After soaking in the hot springs, the group went shopping around town as planned.
Yang Lifeng suggested that they visit a clothing store first.
“Chinese New Year is coming soon. Let’s buy some new clothes for the two beauties!”
Lu Changfu nodded. “Sure. I was planning to buy them some things anyway.”
They arrived at the most upscale clothing store in town.
As soon as Song Liyuan entered, she was attracted to several fashionable winter outfits and excitedly pulled Chen Lili over to take a look.
Chen Lili, however, simply followed quietly behind her without saying much.
“How about this one?” Song Liyuan picked up a cashmere sweater priced at 799 yuan and held it against herself.
Lu Changfu walked over and took a look.
“Not bad, but…” He turned to the sales clerk. “Do you have anything cheaper? Around 100 yuan?”
The smile on the clerk’s face stiffened slightly.
“Sir, our store mainly carries mid- to high-end clothing. The cheapest items are still around 399 yuan…”
Yang Lifeng immediately seized the opportunity.
“Changfu, you’re really going to worry about this little bit of money when buying clothes for your girlfriend?”
He deliberately raised his voice.
“I buy clothes for my wife that cost seven or eight hundred yuan each. I’ve even bought ones over a thousand!”
Lu Changfu sighed.
“It’s not easy supporting two girlfriends. I’m really short on money.”
He looked at Yang Lifeng, a sly glint flashing in his eyes.
“How about… you lend me some? Just 50,000 yuan. I’ll pay you back after the New Year.”
Yang Lifeng hadn’t expected him to ask for money in front of everyone, leaving him in an awkward position.
If he refused, he would look stingy. But if he lent the money, he was afraid he would never get it back.
However, seeing the expectant looks of the two beautiful women—Song Liyuan was pretending, while Chen Lili was simply bewildered—he gritted his teeth.
“What’s 50,000 yuan? I’ll transfer it to you right now!”
He took out his phone and transferred 50,000 yuan to Lu Changfu on the spot.
When the successful-transfer notification sounded, Lu Changfu nodded in satisfaction.
“Thanks, old classmate.”
Then he turned to the sales clerk.
“Let’s still look at something around 100 yuan. I have to save this money and make sure we have a good New Year.”
Yang Lifeng nearly coughed up blood from anger.
You just borrowed 50,000 yuan, and now you’re unwilling to even buy a 799-yuan piece of clothing?
Unable to hold back, he mocked him again.
“Changfu, that’s not very nice, is it? You borrow money and still act so stingy?”
Lu Changfu shrugged.
“Can’t help it. I’m poor.”
Suddenly, a meaningful smile appeared on his face.
“How about this? If you can’t stand watching, you can buy things for them yourself. I don’t mind.”
He deliberately lowered his voice.
“After all… they’re still ‘free agents.’ Whoever has what it takes can take one.”
Yang Lifeng’s eyes lit up.
“Really?”
“Of course.”
Lu Changfu answered generously.
“You can add them on WeChat, chat with them, buy them gifts, and see who they like better.”
Yang Lifeng was overjoyed. He immediately went over to Song Liyuan and Chen Lili, enthusiastically offering to buy them clothes.
Song Liyuan had already received Lu Changfu’s signal and immediately put on a delighted expression.
“Really? Brother Yang, you’re so nice!”
She deliberately moved closer to Yang Lifeng and whispered something into his ear, making him beam with delight.
Chen Lili, meanwhile, simply stood there, completely at a loss.
Lu Changfu walked over and whispered into her ear.
“Cooperate with him. Let him buy things for you. The more expensive, the better.”
Chen Lili looked up at him, her eyes filled with confusion and resistance.
But Lu Changfu’s gaze was cold and firm, leaving no room for refusal.
She bit her lip and finally nodded lightly.
What happened next was almost absurd.
Yang Lifeng was like a peacock showing off its feathers, going back and forth between the two women while boldly buying one expensive piece of clothing after another.
Song Liyuan’s acting was superb. One moment she praised Yang Lifeng for having good taste; the next, she told him he was masculine and charming. She flattered him until he was practically floating.
Chen Lili merely forced herself to maintain a polite smile and tried to choose reasonably priced items. But in order to show off, Yang Lifeng insisted on giving her a cashmere scarf priced at 1,688 yuan.
Liu Qiang and Li Ming watched from the side, completely dumbfounded. They were both envious of Yang Lifeng’s “good fortune with women” and impressed by his “generosity.”
By the time they finished shopping, Yang Lifeng had already bought nearly 10,000 yuan worth of clothes for the two women and had successfully added them both on WeChat.
He was extremely pleased with himself, as though he could already see himself successfully stealing someone else’s girlfriend.
Lunch was at a high-end restaurant.
Yang Lifeng ordered the most expensive dishes and opened a bottle of Moutai. Throughout the meal, he constantly bragged about his business and income while occasionally shooting flirtatious looks at the two women.
Song Liyuan cooperatively played the role of a “gold-digger,” while Chen Lili quietly ate her meal, occasionally responding with a few words.
Lu Changfu remained calm throughout, watching Yang Lifeng’s performance with a hint of mockery in his eyes.
When Yang Lifeng once again began bragging about his newly purchased BMW, Lu Changfu suddenly spoke.
“Lifeng, I heard you’ve been doing livestream e-commerce recently?”
Yang Lifeng paused before proudly replying.
“Yeah. It’s going pretty well. I can make more than a hundred thousand yuan a month.”
“That’s perfect.”
Lu Changfu smiled.
“I’m writing a novel recently, and the protagonist is an internet celebrity. Why don’t you tell me more about your ‘secrets to success’? I could use them for reference.”
Flattered by the praise, Yang Lifeng became even more excited and immediately launched into a long-winded account of his “entrepreneurial journey”—how he started from nothing, how he seized the right opportunities, how he eventually made millions a year…
He exaggerated everything to the heavens.
Lu Changfu listened while nodding occasionally, throwing out a few pointed questions from time to time. To save face, Yang Lifeng could only grit his teeth and keep making things up.
By the end of the meal, Lu Changfu had practically figured out his entire financial situation.
That so-called “million-yuan annual income” clearly wasn’t realistic anymore.
He had apparently made quite a bit of money in previous years.
But now… he probably didn’t have much left.
After lunch, Yang Lifeng was already somewhat drunk, but he still insisted on taking the two women home.
Lu Changfu politely declined.
“No need. I drove here.”
He gave Yang Lifeng a meaningful look.
“Thanks for your ‘hospitality’ today. Let’s get together again sometime.”
On the way home, Song Liyuan excitedly went through the day’s “spoils.”
“Brother Lu, how was my acting? That Yang Lifeng is such an idiot. He was so easy to fool!”
Lu Changfu smiled.
“Not bad. Keep whatever you can use, return whatever you don’t need… The money is yours.”
“Really? That’s great!”
Song Liyuan cheered.
Chen Lili sat in the back seat, silently holding the expensive cashmere scarf.
She had spent the entire day like a puppet, manipulated by Lu Changfu into cooperating with this ridiculous charade.
What made her feel even worse was the way Yang Lifeng had looked at her and the suggestive things he had said. They reminded her of her current “identity”—a “commodity” that could be traded and transferred.
“Chen Lili.”
Lu Changfu suddenly looked at her through the rearview mirror.
“You did… all right today. You can decide what to do with those things yourself, too.”
Chen Lili froze slightly, surprised that he would say that.
She lowered her head and looked at the soft scarf.
Suddenly, her nose stung.
It was the most expensive gift she had ever received in her life, yet it had come to her in such a humiliating way…
“Thank you.”
Her voice was so soft that it was almost inaudible.
When they returned home, Peng Jiali was surprised to see them carrying bags of things.
“You bought so much?”
“An old classmate gave them to us.”
Lu Changfu answered casually.
“Mom, you remember Yang Lifeng, right? He’s doing really well now. He insisted on buying things for us.”
“Oh, that boy from the Yang family.”
Peng Jiali nodded.
“I heard he’s doing some kind of business online. Sounds like he’s making quite a bit.”
“Yeah. He’s especially ‘generous.’”
Lu Changfu’s tone was meaningful.
“He might even come over to bring us some New Year gifts in a few days.”
That evening, Lu Changfu received a WeChat message from Yang Lifeng:
“Changfu, I had a great time today! Both beauties were really nice! Especially Lili. She’s gentle and considerate—exactly my type! 😏”
Lu Changfu replied:
“Take it slow. No rush… There’ll be plenty of opportunities during the New Year. 😊”
After sending the message, he looked out at the dark night through the window, a cold smile curling at the corners of his lips.
Yang Lifeng, this gullible fool, had not only lent him 50,000 yuan but had also willingly jumped straight into the trap he had set.
From now on, he had plenty of ways to squeeze even more money out of this “old classmate.”
As for Chen Lili…
When he remembered the restrained, broken look in her eyes today, a strange feeling briefly flashed through Lu Changfu’s heart.
But he quickly suppressed it.
Since she had chosen this path, she should be prepared to endure these things.
At least, he had given her a “respectable” job and a chance to “pay off her debt.”
The system panel appeared in his mind:
[Parents’ Happiness Level: 93%. External interference detected (Yang Lifeng). May affect the evaluation of family harmony. Host is advised to handle the situation appropriately.]
Lu Changfu closed the system notification.
Yang Lifeng?
He was nothing more than a clown making a fool of himself. Lu Changfu had plenty of ways to deal with him.
This New Year was destined to be anything but peaceful.