Chapter 65: The Marketplace Is a Battlefield

Considering Wang Bingling’s little thoughts, Su Chen didn’t lead her to the luxury goods section. Instead, he accompanied her to the small goods market on the basement level, browsing through trinkets.

As they passed by a shop specializing in small jewelry, the sparkling items immediately caught Wang Bingling’s eye. Su Chen walked in with her.

“Hey? This bracelet is actually quite pretty!” Wang Bingling’s gaze landed on a pink crystal bracelet displayed on the shop’s simple counter. She couldn’t put it down, playing with the little bracelet as she asked the shopkeeper, “How much is this bracelet?”

“You’ve got a good eye, young lady! This is our latest arrival and a limited edition for this year. Just 330 yuan! And is this young man beside you your boyfriend? He’s really handsome!” The shopkeeper, a woman in her forties or fifties, carefully sized up Wang Bingling’s clothes and shoes, then looked at Su Chen with a smile.

At this, Wang Bingling’s cheeks flushed. She quickly waved her hands, clarifying, “No, no! You’re mistaken; he’s my younger brother.”

The shopkeeper gave a knowing smile. A sibling romance, huh? I know all about those!

Faced with that expression, even Wang Bingling’s ears turned red. She just wanted to pay and leave quickly. After all, three hundred yuan was nothing to her—no different from three yuan.

But just then, Su Chen spoke up as well, “Ma’am, is this bracelet made of natural crystal?”

The shopkeeper hesitated, then stammered, “Of course it is! This is genuine rose quartz!”

Hearing this, Wang Bingling realized she was about to be scammed. Naturally formed rose quartz is extremely rare in nature—no matter how cheap, it can’t possibly cost just over three hundred yuan. This meant the bracelet had to be industrially produced.

Su Chen smiled and said, “Natural crystal, during its formation, is affected by the environment and always contains faint, fine horizontal stripes or feathery inclusions. But this bracelet doesn’t have any even stripes or feather-like inclusions…”

The shopkeeper’s expression changed. She hadn’t expected a customer in the small goods market to actually know about crystals.

She forced a smile and said, “Ah, that just means my crystal is high quality, with no impurities. That’s normal, too!”

Su Chen nodded. “That makes sense.”

As he spoke, Su Chen held the crystal up to the ceiling lights. “But when you hold natural crystal vertically under sunlight, it gleams beautifully from every angle. Fake crystals can’t do that.” He examined it for a moment, then plucked a hair from his head. “And natural crystal has double refraction. If you place it over a hair, you’ll see two images of the hair through the crystal.” He pressed the hair under the bracelet, looked closely, and then smiled, “Unfortunately, with this bracelet, I can’t see that effect at all.”

Hearing this, the shopkeeper’s smile became awkward. “Young man, if you have doubts about the price, we can always negotiate!”

Su Chen didn’t hesitate. “If it’s 330, why not drop the last digit? How about thirty? If you agree, I’ll take it right now.”

“Alright… wait… thirty?!” The shopkeeper, thinking she’d met someone who knew the ropes, was ready to accept a counteroffer—until she realized what he’d actually said, and she froze in shock.

Even Wang Bingling’s eyes widened, hardly able to believe it. From 330 down to thirty? What kind of bargaining was this?

“Young man, who haggles like that? How am I supposed to do business?” the shopkeeper grumbled.

Su Chen replied, “Ma’am, I used to run a stall in small markets myself. Selling this bracelet for thirty is already a good deal for you. Business should be honest, after all.”

“Young man, you…”

Within moments, Su Chen and the shopkeeper were locked in a heated negotiation, their debate tinged with hints of rivalry. Wang Bingling, having never witnessed such a scene before, stared in astonishment.

Yet she didn’t think Su Chen was stingy or petty—instead, she admired his assertiveness. A bracelet costing less than thirty, and this shopkeeper dared ask for over three hundred? Wasn’t that just treating them like fools?

If Su Chen hadn’t been there, she’d have fallen for the scam!

Listening to the two go back and forth—one quoting sky-high prices, the other fiercely bargaining—Wang Bingling began to feel indignant herself. She joined the haggling with enthusiasm.

Meanwhile, the comment section of the livestream was exploding.

“Help! Why does Su Chen remind me so much of my mom? This haggling is way too familiar!”

“Is he really a celebrity? Not only does he skip the luxury boutiques, he even bargains in the small goods market!”

“Yeah, I feel like Su Chen is so down-to-earth. Aren’t celebrities supposed to buy things without looking at the price?”

“That’s right! Su Chen is really different from the celebrities I imagined!”

“Hahaha, Su Chen is too real. I’ve never seen anyone bargain better than my mom—look, he’s even pushing for fifteen!”

“I’m sold; I’m a fan now. A new bargaining tip every day!”

…

Su Chen’s masterful, motherly bargaining skills left everyone in the livestream speechless. The number of viewers soared to a staggering two million!

As the comment section flooded with messages, Su Chen emerged victorious from his negotiation. In the end, the bracelet sold for fifteen yuan.

“Here you go, Bingling,” Su Chen said, handing her the bracelet.

Wang Bingling, delighted, took it and then huffed in mock annoyance, “How infuriating! If you hadn’t been here, I’d have been taken for a ride!”

Su Chen looked at her cute, exasperated expression, barely resisting the urge to pinch her cheeks. He said, “Sis, shopping is an art. The mall is like a battleground—full of tricks and traps. Just be a bit more careful next time. After all, we may have money, but that doesn’t mean we’re fools.”

“We’ve been out for a while—let’s go to the beginner’s zone and grab a snack before lunch.”

Su Chen smiled, comforting her.

Wang Bingling nodded enthusiastically, like a pecking chick. After this episode, her gaze toward Su Chen was full of admiration.

Before long, she followed Su Chen to what he called the mall’s beginner’s zone—the snack tasting area on the first floor of the commercial district.