Chapter 5: Neuropathy

"After being hot on the market for two months, this brand was replaced by another one. Not only was the new brand more affordable, but it was also more innovative than FrankieMorello and slightly better in quality. As a result, FrankieMorello's sales plummeted and have been declining ever since; now, you can even find items in your store priced at thirty thousand."

"Not only that, although your store seems to be full of upscale goods, it's out of touch with the popular styles. These clothes have been out of fashion for a long time. You're still selling last year's items as if they're the latest trend, which obviously fails to catch the eye. If you feel like the brands that are in vogue right now are too expensive and out of reach for many consumers, you could totally bring in some collections from five years ago. The styles from back then were more conservative and the quality was up to par, easy to procure abroad but hard to come by domestically. I believe that these clothes from back then would sell much better than the current ones that neither stand out nor fit in, don't you think?"

After Chen Feng finished speaking, he supported himself on a plastic mannequin nearby, feeling that the touch was pretty decent, at least much better than the material of dolls he had used before.

Zhao Yazhi, after listening, didn't say anything. She was considering the feasibility of what Chen Feng had suggested. If it indeed worked out, such a model would definitely become extremely popular, especially under the brand management of her company, with potential for great profits. However, could she really trust what this man was saying?

"How about we make a bet? If you follow my advice and the sales don't double in three months, then I'm willing to cover all the losses of your store," Chen Feng said, his spirits soaring when he saw the woman's skepticism.

"Cover the losses? May I ask with what exactly?" Zhao Yazhi still sounded somewhat unsure.

Chen Feng took out a black card from his pocket and said to Zhao Yazhi, "I believe this card can explain everything, right?"

When Zhao Yazhi saw the card, her pupils shrank instantly; was this the legendary Swiss Bank's Black Gold Card? Rumor had it that it was issued only to a few of the most powerful individuals globally, and anyone holding this card could draw a significant sum of money from any bank collaborating with the Swiss Bank, without any collateral or procedural fuss. Who exactly was this young man? Despite his unimpressive attire, he possessed a Black Gold Card issued by the Swiss Bank. Could it be that he was a low-key mastermind?

"Alright, then. In that case, this piece of clothing is a gift for you, sir, as a compensation for today's misunderstanding. How does that sound?"

Zhao Yazhi personally picked up the garment Chen Feng had been pointing at and handed it to him.

Chen Feng didn't hesitate to accept the clothing and put it on immediately. After all, he still had a blind date to attend; he couldn't possibly go in the dirty clothes he'd been wearing.

"OK, then it's happily agreed. But if your sales do double, I hope Miss Zhao can agree to a request of mine; is that alright?"

"What request?" Zhao Yazhi asked, on her guard.

"Heh... let's talk about that after the bet is settled. It won't be anything to make you uncomfortable, rest assured," with his new clothes on, Chen Feng's whole appearance changed, and a sense of nobility became evident, making Zhao Yazhi internally chide herself for her earlier oversight.

"Then it's a deal," Zhao Yazhi replied briskly. After all, getting to know a man with a Black Gold Card, even at the cost of a loss, didn't matter much to her. On the off chance that he was a con artist, the most she would lose was a piece of clothing. But if he was telling the truth, then she stood to gain immensely.

After Chen Feng swaggered out of the clothing store in his new outfit, Zhao Yazhi coldly turned to the salesperson and said, "Starting from tomorrow, you don't need to come to work. Go to the finance department later to settle your salary."

......

Chen Feng found a place to change clothes, carelessly tossing his original dirty outfit into the trash. As he threw it away, his face was a picture of regret. Those were custom-made in Italy, just to be ruined like this, now replaced by this piece of junk.

Looking at the clothes on his body, Chen Feng felt he had suffered a great loss. The clothes he wore before could have bought at least ten of what he was wearing now.

"Really, old man, it's just a trip back home for a few days, and you insist on setting up a blind date. What's the point? As if a handsome guy like me would have trouble finding a woman. When I was abroad, plenty of celebrities and models threw themselves at me, and I didn't even bother!"

Muttering to himself, Chen Feng headed toward a tea house not far away, only to realize upon reaching the entrance that it was called Baihua Valley.

"What a place, Baihua Valley. Just not sure if there are any 'flowers' to pick inside."

Chen Feng remembered that the old man told him to go to room number 6 on the second floor, so he went straight up.

As the saying goes, "Clothes make the man, just as a saddle makes the horse." With these clothes on, several attendants politely ushered him upstairs, assuming he was some important person.

Upon reaching the second floor, Chen Feng quickly found room number 6. As he pushed open the door, he was greeted by an overwhelming fragrance. It wasn't the scent of flowers, tea, or fruit. It was fresh yet sweet, elegant yet fragrant, smooth and mellow, full of character and class. This was... the body fragrance of a woman.

Indeed, as the door opened, he saw a woman seated inside. She had a quintessentially classical melon-seed face that seemed only slightly larger than an adult's palm, as if she had stepped right out of the most standard beautiful woman's manga, unlike the common beauty's big eyes. Her eyes were large yet expressive, as if there were ripples in her pupils, constantly seemingly whispering secrets silently.

A firm and straight nose showed both a woman's delicacy and a touch of the masculinity that only men typically have. With slightly thin and soft cherry lips, she boasted an almost transparent gem-like red, always finely moist as if one glance could intoxicate someone. Her hair, as soft as water and shiny black, cascaded down like a waterfall, perfectly draped over her slender shoulders, captivating anyone's gaze upon first sight.

A beauty! An extremely rare beauty! Chen Feng felt that in his whole life, this was the first time he had encountered a woman with such a classic aura. The beauty he met at the clothing store had already left him amazed, but he hadn't expected that the woman inside here would make it even harder for him to shift his gaze away.

Seeing someone come through the door, Lin Xinru frowned. Although the person was wearing an expensive piece of clothing, why did he pair it with such worn-out shoes? Clearly lacking in taste. And that way he opened the door was so sleazy. Even though he's a bit handsome, can a bit of handsomeness conquer her? There are plenty of such men on the streets.

Initially, Lin Xinru had thought of leaving as soon as she saw him, but she worried about her father's admonishment. After all, when she left, her father had repeatedly reminded her to try to get along well with the man because he was of great significance to the prosperity of her family.

"You are…"

Lin Xinru was the first to speak, and she wanted to confirm whether the man was actually there for a blind date.

When Chen Feng heard Lin Xinru's question, he suddenly snapped back to reality, shifting his gaze away from her ample bosom and couldn't help but wipe his mouth with his sleeve.

"My name is Chen Feng, is this beautiful lady the one I'm supposed to have the blind date with?" Chen Feng sat down opposite Lin Xinru and said with a smile.

Seeing Chen Feng's smile and sleazy actions, Lin Xinru felt a chill in her heart. This man was clearly nothing but a rogue, judging from his lecherous gaze and the constant swallowing of saliva, this... this...

"I am Lin Xinru."

The woman stated coldly, now completely despairing of the blind date. How could there be any decent person coming to a blind date? Probably all those who have been searching for a long time without success. Her father, she didn't know which swindler he had foolishly believed in, was adamant about making this happen.

"Lin Xinru? Nice name, warm and delightful, tender as water, just as beautiful as the person herself. It's a perfect match indeed! Miss Lin Xinru, since that's the case, let's go register for marriage and save everyone some time—a shortcut past all the unnecessary steps. Anyway, I am quite satisfied with you."

Chen Feng got straight to the point. To be honest, he really was satisfied with Lin Xinru. The old man hadn't deceived him; she really was a stunning beauty. Her agreement would be perfect, but if not, it would also give him a chance to report back to the old man and return to the Middle East sooner.

But for Lin Xinru it was different. Get married? What does this have to do with anything? We've only just met for less than a minute, and we're already talking about getting married? You agreed, but did I? With such chauvinism, should I marry you? Oh God! Dear Lord, just kill me instead.

"Mr. Chen Feng, you're thinking too much. Just because you are satisfied with me does not mean I feel the same about you..."

"What! You're not satisfied with me? Do you know how many things I can do? Let's not talk about other things, just taking languages as an example. I speak English, French, German, Italian, Spanish, and Japanese..."

"Enough, I'm not here to listen to how many languages you speak. I'm not looking for a translator. If you want to apply for a translator, you can go to my company and interview with the HR department."

Lin Xinru just couldn't take it anymore. The man before her was so overpoweringly macho. Being around him for one more second made her skin crawl; she felt like finding a rope to hang herself.

"Don't interrupt me, I haven't finished yet. I also know a bit of many small country languages, like Thai, Hindi, and Korean. Along with the current Huaxia language, that's at least more than ten languages."

After finishing his speaking, Chen Feng had a smug look on his face. Look, who in the world knows more languages than me?

But what he didn't know was that in Lin Xinru's eyes, he was nothing more than a lunatic at that moment, utterly unappealing.

"Just tell me, how much money will it take for you to give up this blind date! I don't know how you tricked my father into trusting you, but let me tell you, I'm not as easily fooled as he is."

Lin Xinru didn't want to waste her breath and directly made an offer. If the man took the initiative to give up, then her father could hardly blame her. At this point, she didn't want to say another word.

"Money? Brother isn't that kind of person. I'm very satisfied with this blind date. Why would I give it up?"

Chen Feng acted as though he was unmoved.

"Five hundred thousand!"

Lin Xinru said coolly.

"Money can't make me sell my dignity!"

"One million!"

"Money can't make me sell my body!"

"Five million!"

Lin Xinru clenched her teeth as she spoke, the man's appetite was too big, couldn't he grasp what one million meant? But she had no choice, the ball was in his court and she would rather lose money than spend another minute with this man, let alone have any future association with him.

"I have a soul too. I absolutely can't sell my soul!"

"Ten million! That's my limit. If you don't agree, I'm leaving! If it weren't for my father's poor health, I wouldn't want to upset him, you wouldn't get a dime. Don't be too greedy."

"Deal! Ten million it is, cash or check?" Chen Feng pinched his thigh and said gleefully.