Volume 3: Dragons Soaring and Phoenixes Dancing, Chapter 54: Great Powers

As if he had known she would say this, Chu Tianyu remained silent, merely smiling slightly as he looked at Ouyang Ziyi.
Ouyang Ziyi was puzzled. “Huh? What’s wrong with you? Normally, after hearing this, you’d either have a grim expression or look resentful. Haha, it’s strange—now you seem completely unreactive?”
Chu Tianyu replied calmly, “I know. Since you can say this, you’ll surely find a way to make it happen. I’m just waiting to see. Use any tricks you have—then I’ll take over!”
This time, it was Ouyang Ziyi’s turn to look at Chu Tianyu in astonishment. After a long while, she sighed deeply. “It feels like you’ve become a different person today—completely different from yesterday!”
“I’ll give you five minutes!” Chu Tianyu replied, avoiding the question.
Ouyang Ziyi couldn’t figure out why Chu Tianyu had changed so much, but she was smart enough to realize that her previous tactics probably no longer worked. So she quickly changed strategies, took out her phone, and dialed a number.
“Hello, Grandpa Han? It’s Ouyang Ziyi. Do you remember me? My father is Ouyang Boshu…”
“Yes, yes, haha. Grandpa Han, you must be very tired after returning. My father asked me to greet you and ask when we can visit you again. He specifically asked me to bring you your favorite Wuyi Da Hong Pao tea…”
“By the way, Grandpa Han, I’m with Chu Tianyu now. We’re shopping for clothes together. Haha, yes, we’re classmates, and also ‘good’ friends…”
“Great! Then I’ll visit you with him tonight. Haha, he’s right here beside me. Do you want to talk to him?”
Chu Tianyu reluctantly took the phone…
…
“You’re really powerful!” Chu Tianyu said as he handed the phone back to Ouyang Ziyi after hanging up.
“Hmph, do you think just because you’re ‘acting cool’ now, I can’t do anything to you? I can still see Grandpa Han without you. I just showed respect by asking casually. Haha, who would’ve thought you’d get so arrogant!” Ouyang Ziyi retorted triumphantly.
Chu Tianyu scratched his head and said, “It seems your reasons are quite solid! Fine, I agree!”
“Tch, acting all pretentious. There’s no way you can refuse!” Ouyang Ziyi said disdainfully.

“Hehe, it seems a pretty girl just said she wanted to be my image consultant? Where did she go? Hm, is it the one in yellow ahead?” Chu Tianyu pretended to be serious and changed the subject.
“Hmph, so you finally show your true colors. You’re so obsessed with a pretty girl? All pretentious all the time, but turns out you’re just like everyone else!”
“Did you try every means to pester me just to prove this? Hehe, if that’s the case, then your goal is achieved, and I can be freed! Ah, freedom…”
“Chu Tianyu! You…” Ouyang Ziyi was so angry she could hardly speak.
Chu Tianyu quickly turned away, sneering as he walked off. He felt incredibly pleased, his gloom from the day before gone. No wonder Bai Lei was always so arrogant—unrestrained self-expression could indeed be an addictive pleasure!
Though he thought this, he still decided to listen to his grandfather’s advice. Without even looking back, he casually said, “Aren’t you leaving yet? Otherwise, I really might go look for that girl in yellow!”
Footsteps sounded behind him. Just as Chu Tianyu was about to smirk in satisfaction, the footsteps quickened. Before he could turn around, a fair, slender hand slipped into his arm, holding onto him, accompanied by a delicate fragrance of orchids. A beautiful woman stepped close to him. Turning his head, he saw Ouyang Ziyi’s smiling face right in front of him!
“You can go find whoever you want as your image consultant, but as your girlfriend, I have to do my job properly—transform you from head to toe. Otherwise, you’ll really spoil the view!” Ouyang Ziyi acted as if nothing had happened, holding Chu Tianyu’s arm and speaking enthusiastically.
Chu Tianyu felt a sense of meeting his match. She could control her emotions so quickly and still act so boldly as if nothing was wrong—she was truly remarkable!
No matter Ouyang Ziyi’s motives, she earnestly helped Chu Tianyu choose clothes. Surprisingly, even with just a few pieces, her choices looked much better than those Chu Tianyu had painstakingly selected.
Yet Ouyang Ziyi seemed dissatisfied and kept dragging Chu Tianyu to try different brands one by one. Seeing her focused and excited expression, Chu Tianyu faintly realized that asking her to help pick clothes might be a serious mistake…

Sure enough, after a short while, Chu Tianyu finally understood the painful experience described in legends about accompanying women shopping. And given his situation, it might even be worse—he was almost becoming Ouyang Ziyi’s test subject and super “model.” Judging from the situation, she seemed even more excited than when shopping for clothes herself. From head to toe, inside and out—leather shoes, ties—it was almost like preparing for the New Year!

Hard work pays off. Finally, after three hours, when Ouyang Ziyi was satisfied and Chu Tianyu was on the verge of collapse, they managed to pick out a complete set of clothes.

When Chu Tianyu stepped out of the fitting room for the last time, even Ouyang Ziyi herself was impressed. Truly, clothes make the man—just as a saddle fits a horse. A light yellow shirt, a ribbed sweater, with a light brown casual wool coat over it, a thick white-and-gray knitted scarf around his neck, along with warm-colored trousers and leather shoes—immediately transformed Chu Tianyu, who wasn’t particularly striking to begin with, into someone with an elegant and graceful appearance. The more she looked at him, the more she liked him…

“Is this enough? Classmate Ouyang, classmate Ouyang?” After Chu Tianyu called out several times, Ouyang Ziyi finally came to her senses and said repeatedly, “Mm, it’s fine. Just like this, very good, very good!”

But inwardly, she was shocked. What was happening to her? She had pursued many handsome men before, yet none had made her feel this way. Could it be…

“No, no, it must be because the set of clothes I picked for him is too outstanding. I just like clothes, I really do…” Ouyang Ziyi quickly dismissed her earlier thought, muttering to herself.

To ease the awkwardness, Ouyang Ziyi hurriedly said, “Mm, everything’s ready. Then I’ll go pay.”

Chu Tianyu also rushed to say, “No, no, how can I let you pay for my clothes? I even brought a card with me today…”

“Is it that card that only allows you to transfer 500 per month? Please keep it. I know our Young Master Chu wants to keep a low profile and live frugally. Let me take on the blame for spending so extravagantly!”

“That won’t do…”

“Stop arguing. If you feel guilty, next time I’ll come to your Chu’s Department Store and pick out a few items for free. Although there’s not much good stuff there anyway—otherwise why would you come to our Jiabao? But for your sake, I’ll reluctantly settle for it. Is that okay?”

Ouyang Ziyi kept talking non-stop, even bringing in Chu Ye’s Chu’s Department Store. Chu Tianyu was utterly exasperated! Well, it was his fault too—he didn’t even check the store name while shopping. Instead of visiting his own store right across the street, he came to someone else’s territory, giving her an opportunity to make a fuss.

Still, Chu Tianyu took out his card and said, “This isn’t the transfer card; it should be enough to pay!” What he had now was the Golden Card of the Xuanji Sect. Though he didn’t know exactly how much money was on it, his third master had told him that there would never be a time when the card ran out of money—only when he ran out of money himself.

“I won’t talk to you anymore. A grown man acting so fussily—do you really think I need to pay at my own place? I’m just going to say hello to them! Wait here…” With that, he called over a salesgirl without even turning around and led her to the counter.

Without saying much, Chu Tianyu put the card away, not caring too much. After all, as Ouyang Ziyi said, there was no need to be so fussy over such a trivial matter.

The business style of Jiabao was indeed good—focused on high-quality products. Although there weren’t many customers, the service was much more attentive. Just now, after choosing so many brands and trying so many clothes with Ouyang Ziyi, the staff had only smiled the whole time.

Taking advantage of the moment when Ouyang Ziyi was at the counter, Chu Tianyu glanced at his clothes again and inwardly admired Ouyang Ziyi’s taste and eye for style. Although the process had been a bit tortuous, the result was satisfying!

He checked his watch—it was almost 2 p.m., and he still hadn’t had lunch. Perfect. He would invite her to eat at Bai Lei’s chain restaurant later, which served authentic Hunan cuisine. He had passed one on his way here. He chuckled at the thought of Bai Lei—he was never “low-key.” But the frustrating part was that whenever he said the truth, others thought he was boasting, except for Chu Tianyu…

As Chu Tianyu was lost in his thoughts, he suddenly heard someone say, “Hey, isn’t that Chu Tianyu, the team leader?”

Looking up, he saw Wang Shengyi and Zhou Yun standing not far away. With their bags and parcels, it was clear they were also shopping.

Although he wasn’t particularly fond of these two, they were still his classmates, so he could only respond, “Oh, what a coincidence! Are you here to shop too?”

“It’s not strange for us to come here to shop! I just didn’t expect to run into you. Everything here is high-end. You guys didn’t come just to satisfy your cravings, did you? Oh, and you’re dressed in such fancy clothes. But no matter how you look at it, wearing a dragon robe doesn’t make you seem like a crown prince! By the way, where are Bai Lei and the others?” Wang Shengyi said, making an exaggerated surprised gesture at Zhou Yun beside him.

“Hehe, Yi, you’re wrong. How could he possibly shop here with Bai Lei and the others? He must be here with his girlfriend. Hey, where’s Li Rou? I don’t see her anywhere. She doesn’t even say hello after going out for sketching. It’s a shame—we were all in the same high school, and I still took such good care of her…” Zhou Yun, dressed in designer clothes with heavy makeup, teased.

Chu Tianyu originally just wanted to say hello and then go his own way. He didn’t expect these two to be so annoying. Their condescending attitude, acting as if they were superior to everyone else, was unbearable. Not to mention Chu Tianyu, even Qin Nianran and Ouyang Ziyi he knew were quite arrogant, but they didn’t have this tone or air of superiority!

If it had been the day before, Chu Tianyu might have tried to brush them off, but now he had no concerns left. With people like this, there was no need to bother them at all. Chu Tianyu stayed silent, casually turning around to look at a well-designed men’s leather wallet beside him, leaving only the back of his head visible to them.

Seeing Chu Tianyu’s actions, both of them immediately changed expressions, filled with hatred. If Bai Lei had done this, they wouldn’t have been so angry, but since it happened to Chu Tianyu, who always seemed honest and easy to bully, they simply couldn’t accept it.

“Shengyi, let’s go. Don’t talk to these rude people. These commoners are just like this!” Zhou Yun said unhappily.

“Go? That’s not so easy! Now even this guy dares to show us who’s in charge. It’s intolerable! We must get even first.” Wang Shengyi thought to himself.

He gave Zhou Yun a glance, then walked over to Chu Tianyu and said, “This wallet is sold as part of the Giorgio Armani premium suit set. It comes with a microelectronic business card holder that can store 100,000 cards, an infrared receiver, and other advanced features. The edges are all made of pure gold, and it costs 19,888 yuan each…”

“Oh, is that so?” Chu Tianyu replied without even lifting his eyes.

“This gentleman really knows quality. This wallet was crafted by a famous Italian designer, with only one serial number per piece, all hand-sewn. We guarantee that what reaches the customer’s hands is the only one of its kind! This is the last one left!” The salesperson next to him joined in, trying to sell it as well.

“Wow, a wallet costs this much?” Zhou Yun exclaimed.

“It’s not that much. It’s a symbol of status. Haven’t you heard there’s only one left? The advertisement on TV hasn’t even been on for days, and most of them have already been sold!” Wang Shengyi said proudly.

“Let me take a look, hehe. I’ve never seen a wallet worth nearly 20,000 yuan before!” Zhou Yun said in acoquettish voice.

Chu Tianyu had picked it up casually, but after hearing Wang Shengyi’s words, he began to examine it closely. To his surprise, it was indeed exquisitely made with exceptional taste.

As Chu Tianyu was looking at it, Wang Shengyi suddenly snatched it away, saying disdainfully, “Can you even afford this?” Then he handed it to Zhou Yun next to him to look at.

Chu Tianyu frowned and said coldly, “Do you know that’s very impolite?”

“Tch, who are you to meddle in my affairs? A country bumpkin like you—if I consider you my classmate, it’s out of pity. You’re not even worth polishing my shoes! With what do you think you can afford anything? That outfit of yours—surely it’s borrowed from that filthy Bai Lei, right? Damn, what kind of person are you?” Wang Shengyi took the opportunity to pick a fight.

“Sir, let’s call you that for now—what kind of person are you?” Ouyang Ziyi’s icy voice rang out behind them.

“Damn, it’s you again…” Turning around, Wang Shengyi was about to get angry, but when he saw who was speaking, he was stunned. His heart raced, his face turned red, and he froze mid-sentence.

Ouyang Ziyi gave him a disgusted look, ignored him completely, and walked up to Chu Tianyu, saying, “Tianyu, is this your classmate? He seems like some kind of important person!”

“Classmate? Used to be! But now he’s really an ‘important’ person. He’s the son of a certain vice mayor…”

“Oh, no wonder he talks so rudely!”

Since Ouyang Ziyi appeared and started pairing up with Chu Tianyu, Zhou Yun noticed that Wang Shengyi seemed to have lost his spirit. It made sense—she was already quite confident in her own appearance, but compared to this woman, though not feeling ashamed, she still paled in comparison, looking ordinary. Seeing Wang Shengyi’s behavior, she couldn’t help but secretly pinch him several times.
“Ah~ Ah~” Suddenly feeling pain, Wang Shengyi finally reacted and started screaming.
Chu Tianyu and Ouyang Ziyi both shook their heads involuntarily. Ouyang Ziyi even raised her eyes and said, “Guys, are you going to buy this wallet?”
Realizing what was happening, Wang Shengyi perked up at the beautiful woman’s question, put on a “gentleman” act, and said nonchalantly, “It’s just a wallet. I have enough money for it. Salesperson, please pack it up for me! By the way, what’s your name, miss? I’m Chu Tianyu’s classmate. I’m Wang Shengyi…”
“I’m sorry, I’m not interested in getting to know you! By the way, even if you wanted to buy it, we wouldn’t sell it to you,” Ouyang Ziyi replied bluntly before he could finish speaking.
Wang Shengyi wasn’t stupid. Seeing this stunning woman’s attitude toward him, he realized that no matter how much he tried to flatter her, it would only be unrequited and futile. His expression changed, and he said arrogantly, “Hmph, who do you think you are? Just because you say you won’t sell it, I’ll still take it today!”
Before Ouyang Ziyi could say anything, Chu Tianyu unexpectedly took her arm and said, “We’ve bought everything. Let’s go. It’s almost two o’clock, and we haven’t had lunch yet. Come on, I’ll treat you to Hunan cuisine…”
Ouyang Ziyi blinked but didn’t object. She obediently followed Chu Tianyu, looking calm, passing by Wang Shengyi and the others as if she hadn’t spoken to them at all.
Watching how Chu Tianyu always had supermodels by his side, Wang Shengyi’s hands trembled. His hatred became uncontrollable. He couldn’t understand how such a fool from the lower class—without money or good looks—could compare to him. Not to mention Li Rou, the school’s top beauty; it was understandable for them to be together since their backgrounds were similar and they had something in common. But this woman—her clothes, speech, and aura clearly showed her noble status, coupled with her unparalleled beauty—really hurt his feelings.
How frustrating! Why did such a beautiful flower have to be placed on Chu Tianyu’s dung pile?

“Sir, the wallet is already packed. Please follow me to pay here…” said the salesgirl nearby at that moment.
Wang Shengyi finally found someone to vent his anger on. He roared, “Pay? Pay for what? The packaging is so poor—how can I show it to people? Do you even know how to do your job? I don’t want it!”
With that, he rudely pulled Zhou Yun away, leaving the salesgirl confused and aggrieved. In fact, Wang Shengyi was just pretending to be someone he wasn’t; his family wasn’t wealthy—just a vice mayor. He did have a few thousand yuan in pocket money, but he could never come up with 20,000 yuan on the spot.
…
“You’re really patient! Just the son of a vice mayor? For you…”
Before Ouyang Ziyi could finish, Chu Tianyu interjected, “Heh, if a mad dog barks at you twice, do you really have to bark back? Or show off your status as a lady and throw a stack of money at him, saying this store belongs to your family, then spit on him and call him a lowly creature? Or tell him any of my uncles are governors, just to see his surprised and scared face? Is that interesting?”
“Is what you do interesting then? It gives off a petty vibe!” Ouyang Ziyi retorted.
Chu Tianyu simply smiled slightly and murmured as if to himself, “Books say that those who achieve great things must have the breadth of mind to tolerate trivial matters and the courage to strike decisively at critical moments. As for that guy just now, I didn’t even feel like getting angry at him. Besides, arguing with someone like him face to face is pointless. When the time comes, he’ll naturally repay it…”
Ouyang Ziyi responded with a meaningful “Oh…”, paused for a moment, then asked, “So, Mr. Chu Tianyu, the great man, who are the people you’re interested in getting angry at?”
“Not yet…” Chu Tianyu replied honestly.
“Hmph, that sounds pretty grandiose. You’re not tall or muscular. What can you do even if you get angry?” Ouyang Ziyi asked dismissively.
Chu Tianyu didn’t answer. He just sighed inwardly. What could he do? Should I tell you that everyone who ever made me angry is already dead?
“Well, you run out of things to say, don’t you?”
“Heh, let’s not talk about this. You’ve been accompanying me for so long—let’s go eat first…”
“Great! Finally, I can eat the meal paid for by our Third Young Master Chu. I heard last time you treated Qin Nianran with just two ‘super discounted’ steak sets? Heh… By the way, if you come shopping again, I’ll be here anytime…”

“Ah! Better skip this. Who knows who will accompany whom then…”
“Such a skimp…”
……