Chapter 53 The Greatest Shopkeeper in History!
Chapter 53 The Greatest Shopkeeper in History!
Su Chan already knew for a fact that she hadn't had so much fun before she met Li Yundong. But this! This was fun on a whole new level! Elevating and plunging platforms? Giant rotating wheels with cute little compartments! Long carts hurtling through the air along spiraling rails! So. Much. Fun! If only she could get Li Yundong to get up off the floor...
Besides, wasn't he the one who had promised her a day of fun and games?
"Mmmmmmm," Su Chan whined, swaying Li Yundong's body. "Don't be a spoilsport please? Get up! Let's go have some more fun! Please? Pleeeeeeaaaaasee?"
Su Chan whined and pleaded for minutes on end, yet Li Yundong refused to get up! Worse, he was ignoring her completely! He didn't even bother to shake his head anymore!
All of a sudden, a slow smile formed on Su Chan's lips. She bent down and placed her lips beside his ear. "Yundong..." Su Chan said in a sultry tone. "Won't you give me what I desire?"
Li Yundong covered his face and groaned into his hands. "But I don't have any energy left! I'll probably drop dead if we do it one more time. Heck, I barely have the energy to sit upright!"
Another round of chortles and giggles sounded around them. Su Chan didn't understand what was so funny. She was just trying to seduce Li Yundong into accompanying her to ride the spiraling carts. Speaking of which, her plan didn't work! He flat out refused her. Again.
Su Chan made a whining sound and pulled Li Yundong until he was sitting instead of lying on the ground. "Get up, get up! How could you do this? You promised me a fun day! But I haven't had enough yet! I still wanna play!"
Li Yundong groaned and smiled wryly at Su Chan. "Come on, my dear little princess. We've been on so many rides already! Eight space shuttle rides, thirteen roller coaster rides, twenty-one Ferris wheel rides! That's too much for me to handle. We haven't even had lunch yet! Aren't you tired at all?"
"No, no! I'm not tired!"
Li Yundong groaned, then lay back down on the grass. "But I am!" he said, closing his eyes.
Moments later, he opened his eyes again. "They say there are only dead oxen, but never over-ploughed paddy fields," he said with a straight face. "Guess they're right." (T/N: Let oxen = men; let paddy fields = women; my dear, dear readers, I must ask you to use your imagination)
Su Chan blushed, then burst into giggles. "Stop talking nonsense and get up!" she said, smacking Li Yundong playfully.
"No..." Li Yundong grinned, then suddenly reached out to wrap his arm around her waist. "You get down here!"
Su Chan leaped to the side, releasing a peal of laughter. "So mean!" she said. "Fine, if you don't want to play, at least get up. I'm hungry!"
Li Yundong remained sprawled on the grass, refusing to get up. "Nope! No can do! Not getting up!"
A slow smile formed on Su Chan's lips. She bit down on her bottom lip and secretly snapped a piece of reed in half.
Su Chan giggled. "Hehe... Still not getting up? Hm? Still not getting up?" she said, tickling Li Yundong's face with the piece of reed.
"Nuh-uh! Not getting up! I already told you I'm not getting up, and I'm a man of my word!"
They spent a while on the grass, teasing and making fun of each other. It was mostly Li Yundong doing the teasing, which Su Chan answered by tickling him in various places with the reed. Needless to say, their frolicking attracted a lot of attention from men and women, hardly a surprise considering how good-looking they both were.
Eventually, Su Chan grew uncomfortable with the constant stares, whispers, and giggles by the passers-by. She tossed the reed aside and crouched down beside Li Yundong. "What do you want me to do so that you can finally get up?" she said, sounding utterly defeated.
Li Yundong sighed wistfully. "Well, I'm like this because of you," he said. "So you must take responsibility."
Su Chan placed an index finger on her bottom lip as she went silent in thought. "Then... How about I give you a massage?" she asked tentatively.
"No way! You think you can bribe me with one of your massages? Not a chance!"
Su Chan pouted. "Fine! I'll give you a piggyback ride!"
Li Yundong looked up at Su Chan in surprise. "Can you actually support my weight?"
Su Chan snorted. "Don't you dare underestimate me!"
Li Yundong laughed, then stretched out both arms. "Okay, then! Show me what you're made of!"
***
Li Yundong felt a strong pull on his outstretched arms. Before he knew it, he was up on his feet. A moment later, he saw Su Chan positioning herself in front of him with her back facing him before bending over slightly at her waist. Is she serious? Li Yundong thought in amusement.
"Hop on!" Su Chan said, patting her own back.
"O...kay?" Li Yundong said, wrapping his arms around her shoulders.
Li Yundong stepped forward tentatively, then pressed the front of his body up against Su Chan's back. He tried to ignore how good Su Chan smelled or how soft and curvy her body was beneath him. Not to mention the highly strategic positioning of certain parts of their anatomies relative to each other.
"Look, this is honestly so weird, why don't we—
SWISH.
Su Chan hoisted him with ease.
"Holy shit! You can actually support my weight!" Li Yundong said in shock. "Not bad at all!"
Maybe her strength came from all those bowls of rice she had wolfed down yesterday.
All of a sudden, Li Yundong decided to test her strength a little by deliberately pushing down on her.
"Stop that! You're pushing down on me on purpose!" Su Chan chastised, giggling as she staggered a few steps. "Stop it! You're so mean! Stop, or else I won't be able to carry you!"
Li Yundong laughed. "Alright, alright! That's enough! Put me down. I was just kidding, okay?"
When Su Chan bent down again, Li Yundong climbed off and straightened himself.
He reached over and pinched Su Chan's nose. "I'd rather die than see you wear yourself out by carrying me," he said affectionately.
Su Chan slapped his hand away. "I told you not to underestimate me!"
Li Yundong chuckled. "This has nothing to do with me underestimating your strength," he said. "It's about me being a gentleman!" Yeah well, Li Yundong already had some idea about how strong Su Chan was. She could take down a big guy like Er Lu with a just a kick and stop Zhou Yu's fist mid-punch!
"But—"
Li Yundong cut off her protest by raising his palm.
"Ready for some food now, princess?" Li Yundong asked. Food always worked on Su Chan. Every single time.
Su Chan's face lit up and she nodded with zest.
"How about..." Li Yundong glanced around for a bit, then paused when his eyes landed on the McDonald's nearby. "Ice cream!"
"Yay!!" Su Chan beamed at him and jumped up slightly. "I want the one I had last time, the one with the cone at the bottom!"
Li Yundong smiled. "Ice cream cones! Alrighty! Your wish is my command!" Li Yundong bowed slightly, causing Su Chan to giggle. Li Yundong glanced over at the McDonald's, then back at Su Chan again. "Wait here for me?" Li Yundong pointed his thumb in the direction of the McDonald's. "I'll just grab a cone over there real quick, then come back."
Su Chan looked at him warily. "A- are you... are you going to leave me?"
"No, silly. Are you still worried about that?" Li Yundong chuckled, then stared earnestly into Su Chan's eyes. "I told you I won't ever abandon you. Never. You hear me? I'm just gonna get your ice cream, then I'll come right back. Promise."
Su Chan smiled, then waved at him. "Be quick, okay!" she said.
Li Yundong grinned, then turned around and headed towards McDonald's.
***
Su Chan stood rooted on her spot, her eyes never leaving Li Yundong's figure as he walked further and further away. She was happy, so very happy, and she knew it was because of Li Yundong. For some reason, she knew in her heart that as long as she had Li Yundong, her life would always be happy and exciting. On the other hand, the thought of parting with him, even for a second, filled her heart with sadness and agony.
Standing a few feet away from the amusement park's entrance, Su Chan was a sight for sore eyes indeed. The afternoon sun bathed her lissom figure, accentuating her innocence and candidness. She was glowing, and practically radiating beauty. She mesmerized every single person there. Among those mesmerized was a man dressed in a full business suit. Now this guy clearly had a habit of charming every beautiful women that crossed his path; as soon as he saw Su Chan, he rushed to the florist beside the amusement part and bought a huge bouquet.
"Hi, miss," he said, holding out the bouquet in front of Su Chan. "I've honestly never seen a woman more beautiful than you. Will you accept my flowers?"
Su Chan looked at the man in confusion. "Who are you?" It made no sense to her why some random man would suddenly give her flowers. This had never happened to her before.
Mr. Business Suit smiled and took out his name card, then handed it to Su Chan: "This is my card, miss."
Su Chan didn't even look at the card, let alone take it. She fixed her gaze upon the man, her eyes glinting with curiosity. "I asked you who you are. Why are you giving me this card?"
The man adjusted his collar, then raised the sleeve of his Versace suit jacket to reveal his Vacheron Constantin luxury watch. Everything about the man, from his attire to his comportment, screamed "rich and powerful elite." Su Chan's dismissive tone clearly wasn't convincing enough to this man who was used to having his way with everything. "Well, you'll know who I am if you read the card. And you'll know what I do as well."
"Oh," Su Chan said, taking the proffered card, then read the golden Chinese characters printed on top aloud: "Rong Guofa, Chairman and CEO of Rong Wei International Capital Corporation Limited."
Rong Guofa glanced around once Su Chan had finished reading his prestigious title aloud. When he saw the awestruck expressions of the people in their vicinity, Rong Guofa raised his chin proudly. Come worship me, little beauty! Come into my arms!
Once they had recovered from their awe of Rong Guofa's presence, the visitors of the amusement park began to realize that this scene was a typical scenario in modern society: the showdown between love and money.
How many women in society had renounced love for the sake of money? How many pot-bellied tycoons had pranced around the world with a money-worshipping bimbo on each arm?
Rong Guofa had done this many times before. The number of young, beautiful women who had fallen for his wealth and status were innumerable. To Rong Guofa, no women could resist the lure of wealth and fame. None.
Reinforced by his past successes, buttressed by his self-proclaimed, profound insights into the inner workings of the female heart, Rong Guofa's smile was filled with arrogance and self-conceit. It was as though he thought Su Chan was his already.
However, his smile was erased from his face by Su Chan's next words.
"What's a Chairman? And what on earth is a CEO?"
Guffaws and cackles engulfed the conceited man and the girl.
The corners of Rong Guofa's eyes twitched. Is this girl messing with me? he thought.
Rong Guofa studied Su Chan's expression for a moment. That innocent expression seems too real to be faked... All of a sudden, a shocking thought occurred to him. It can't be... Is she really the innocent type? Damn, I thought that type had gone extinct a long time ago! This girl is so rare! That does it. I must bag her!
Rong Guofa spent a couple of minutes explaining the many privileges and benefits of being a CEO.
"Oh, so you're one of those shopkeepers, right?" Su Chan said with a look of realization. "Why didn't you just tell me that from the start!" Su Chan reached out and patted the man's shoulder. "So you're a merchant! Not bad..." Su Chan nodded approvingly.
Another round of laughter shook the entrance of the amusement park.
Rong Guofa was practically losing his marbles at that point. A shopkeeper! What a travesty! She just humiliated me in front of these people!
As much as he wanted to start screaming and yelling at Su Chan for her impudence, Rong Guofa forced himself to keep his cool. A man of his status and class never loses his cool! Ever! He forced out a smile, which, to be honest, made him look like a person struggling with chronic constipation. "Te- technically, that isn't an accurate representation of what I do for a living..." he said.
Rong Guofa took a deep breath and tamped down his anger. "The company I run is an international financial investment company. We handle financial investments that are worth billions of dollars on a daily basis," he said. "This is completely different from what a shopkeeper does."
Su Chan nodded, though it was unclear whether she actually understood Rong Guofa's explanation. "Oh, okay," she said. "Then what exactly is it that you do?"
The smugness returned to Rong Guofa's expression once again. "Me? Well, nothing too impressive. In the company, I don't really do—" Rong Guofa pulled up short. He'd been about to tell Su Chan that he didn't usually have much to do in the company, but then changed his mind at the last second lest Su Chan got any wrong ideas about his capability as a man. He backtracked, and quickly amended his statement: "Well, I basically handle all kinds of investments. Gold bars, funds, currencies, you name it!"
A look of surprise flitted across Su Chan's pretty face. "Wow... So you can do everything?"
Rong Guofa adjusted his collar again, then stared off into space as though he was in awe with his own greatness. "Yeah... There's nothing I can't do..." Then, he suddenly looked at Su Chan. "So, I'm a really busy man. Millions of dollars go through my capable hands every second!"
Su Chan looked at the man in awe. "Wow... So you really can do everything. Then, your shop must be the greatest shop that ever existed! Which makes you the greatest shopkeeper in history!"
"HAHAHAHAHAHA!"
Rong Guofa nearly sprayed blood from his mouth when he heard Su Chan's words. This girl is deliberately messing with me! he thought, glaring at Su Chan.