Has The Live-in Alpha Stepped Up - Chapter 14
14: Buy the Most Expensive One
Listening to Yu Guqiu’s sudden interrogation, An Yizhu also choked up.
She never expected that the issue of “pocket money” would trigger such a cold reaction.
The problem had circled back to the beginning.
But then again, from Yu Guqiu’s perspective, “An Yizhu” was undoubtedly a suspicious character.
From “why did she appear so coincidentally” to “why did she agree to the marriage so easily,” these were all questions Yu Guqiu wanted answers to.
She had no choice but to rely on “An Yizhu’s” pheromones, but she also had to remain vigilant against “An Yizhu” at all times.
An Yizhu’s mind raced as she answered earnestly, “You know this too—the one who agreed to your proposal was the ‘me’ before the amnesia. Now it’s the ‘me’ after the amnesia. How would I know why? I just have a sense of contractual spirit. Even a verbal agreement must be honored.”
[I’m so clever!]—Before this self-praise could fully form in An Yizhu’s mind, Yu Guqiu had already turned to look at her.
“You remember my ‘proposal,’ but not the reason you agreed? Your excuse is flimsy and forced.” Yu Guqiu didn’t mind An Yizhu treating her words back then as a formal proposal. Instead, she seized the flaw in the amateur liar’s words.
The elevator in this affluent neighborhood was spacious, but as Yu Guqiu turned and closed the distance between them, the space seemed to shrink. An Yizhu felt suffocated.
The beautiful face before her was as cold as ice, the oppressive atmosphere unbearable.
The tips of An Yizhu’s ears turned red from lack of oxygen.
She had to speak before her brain shut down from hypoxia: “Yes, I’ve thought about it carefully since then, and I do remember the scene from that rainy night. But so what? Let’s not even talk about anything else—I just want to ask you, do you have any self-awareness about how stunning you are?”
“Right now, just you being this close to me makes me feel like I can’t breathe. So that day, when such a gorgeous older sister suddenly asked me if I wanted to marry her, of course the answer was yes! How could there be any other answer? Anyone who said otherwise must’ve been blind or stupid!”
“…” Yu Guqiu fell silent under this rapid-fire rebuttal.
This young woman’s responses always carried a counterpunching force.
Yu Guqiu had heard countless praises about her beauty since childhood. Even the foolish son of the Tao family, who barged into her hospital room yesterday trying to strike a deal with investments, had incessantly complimented her looks.
But the Tao family fool’s flattery was repulsive.
An Yizhu’s wasn’t. Even after rambling so much, it still wasn’t.
Ding—
The elevator reached the basement level. Without responding, Yu Guqiu strode out.
An Yizhu exhaled in relief.
She had narrowly escaped this time.
Even if Yu Guqiu still had doubts, at least she wasn’t pressing further for now.
Coming to her senses, An Yizhu praised her own quick thinking.
Her answer had hidden half the truth, but everything she said was honest.
Sincerity was the deadliest weapon.
After getting into the car, Yu Guqiu took her usual seat in the back.
An Yizhu was about to open the front passenger door when she saw Lin Meng already sitting there.
Lin Meng gestured for her to take the back seat instead.
Whether it was her imagination or not, Lin Meng didn’t seem as hostile as she had been yesterday.
An Yizhu obediently sat beside Yu Guqiu and cautiously greeted the two in front: “Good morning.”
Everyone was accustomed to silence in the car, so An Yizhu’s sudden cheerfulness caught them off guard.
Only Xie Fang, who preferred livelier atmospheres, responded with a smile: “Good morning, Miss An.”
“Hehe,” An Yizhu brightened at Xie Fang’s reply. She peeked at Yu Guqiu, who ignored her, then whispered excitedly, “Aunt Fang, let me tell you—this morning, Yu Guqiu made me a fried egg! Crispy on the outside, tender on the inside, even with a runny yolk. It was so delicious!”
She also wanted to gauge whether Yu Guqiu was still angry.
Hearing this, Xie Fang and Lin Meng nearly turned around simultaneously but restrained themselves, exchanging a glance instead.
Lin Meng closed her eyes and looked away.
Xie Fang, however, was astonished.
Yu Guqiu cooked breakfast for someone?
And it was a heart-shaped fried egg? [1]
Had married life already begun so smoothly?
Xie Fang even felt the urge to burn a stick of incense for Yu Guqiu’s late mother, to tell her that her daughter hadn’t just married out of practicality—she was genuinely in love.
Yu Guqiu ignored An Yizhu’s words entirely and instructed Xie Fang and Lin Meng: “Aunt Fang, let’s stop by the mall first. Lin Meng, I’ll need you to take An Yizhu shopping today. After you’re done, bring her back to the company.”
“Understood, President Yu.” Lin Meng acknowledged.
[I need to figure out the right way to interact with Yu Guqiu.] An Yizhu reminded herself internally. Though dissatisfied, she wisely kept quiet and stared out the window.
Unfortunately, she missed the faint blush creeping up Yu Guqiu’s ears.
Upon arriving at the mall, Lin Meng and An Yizhu got out first.
“There’s a lot to do today. Keep up.” Lin Meng walked briskly with quick steps.
But An Yizhu, being much taller, easily matched her pace.
As expected, Lin Meng’s attitude had softened compared to yesterday. Whether she had come to terms with things overnight or something else had happened, An Yizhu didn’t know.
Since Lin Meng was being more amicable, An Yizhu took the initiative to chat: “What’s first on the agenda?”
“Getting your measurements taken for custom-made clothes.” Lin Meng replied.
An Yizhu’s eyes lit up: “Custom-made? For a wedding dress?”
Lin Meng glanced at her but didn’t stop walking.
“Including a wedding dress. What you wear daily doesn’t matter, but whenever President Yu requires it, you must dress appropriately.”
Meaning there would be other formalwear besides the wedding dress.
An Yizhu nodded: “Got it!”
This was the life of the wealthy—plenty of money, but also plenty of rules on how to spend it to maintain their status.
The measurements were taken in a VIP lounge at an upscale boutique.
An Yizhu cooperated fully throughout the process.
The designer was professional, neither wasting words nor making An Yizhu uncomfortable. Everything was completed swiftly.
But as the designer recorded the final measurements, An Yizhu couldn’t help asking: “If my measurements are being recorded for custom clothes, does that mean I can’t gain or lose weight, or even grow taller?”
The designer smiled and explained, “If Miss An could maintain her figure, that would be ideal, but we don’t impose such demands on our clients. Alterations are part of our expertise. We’ll update your measurements regularly. This was just urgent. In the future, we’ll take your measurements when we visit President Yu.”
“So fancy.” An Yizhu marveled, unabashedly showing her lack of exposure to such luxuries.
The designer remained courteous, unfazed by her astonishment.
Lin Meng remained indifferent, leading An Yizhu next to a telecom store to report her lost phone and get a replacement SIM card.
Then they went to a phone boutique to pick a new device.
An Yizhu listened intently as the salesperson explained the specs of each model, weighing the cost-performance ratio against her needs.
Lin Meng grew impatient. “No need to compare. We have a lot to do today.”
“But if I don’t shop around, won’t I get ripped off?” An Yizhu clung to her old spending habits.
Lin Meng handed her a black card. “President Yu left this for you today. She once said, ‘Only those without money worry about cost-performance. Those with money choose convenience.’”
Even with the company’s tight cash flow, the black card was still in play.
An Yizhu clutched her chest. “Alright, I’m shattered, but I’ve also seen the light.” She turned to the salesperson. “I’ll take the most expensive one. Bring out the priciest phone, tablet, and all the matching accessories.”
Who said money couldn’t buy happiness?
This was the perfect example of spending for joy—and with her wife’s money, no less!
Maybe she should just marry her for the money. That was a perfectly valid reason!
Ten minutes later.
An Yizhu stared at the pile of exorbitantly priced items and massaged her temples.
“I have zero use for these smart glasses.”
“Please take away the designer watch straps, thanks.”
“And why is there a smart fridge here? No, thank you.”
Even capitalist black cards weren’t immune to consumer traps?
As a steadfast socialist, this kind of happiness was hard to swallow.
[1] In Chinese internet slang, a “heart-shaped fried egg” (爱心荷包蛋) is a playful term for a fried egg with a runny yolk, often seen as a cute or romantic gesture when made by someone special.