhong Ziyan saw the other three equally bizarre glass chunks.
...Art is truly incomprehensible.
And expensive.
"Let’s look at something else," Zhong Ziyan said calmly, placing the twenty-three-thousand-yuan artwork back.
Manager Wang nodded and led her to the next display. "This is a storage cabinet for vinyl records."
Zhong Ziyan: "..." Why? Why bedazzle it with diamonds? "Do you have one for car keys?"
This might actually be useful in Wei Hanyun’s house.
Manager Wang smiled mysteriously. "If you desire it, any brand can create a custom piece exclusively for you."
Zhong Ziyan nodded. "One that mounts on the wall, then."
"Shall I call a designer now, or would you prefer to continue browsing?" Manager Wang inquired.
"Let’s keep looking," Zhong Ziyan replied, recalling Wei Hanyun’s standards and feeling she hadn’t spent enough yet.
After touring the entire first floor, Zhong Ziyan grew numb to the absurd prices.
Each time her pupils threatened to dilate in shock, she reminded herself of the eighty-million-yuan private island she’d just bought—and instantly regained her composure.
Here, a hundred thousand or half a million felt like pocket change.
No wonder there were so few customers. How many people could afford this?
Grumbling internally, Zhong Ziyan took the VIP elevator to the second floor.
As soon as the doors opened, her eyes landed on a violin prominently displayed nearby.
The instrument looked aged but impeccably maintained. Influenced by her elven affinity for music, Zhong Ziyan paused to admire it.
"This is the beloved violin once played by Maestro Ferivi, crafted by the Stradivari family. Though over four hundred years old, it remains in excellent condition," Manager Wang explained. "It’s one of our store’s crown jewels."
Though unfamiliar with Ferivi or Stradivari, Zhong Ziyan could tell it was a fine instrument—and she was genuinely tempted.
Even if she could afford it without blinking, she instinctively asked, "How much?"
"Eight—" Manager Wang began, but a voice interrupted.
"If you have to ask, you clearly can’t afford it," a young girl said dismissively. "You might as well leave. My friend has already reserved this."
Zhong Ziyan glanced at the girl in a floor-length fishtail gown and pink pearl hairpin before turning back to Manager Wang. "Is it reserved?"
Manager Wang’s smile remained unshaken. "We’ve received no deposit, so there must be some misunderstanding."
"She said she’d pay, so of course she will!" the girl snapped. "It’s just eight million—it’s not like she doesn’t have the money."
Manager Wang bowed slightly in apology. "Without a deposit, we cannot hold items. We appreciate your understanding."
As the girl fumed, Zhong Ziyan helpfully suggested, "Why not pay the deposit for your friend?"
The girl: "..."
Zhong Ziyan: "?"
A few seconds later, the girl huffed in frustration, her face flushing red before she stormed off.
Baffled, Zhong Ziyan assumed the matter was resolved and turned to Manager Wang. "I’ll take the violin. Do you have other fine instruments?"
"Of course," Manager Wang replied, signaling to a white-gloved attendant who carefully packed the violin into its case.
The second floor was slightly smaller than the first. After Zhong Ziyan purchased a flute and a harp, she unexpectedly ran into the same young girl who had scurried away earlier.
This time, the girl wasn’t alone. She was clinging affectionately to a woman’s arm, seemingly in the middle of coaxing her, and hadn’t yet noticed Zhong Ziyan.
Zhong Ziyan hadn’t intended to eavesdrop, but her sharp hearing caught the woman’s words anyway.
"Two million isn’t much, and I wouldn’t mind spending it on you, but I won’t tolerate it being wasted on your unreliable friend," the woman said.
"Then just think of it as buying it for me!" the girl insisted, pouting. "I already boasted about it earlier. If I don’t follow through, won’t I be laughed at?"
"Enough of this nonsense," the woman scolded.
Zhong Ziyan: "..." So that’s how it was.
She suddenly felt a twinge of guilt for inadvertently bullying a child earlier.
When the girl and the woman began walking in her direction, Zhong Ziyan subtly shifted her path to avoid their line of sight.
Manager Wang followed behind her with light steps, unbothered by her sudden change in direction, and continued his explanation: "Due to the natural limitations of the materials, this bag is limited to only twelve pieces per year, with each one requiring over five hundred hours of craftsmanship."
Zhong Ziyan paused to glance at it, slightly puzzled as to why production time was being used as a measure of value.
Though she had already bought quite a few bags today… come to think of it, the deliveries should start arriving soon.
"It’s quite beautiful," Zhong Ziyan remarked absentmindedly.
The thought of the incoming packages made her eager to return home.
She mentally tallied her spending and was about to happily conclude her shopping spree when the girl’s voice rang out at the worst possible moment: "Mom, I want this one in cherry blossom pink!"
Zhong Ziyan sighed inwardly and caught sight of the approaching mother-daughter pair in the enamel-framed mirror between the bags.
The girl, now emboldened by her reinforcements, lifted her chin triumphantly. "I want this bag as my birthday present this year!"
The woman exhaled in resignation and glanced at the staff member accompanying them.
The staff promptly quoted a six-figure price.
Zhong Ziyan: "..." Though she had braced herself, she couldn’t help but mentally convert the cost into hourly wages.
Hundreds per hour?! What kind of high-paying job was this?!
The woman relented with another sigh. "Have it delivered to our home," she instructed.
The girl immediately perked up, casting a haughty glance at Zhong Ziyan, her face practically glowing with smugness.
Perhaps mindful of her mother’s presence, she refrained from making another scene like before.
The childish provocation made Zhong Ziyan raise an eyebrow, and she decided to play along. "What other colors does this bag come in?"
With professional poise, Manager Wang retrieved a framed color chart for her to examine. "You’ve come at the perfect time—all six colors in the collection are currently in stock. Which one would you like?"
Zhong Ziyan smiled faintly at the girl and delivered her line with understated extravagance: "Which one? No, I’ll take one of each color, of course."
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Really, who hasn’t dreamed of going all-in at least once?
