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The sales assistant next to him also offered her praise at the right moment, saying enthusiastically, "Beautiful lady, your boyfriend looks so handsome in this outfit! It fits him perfectly, and it even enhances his overall look!"

The word "boyfriend" reached Zhou Shutang's ears, and this seasoned career woman, who was used to all kinds of situations, felt her face inexplicably flush and her heart skip a beat.

She forced herself to remain calm and did not immediately deny it, but lowered her eyes slightly to hide the fleeting shyness and a hint of indescribable sweetness.

Chen Zhiyuan didn't seem to pay much attention to the sales assistant's wording. He walked to the full-length mirror, looked at himself, and then turned to ask Zhou Shutang for her opinion: "Sister Zhou, what do you think?"

Zhou Shutang quickly composed herself, stepped forward to examine the painting closely, and found it flawless. She nodded in affirmation, "It looks great and suits you very well."

Men tend to buy clothes decisively; if they think it suits them, they'll buy it, unlike women who might repeatedly choose and try on clothes.

Chen Zhiyuan looked in the mirror and was satisfied, so he said directly to the sales assistant, "This is the set. Please issue the invoice."

However, to his surprise once again, Zhou Shutang beat him to it, walked to the cashier with a smile, and paid the bill in a smooth manner.

Faced with Chen Zhiyuan's surprised gaze, she gave a reason that sounded quite "legitimate":

"This is on behalf of the newspaper to thank you! Your 'Those Things About the Ming Dynasty' was serialized in our newspaper and received such a good response. This is just a small token of our gratitude."

Although the reason was a bit far-fetched, Chen Zhiyuan didn't think much of it. He just had a strange feeling: This was the first time a girl had ever bought him clothes on her own initiative.

This feeling... seems not bad.

If those suitors who flocked to Zhou Shutang knew that their unattainable goddess would actually take the initiative to choose and pay for clothes for a young man, they would probably be shocked, or even beat their chests and go crazy with jealousy.

Zhou Shutang has always been distant from his suitors. He has never bought clothes for anyone, not even a bottle of water.

After buying the clothes, Zhou Shutang seemed even more excited and picked out a pair of professional running shoes worth several hundred yuan for Chen Zhiyuan at the Nike store.

Chen Zhiyuan actually prefers the feel of Adidas shoes, but feeling Zhou Shutang's enthusiasm, he didn't refuse. Her reasoning was still sound: Chen Zhiyuan is now focusing on sprinting and needs a pair of high-performance shoes.

Carrying the heavy shopping bags, Chen Zhiyuan thought to himself: These few hundred yuan are equivalent to a month's wages for an ordinary worker.

I... am I not exactly a gigolo?

Hmm, no!

It was Sister Zhou who insisted on giving it to me. At worst, I'll find another opportunity to give her a suitable gift to repay this favor.

This time, I absolutely refuse to admit it!

For most boys, shopping is often a tedious and lengthy ordeal.

But today, Chen Zhiyuan felt that time flew by and he was in an exceptionally relaxed and joyful mood.

It was already past two in the afternoon when Chen Zhiyuan saw Zhou Shutang pick up another shirt for him to try on. He suddenly realized how much time had passed and quickly reminded her, "Sister Zhou, it's almost time. Shouldn't we go?"

Around 3 p.m., the two arrived at the main gate of Jinghu Impression Community on time.

As soon as I got off the bus, a well-dressed man in his thirties came up to me with a big smile and a slightly hurried pace.

The undisguised respect on his face, even with a hint of flattery and fawning, showed that he had been waiting there for a long time.

He bowed slightly, adopting an extremely humble posture: "Miss Zhou, hello! I'm so sorry to trouble you to come in person."

Zhou Shutang, who was as friendly as a girl next door in front of Chen Zhiyuan, had a subtle change in temperament at this moment, appearing reserved and aloof, with a natural sense of distance.

She nodded slightly and introduced, "Mr. Tian, ​​this is Mr. Chen, whom I mentioned to you. He's a good friend of mine."

Tian Mingguang immediately turned to Chen Zhiyuan, bowing even lower and extending both hands: "Mr. Chen, hello, hello! My name is Tian Mingguang, the person in charge of Mingguang Decoration. It's an honor to serve you!"

Chen Zhiyuan was not a real eighteen-year-old lad. His experience from two lifetimes allowed him to see at a glance that Mr. Tian's respectful fawning was not merely out of enthusiasm for a client, but more like... awe of Zhou Shutang himself and some kind of power behind him.

He thought to himself: It seems that Sister Zhou's family background is probably far more extraordinary than I imagined.

However, he showed no sign of it on his face, and shook hands with Tian Mingguang just as warmly, saying directly, "Mr. Tian, ​​you're too kind. I'm entrusting the design and decoration of this house entirely to you."

"Mr. Chen, you can rest assured!" Tian Mingguang patted his chest and assured him firmly, "We will definitely provide the highest standard, closely monitoring the entire process from design to construction, to ensure that you and Ms. Zhou are both satisfied!"

After a brief exchange of pleasantries, Chen Zhiyuan noticed that Tian Mingguang had brought two assistant-like individuals with him, carrying measuring tools and folders, appearing quite professional. "Shall we go inside and take a look at the house first?"

The group entered the residential complex and arrived at the 388-square-meter unfinished apartment.

Chen Zhiyuan briefly explained his general ideas and requirements for the spatial layout and style. Tian Mingguang's subordinates immediately began to work in an orderly manner, measuring, recording, and discussing in hushed tones, demonstrating their professional competence.

Zhou Shutang clearly trusted and understood Tian Mingguang quite a bit, and said to Chen Zhiyuan, "Zhiyuan, just leave them a key."

Mr. Tian will discuss the specific design plan and budget quote with you in detail. You just need to state your requirements; you don't need to worry about anything else.

This is so convenient and effortless, it couldn't be better.

Chen Zhiyuan readily took out a spare key.

Tian Mingguang almost took it with both hands, carefully put it into the inner bag, and then took the initiative to exchange contact information with Chen Zhiyuan, repeatedly saying that he could contact him at any time if he had any ideas.

With the matter initially settled, Chen Zhiyuan and Zhou Shutang left first.

On the way back, Zhou Shutang asked, "Go straight back to school, or would you like to go somewhere else?"

"Let's go back to the dorm," Chen Zhiyuan said. "We can take advantage of this free time to write a little more of the later chapters."

He answered that aloud, but in his heart he was still pondering Tian Mingguang's overly attentive attitude just now.

This person's company seems to be quite large, so why is he so respectful and even somewhat fearful towards Sister Zhou?

Furthermore, they didn't even mention a preliminary budget quote, only kept asking about their own needs... The "standards" of this service are a bit too high.

He couldn't help but glance sideways at Zhou Shutang, who was focused on driving beside him.

With her bright profile, elegant neckline, and serene demeanor, she possesses a confidence and composure that sets her apart from girls from ordinary families.

Forget it.

Chen Zhiyuan immediately felt relieved and looked out the window.

A gentleman's friendship is as pure as water.

No matter how illustrious her family background or how powerful her connections are, that's her business.

To me, she is "Sister Zhou," who helps me in my career and is easy to get along with in life; she is a trustworthy friend.

That's enough.