“Sis Xiangyi!” Tang Hao lowered her head and greeted her.
“You’re here!” Qin Xiangyi was leaning against the door frame. She furrowed her brows and looked suspiciously at this boy in front of her eyes.
‘I haven’t seen him for a few days, why do I feel that this boy has changed drastically? His aura is totally different now.’
“Hey Lil Tang, I haven’t seen you in the past few days and you’ve grown handsome!” She covered her mouth and laughed, her tone of voice carrying a hint of mockery.
Tang Hao bashfully rubbed the back of his head. “Don’t make fun of me, Sis Xiangyi.”
“I’m speaking the truth. You look a lot fairer too.”
Qin Xiangyi walked toward him, and he could smell the exotic fragrance she carried. She leaned close to Tang Hao and scrutinized his face.
That beautiful, dimpled face was incredibly close. He could sense the aroma of her breath that leaked from her lips that were slightly apart. The breath was warm and somewhat intoxicating.
“Indeed, your skin has become fairer. Don’t tell me Sis Yan was telling the truth?”
“What’s the truth?” Tang Ho was confused.
“The beauty cream! Sis Yan mentioned it to me yesterday. Said she bought a can of beauty enhancement cream from you. She said it was some sort of an ancestral recipe. I didn’t believe it at first, but now that I see you I think I’ll have to agree with her.”
“Oh,” Tang Hao replied.
The ‘Sis Yan’ that Qin Xiangyi was talking about was, of course, Wu Yanyan. They lived in a small housing area, and it was no surprise that they knew each other.
“Yup, I do have something like that. Sis Yan bought ten boxes, too!” Tang Hao said. “But I see that you already have such pretty skin. I don’t think you need the beauty cream.”
Qin Xiangyi chuckled. “You’re such a slicker, Lil Tang!”
She then continued, a little surprised. “Sis Yan bought ten boxes? It must be good stuff! Do you still have more? I’d like to try one.”
“Alright, I’ll send it over in the afternoon.”
“How much is it?”
“Um…” Tang Hao hesitated. “Five thousand, but the first one’s free. If you want more, I can give you a discount, Sis Xiangyi.”
It was Qin Xiangyi’s turn to be shocked. Her charming eyes were opened round and wide and displayed a look of incredulity.
She thought that Tang Hao was joking. It was a little ridiculous that a box of home-made beauty enhancement cream can fetch an amazing price of five thousand yuan. Was the boy mad, or was she mad?
“Sis Yan… she really bought it? For five thousand each?” Her voice was dry.
“Yup! You can ask her if you don’t believe me.”
Qin Xiangyi stared at Tang Hao for a long time before she smiled drily. “Alright, I believe you. You can deliver a box later in the afternoon. I’d like to see the miraculous effects of the beauty cream for myself.”
“Alright!” Tang Hao replied.
After delivering the packages, Tang Hao bought some cigarettes and fine wine for Uncle Li. He told him that he met a benefactor and had an opportunity to earn some money on the side.
After that, he returned home to concoct some beauty enhancement cream, after which he delivered it to Sis Xiangyi.
In the following days, Tang Hao delivered packages in the day, and concocted potions and cultivated his qi at night.
He imbibed two portions of the Liquid of Spiritual Condensation every day, and his cultivation progress was stable and fast. However, cultivating like this incurred a massive expense. One portion of Liquid of Spiritual Condensation required fifteen thousand yuan’s worth of components, so two portions per day cost thirty thousand.
That was like burning money!
He had also stocked up an admirable inventory of the other potions and creams. He contemplated upon improving the packaging design so that he could start marketing those.
About a week later, he received a call from President Biao.
“Hey Lil Tang, do you have any more potions? Those friends of mine, they’ve been pestering me every day for more of that good stuff! I’m almost going crazy here! Especially the aphrodisiac potion, a lot of people want it.”
Tang Hao rushed over to Azure Sky Gardens after the call. He delivered ten bottles of aphrodisiac potion, twenty bottles of weight-loss potion and ten boxes of beauty cream. That was another four hundred and ten thousand yuan.
“Hey Lil Tang, I told those friends of mine about you, and they would like to meet you very much and get to know you better. What do you think?”
“Um…” Tang Hao hesitated.
“Eh! What’s there to think about? All the friends I have are in various positions of power. It will be beneficial for you in the future if you are acquainted with them.”
Tan Hao thought over it for a bit, then agreed.
“Alright, it’s decided then. I’ll bring you over tomorrow night to meet with them.
“Right. Please wear something decent. Lil Tang, don’t mind me being frank, but you’ve made quite a bit of money, so why don’t you go buy a few decent pieces of clothing? As the saying goes, clothes make the man. It would be inappropriate if you don’t dress properly.”
“Alright!” Tang Hao agreed while scratching his head.
He was confused as he left Azure Sky Gardens. He had never bought any decent clothes for himself before. He thought about it for a bit, then rode on his little three-wheeled motorcycle to Sky City Plaza in the city center.
Sky City Plaza was the premier shopping mall in the city. Many famous brands were anchored there. Each item of clothing cost four or even five digits, well out of reach of the typical consumer.
Tang Hao attracted many curious eyes as he stepped into Sky City Plaza. Some of them were disgusted at his shabby looks, and some were condescending.
Tang Hao was currently wearing a wrinkled white button-down shirt and a faded pair of jeans that had holes in various places. His shoes were torn and tattered, and his hair was unkempt.
His outfit was shabby and made him look destitute, a stark contrast to the other customers who were dressed in bright-colored and expensive new clothes. He stood out like a sore thumb amid this crowd.
“Hey, where did this poor kid come from?”
“Hah, look at that pauper. And he dares come to Sky City Plaza? Doesn’t he know what this place is? He can’t even buy any single item of clothing with his whole month’s salary.”
The people around him were whispering and talking to each other.
Tang Hao furrowed his brows and paid no heed to them. He continued walking inside, and after surveying for a while, entered a store.
The saleswoman in the store gave him a side-eye and immediately furrowed her brows. She cast him a condescending glance.
She even found it disgustingly funny.
He was obviously a poor kid. How was he so shameless that he entered the Sky City Plaza?
She saw Tang Hao reach out to touch one of the suits on display. She immediately shouted at him, “Keep your hands to yourself! You can’t afford the suit.”
Tang Hao furrowed his brows and frowned.
He did not stop touching the suit though. His hand pinched and touched the fabric of the suit.
“Hey! Are you deaf? I told you to stop touching it, can’t you listen? That suit is very expensive. If you dirty it, can you afford to pay for it?” The saleswoman’s shrill voice sounded angry as she walked toward him.
Tang Hao looked at the price tag and smirked, “It’s only nine thousand yuan, do I look like I can’t afford it?”
“Hah! Do you think you can? That’s funny. Take a look at you, you must be dirt-poor. You must be a peasant laborer! And you still want to buy a nine-thousand-yuan suit? In your dreams!”
The saleswoman showed him a scornful face as she snatched the suit away from his hands.
Tang Hao squinted and his face turned darker. “So what if I’m a peasant laborer? Am I hindering your duties?”
“We don’t welcome peasant laborers here!” The saleswoman shrieked. She tilted her head upward and looked condescendingly at Tang Hao.
Tang Hao could feel anger well up in his chest. He was about to say something when he saw a couple entering the store.
The couple looked to be seventeen or eighteen years old. The girl was pretty, and she was wearing a pure white dress and had straight black hair. The boy was tall, well-built and handsome.
The couple was cuddling as they entered the shop.
Tang Hao’s face changed. That boy was Zhang Tianhao, and the girl was his first crush, Li Qiaoqiao.