Chapter 9: Zero-Dollar Purchase

"Oh? Did I grab the wrong card?" He swept a calm gaze over the crowd, taking in their varying expressions. He found it quite amusing. The chubby store manager, in particular, was glaring at him with open hostility.

He pulled another card from his wallet and waved it. "This one has 470,000 in it. Swipe it for me."

The cashier stared at the deadpan customer, hesitant. It wasn't until she caught a nod from the manager that she picked up the POS machine again and carefully typed in the amount.

BEEP.

"Payment successful."

The automated voice struck the onlookers like a resounding slap across the face. The crowd's expressions were a spectacle to behold, shifting as rapidly as Rongcheng's famous face-changing opera.

They realized that this guy was genuinely rich. But why did he only swipe 470,000? It wasn't a huge issue, though; they could just draft a new contract.

Meanwhile, Liu Ru's pretty face cycled through shades of pale and green. Just minutes ago, she had been gloating with her colleague. Now, the reality check stung.

As for the manager whose brain had been hijacked by lust earlier, his expression had soured into a bitter grimace. He had rudely summoned Li Yan away right in front of the customer. Though he hadn't explicitly said anything, his attitude had spoken volumes. A young owner capable of buying a Panamera was precisely the kind of wealthy second-generation heir who cared most about the VIP experience. Now he was completely screwed. He cursed inwardly; he had to find a way to salvage this.

Taking in the crowd's shocked and envious gazes, Su Yunzhou felt a surge of secret satisfaction. He sighed inwardly, thinking that kissing up to the rich and stepping on the poor was simply human nature.

The cashier's eyes were as wide as saucers. She looked at Su Yunzhou and respectfully handed over the receipt. "M-Mr. Su... please sign here!"

Su Yunzhou picked up the pen, signed his name, and turned his gaze to Li Yan, whose expression was quite amusing. "Miss Li, could you do me a favor and cover the remaining thirty thousand for me? I'll transfer it to your WeChat tomorrow."

Snapping back to reality, Li Yan found the request odd but nodded anyway. In just a short span of time, her emotions had been on a rollercoaster ride. It was way too thrilling.

[Affinity +21]

Rebounding from rock bottom, it instantly shot up to 51 points.

Li Yan shot a glance at the idiot manager who had demanded an explanation earlier, then swiped her card for 30,000 without hesitation.

[A mature beauty has spent 30,000 yuan on you. Affinity: 51 points. Cashback: 1,530,000 yuan.]

The moment the money hit his account, Su Yunzhou was ecstatic. He thanked Tong and silently praised his own brilliance. It was over 1.5 million! That practically meant getting the Panamera for free!

He had come up with a little scheme on the fly. Initially, he wanted the mature beauty to pay a bit more, but he had worried it would be awkward if she refused. Fortunately, with the unwitting help of these bystanders acting as stepping stones, everything went smoothly.

The results were extremely gratifying. He had the money, and her Affinity had skyrocketed from the initial 8 points to 51. Truly, three begot all things!

Just then, the manager approached with trepidation, a fawning smile plastered on his face. "Mr. Su, could we speak in private for a moment?"

"Oh, there's no need for that!" Su Yunzhou shrugged, dropping the dismissal as he walked forward.

"Uh..." The manager looked utterly mortified. Stuck between leaving and staying, he froze in place with an awkward chuckle.

He wanted to slap himself. His worst fear had come true. Wealthy heirs like this might seem calm on the surface, but their next move would probably be to mobilize their family's power to ruin him. At that thought, his brain—which was actually quite sharp when he wasn't thinking with his lower half—started spinning. Once he had a plan, he immediately whipped out his phone to send a message.

BEEP BEEP BEEP.

Li Yan's phone chimed just as she was respectfully seeing Su Yunzhou out. She glanced at the message and hesitated before asking, "Mr. Su, are you free tonight?"

"Hmm?" Su Yunzhou stopped, a slightly puzzled look crossing his face.

"Mr. Su, the manager let me get off work early. He asked me to treat you to dinner tonight as an apology."

Another opportunity to exploit the system had presented itself right at his doorstep, and with the added bonus of dining with a mature beauty. Naturally, he wasn't going to pass it up.

"Taking me out to dinner won't be cheap!" he teased.

Li Yan covered her mouth and chuckled softly. "The manager did say 'as an apology.'"

"Let's go, then!" Su Yunzhou nodded in agreement.

Thrilled, Li Yan went to change her clothes, asking him to wait in the lobby's lounge area for a moment.

Before long, she returned. Her casual attire made Su Yunzhou's eyes light up. She had let her hair down, revealing the elegant curve of her neck and a hint of cleavage. She wore a black satin fishtail skirt that perfectly accentuated her graceful, curvaceous figure. Below her snow-white legs, a pair of high heels made her appear even taller and more slender.

This woman definitely lived up to her reputation as a mature beauty.

Seeing his heated gaze, Li Yan blushed but quickly composed herself. Secretly, she was overjoyed, thinking that choosing to wear this dress had been the right call.

"I didn't drive," Su Yunzhou said, his eyes flickering.

"I did!" Li Yan's lips curved into a smile. "Oh, by the way, can we invite Yiyi along? She's all by herself..."