Quietly Watching You Show Off

"Zhu Zhu, who is this?"

The arriving man was named Zhao He. He had been pursuing Zhu Zhu for quite some time now. Although he was not a local of Qiantang City, his salary and job were quite decent, giving him the financial capacity to settle down in Qiantang City. Most importantly, this man was genuinely willing to marry her. As she grew older, Zhu Zhu's perspective on certain things had gradually shifted.

Realizing that a man like this was probably the best she could hope for, she had decided to observe him for a little longer before finally accepting Zhao He.

Hearing Zhao He's question now, she replied, "Oh, this is a friend of my roommate."

Hearing that the man had nothing to do with Zhu Zhu, Zhao He's expression instantly relaxed. After sitting down, he reached out his hand quite amicably toward Lin Shan and said, "Hello there, my friend. My name is Zhao He."

"Hello, Lin Shan."

Lin Shan also extended his hand and shook his. Actually, Zhao He gave him a sense of familiarity. It took Lin Shan a long time in a daze to realize—wasn't this exactly what he himself had been like when he first entered society a few years ago?

Was Zhang Wan examining him in the exact same way back then? Would this Zhu Zhu turn out to be another Zhang Wan?

Zhao He looked at Zhu Zhu with eyes full of affection. Lin Shan sighed inwardly, wondering if this young man's sincere heart would end up meeting the same fate as his own.

Before long, Liu Ying brought the remaining dishes to the table.

When Zhao He saw Liu Ying, he was momentarily stunned. This was completely normal; any man whose physiological functions were still normal could not resist Liu Ying's charm. However, Zhao He quickly adjusted his demeanor and deliberately avoided looking at Liu Ying again.

Once they were seated, Liu Ying kept putting food onto Lin Shan's plate. Zhu Zhu couldn't help teasing, "No way, Liu Ying, did you cook this whole table of food just for Lin Shan to eat by himself?"

Liu Ying's face flushed red again.

After eating for a while, everyone began to look for topics of conversation. Zhao He took the initiative and asked, "Brother Lin, what kind of work do you do now?"

Lin Shan answered honestly, "Right now... I'm a vagrant. I don't have a job yet."

Zhao He paused. He looked at Liu Ying, then at Lin Shan, appearing somewhat incredulous. A woman like Liu Ying was someone he didn't even dare to look at too much, because he knew very well that he was not worthy of such a woman and had no qualification to possess her, yet Lin Shan was her friend.

He had expected the other person to say things like "starting a business" or "working in sales."

He never expected Lin Shan to bluntly declare himself unemployed, which left him momentarily at a loss for how to respond.

"What about you, Zhao He? What is your job now?"

Hearing this, Zhao He puffed out his chest and said, "Brother Lin, I'm a software engineer now."

Lin Shan chuckled and said, "A programmer's salary should be pretty good, right?"

He used to be a programmer himself, so he was quite familiar with the field.

Actually, he was deliberately giving Zhao He a little boost. A young man—he had been through this stage himself. Although he didn't know what kind of person Zhu Zhu would turn out to be in the future, at least for now, Zhao He still wanted to strive for this relationship. Lin Shan was willing to give him a push; besides, this young fellow hadn't come over to step on him like an idiot.

Giving him a lift was no big deal.

A strong sense of superiority instantly swelled up in Zhao He's heart. "It's alright. I'm currently at a mid-sized company with an annual salary of around four hundred thousand. I've also benefited from the talent introduction policy, so I reckon I'll be buying a house in Qiantang City next year."

After saying this, he glanced at Zhu Zhu. In truth, these words were meant for her.

And upon hearing this, a flicker of anticipation truly appeared in Zhu Zhu's eyes.

Lin Shan remarked, "That's truly impressive. In this day and age, to be able to buy a house in Qiantang City relying entirely on oneself without family support!"

Zhao He felt as though he had truly met a kindred spirit, and said with some emotional resonance, "Ain't that the truth? Many of my classmates are locals who got apartments the moment they graduated, or their families had money and funded their residency in Qiantang City right out of school... But I'm not doing too badly either. In a few years, I might not turn out any worse than them."

Hearing this, Liu Ying cast a wistful glance at Lin Shan, sensing the subtle emotional undertone within him.

"He must have seen his own reflection from many years ago."

With Lin Shan playing along to build him up, Zhao He grew increasingly talkative, and his interactions with Zhu Zhu multiplied.

Since no one was drinking alcohol, the dinner was pretty much wrapping up by half-past six. At that moment, Zhao He suggested, "Since it's still early, why don't we go for a walk around the neighborhood?"

With that, he looked at Zhu Zhu and said, "Zhu Zhu, if there are any clothes you like, you can buy them. It's been a long time since we went shopping together."

Because of Lin Shan's flattering remarks during tonight's dinner, Zhu Zhu felt even less resistance toward Zhao He, and at this moment, he looked a great deal more pleasing to her eyes.

Hearing the suggestion, she immediately agreed, and neither Lin Shan nor Liu Ying had any objections.

The four of them left the residential compound and strolled over to the nearby commercial complex.

The scale of this complex was quite large; the second floor was almost entirely composed of clothing stores, including an LV boutique.

Ever since they stepped up to the second floor, Zhu Zhu's eyes had hardly left that LV store. Seeing this, Zhao He gritted his teeth and said, "Zhu Zhu, why don't we go inside LV and take a look?"

Hearing this, Zhu Zhu looked at Zhao He with some surprise and asked, "LV is very expensive, though. Can you bear to spend that kind of money?"

This time, Zhao He was going all in. He decided to launch his final offensive against Zhu Zhu today, so he said, "It's fine. Splurging once in a while is acceptable."

Hearing this, Zhu Zhu felt a tiny pang of lingering warmth in her heart. She thought to herself, *Forget it, he's not bad... Should I just choose him?*

Without refusing, the group walked right into the LV store.

The merchandise was dazzling, too much to take in all at once. As Zhu Zhu walked along, she found herself standing in front of a bracelet. The craftsmanship was indeed extremely exquisite; wearing it out would definitely give one a tremendous sense of prestige.

However, the price was enough to scare anyone away.

A whopping 48,000 yuan!

This price amounted to a full five months of Zhu Zhu's salary.

Lin Shan noticed that Liu Ying's gaze was also lingering on the bracelet. After all, she was a young woman, and some things were hard to escape; against such beautiful jewelry, she had zero resistance.

Lin Shan silently memorized the style. It wouldn't be out of the question to surprise Liu Ying with it later.

Seeing Zhu Zhu's eyes fixated on the piece of jewelry, Zhao He's complexion turned somewhat pale. Just as he was about to open his mouth to persuade Zhu Zhu otherwise, a sales associate walked over. The salesclerks here were seasoned experts and instantly discerned that Zhao He was the one who would be paying the bill.

*Heh heh, I finally caught a sheep. How could I possibly let you run away?*

The sales associate smiled brightly and said, "Miss, you certainly have marvelous taste. This is our newest arrival, currently priced at 48,000. Why don't you try it on first? This piece of jewelry matches your temperament so well."

Actually, Zhu Zhu had been hesitant at first. She had never let anyone gift her anything so expensive, but hearing the saleswoman's words and figuring there was no harm in trying it on, she took the bracelet and slipped it onto her wrist. The moment she put it on, she never wanted to take it off again.