15 – Let You Spend Money
The next day when Tang Qianluo woke up, Ning Dai had long disappeared without a trace—even the bed beside her had lost its warmth.
After a quick wash, she headed to the dining room.
“Awake now, girl?” Ning Ao asked with a smile.
“Good morning, Grandpa,” Tang Qianluo replied as she sat down to enjoy breakfast.
“Young people should know when to show restraint.”
“Cough, cough…” Tang Qianluo couldn’t stop coughing. If you want to kill me, just say it—do you have to choke me to death?
“The power went out last night, Ning Dai didn’t…” Tang Qianluo trailed off, leaving the rest unsaid.
“Ning Dai has had a hard life. When he was ten, he almost died. There’s a lot Grandpa can’t say, but just know that if you treat him well, he will never let you down.”
Ning Ao sighed, leaning on his cane as he walked outdoors.
This wasn’t the first time Tang Qianluo had heard this, but each time it was left vague and unclear. Her mind began to drift until the ringing of her phone snapped her back to reality.
“Tang Qianluo, have you gone missing?” On the other end of the line, the loud questioning of Li Tianqi, her longtime best friend, pierced her eardrums.
With so much happening recently, Tang Qianluo apologized with a laugh, “No, no, how could I? Old Buddha, what instructions do you have for me with this call?”
“Hmph, I’m waiting for you at Golden Mansion Plaza. Come keep me company while I shop.”
Tang Qianluo said “As you wish,” hurriedly finished her makeup, and headed to Golden Mansion Plaza.
She had met Li Tianqi two years ago, right after she left the Tang family. At that time, she was short on money and had to take on magazine cover photoshoots, and Li Tianqi happened to be the photographer for one of those events.
Li Tianqi was straightforward and quickly became close with Tang Qianluo.
When they met, Li Tianqi looked Tang Qianluo up and down, her doll-like face scrunching up as she asked, “Tang Qianluo, your recent disappearance… could it be…”
Tang Qianluo couldn’t help but swallow hard. Surely the Tang and Ning families’ wedding hadn’t been announced in the papers, right?
“Have you been stealing? Look at your neck and your face—were you caught and beaten up? If you’re broke, you should’ve told me!”
As expected, she shouldn’t have overestimated this person’s intelligence!
Golden Mansion Plaza was a famous shopping mall in the capital, known for its terrifyingly expensive items. Li Tianqi hadn’t chosen it with the intention of buying anything but to seek inspiration for her photography.
Suddenly, Tang Qianluo paused in front of a black shirt—a simple, stylish pure black shirt with a line of gold thread stitched around the cuffs.
She suddenly thought of Ning Dai, feeling that this shirt would look exceptionally good on him.
“Qianluo, what a coincidence.”
Tang Qianluo turned and saw Tang Wanning, head held high and chest out, striding confidently toward her.
What cursed fate was this!
“You’re here shopping? Their items are all custom-made and very expensive,” Tang Wanning said, her lips curling into a smile, her eyes filled with mockery. “President Ning probably wouldn’t appreciate such extravagance from you.”
Tang Qianluo felt a surge of irritation. “I’m spending my own money. Why would Ning Dai care whether he likes it or not?”
“What? Are you and Ning Dai financially separate?” Tang Wanning’s tone rose, as if she had stumbled upon the joke of the century.
“Qianluo, Mother always taught us to live within our means. Given your current spending power, you probably can’t afford anything here, right? How about your sister buys it for you?”
Tang Qianluo thought to herself: Since you’ve come asking for it, don’t blame me for being impolite!”Is that so? Since my sister insists, I’ll graciously accept.”
As she spoke, she proceeded to wrap up nearly half the clothes in the store, completely disregarding whether they fit or looked good!
Tang Wanning watched the numbers rapidly climbing on the payment terminal, feeling her temples throbbing in sync!
“Sister, the total comes to 1.3 million. Sorry to make you spend so much,” Tang Qianluo said with a smile.
Tang Wanning clenched her teeth, yet constrained by pride, had no choice but to swipe her card. Over a million! That was several months’ worth of her allowance!
In high spirits, Tang Qianluo picked out the shirt she had her eye on, paid for it separately, and said,
“Please donate the remaining clothes to impoverished mountain areas. Make sure not to credit my name—my sister has always done good deeds anonymously.”
“Tang Qianluo, you…” Tang Wanning was so furious her nose seemed to twist, pointing at Tang Qianluo as she couldn’t hold back her rage.
“What’s wrong, sister? Didn’t you give these clothes to me? Can’t I give them away? Or are you regretting it now? Feeling the pinch?”
Tang Qianluo crossed her arms over her chest, tilting her head with feigned innocence.
Store employees gradually gathered, unable to resist glancing at the two sisters.
Tang Wanning shot a look around, swallowed her resentment, and forced a stiff smile, saying, “Of course not, why would I care about such a small amount? I have matters to attend to, so I’ll take my leave.”
With that, she strode out of the store in her high heels.
Li Tianqi shook her head as she approached Tang Qianluo, remarking, “Tsk, you’ve turned wicked, little Luoluo. In the past, you would’ve just walked away.”Tang Qianluo thought to herself, this must be what they mean about bad company corrupting good character—after spending so much time with that pervert, her own ways had started to resemble his.”
“That sister of yours really is persistent!”
“Now you understand what they call a cursed fate?”
Li Tianqi shrugged, marveling at how complicated aristocratic families could be!
The incident with Tang Wanning didn’t dampen their shopping mood. They went from floor to floor until Tang Qianluo felt her feet were about to give out. Finally, Li Tianqi, satisfied with her haul, declared their shopping trip a success.
In her heart, Tang Qianluo silently thanked the Buddha—this Great Immortal had finally shopped enough!
After parting ways with Li Tianqi, Tang Qianluo headed to the Ning Corporation Building.
The moment she pushed open the door to the CEO’s office, before she could speak, she saw a woman with a seductive figure sitting across from Ning Dai.
Well, well, trying to seduce him right at his doorstep!
“President Ning, are there any issues with this agreement? Our company comes with the utmost sincerity.”
Ning Dai didn’t respond. Instead, he stood and walked toward the door, asking, “What brings you here?”
If I hadn’t come, you’d have been seduced by that vixen!
Tang Qianluo fumed, not understanding why she was so angry, but she was furious nonetheless.
“President Ning, aren’t you going to introduce us?” The woman swayed her hips as she approached the two.
Tang Qianluo curved her lips into a smile, linking her arm through Ning Dai’s, and said softly, “Hello, I’m Ning Dai’s wife, Tang Qianluo.”
“Oh, so you’re the Tang family’s second daughter! Hello, I’m Li Ying, President Ning’s business partner.” Li Ying’s smile was ambiguous, her eyes carrying a hint of mockery.
“President Ning and I still have important matters to discuss. It might be inappropriate for you to listen in.”
Tang Qianluo smiled gracefully, looking up at Ning Dai as she asked, “Am I not allowed to listen?”How could Ning Dai not see through Tang Qianluo’s little schemes? He reached out to hold her hand and led her toward the reception area.
“President Ning, what about our collaboration?” Li Ying called out loudly.
Ning Dai turned his head, glanced at Li Ying, and said, “You’ve wasted half an hour of my time. Any random person at Ning Corporation could come up with a better proposal than this garbage.”
Li Ying’s face flushed crimson as she bit her lower lip. Someone who had always been the center of admiration was being belittled like this for the first time.
“Furthermore, are you hard of hearing? My wife—you called her the Second Young Lady of the Tang family? Or do you think she’s easy to bully?”
The corners of Ning Dai’s lips lifted into a smile, yet the icy tone in his words nearly froze Li Ying in place.
Clutching the contract, she didn’t even have time to say goodbye before fleeing the CEO’s office as if escaping for her life.