Chapter Seventy-Five: A Woman's Wrath Is Truly Terrifying

The female shop assistant only kept asking for Zhang Can’s forgiveness, saying nothing else. Zhang Can, however, overheard the female shop manager on the other side secretly making a phone call, apparently telling someone that he was in the store and urging them to come quickly. Zhang Can immediately became alert. Could it be that the people in this store wanted to take revenge on him, to cause him trouble? Yet, judging by the shop assistant’s expression, it didn’t seem likely to be that extreme. After all, they had already gone too far last time. If anyone had the right to be angry, it should be him, not them; why would they still be upset?

He considered the situation with some caution. He couldn’t allow himself to suffer a loss here, but after thinking it over, it seemed unlikely they would call someone to rough him up right there in the store. If they wanted to do that, they could just have the supermarket security handle it—why call the boss?

The shop assistant quickly poured Zhang Can a cup of hot water from the store’s water dispenser, placed it respectfully on the counter before him, and said, “Mr. Zhang, please have some water!”

Seeing the shop assistant and her colleagues displaying expressions entirely different from last time, Zhang Can was certain they must be in some sort of trouble. In this kind of situation, there was only one explanation… Suddenly, Zhang Can thought of Zhou Nan. She absolutely had the means to do such a thing, and it was for her sake that incident happened the other day. With her involved, there was a ninety-nine percent chance she was behind this!

After about fourteen or fifteen minutes, a neatly dressed man in his forties came up from the elevator. His expression was extremely humble—at least to Zhang Can’s eyes.

“Hello, hello, Mr. Zhang. I’m Gao Zhiquan, the manager of this branch. Last time, there was some misunderstanding between our staff and you and Miss Zhou. We have already punished several employees, but we couldn’t find you, nor did we have any way to contact you, so we were still trying to resolve things. I didn’t expect you to come by the store today…”

Zhang Can immediately understood—this was probably because of Zhou Nan.

Gao Zhiquan glanced around the store, then at Zhang Can, seeming to find it awkward to speak, but he had no choice. He lowered his voice and said, “Mr. Zhang, I truly apologize. I’d like to ask you to speak kindly of us to Miss Zhou. Please, don’t let the store be shut down for rectification. It was all a misunderstanding. How about this... This evening, I’ll host dinner for you and Miss Zhou, and we can have a chat…”

Zhang Can certainly understood what Gao Zhiquan meant by “chat”—it was nothing different from a bribe. As for the threat of being forced to close for rectification, it was likely a punishment from the authorities—industry and commerce, tax, or the jewelry regulatory agency. There isn’t a single modern business that’s perfectly clean. In business, no one would ever risk antagonizing the authorities; it’s a hard and fast rule throughout history.

In Jin City, Zhou Nan’s father was the number one figure. If Zhou Nan had any issues, she wouldn’t even need to speak—just a look would be enough for countless people to understand and act. If Zhou Nan mentioned what happened in this store, every department in Jin City—especially those with the power to shut down this branch—would target this shop. If they wanted to find fault, it would be like finding bones in an egg; even if there weren’t any, they’d make some appear. Besides, jewelry stores like this always have things to hide; making trouble for them would be as easy as spitting.

“That’s not my business, nor do I have that kind of influence. I think you must be mistaken, Manager Gao. I know nothing about this. Sorry, I have other matters to attend to. Goodbye.”

Now that Zhang Can understood the situation, he immediately got up to leave and decided to buy gifts at another store. Given how rudely they treated him last time, they deserved some suffering. Besides, with his ability to see through things, if he were an ordinary person, he would have suffered in silence.

Gao Zhiquan hurried after him, saying, “Mr. Zhang… Mr. Zhang… let’s talk this over…”

But Zhang Can ignored him, walking away without looking back. Gao Zhiquan, seeing him disappear around the corner, returned to the store and angrily reprimanded the staff, furious beyond measure.

Once Zhang Can was out of view of Gao Zhiquan’s store, he stopped and casually walked into another jewelry shop. A heavily made-up shop assistant greeted him warmly.

“Sir, what kind of jewelry are you looking for?”

Zhang Can paused to consider, then answered, “I’d like to buy a gift each for my sister and my girlfriend.”

The shop assistant, experienced in such matters, smiled and said, “Then a necklace for your sister and a ring for your girlfriend would be most appropriate. May I ask… what price range are you looking for?”

Judging by Zhang Can’s ordinary appearance and unremarkable attire, she tested the waters. She would recommend whatever he asked for, always seeking to maximize her own commission.

“The best you have!” Zhang Can answered without hesitation. With assets in the tens of millions and the prospect of earning even more, he naturally wanted to choose the finest gifts. Besides, this wasn’t even the largest flagship store, nor a high-end luxury boutique; their most expensive items were only in the hundreds of thousands at most.

The shop assistant’s eyes lit up with excitement. Zhang Can might not look rich, but his bearing surpassed even that of the arrogant sons of wealthy families. Their arrogance was superficial, masking ignorance and immaturity; Zhang Can’s confidence, however, was innate.

“Sir, please look at these. These are our latest rings and necklaces. This one is sixty-nine thousand, this one is seventy-eight thousand eight hundred, and this one…”

The shop assistant enthusiastically introduced each item in the glass case, focusing especially on the most expensive ones.

Zhang Can didn’t even consider the prices, nor did he pay much attention to her explanations. He simply pointed at two pieces and said, “I’ll take this ring and that necklace.” With that, he produced his bank card and tossed it on the counter.

The shop assistant was momentarily stunned. This customer made his own choices without even asking about the features or advantages of the jewelry. What puzzled her more was that Zhang Can hadn’t picked the most expensive pieces, but rather the two of the best quality. Some items were priced higher, but their value was inflated; selling those would have earned her a bigger commission.

After a pause, she asked, “Sir, would you like me to show you some other options with even better value for money? Perhaps one of those might suit you better…”

“I said I want these two. Are you selling them or not? If not, I’ll go elsewhere!” An ordinary person might have listened to her sales pitch, but not Zhang Can. With a glance, he could discern the merits of every item behind the counter. No matter how she tried, he would never be swayed.

The shop assistant had no idea that, aside from his ability to see through objects, Zhang Can’s knowledge of jewelry and jade far surpassed her own.

“Yes, yes, of course we’ll sell them. I just…” Flustered by Zhang Can’s directness, she hurried to process the sale. She had hoped to make a hefty profit from a big spender unconcerned about price, but since he had already chosen, she could hardly refuse the sale. The two pieces he picked weren’t cheap—a ring priced at sixty-seven thousand eight hundred and a necklace at eighty-eight thousand. They were honest choices, but the commission was lower, so she had tried to persuade him otherwise. Since he insisted, she had no choice but to comply. Even so, she’d still earn over a thousand in commission from this sale. Compared to other customers, Zhang Can truly was a big client.

The shop assistant quickly swiped his card at the POS machine, handed him the receipt to sign, and returned his card. Zhang Can took the two jewelry boxes and left, leaving the staff in the store dumbfounded. They had never seen a buyer like him—he made his purchase and left in under five minutes, and this wasn’t a small sum, but a total of over 150,000.

He took the jewelry downstairs, drove home, and parked in the underground garage at Tianxin Plaza. Then he took the elevator up. He had intended to ring the doorbell and let his sister answer, but decided to give them a surprise instead. The jewelry was only part of it; more importantly, he wanted to tell them he had acquired a store, and they now had official jobs—working in the family business. That was surely a pleasant surprise.

Thinking of this, Zhang Can quietly unlocked the door and crept inside. He waved the two boxes in the air and called out loudly, “Zhang Hua, Liu Xiaoqin, come see what I’ve bought you!”

But as soon as he saw the people sitting in the living room, Zhang Can froze. There were three young women there: his sister Zhang Hua, Liu Xiaoqin, and Zhou Nan!

Why was Zhou Nan here again? Zhang Can frowned, taken aback. If he’d known Zhou Nan was here, he certainly wouldn’t have made such a show.

“Second brother, what did you buy for us?” Zhang Hua didn’t care about the others, jumping up with a happy smile as she came over.

Zhang Can handed her the box containing the necklace and said, “This is for you!”

He wanted to remind her not to open it right then, but it was awkward to say so. Zhang Hua, however, unabashedly opened it at once. The moment she saw the necklace inside, she cried out, “Wow, it’s beautiful! Second brother, this necklace is gorgeous! It must be expensive, right?”

Before Zhang Can could answer, Zhang Hua muttered to herself, “This must cost several thousand at least. So pretty!”

Zhang Can smiled, nodded, and said, “Yes, it cost over a thousand.”

Zhang Hua looked up and asked, “Second brother, let me see what you bought for Sister-in-law Xiaoqin.” As she spoke, she took the other jewelry box from Zhang Can and opened it.

The gift for Liu Xiaoqin was a diamond ring, priced over sixty thousand—actually, Zhang Hua’s necklace was even more expensive.

“It’s so pretty!” Zhang Hua took the ring out and tried it on her own finger, then beckoned to Liu Xiaoqin. “Sister-in-law Xiaoqin, come and look at this ring—it’s really beautiful!”

Liu Xiaoqin, of course, understood the significance of a ring as a gift for a woman. She glanced at Zhou Nan, whose face had darkened, but rose with a delighted smile. Only Zhang Hua didn’t know—back in their rural hometown, when people got married, it was rare to buy rings or necklaces; they usually bought household appliances like TVs and washing machines. Such luxuries hadn’t yet become common in rural thinking.

Liu Xiaoqin took the ring from Zhang Hua, slipped it onto the ring finger of her right hand, and admired it, her face radiant with joy.

“It’s just a stupid ring. What’s there to show off?” Zhou Nan muttered sourly, then got up and stormed out—any longer and she was afraid she’d lose her temper.

But Zhang Can called after her before she got far, “Come on, let’s go out for a nice meal. I have more good news for you all!”

“I’m hungry,” Zhou Nan replied, turning back and leaning coolly against the door.