Chapter Seventy-Nine: Star Mall

When Chen Hao got out of the car, he finally learned his “wife’s” real name: Ban Qianqian. In the game, she went by Du Qianqian, but to avoid suspicion, she had hastily fabricated the name Ban Qianqian to fool him. Now, with the confirmation that his “wife” and Ban Qianqian were one and the same, everything that happened on June 1st made sense. The tragedy that day had befallen Ban Qianqian—his wife from the online world.

Chen Hao felt deeply grateful for the memories he carried from the future. Without them, a pure online romance would have ended in heartbreak, leaving him forever separated from his “wife.” Now that he knew the truth, he was determined to prevent the tragedy from occurring, to ensure Ban Qianqian would come to no harm.

“Qianqian, can you not go to the birthday party tonight?” Chen Hao asked, hoping to avert any mishap.

Ban Qianqian looked perplexed. “But I already promised Dong Xiaohui and the others. All the girls from our dorm are going, and you said you’d come with me. Why don’t you want me to go now?”

Of course, Chen Hao couldn’t tell her that he knew something bad would happen to her tonight. He could only force a wry smile and say, “I just prefer quiet places. KTVs are too loud for me, so I’m not really in the mood to go…”

Qianqian blinked her beautiful large eyes, looking pitiful. “I don’t like it much either, but I’ve already promised them. I can’t back out now. Just this once, please?”

Chen Hao certainly couldn’t let her go alone. Seeing her pleading eyes, he didn’t have the heart to refuse. Besides, he reasoned that as long as he stayed with her, nothing would happen. He nodded. “Alright. I’ll go with you, but only this once.”

“You’re the best, darling.” Ban Qianqian excitedly wrapped her arm around his, only to suddenly realize her unconscious slip—she had called him “darling,” a habit from their online interactions, and her gesture was overly intimate for real life. A blush colored her smooth cheeks, but she didn’t let go. Arm in arm, they walked toward the Star Mall.

The Star Mall housed many mid-range clothing brands, such as Levi’s, Mark Fairwhale, and Jack & Jones. Ban Qianqian didn’t know much about men’s fashion, so after deciding to help Chen Hao pick out clothes, she spent hours online learning about menswear.

Having known Chen Hao for two years online, Ban Qianqian was well aware he wasn’t wealthy. If the two of them went to buy top-tier brands, it would only look like an act. So she chose Star Mall, with its mid-range brands.

Chen Hao wasn’t fussy about clothes. At the Jack & Jones counter, he tried on a casual outfit at Qianqian’s request. Her eyes lit up. “You actually look pretty decent in this!”

Chen Hao frowned. “Is that supposed to be a compliment or an insult?”

She giggled. “You’ll have to figure that out yourself!”

After eyeing him up and down, Ban Qianqian shook her head. “It suits you, but you’re so thin and tall—size 180 is a little small for you. I think 185 would be a better fit.” She turned to the salesgirl. “Excuse me, could you bring us a size 185 shirt to try?”

The salesgirl was a young woman with a decent figure and average looks, but her attitude was far from welcoming. When Chen Hao and Ban Qianqian entered, she showed little enthusiasm, even a hint of disdain on her face.

Her attitude stemmed from the plainness of their own clothes; neither wore anything expensive. Hearing Ban Qianqian ask for another shirt, she said unhappily, “We only have size 185 shirts in the stockroom. If you’re sure you want to buy, I’ll get one.”

Seeing Ban Qianqian about to lose her temper, Chen Hao quickly took her hand and said calmly, “Just bring it out for us to see.”

Reluctantly, the salesgirl left for the stockroom. Ban Qianqian fumed, “She’s so snobbish! I was about to give her a piece of my mind—why did you stop me?”

Chen Hao shook his head. “She’s already bringing the shirt, so let it go. There’s no need to make things bigger than they are.”

“Hmph! Customers are supposed to be gods, but she treats us like this? It’s because customers like you are too gentle that she can act this way,” Ban Qianqian grumbled, full of indignation.

The salesgirl returned with the shirt, and Chen Hao tried it on. It fit much better than the previous one. Ban Qianqian was pleased with the outfit, but as she planned a shopping spree, she wasn’t going to settle for just one. She set the shirt aside and had Chen Hao try on several more.

She picked out five outfits for Chen Hao to try, but only three were to her liking. The salesgirl, unaware they had already decided to buy, saw Ban Qianqian still choosing more clothes for Chen Hao to try and couldn’t resist sneering, “How many outfits do you need to try before you decide to buy? Ten? Twenty?”

Chen Hao, midway through pulling on a white T-shirt, froze, his expression turning cold. He hung the shirt back on the rack and said icily, “Aren’t we allowed to try on clothes before buying?”

The salesgirl replied sharply, “Of course you can, but some people just keep trying things on without ever buying, and then I have to put everything back. I don’t welcome customers like that.”

Ban Qianqian’s face flushed bright red. She retorted loudly, “Who says we aren’t buying? Where else can you buy clothes without trying them on first? Is a one- or two-thousand-yuan shirt so special? I don’t know where your sense of superiority comes from—you’re just a salesgirl, and this Jack & Jones counter isn’t even yours—”

Seeing the commotion drawing a crowd, Chen Hao, not wanting to become a spectacle, took Ban Qianqian’s hand and said, “Don’t get angry over someone so snobbish. Let’s go try another store.”

Ban Qianqian still felt wronged, but not wanting to argue with Chen Hao, she reluctantly followed him out. As they left, the salesgirl, unwilling to let things go, sneered, “If you can’t afford it, stop trying things on. Shameless.”

This time, Ban Qianqian was truly furious. She struggled to go back and argue, but Chen Hao gently put an arm around her shoulders, calming her. With a slight smile, he said, “Arguing with someone like that only lowers your own standards. But just leaving like this feels too cowardly. There must be a complaints center in a mall this big, right?”

Ban Qianqian’s eyes lit up. “Of course! Why didn’t I think of that? You’re delightfully cunning—let’s go upstairs and check!”

Sure enough, there was a complaint center on the fifth floor of Star Mall. With a clear and articulate account, Ban Qianqian explained what had happened to the manager on duty. Both the manager and supervisor were very polite and accompanied them back to the Jack & Jones counter to investigate. The salesgirl flatly denied everything.

Ban Qianqian hadn’t expected the salesgirl to be so shameless; her face flushed with anger. Chen Hao squeezed her hand to calm her and said evenly to the manager, “Why would we single out a salesperson if there was no issue? Surely we wouldn’t file a complaint if the service was fine?”

The manager thought this over and agreed, then turned to order the salesgirl to apologize. The salesgirl, however, protested with a look of aggrieved innocence. “I’m being falsely accused. Why should I apologize?”

The manager and supervisor looked troubled. The female supervisor took the salesgirl aside, trying to persuade her to apologize, but she continued to deny everything. Out of the manager’s sight, she even shot Chen Hao and Ban Qianqian a triumphant, taunting glance.

Just as the manager was at a loss, a voice suddenly called out from the neighboring Mark Fairwhale counter, “This salesgirl is shameless! I can’t listen to this anymore—let me be your witness!”

(P.S.: Some readers have commented that the real-life sections aren’t very good and suggest focusing solely on the game. I used to think game novels shouldn’t include too much reality, but for this book, I want to create a vivid, well-rounded female lead, so I devoted a fair amount of space to it. Since the groundwork has already been laid, I’ll wrap up these chapters. Once the heroine’s crisis is resolved, there will be far fewer real-life scenes.)