Chapter 13 The Subtle Atmosphere

The kiss, of course, didn't happen.

There were too many people around, and Alex felt pressured.

It wasn't that he was afraid of anything else. Mainly, he was worried that something would surely go wrong.

Ah, well, it wasn't just a possibility. It was almost a certainty.

Being young is really nice.

...

After a bit of affectionate interaction, they finally got their emotions in order and started shopping.

"Alex, what do you want to buy?"

"A set of sportswear and a set of casual wear, I guess."

There was no need to buy too many clothes for now. It would be inconvenient to carry them. He could always buy more when he started college.

Alex suddenly remembered and asked, "Hey, what gift did you prepare for Sister Weiwei?"

"Two lipsticks!"

At the mention of this, Lucy suddenly got really excited.

"The Armani Ecstasy Shine 300 and 305. They are relatively pinkish shades. Weiwei usually uses those bright red and vermilion shades, all numbered above 400.

I feel it's my obligation to bring her aesthetic back to that of a young college student..."

She rambled on for a while, but Alex didn't understand a word of it. So he promptly changed the topic.

"I have quite a bit of pocket money. I've troubled her a lot today. Do you think it would be appropriate to give her a more expensive gift than yours?"

"Sure! When giving a birthday gift, it's about the sentiment. I'm giving lipsticks according to my means. Since you're so wealthy, a too-cheap gift might seem like you're trying to spoil the occasion."

Oh, how sensible!

Alex smiled with satisfaction and simply handed over the task of choosing the gift to her.

"You know what she likes. You pick the gift, and I'll pay for it. Let's get this done quickly, preferably before she gets here!"

"OK, let's go!"

Lucy then took Alex's hand and rushed towards the women's counter.

Sister Thirty Thousand had set the tone of giving a bottle of perfume.

According to Alex's initial idea, he would just go for Chanel No. 5. Didn't everyone say it was the most expensive and best-selling perfume?

But Sister Thirty Thousand criticized it as "lacking sincerity and being sloppy".

Alright, then. I'll listen to you.

After sniffing around various perfumes, they finally settled on a bottle of Creed Spring Flower. It cost 2,880 yuan for 150ml. It was presentable without overshadowing the recipient.

But, to be honest, Alex didn't notice any difference between it and Chanel No. 5.

They both smelled equally pungent. It wasn't as nice as Lucy's natural body scent, which was really pleasant, kind of milky and sweet.

Next, they went to buy sportswear. Alex just picked a LeBron James red T-shirt like the one he had at home and a pair of sports pants. Altogether, it cost 1,500 yuan.

After buying them, he kind of regretted it.

It was so damn cheap!

Alex planned to spend 110,000 yuan in the imperial capital to boost his experience value to 90,100.

Because there were too few places to spend money in Gujiao. When he went back, he would need to level up, and he might even have to do some online shopping.

He set his shopping budget at 70,000 yuan and his entertainment budget at 20,000 yuan. He would withdraw another 20,000 yuan later and keep it in his handbag for backup.

Now, he only needed to buy a set of casual wear, but with a budget of 70,000 yuan, he felt quite pressured.

Alright, here goes nothing!

Coincidentally, there were Prada, Hermès, Ferragamo, and LV specialty stores downstairs. He just walked into the nearest one and only realized it was Hermès after looking around.

Alex wasn't really sure about the quality level of Hermès men's clothing. But he really liked the shoes there.

He immediately decided on a pair of sandals for 4,900 yuan, a pair of Icker sports shoes for 7,100 yuan, and a pair of casual pants for 6,500 yuan.

The big "H" logo on the belt was really annoying, but the T-shirt and shorts were quite nice.

The T-shirt cost 3,700 yuan and the shorts cost 3,400 yuan. So, a whole set was basically complete, but he was still 45,000 yuan short of his target!

Was 70,000 yuan really that hard to spend?

Didn't everyone say luxury goods were expensive?

With his hands behind his back, Alex walked around the store like he was inspecting it. Finally, he picked out a rather nice baseball cap and was ready to leave.

Before leaving, he suddenly put the baseball cap on Lucy's bun hairstyle, took two steps back, looked her up and down, and snapped his fingers with satisfaction.

"It looks really good! I should get one for myself too."

"Don't!" Lucy quickly grabbed Alex. "I don't want it! Why are you giving me a hat for no reason?"

"It's hot outside. I don't want you to get tanned. Be a good girl and wear it."

Alex was quite forceful in persuading her. He grabbed Lucy's arms with both hands and pushed her in front of the mirror.

"Look, isn't it cute? Wait a moment. I'll put mine on too and see if we match."

The same style of cap looked good on both of them. Alex was exactly half a head taller than Lucy.

Standing together with the brims of their caps down, they really looked like a couple.

Looking at themselves like that, Lucy was reluctant to take the cap off.

It wasn't because it was expensive, but because they really looked harmonious together. When

Alex's aesthetic sense kicked in, it was actually quite good.

"Alright, just this once! I don't need anything. You don't have to show off, you know?"

Lucy was being soft but stubborn. Alex just grinned and didn't nod or say anything.

Once there's a first time, there'll be a second. If you want to improve the relationship, you have to seize every opportunity and go all out!

Alex seemed to have mastered a special skill on his own and walked out of the store cheerfully.

4,250 x 2 = 8,500 yuan. He was still 36,000 yuan short of his target.

He didn't find anything he liked in Ferragamo and Prada. After walking around, he just passed on them.

He bought two belts from LV for 11,000 yuan.

The Armani sunglasses were really nice. He bought two of the same style for 8,000 yuan.

He was still 17,000 yuan short of his target, but he really didn't feel like buying anything else, so he didn't force himself.

Then Alex started to coax Lucy.

"Put on the sunglasses quickly and let me see! How can you have a hat without sunglasses? Look how bright the sun is outside. Sister Weiwei always knows to wear sunglasses when she goes out.

You're so silly..."

Lucy pouted. Alex put the sunglasses on her nose while she was being fussy. With her small face, only her chin and mouth were left visible.

Alex patted his chest and let out a sigh of relief. "Alright now. You can just stare and play by yourself.

I can't see anyway... Oh, your lips are really pretty. It seems like you're missing a few lipsticks?"

Lucy was just about to laugh when she got angry again.

"I don't want anything. Don't buy anything for me anymore, got it?!"

Where could you find such a nice girl!

Alex could tell that Lucy was being sincere. She wasn't the kind of girl who could be won over by money.

The last girl who Alex truly admired was Yuan Quan. Suddenly, Alex thought Lucy was a bit like Teacher Yuan.

It wasn't about their looks, but about that kind of perseverance, self-restraint, and pursuit of their own ideals.

Compared to her, Alex felt rather vulgar.

Of course, he didn't have any of those pretentious feelings like feeling inferior or unworthy.

What's wrong with being vulgar?

In this earthly world, everyone is involved with wine, women, wealth, and power. No one can avoid them.

Everyone says being a celestial being is good, but who doesn't know that celestial beings also have a whole family to take care of?

The saying "When one man attains the Tao, even his chickens and dogs ascend to heaven" has been passed down for thousands of years. It's not just a joke.

Ordinary people are the backbone of society.

Money is the most vulgar but also the most powerful force.

The prosperity of our country is built on a strong economic foundation. Military strength and technological strength all rely on economic strength as their basis.

Economic foundation determines superstructure.

Economic foundation determines national pride.

Economic foundation also determines whether a man can only have a secret crush or can actually possess something.

Alex rose to prominence because of the God-tier Tycoon System. So he would never betray his roots.

He would never say something like "Money means nothing to me" while standing and talking without any pain.

Before achieving success, who would listen to your lectures?

Saying you don't love money after becoming rich, isn't that being a rogue?

In an instant, Alex's thoughts wandered far away.

It wasn't that Alex was being pretentious. It was just that the time since his sudden wealth was too short.

He was in a special period where his thinking was rather chaotic and his emotions were quite sensitive.

Every single thing that he had never experienced before could stir up his emotions.

Perhaps, only after experiencing enough and with the passage of enough time would he get used to it.

Actually, it wasn't a bad thing. Growth is originally about being touched and thinking time and time again.

Alex thought that he must look really profound and handsome when he was lost in thought.

Otherwise, why would Lucy be staring at him like that?

In fact, Lucy wasn't staring at him in a daze. She was just a bit nervous, afraid that Alex would suddenly buy a bunch of things for her again.

"Don't buy anything for me anymore, okay? Okay? I really don't need any lipsticks!"

"Really?"

Alex pretended not to believe her and stared at her pinkish lips.

The atmosphere started to get a bit strange.