Chapter 16: VIP Client
Although the doorman spoke politely, there was a trace of disdain in his eyes. Gu Xiangnan paused for a moment, caught off guard, but before he could say anything, his two companions bristled with indignation.
A-Zhen stepped forward first, raising his voice. “What do you mean by that? Are you looking down on our Brother Nan, thinking he can't afford it?”
The doorman rapidly denied it, “No, no, that's not what I meant, please don't misunderstand!”
A-Qiang, tall and broad-shouldered like a wall, shoved aside the doorman’s blocking arm and said, “Ever heard of Lord Feng, the underground king of Jiangning? This man here calls him brother-in-law. Do you really think he can't pay?”
At these words, a flash of surprise crossed the doorman’s face. Who in Jiangning hadn’t heard of Lord Feng? He quickly withdrew his arm, bowing repeatedly and apologizing, “So you’re with Lord Feng! Forgive me, please come in!”
With his companions leading the way, Gu Xiangnan just smiled faintly and said nothing more. They entered the shopping mall.
They stopped at the entrance of a men’s clothing boutique, its lavish decor bathed in gentle light. Gu Xiangnan halted, saying, “Let’s take a look inside. The designs seem pretty good.”
A-Zhen recognized the store at once—Lord Feng had always favored this brand.
“Brother Nan, this is a top luxury label. Ordinarily, they don’t even serve regular customers.”
“Do I look like an ordinary person to you? Come on, let’s go in,” Gu Xiangnan replied with confidence.
A-Zhen admired this cocky side of Gu Xiangnan. He could fight, he was skilled in medicine, and he was handsome too—he was A-Zhen’s idol in every way!
“Brother Nan, look at this one,” A-Zhen pointed at the outfit on a mannequin. “It would suit you perfectly!”
A saleswoman, wearing a dark pencil skirt, began her introduction, “Gentlemen, this is the city’s premier luxury menswear brand. Should you wish to make a purchase, you’ll need to verify your account balance at the counter.”
“If you don’t have the means, kindly turn left as you exit—the ten-yuan store is just across the street.”
She hadn’t finished her sentence before A-Qiang’s face darkened. Such blatant snobbery!
A-Zhen picked up the price tag, glanced at it, and sneered, “It’s only fifty thousand. I thought it would be at least a hundred million!” His voice was laced with sarcasm as he glared at the woman.
The shop assistant looked embarrassed, but didn’t retort. In her eyes, Gu Xiangnan looked far too ordinary to afford anything here.
At that moment, a young man entered the store. His hair was slicked back, his tailored suit and precisely matched tie and shirt exuding refinement. The saleswomen swarmed around him like flies, chattering incessantly.
“Young Master Zheng, it’s been so long! We’ve just received many new styles—would you like to have a look?”
“Young Master Zheng, you never visit anymore—we’ve all missed you.”
“Young Master Zheng, if you don’t come, I’ll never meet my sales targets!”
Young Master Zheng smiled and responded with practiced ease, as if he were at home in his own living room. The moment he sank onto the store’s sofa, someone presented him with the clothing catalog, and with a simple gesture, a cup of coffee was placed in his hand.
“This is your preferred three-parts sweet, at sixty-five degrees.”
Gu Xiangnan stood quietly aside, watching the scene with a complicated expression. Why did these saleswomen remind him of the courtesans at the House of Blossoms?
Even the saleswoman who had been tending to him was eager to serve Young Master Zheng instead. Not only did this man buy several suits every time he came, he also gave out generous red envelopes to the staff before leaving.
If only she weren’t stuck with this pauper!
Impatiently, the saleswoman tried to shoo them away, “Excuse me, gentlemen, but we have a VIP guest in the store and need to clear the area. Would you please step outside for a while?”
A-Qiang, furious, protested, “Purchasing should be first come, first served! We arrived before he did—why should we leave?”
His imposing stature made the saleswoman shrink back in fear as he stepped forward.
Young Master Zheng, well acquainted with the staff, interjected from his seat, “Xiao Wang, if these three gentlemen are VIPs as well, there’s no need to drive them out.”
The saleswoman, surnamed Wang, replied, “Our company policy requires all VIP clients to verify their account balance. If this gentleman meets the criteria, he’s welcome to enjoy VIP services.”
Gu Xiangnan recalled that he still had a black card. He wondered if their machine could display his account balance. Truth be told, he was curious himself to see how much was on it.
With that, he pulled the black card from his bag.
The saleswoman was taken aback. She had never imagined that this plainly dressed young man would own a black card! She and her colleagues had memorized the profiles of every black card holder and their associates in Jiangning by heart—even down to the mistresses of the city’s wealthy elite.
But she had no recollection of this young man.
Hastily, she fetched the card machine and swiped the black card.
“Invalid card,” intoned the electronic voice.
The saleswoman shot Gu Xiangnan a contemptuous look.
Young Master Zheng scoffed, “Are you here as a comedian, sir? Passing off a fake card as a real black card?”
The other saleswomen burst into laughter.
A-Zhen was furious. “What nonsense! Does it look like Brother Nan is short of money? He’s Lord Feng’s brother-in-law!”
Young Master Zheng sneered, “You’re a pack of frauds. Do you even know who Lord Feng is? He’s the underground king of Jiangning! Even families like mine need connections for a chance to meet him.”
He eyed Gu Xiangnan’s outfit up and down with scorn. “Did you just come down from the mountains? That getup is a disaster. Have you read too many novels and started pretending to be some big shot?”
Laughter erupted again.
Gu Xiangnan remained calm. “Believe it or not, I do know Lord Feng.”
“Nonsense! Do you realize what kind of person Lord Feng is? Who do you think you are? As if you’d ever meet him,” Young Master Zheng retorted.
“Master Zheng, what an honor! Why didn’t you call ahead?” A middle-aged woman hurried over with a flattering smile, stopping beside Young Master Zheng.
“Manager, this man tried to use a fake black card to apply for VIP status, and claims to know Lord Feng,” the saleswoman quickly reported.
The manager scrutinized Gu Xiangnan, when suddenly her gaze fixed on something at his collar.
Around Gu Xiangnan’s neck hung a necklace with a ring. The ring was primitive and bold in design, set with a single obsidian stone.
It was the token of sworn brotherhood given to him by Bai Hua Bing.
Whenever Gu Xiangnan unleashed the Giant Yuan Palm, his hand would swell several times in size, making it inconvenient to wear the ring on his finger, so he had come up with this solution.
The manager’s heart skipped a beat.
Wasn’t that the ring belonging to Lord Feng’s wife?!