Chapter 214: Chapter 129: It’s My Treat
After dinner, Pan Ge was very enthusiastic about wanting to take Han Lie shopping. Her exact words were, "Come on, my dear, let me take you shopping!" The implication was that she intended to dip into her own coffers to spruce Han Lie up, giving off quite the sugar mommy vibes.
Unfortunately, Han Lie was not appreciative. I’m a man of professional ethics (?), you know? I only accept cash, not gifts. What’s the difference? If you give me money, I buy what I need myself; I have experience. If you spend your money to buy everything I need, it reduces my own need to spend, and I don’t gain any ’shopping experience’ myself. What’s the point of that? Besides, who knows if you’re dragging me shopping just to mix business with pleasure, to keep me out all afternoon... A woman’s shopping prowess? Brother Lie has no desire to experience that.
So Han Lie turned her down flat, but he phrased it beautifully.
"Baby, although I’d love to go with you, you have to consider your charm—I tossed and turned and didn’t sleep a wink this morning. I need to go back to the hotel and catch up on some sleep. What about you? Feeling sleepy?"
His tone was the epitome of considerate and tender.
However, Pan Ge replied, a smirk playing on her lips, "My driver is waiting for me outside. Are you sure you really want to take me to your hotel?"
Forget that.
Brother Lie immediately changed his tune. "Then, shall we head back to school to rest? Whether you come to visit the boys’ dorm or I go to the girls’ dorm, it’s all good."
"PFFT!"
Pan Ge, gritting her teeth, gave him a thumbs-up. "You jerk! You’re really something!"
Wiping her mouth, she got up and left. "If you’re not shopping, then forget it. I’ll go have fun with my girls. You go on and play around!"
Suddenly, Han Lie wasn’t tired anymore and asked excitedly, "Hey, are your girls pretty?"
"Pretty? Of course! How could they not be?" Pan Ge gave the scoundrel a smirk. "The ’Eight Golden Flowers’ of Shangde Private School? They’re all my girls. Have you ever seen ’Tiny Times’? Lin Xiao, Gu Li, Nan Xiang, Lin Quan, Yuan Yi... we’ve got every type."
"In that case, you absolutely must keep them away from me. Don’t let them see me."
Han Lie said this so naturally, as if it were a matter of course, that even Pan Ge, who knew him well, found it utterly preposterous.
"After all, you’re very clear about my charm, and you also know about my resistance..."
So Pan Ge immediately understood. "Oh! Brother Lie, are you giving me a disclaimer that you’re a scumbag already?"
"What scumbag, not scumbag." Han Lie waved his hand, his expression unchanged. "If you could satisfy me, would I even need to be like this? It’s mainly because you’re too incompetent, isn’t it? You little weakling."
Pan Ge, flushing with a mix of embarrassment and anger, put on her sunglasses with a stiff face and turned to leave. I can’t win an argument against him, nor can I beat him in a fight. I... I’ll just ignore him!
Han Lie wasn’t in a hurry at all, leisurely paying the bill and even waving at her retreating figure. She gets over these little tantrums in under ten minutes; no coaxing needed.
Daughters from rich families tend to come in three varieties.
The first type is typically naive and unworldly, their heads full of fantasies. They crave romance, need to be pampered, and are won over by thoughtful details. When young, they throw themselves into love without a second thought.
Like Ding Xiang.
The second type is often delicate and prone to drama, self-centered, and loves to make a scene. The more you coddle them, the more demanding they become.
Like the HN Maserati drunk-driving woman.
The third type is good at managing their emotions and highly adaptable; Chen Yanfei and Pan Ge both fall into this category. The difference is that Chen Yanfei is more magnanimous, while Pan Ge is more prone to holding grudges. However, neither type needs excessive pampering; in fact, if you constantly try to please them, they’ll look down on you.
Of course, this doesn’t mean you shouldn’t woo them at all. Rather, you should do so appropriately, from a position of dominance.
If you lack the capability to maintain that dominant position, you at least need to achieve equality on a personal level.
The reason little punks in middle and high school often manage to win over the good girls and the wealthy beauties is because those guys are audacious and couldn’t care less about status or grades, thereby unintentionally meeting this fundamental condition.
This happens less in university because while there might still be equality on a personal level, the disparities in outlook and experience become increasingly pronounced. They only meet the basic conditions, not the advanced ones.
There are many advanced criteria: demeanor, cultural refinement, compatible values, how you present yourself... We’ll cover those in the next lesson.
In any case, Brother Lie successfully "cut his losses."
Take note!
Accompanying a woman shopping without a clear purpose is a significant loss!
If you’re the one footing the bill for the girl, then by all means, shop. The more you shop, the calmer you appear while doing so, and the more expensive and thoughtful your purchases are, the more points you’ll score.
If it’s just idle browsing, try to avoid it.
First, it makes your time seem valueless and lowers your perceived personal worth.
Second, unplanned shopping trips are prone to unexpected situations that test your problem-solving abilities and readily invite comparisons with other men.
Third, if she sees something she likes but either can’t afford it or is hesitant to buy it, even the kindest girl will feel upset.
If you offer to buy it for her, it costs you money and can come across as too eager.
If you don’t buy it for her, you risk her resentment.
If you’re not yet a couple, she might think: This guy is so stingy, has no tact, and isn’t really interested in me, and so on.
If you *are* a couple, her thoughts are even simpler: This guy is not the one!
Only a very small number of girls genuinely enjoy the simple pleasure of shopping with you. If you find one like that, cherish her.
Pan Ge probably just wanted to drag Han Lie around for a bit, perhaps even relishing the fun of spending money on him and keeping a "pretty boy."
But hey, I’m the great Brother Lie. I should have the status of a top-tier gigolo, right? I can’t just agree because you want to go. Have you paid my appearance fee?
The highest realm of pursuing a woman is sincerity. But the prerequisites are that you must find someone truly worthy, possess sufficient personal charm, and intend to be wholeheartedly devoted to her.