Chapter 13: We don't have enough money.
"This..." The poor waiter was caught in the middle, in a dilemma. After a moment, he whispered, "Are you two guests members of our store? If you are gold card members, you can enjoy priority purchasing rights."
Upon hearing this, both Wu Yun and Xie Xiaoling's expressions changed.
Wu Yun asked Yan Shenyu in a low voice, "Do you have a membership at this store?"
"Let me see." Yan Shenyu couldn't remember such trivial details, so she took out her phone and checked her electronic membership card.
Before Yan Shenyu could speak, Xie Xiaoling preemptively said, "So what if I don't have a membership card? I'm willing to pay an extra ten thousand."
Yan Shenyu: "..."
Is this some kind of low-quality idol drama?
However, before he could even complain, Wu Yun, who was standing next to him, quickly got into character and followed suit: "I'll raise the price by 100,000!"
Yan Shenyu: "..."
Two hundred thousand!
"Three hundred thousand!"
"Four hundred thousand!"
Wu Yun wanted to follow, but Yan Shenyu grabbed him.
“Don’t add any more,” Yan Shenyu shook her head. “I already have a membership card.”
Wu Yun's eyes lit up: "I knew you were the most reliable!"
Yan Shenyu: "Waiter, please wrap this up."
Just as the waiter was about to move it, Xie Xiaoling, who was standing next to her, became anxious and quickly said, "Five hundred thousand! I'm willing to add five hundred thousand to the original price to buy this necklace!"
"Sir, why don't you take a look at other styles?" the salesperson said with difficulty. "This necklace originally only cost seven figures, but you've added a third to the price, which is really not worth it."
"I don't want it," Xie Xiaoling insisted, determined to make Yan Shenyu suffer. "I want this necklace!"
Waiter: "But this customer has a membership card, and the necklace has already been given to him..."
"Give this customer who raised the price a discount." A voice suddenly came, and the next moment, a man in a suit and smelling of strong cologne walked over.
The waiter immediately stood up straight: "Manager."
The manager waved his hand: "You can go now, I'll take care of things here."
The waiter hesitated for a moment, then put down the necklace and stood aside with his hands hanging down.
The manager put on gloves and carefully held up the necklace to show Xie Xiaoling: "Would this customer like to try it on?"
Xie Xiaoling raised an eyebrow, a smug smile on her face: "Thank you for your trouble, Manager."
"Wait, what do you mean by that?" Wu Yun stepped between the two and said coldly, "This waiter just said the necklace is mine."
"I'm sorry, he's new here and doesn't know much about the business," the manager said politely. "Although you arrived first and showed your appreciation for the necklace, this gentleman is willing to pay an extra 500,000 for it. Therefore, I have reason to believe that he likes the necklace more and values it more than you do. Do you agree?"
"This..." Wu Yun was stunned, and for a moment he was caught in his trap and couldn't find a rebuttal.
It was Yan Shenyu, who was standing next to him, who spoke up: "The waiter just said that gold card holders enjoy priority purchasing rights."
“This is how it is for this member,” the manager turned to Yan Shenyu and said in a friendly tone, “The premise is that both parties offer the same price, and only then can the member enjoy the right of first refusal.”
“Then I can add more money!” Wu Yun pulled out his card. “I’ll add 1 million!”
Upon hearing this, the manager was taken aback at first, then his smile widened even further.
“Sir,” he looked at Xie Xiaoling, his tone extremely sincere, “would you like to raise the price?”
"Uh..." Xie Xiaoling maintained an elegant smile on her face, but in her heart she had already cursed Yan Shenyu, Wu Yun, and even the manager.
Did they really think he was a sucker? A premium of 1 million is enough for him to buy two necklaces! Normally, if someone dared to rip him off like this, he would just turn around and leave, and even complain about the salesperson when he got back.
But Yan Shenyu was standing right in front of him, and he had already made his tough statement. If he backed down halfway, he would only lose face.
Xie Xiaoling gritted her teeth, but said casually, "1.5 million."
The manager's delight intensified. He turned to Wu Yun and, in an absolutely elegant tone, nudged the flames: "This gentleman..."
Seeing Xie Xiaoling's smug expression, Wu Yun hesitated, gritted his teeth, and followed: "2 million!"
Upon hearing this, the room fell silent.
Xie Xiaoling remained silent for an exceptionally long time. Just when Wu Yun thought he was about to give up, he spoke up: "2.5 million."
Wu Yun: "..."
Wu Yun didn't want to continue. The price of 2.5 million plus the necklace's original price of over 1 million, totaling 3.5 million, far exceeded his budget.
Besides, he only thought the necklace was okay; he didn't particularly like it. If he really liked it, he wouldn't mind paying more, but he wasn't willing to waste so much money on something that was just so-so.
Ultimately, it's all Xie Xiaoling's fault. Is there something wrong with him? Why did he have to fight with her for no reason?
But the other party has already made a price offer, what should he do? Should he continue to follow suit?
Otherwise, let's just give this to Xie Shiba, since he doesn't really like it anyway.
But if he gives up now, how embarrassing would that be? He might never be able to hold his head up in front of Xie Shiba again for the rest of his life!
Waaaaah, is anyone going to break this deadlock? Please stop him, waaaah... He really doesn't want to waste this money!
After waiting for a long time without the other guest speaking, the manager whispered, "This guest?"
Wu Yun didn't answer him, but frantically winked at Yan Shenyu: If you're a brother, stop me! You know my budget! If I keep arguing with him, I won't be able to pay!
Yan Shenyu noticed his gaze and took a step forward.
Wu Yun breathed a sigh of relief, thinking to himself that he was indeed his good brother and that they were on the same wavelength.
The next moment, Yan Shenyu calmly uttered three words: "3 million".
"Ah!!" Wu Yun choked, almost unable to catch his breath.
"3 million?! Are you crazy?" Wu Yun's eyes widened in surprise. Ignoring Xie Xiaoling's gaze, he hurriedly said, "You want me to spend 4 million on this lousy necklace?! I could buy an emerald from another store for that price!!"
“I know this is beyond your budget,” Yan Shenyu sighed, speaking earnestly, “but it’s no longer just a matter of who owns the necklace. Behind the necklace is our battle with Xie Xiaoling!”
Wu Yun hesitated and said, "That's true, but..."
But 4 million is too much.
“Wu Yun, I know your difficulties,” Yan Shenyu said, placing his hands on Wu Yun’s shoulders with a sincere and focused gaze. “But the war has already begun. From the moment he stepped into this store, the battle for our dignity has already begun! You have accepted his challenge. If you back out halfway, do you think we can still hold our heads high in front of him in the future?”
Wu Yun was persuaded by Yan Shenyu.
Also persuaded was Xie Xiaoling, who was hesitant about whether to give up.
Yes, he had oversimplified things. This price wasn't the necklace's intrinsic value; it was the price of his dignity! It was the price of whether he could ever hold his head high in front of Yan Shenyu again!
But 3 million is too outrageous. Although he is not short of money, he does not have the courage to spend 4 million casually.
But he really couldn't swallow his anger. Xie Xiaoling took a deep breath and slowly extended her index finger.
The store manager, overwhelmed by the enormous number, blurted out, "Ten million?!"
"Add 100,000," Xie Xiaoling rolled her eyes, "3.1 million."
Yan Shenyu said slowly, "4 million."
The manager gasped, his face flushing red with excitement.
4 million?! These two idiots fought and he got 4 million for free!! If he had brainless customers like this every day, he would have been financially independent and retired long ago.
No, no, calm down. These rich guys have seen it all. A mere 4 million is nothing to them.
The manager glanced at Xie Xiaoling, subtly adding fuel to the fire: "It seems this customer really likes this necklace, sir..."
Xie Xiaoling's eyes reddened as she slowly uttered a number: "4.5 million."
As soon as he finished speaking, Yan Shenyu casually said, "6 million."
Xie Xiaoling gasped, her legs went weak, and she almost fainted.
6 million is really too much.
But he just couldn't swallow this insult. Yan Shenyu had already taken away his Xiao Zhenliang, and now she was even trying to steal a necklace he had his eye on! What was so great about him besides a few stinking coins?
Moreover, Xie Xiaoling is not bad either. If he runs out of money, he can ask his parents for more. If all else fails, he can use the Xie family's connections to make a profit by connecting others with others.
Thinking of this, Xie Xiaoling inexplicably gained confidence. He stretched out his right hand and made a "one" sign again.
The manager said with some disappointment, "Another 100,000?"
“One million.” Xie Xiaoling proudly raised her chin. “I’ll pay…”
“That’s enough,” Xiao Zhenliang, who had been silent all along, suddenly spoke up. “We don’t want the necklace anymore.”
He was aware of Xie Xiaoling's financial situation. More importantly, the 7 million yuan invested in his company would temporarily solve their immediate crisis. He really didn't want to see this money wasted by their competitive spirit.
Xiao Zhenliang was thoughtful. He thought he was helping Xie Xiaoling out of a predicament, but he didn't expect the latter to jump up like a cat whose tail had been stepped on.
"You don't want it anymore?" Xie Xiaoling's eyes reddened. "You're going to give the necklace to Yan Shenyu? You're even willing to give him a necklace? Xiao Zhenliang, I don't think you've let go of it at all..."
"Stop fooling around," Xiao Zhenliang frowned and interrupted him, "Let's go back first."
“I’m going to buy it anyway,” Xie Xiaoling said to the manager, but her eyes were fixed on Yan Shenyu. “I’ll pay an extra 7 million for this necklace.”
He was going all in; he would keep going no matter what price Yan Shenyu quoted. He wanted to see just how far Yan Shenyu would go.
However, the next moment, Yan Shenyu suddenly said, "Alright, you can have it."
Xie Xiaoling: "??"
"What?" Xie Xiaoling was still immersed in the world of battle and hadn't come back to her senses. She asked incredulously, "You...you're not going to follow?"
"Ah, I'm not going to go anymore," Yan Shenyu said in a nonchalant tone. "After all, I'm not out of my mind. Why would I spend 8 million on this necklace?"
Xie Xiaoling: ?
Does this mean he's mentally unstable? This isn't an auction. If Yan Shenyu hadn't kept driving up the price, would he have spent 8 million to buy such a piece of idiot stuff?
Or was all of this arranged by Yan Shenyu from the beginning?
Xie Xiaoling turned to look at the manager, her face contorted with rage: "You conspired with him to lie to me?!"
"You're kidding?" The manager, who was dreaming of making a fortune, was suddenly targeted and stammered, "N-no, I don't even know him..."
Xie Xiaoling placed her hands on the glass counter, leaned forward, and pressed, "Then why did he suddenly stop following me?"