Mind reading saves the whole family; I'm firmly in the role of a charlatan.

Chapter 168 The lingering ghost
Jiangyu Plaza operates on a membership system, requiring a card for entry. This is hardly a secret; many locals in City B know this.

Jiang Younian also knew that he had come here a few times before, using Mrs. Jiang's membership card.

It was because of this membership card that Jiang Younian suggested coming here when Du Anrao said he wanted to go out and see if there was anything suitable as a wedding gift.

After all, although the items here are a bit pricey, the quality is guaranteed, and buying them as gifts won't make you look bad.

Who would have thought that things would go wrong so quickly after just one meeting!
"Before, you could just get in with a membership card. Why are you suddenly required to show your face in person?"

The mall security guards were fairly friendly. Although they stopped them, they patiently explained, "It's not that I'm making things difficult for you. You must have heard about the mall bombing a while ago, right?"

Jiang Younian subconsciously turned to look at Du Anrao: "Isn't that case already solved, and the mall is fine?"

"The mall was fine, but the police investigation later revealed that the thief who brought the bomb into the mall had stolen someone else's membership card to get in. The mall owner felt this was a security loophole, so he introduced a new policy requiring that in addition to having a membership card, customers must also be the person who applied for the card to enter."

This was Jiang Younian's first visit to the mall since the mall bombing, and he never expected such a blunder to happen.

"With this new requirement suddenly appearing, don't your mall's customers have any objections?"

Jiang Younian was speechless at this unexpected turn of events and asked out of curiosity.

Unexpectedly, he was misunderstood by a middle-aged man in a suit who was about to enter.

"Any objections? What objections could there be? This mall is for rich people. What do rich people value most? Safety and service! The boss is doing this to ensure the safety of all customers in the mall. Everyone here is a well-mannered and wealthy person. Who would be so unreasonable as to have objections to the mall and the boss over such a small amount of money?"

That's the logic, but coming from this man's mouth, coupled with his tone, it gives the impression of him condescendingly criticizing you.

Jiang Younian frowned but said nothing.

The other party, however, didn't seem to intend to let them off so easily. The woman beside the man, hearing his words, raised her chin slightly, gave the two of them an arrogant glance, and chimed in, "Mr. Sun is right. If you ask me, some people shouldn't pretend to be rich if they don't have money. The discount mall next door is fine too; you can buy whatever you want there. If you can't even afford an admission card, you won't be able to buy anything inside anyway, so why bother?"

"Who are you saying can't afford the stuff inside?" Jiang Younian, who also had a fiery temper, suddenly became angry.

"Whoever can't get in is the one to blame, right?" The woman clearly mistook the two for a young couple, and whispered to Mr. Sun, "I saw it all just now. This girl has been waiting outside for almost half an hour, and there's not even a car to shelter her from the wind and rain. Not to mention the guy, he had to use someone else's membership card to get in. Isn't it just that young people like you care about face and want to bring their girlfriends in to show off? I've seen plenty of people like you."

"You!" Jiang Younian was both angry and guilty. He was angry at the woman's deliberate humiliation, and even more guilty that he had made Du Anrao wait outside for so long!
Du Anrao didn't care about that. He glanced at the two of them, grabbed Jiang Younian's hand, and said, "Forget it, calm down." But Jiang Younian wasn't going to let it go so easily. It didn't matter if he was looked down upon, but he couldn't let Du Anrao be ridiculed along with him. Otherwise, if his parents found out when they got back, they would definitely give him a good beating!
Just as he was about to argue with the other party and, if necessary, throw money at them, he heard Du Anrao mutter to himself.

One is plagued by bad luck, the other suffers financial loss and health problems; together they're practically two walking slumps of misfortune. Even passing by them, you'd worry about being affected by their bad luck and losing money; it's best to stay away as soon as possible.

Jiang Younian: "..." Fine, he'll let it go this time. Running away is the best policy, it's time to slip away!

What are the membership requirements? Can I apply now?

"Yes, our mall's membership standard requires you to pre-load 100,000 yuan into your membership card. This 100,000 yuan can be used for purchases within the mall. If you decide not to come anymore, you can go to the counter to cancel the card, and the remaining balance will be fully refunded."

"However, each person can only apply for a card twice in their lifetime. That is to say, if you apply for a membership card twice in our mall and then cancel the membership card twice, you will be blacklisted by our mall and will not be issued a third membership card."

As Du Anrao listened to the mall's rules, he couldn't help but marvel at how different the style of the capital city was from their small, run-down mountain village.

A shopping mall that opens its doors to business requires customers to deposit 100,000 yuan to become a member, and then blacklists and shuts them out for canceling their memberships. Isn't this a clear attempt to drive customers away?
Is this the confidence that comes from the fact that the capital city claims it can hit seven or eight rich people with a single brick?
Despite his complaints, Du Anrao, wanting to buy wedding gifts for Du Desheng and Jiang Yunian and not wanting to spoil their fun, generously opened a membership card for both of them.

Jiang Younian wanted to open the card himself, but Du Anrao refused, saying, "You came with me to buy things, so there's no reason for you to spend your own money to open a card."

After entering the mall, the two took a quick look around, getting a general understanding of the internal structure and the distribution of some stores, before heading straight to the luxury goods section.

After looking at a series of luxury watches, haute couture items, and handbags, Du Anrao finally took Jiang Yunian into a jewelry store.

"It's a newlywed wedding, so while giving jewelry might be a bit tacky, it's the safest and most reliable option. Forget about the ring; Grandpa's probably already prepared a huge, sparkling diamond ring. Otherwise, how about a necklace or bracelet? Should the necklace be solid gold or gemstone? And the bracelet, should it be solid gold or jade?"

As Du Anrao picked through the items, she muttered to herself. In the end, unable to decide which one was better, she asked the waiter to bring out all the items she had chosen for her to see.

Before Du Anrao could finish speaking, a familiar sneer came from behind him again: "So you come in just to take a look even though you can't afford it, just to feast your eyes? I advise you to think carefully. These are just two poor bastards. If they accidentally damage these precious jewels, they can't afford to pay for them even if they sell them."

Jiang Younian's face darkened as soon as he saw the woman. He was both angry and amused. "What, it's you again? Whether we have money or not, whether we can afford to pay or not, is none of your business. You're like a persistent ghost."

[They're like a persistent ghost! I even deliberately avoided them and chose the opposite direction, but I still ran into them. Back! Back! Back!]

(End of this chapter)