The bustling streets were filled with people riding bicycles, their clear bells ringing out intermittently. Trams weaved through the intricate network of overhead cables, and small cars were no longer an unusual sight in the city.
The place Manager Zhang had mentioned was near a busy park. Shops lined both sides of the street, offering a wide variety of goods. There were over a dozen perfume and flower shops alone, and countless daily necessities were stocked in the stores. Flowers bloomed profusely along the road, and street trees provided ample shade.
One particular store stood out, a four-story building showcasing a blend of architectural styles. The fashion on the mannequins in the display windows exuded high-end sophistication, a stark contrast to the prevalent gray, blue, and black visible outside.
The three exchanged glances. This had to be the place.
Just as they were about to ascend the steps, two foreign women with blonde hair and fair skin emerged, speaking in English. As they brushed past, Chen Lishu inadvertently overheard a snippet. The gist was that the clothes here were beautiful, while those outside were ugly, lacking vibrant colors and flattering cuts, and only the local hicks didn't realize it.
"Welcome, please come in," the greeter at the entrance offered a standard, eight-toothed smile.
The three stepped inside together. The sales floor was quite large, with a layout similar to later supermarkets, divided into sections for shoes, hats, apparel, and bags. Each section had two to three sales assistants.
Without rushing to find the store manager, the trio began to browse casually.
"This shirt is an Italian brand, one hundred and fifty yuan."
As soon as Chen Lishu paused by a clothes rack, a sales assistant in her early twenties approached. She was surprised by the attentiveness of the service. Chen Lishu nodded at her and her gaze returned to the shirt. She thought it would look quite good on Gu Xingdong. As the saying goes, clothes make the man. With the company's business expanding, Gu Xingdong had more social obligations, and when traveling, he needed presentable clothes to command respect. Although they both preferred to let their abilities speak for themselves, the current social reality was undeniable.
As she reached out to touch the fabric of the shirt, the sales assistant interrupted her with a smile. "Madam, this shirt is rather expensive. If you don't intend to purchase it, touching it casually can cause difficulties for our subsequent sales."
Chen Lishu looked up, noticing the indifference in the assistant's eyes. It dawned on her that the enthusiastic service wasn't genuine; they were merely there to monitor her to prevent her from touching things indiscriminately.
"You're quite amusing," Sun Chang retorted, frowning. "If we don't intend to buy, are we here to pass the time out of boredom? Besides, if you display it here, it's for sale. How can we know the quality without touching it?"
The sales assistant replied, "Madam, this shirt is an Italian brand, and I've already informed you of the price. If you are certain of your purchase, I can help you find the right size to try on."
They had all undergone specialized training, not only needing to meet appearance standards but also to be capable of speaking two or three foreign languages. Having interacted with all sorts of people over time, they had developed a keen eye. She could tell at a glance that the three customers before her weren't wearing branded clothing, and their accent suggested they were from out of town. She had seen many like them – merely curious, coming to explore and gain knowledge, but with empty pockets.
Chen Lishu countered, "How can I be certain of the purchase if I'm unsure of the quality? Isn't that putting the cart before the horse?"
The sales assistant glanced at the three of them and sneered, "If you're sure about buying, I'll show it to you. If not, it's best not to waste everyone's time."
Nan Haitao interjected, "Your attitude as a sales assistant is terrible. Where is your manager?" If these were his store's sales assistants, they would have been fired long ago. He always believed that attitude determined success in business, which was why his store's sales consistently outperformed others.
"You want to find our manager? If you can't afford it, don't come to a place like this. We've seen plenty of people who overestimate themselves, but it's rare to see someone as self-righteous as you, wanting to find our manager. How amusing," the sales assistant said softly, but her words were full of malice.
"You're just a salesperson..." Sun Chang began to argue, but Chen Lishu stopped her. "Forget it. Let's look elsewhere. It's not worth getting worked up over someone like this." In the past, she would have insisted on arguing her point, but now she felt it wasn't worth wasting a good mood on such a person.
Seeing Chen Lishu back down, the sales assistant felt her assumption was correct – they lacked the money and therefore didn't dare to press the issue further.
Just then, a man and a woman approached from the opposite direction, both with Asian features. As they drew closer, the sound of their chatter revealed they were speaking Japanese. The sales assistant's face immediately lit up with a warm smile.
"Konnichiwa."
The two greeted the sales assistant similarly and then began to browse the racks of clothes. The sales assistant was extremely attentive, immediately fetching any item the customers' eyes lingered on. Her eagerness was a stark contrast to how she had treated Chen Lishu and her companions. However, her Japanese was limited to only a few phrases, and the customers seemed annoyed by her chatter. Chen Lishu overheard the woman whisper to the man, "Brother, this woman is so annoying. If you didn't only have the brand you like here, I would have left by now."
The man replied, "We've been in China for a while now. Everything is good, but the clothing lacks character. Everywhere outside, it's the same few styles. Just bear with it. We'll leave after we buy."
"This one looks nice. Do you want to try it on?" the woman suddenly said to the man, pointing at a shirt. The shirt she had chosen was the very one Chen Lishu had been looking at earlier.
The sales assistant quickly took the shirt from the rack, gesturing and speaking animatedly, trying to encourage the man to try it on. The man, understanding her intent, took the shirt and was about to head to the fitting room when he heard a woman's voice behind him: "Excuse me, sir, please wait a moment."
Chen Lishu had spoken in Japanese, causing everyone present to pause. Seeing that she was a beautiful young woman, the man's tone softened slightly. "Yes? Is there something you need?"
Chen Lishu pointed at the shirt in his hand. "You might not be aware of the store's rules. I think I should explain them to you."
The sales assistant listened as Chen Lishu spoke with the other two. Her vocabulary was limited, and when she spoke more, she couldn't understand anything. By the time she understood what was happening, the man had put the shirt back and left without looking back.
The sales assistant was taken aback. "You, what did you say to them?"
Chen Lishu smiled gently. "Just said hello."