They drove into the underground car park. It was still early, so spaces were plentiful. Lu Zheng casually picked an empty spot and parked, just as a Ferrari pulled in and stopped opposite.
The supercar door opened. A man with slicked-back hair stepped out, helping a lightly made-up woman from the passenger seat. He gave the Dongfeng a brief, indifferent glance, then prepared to leave.
Before he could look away, all four doors of the Dongfeng Fengshen opened at once. Four women of entirely different allure stepped out.
A heroic big-sister type, a sweet girl-next-door, a seductive older sister, a cold and regal queen.
“Holy shit!?”
The supercar man was nothing like the shy little fatty. Wealth had given him the confidence to stare openly at any beauty, but this hit him harder. In an instant, the woman beside him lost all appeal.
The lightly made-up woman seemed to sense a natural predator. She instantly clutched his arm, her whole body stiffening for a moment.
Next, Lu Zheng switched off the engine, got out, locked the car. The four women immediately gathered around him, clustering close as they walked toward the lift, completely ignoring the supercar pair.
The supercar man, “…”
He glanced back at the ordinary Dongfeng Fengshen, a model several years old, and felt momentarily stunned.
…
“That guy just now, he is one of those spoiled rich kids here, right?” Shen Ying asked with a smile.
Lin Wan nodded, then shook her head. “Most spoiled rich kids behave like that, but not everyone who does is necessarily one. Some successful people who enjoy life can also be flashy. You cannot condemn everyone outright, and…”
She smiled. “Fulong Plaza is not the most exclusive luxury mall. It has a few flagship stores for show, but it is already quite mainstream. The fact he shops here means he does not plan to spend serious money.”
As they chatted, they took the escalator down to basement one, the food court.
“We have not eaten breakfast yet. Shall we grab something casual here?” Lu Zheng asked.
“Yes, but…” Si Lingxi looked around. “These characters are very simple. Some I recognise, some I can guess, but others I do not know at all…”
Lu Zheng slapped his forehead. “I have grown so used to them over the years.”
The script in the ancient world belongs to the same system as China’s traditional characters. Not identical, but around eighty percent similar. Lu Zheng learned traditional characters here, which made mastering the ancient script far easier.
He suspected that writing in both worlds had been influenced by higher-realm experts. After all, expressing certain profound concepts requires specific characters. Change the script, and the meaning could shift dramatically.
Yet the modern world had its own talents. After the new regime, they introduced simplified characters, which completely baffled even Si Lingxi.
“I will get you a dictionary later. It includes traditional characters, very close to Great Jing script. You can also pick up pinyin along the way.” Lu Zheng said. “It will be simple for you.”
Si Lingxi nodded. Most snack stalls were obvious without reading the signs. For the unclear ones, Lin Wan linked arms with Liu Qingyan and Shen Ying, softly explaining.
They tried takoyaki, shengjian bao, guo guo ji, hot dry noodles, roujiamo, leaving a trail of astonished and admiring glances. Then each bought a high-calorie milk tea before strolling away.
“Haicheng is one of China’s biggest cities. It gathers snacks from everywhere, though flavours have changed a bit. When we get the chance, we will visit the originals for authentic versions.” Lu Zheng said. “These days, many carefree young people love travelling the country, tasting genuine local specialties, like… Beidu’s fermented mung bean juice…”
Lin Wan paused. Si Lingxi glanced back at Lu Zheng, sensing some mischief in his tone.
They took the lift to the ground floor, passing cosmetics counters and gold jewellery displays. Liu Qingyan stared at rows of lipsticks like a forest, with shade swatches beside them, astonished. “It is just lip rouge, yet there are so many varieties?”
In the Great Jing Dynasty, even the imperial family probably had no more than ten lip rouge classifications.
“Um…” Lin Wan blinked. “I think there are a lot too… Apparently different shades suit different people and outfits…”
“Do we really need that many?” Liu Qingyan asked. “Some look identical.”
“There are differences.” Shen Ying smiled. “Though subtle. The fine divisions exist mainly because the buyers are… women.”
As a well-bred human lady, Shen Ying grasped the essence of lipstick shades first. She eagerly stepped forward, trying them one by one under the enthusiastic sales assistant.
Inspired by her, Liu Qingyan and Lin Wan, who usually stuck to two shades, joined in. Eventually they dragged Si Lingxi in too.
In the end, four women, ten shades, Lu Zheng paid.
They declined recommendations for little black bottles, eye creams, aurora lotions, essences, firming toners, isolating creams, pink lotions, various masks, and makeup removers, since they had no skincare needs.
“Women here really go all out for beauty.” Liu Qingyan said, clicking her tongue.
Lin Wan nodded. “Spend enough, and it works. Many female stars in their forties or fifties look thirty-ish, and can still play teenage roles on television.”
They continued shopping. Lin Wan led ahead, arms linked with Liu Qingyan and Shen Ying. Lu Zheng and Si Lingxi held hands behind.
Truthfully, though Si Lingxi was now Lu Zheng’s woman too, with sisterly terms and theoretical equality, Liu Qingyan and Shen Ying remained slightly intimidated by her. When out, they always yielded Lu Zheng to her. As for Lu Zheng…
He naturally dared not object.
Liu Qingyan and the others had no interest in gold or diamonds, since they could craft far superior pieces themselves. Soon they reached the second-floor women’s clothing section, and then…
Lu Zheng became a full-time praise machine.
“Looks great!”
“Very suitable!”
“Excellent!”
“Perfect match!”
If lipstick shopping had been mostly the women discussing among themselves, now buying clothes, the sales girls instantly noticed how much all four valued Lu Zheng’s opinion.
They regarded him as divine!
Nearby female shoppers eyed him curiously. Male shoppers turned red-eyed with envy, jealousy, and hate, silently hurling every curse they knew.
Lu Zheng endured wave after wave of stares, expression calm, heart steady. He guided the four women store by store on the second floor, arms soon laden with bags large and small, finally securing several autumn and winter outfits for the three women in the modern world.
“Come on! First drop the clothes at the car, then hotpot. I have made hotpot there too, but for sheer variety of ingredients, nothing beats here. We can order everything and find what you like.” Lu Zheng said with a laugh.
