He Xingluo silently ignored the system and followed Lu Zhanbei upstairs to the lounge. Because the guests attending the birthday banquet were celebrities from all walks of life, and everyone addressed each other as President or Director, it was impossible to herd them all into a single venue for forced small talk, so the lounges across this entire floor were all available for use.
Lu Zhanbei naturally had his own private lounge.
The lounge was overwhelmingly large, though He Xingluo had grown quite indifferent to such things by now.
As the designated future head of the Lu family, Lu Zhanbei naturally required every single hair to be meticulously styled when attending social functions, not to mention his attire.
Thus, it was entirely normal for brand representatives to bring plenty of bespoke suits and various expensive accessories for Lu Zhanbei to choose from, which didn’t warrant a loud gasp of awe over how wealthy he was.
Facing this immense wealth, He Xingluo felt only the tiniest ripple in his heart. Human joys and sorrows are not shared; he only considered this to be an introvert’s hell.
He Xingluo quietly found a small stool behind the computer desk in the corner of the lounge. Even with chaos unfolding around him, he didn’t forget to find himself a work station.
This fatal reflex: slacking off has already been carved into his soul.
The little system was quite considerate: “Host, would you like to listen to some crosstalk again?”
“Yes, yes.” He Xingluo slacked off and was happy.
“Do you need to replay it?” the system asked.
“You mean listening to the applause from the audience before the show starts all over again?”
That would be quite unnecessary!
He Xingluo listened to the crosstalk convention with some distraction, constantly finding himself captivated by the opulent scene before him. After watching for a while, however, he quickly realized that the most expensive item in the room was likely Lu Zhanbei himself.
Putting aside the fact that this man was his boss, he truly looked both expensive and handsome.
Making a living with one’s face probably wouldn’t lead to starvation either.
How infuriating; wealth truly always flows to the rich, while he could only watch with wide eyes!
The brand representatives were clearly well-trained, quickly preparing two matching outfits for Lu Zhanbei to choose from. Lu Zhanbei picked his own, then glanced at He Xingluo: “Get him a change of clothes too.”
He Xingluo and the brand staff stared in blank confusion, having no idea what kind of stunt Young Master Lu was pulling today. The brand manager looked like a seasoned veteran: “Please wait a moment, Butler He. I’ll have someone send over some sizes that fit you right away.”
He Xingluo: “.”
He truly didn’t understand this plot.
Is this what the system meant by NPC characters that protagonists pay no attention to?!
The little system didn’t understand either. It looked at He Xingluo, then at Lu Zhanbei, and could only attribute the reason to: “Probably because Wen Tian hasn’t made his appearance yet. Once the protagonists meet, things like this won’t happen anymore!”
He’d better hope so.
He Xingluo initially wanted to run a script like “Oh no, how can I accept this, these clothes are too expensive,” but considering he wasn’t the protagonist, he couldn’t be bothered to waste the energy.
He surrendered to fate completely, letting them dress him in whatever they wanted.
Seeing that he didn’t even speak, Lu Zhanbei said with surprise, “You were staring at them with such longing eyes all this time; I thought you wanted them.”
He Xingluo had no idea how to react for a moment. In the limited scope of his life experiences, the only things one could get just by staring longingly were pop quizzes from teachers during class.
Yet right now, what Lu Zhanbei wanted to give him were expensive bespoke suits.
The joys and sorrows of this world really weren’t shared, and the gap between people was truly massive. He Xingluo couldn’t even be bothered to refute it, responding very amiably: “Ah, yes, yes, yes.”
Lu Zhanbei: “.”
It felt strange, as if he had just been passive-aggressively mocked.
The brand’s administrative efficiency was very high, quickly delivering clothes and accessories to He Xingluo. Although it wasn’t prepared on the same grand scale as Lu Zhanbei’s, everything clearly looked immensely valuable.
Lu Zhanbei only glanced at it briefly: “Go put it on.”
When He Xingluo went into the fitting room with the clothes, a very bizarre thought suddenly popped into his head: Why was he always changing clothes today? Never mind, he would just consider it humoring Young Master Lu.
Well, calm people really are like this; anything goes.
The clothes temporarily fetched by the brand weren’t a precise fit, but both the fabric and the style were exceptionally gorgeous, making it hard to find any fault.
Looking at himself in the full-length mirror, He Xingluo felt an itch in his mouth, as if a line of dialogue was dying to slip out. He quickly covered his mouth.
Brand manager: “Are you really this excited just wearing our brand’s clothes?”
He Xingluo began casting his spell: “The young master bought me very expensive clothes and shoes, and when looking in the mirror, I have no idea who that man inside is.”
Lu Zhanbei felt his brow twitch again. He welcomed someone over: “Come here, pick out a watch.”
He Xingluo looked at the cabinet full of expensive watches, and felt a surge of class envy. He politely declined: “I don’t understand these.”
Lu Zhanbei: “I’ll wear it, feel free to pick.”
He Xingluo picked the flashiest one among them: “Young master, I think this watch suits you best.”
Lu Zhanbei looked troubled: “Reason?”
He Xingluo: “Because it looks the most expensive.”
“Vulgar.” Although Lu Zhanbei said that, he still put on the watch and muttered after sizing it up for a moment, “I’ll have them pick a pocket watch for you.”
As soon as the words left his mouth, He Xingluo lowered his head and already spotted a pocket watch chain peeking out from his pocket.
Shiny.
The brand staff’s speed was certainly fast.
He Xingluo stared at it for a while: “Thank you, I almost feel a bit unworthy of myself now.”
“As long as you’re worthy of me will do.” Lu Zhanbei looked at the butler staying put in place as if he didn’t know how to walk, and kindly reminded him: “Let’s go, Grandfather must be getting impatient.”
He Xingluo said gloomily: “Young master, you stole my line.”
Lu Zhanbei: “Let’s go.”
The two of them left the lounge, heading toward the banquet hall on the first floor. “Young master,” He Xingluo walked a few steps, feeling it genuinely too difficult: “I might not have the constitution for luxury after all.”
Lu Zhanbei: “What’s wrong with you?”
He Xingluo: “The fabric of these suit trousers is rubbing against my thighs, it’s a bit itchy.”
Lu Zhanbei: “”
He Xingluo thought for a moment, and added: “Right where it scraped against the saddle while horseback riding.”
The aristocratic composure of Lu Zhanbei seemed to have a slight tremor. He asked in a low voice: “Chafed raw?”
He Xingluo: “”
He hadn’t checked either!
“Tsk,” Lu Zhanbei evaluated: “So delicate.”
He Xingluo’s anger, in a single snap, flared right up. Who on earth was responsible for all of this! Who was the one who insisted on galloping wildly on a horse, who was it! Did anyone consider that this was his first time!
Wait, phrasing it like that sounded a bit strange.
He Xingluo’s inner turmoil calmed down with eerie strangeness, and he started again: And who was the one who insisted on making him change clothes? Three times in one day! Three times! He hadn’t even eaten three meals yet!
He Xingluo walked with his head down to prevent anyone from seeing his distorted expression. Right in front of him, Lu Zhanbei suddenly stopped, causing him to crash straight into him with a solid thud.
Lu Zhanbei barely managed to keep his balance: “Your revenge?”
He Xingluo applied emergency facial management.
That really was an accident.
Lu Zhanbei paused, his gaze shifting downward toward a certain part of He Xingluo, before speaking again: “Can you still manage the stairs?”
He Xingluo: “”
Why are there no CEO romance clichés in this world? Could Lu Zhanbei memorize a few more lines, and stop saying things he shouldn’t say and asking things he shouldn’t ask!
Don’t ask, ask again and burn paper offerings!