Chapter 551 - 296: The Charm of Wealth

At first, with Qi Sheng around, Yang Mi and Reba were a little reserved.

But they couldn’t withstand the enthusiasm of Gu Pan and the others, and soon plunged into the joy of a group shopping spree.

Yang Mi and Reba had originally intended to pay for their own things.

But the cashier mistakenly charged Qi Sheng’s card, lumping their purchases in with the clothes Gu Pan and the others were buying.

As the Chinese Entertainment industry’s top-earning queen and a leading female celebrity, Yang Mi and Reba were both wealthy women with net worths in the hundreds of millions.

They weren’t about to stoop to taking such a petty advantage.

The two exchanged a look of understanding, deciding they would just find the receipt back at the hotel and pay Qi Sheng back for their portion.

"Hubby, I want this bag!"

Gu Pan was, deliberately or not, staking her claim. Besides, there were no outsiders here.

"Buy it."

Without even glancing at the price, Qi Sheng gave an extravagant wave of his hand.

"Thank you, Hubby~"

Gu Pan gave Qi Sheng a happy kiss and then cheerfully went off to pick out other bags.

"Sister Mi, am I the only one who thinks their relationship is a bit strange?"

Reba quietly tugged on Yang Mi’s arm, whispering into her ear.

"You’re only just now figuring that out?"

Yang Mi rolled her eyes at Reba. "You think Chairman Qi sponsors them purely out of appreciation?" she said casually.

"I’m so jealous of Gu Pan, having a boyfriend as handsome as Chairman Qi."

Watching Gu Pan shop without a care for the prices, Reba felt an inexplicable surge of envy.

Even though she earned over a hundred million a year, she could never bring herself to spend like Gu Pan.

A bag costing hundreds of thousands wasn’t exactly expensive, but it would still sting!

But Gu Pan had Qi Sheng backing her.

For Chairman Qi, who earned nearly ten billion a month, this level of spending...

...was about the same as an office worker making eight or nine thousand a month buying a cheap $9.99 T-shirt.

After spending nearly a full million euros, Gu Pan and the others finally stopped, though they still hadn’t had their fill.

Europe is the birthplace of luxury goods, so prices were much cheaper than back home.

The same items cost almost half of what they did in China.

Of course, these luxury goods weren’t meant for ordinary people anyway.

A higher price tag didn’t matter, since only the rich could afford them regardless.

"I had someone book out a three-star Michelin restaurant in Milan. We can go over and have a taste later."

Qi Sheng said it casually, as if he were just talking about grabbing a bite at a local diner.

But Yang Mi and Reba knew full well.

In a fashion capital like Milan, booking out an entire three-star Michelin restaurant would cost at least 200,000 euros.

Converted to their home currency, that single meal cost 1.6 million.

It had to be said, spending money was a guaranteed source of happiness.

The entire restaurant was there to serve only them.

From the head chef to the waitstaff, everyone’s smile was incredibly warm and welcoming.

There was none of the infamous snobbery many tourists complained about; the entire culinary team was working with extreme dedication to prepare their dinner.

"Hubby, this head chef’s skills are just average. I don’t think he’s even as good as our Italian chef at home, and he’s nowhere near Chef Lin."

Gu Pan was speaking Mandarin, which the staff naturally couldn’t understand.

But Yang Mi and Reba, sitting across from them, heard her loud and clear.

It was no exaggeration to say this was the best Italian food they had ever had.

The Italian restaurants back home often failed to live up to the hype.

But for this restaurant to earn a three-star Michelin rating in the very birthplace of Italian cuisine, it absolutely had to be the real deal.

’And yet Gu Pan thought the head chef was merely average?’

"Well, that’s what you get for loving acting so much. You miss out on our chef’s cooking at home, don’t you?"

Qi Sheng dotingly pinched Gu Pan’s nose. He actually felt much the same way.

The head chef here did indeed have a Master Level of skill.

But even among Master Level chefs, there were varying degrees of ability.

Anything produced by his System was, of course, top-tier.

If he had to describe it with numbers, this restaurant’s head chef had an ability value in Italian cuisine...

...that barely reached the passing grade for a Master Level chef—a 90.

Meanwhile, the chef responsible for Italian cuisine back at Qi Sheng’s home had an ability value of 94.

He was at the pinnacle of Master Level chefs.

It was no wonder Gu Pan was unimpressed. The chef’s skills were genuinely inferior to their own chef back home.

"But I like acting~"

Gu Pan whined coquettishly, her cloying tone giving Yang Mi and Reba goosebumps.

But Gu Pan was gorgeous, and no man could refuse her deliberately cute, high-pitched voice.

"Alright, we have company."

Seeing that Yang Mi and Reba were looking rather awkward, Qi Sheng shot Gu Pan a look, signaling her to rein it in.

"When you go back to filming, if there’s anything you’re craving, I’ll have one of our chefs fly out and cook for you."

"Mwah! Hubby, you’re the best!"

Gu Pan just wanted to be coquettish and flaunt the fact that Qi Sheng belonged to her.

She hadn’t expected this pleasant surprise, and she immediately rewarded him with a happy kiss.

As for Yang Mi and Reba seeing it, it was no big deal.

In their circle, who hadn’t seen this kind of interaction between a patron and a female celebrity?

Just as Qi Sheng and his party were enjoying their meal, a commotion erupted at the entrance.

"Apologies, Mr. Qi. It’s a previous patron of our restaurant who wants to celebrate a friend’s birthday. We will handle it immediately, please don’t worry."

The restaurant manager hurried over, offering a sincere apology.

"Mm."

Qi Sheng gave a faint nod, not paying it much mind.

But soon enough, the manager returned, looking embarrassed.

He looked hesitant, unsure how to begin.

"Is there a problem?"

Qi Sheng asked directly in Italian, his accent impeccably authentic.

"Sir, that guest outside is one of our VIPs, and he’s also your fellow countryman. It happens to be his friend’s birthday today, and he was hoping to ask if you might be willing to spare one private room for them?"

Hearing Qi Sheng’s fluent Italian, the manager was momentarily stunned before quickly relaying the request.

If Qi Sheng were to refuse, there would be nothing more he could do.

"A fellow countryman?"

With Gu Pan and the others watching, Qi Sheng didn’t want to appear too petty.

"A gentleman delights in helping others. Bring them in."

"Thank you for your understanding."

The manager breathed a sigh of relief and quickly led in a man and a woman.

"President Yang?"

"President Xie? President Zhang?"

Seeing the two newcomers, Yang Mi quickly rose from her seat and greeted them with a smile.

"I’m sorry to disturb your meal. I’ll take care of the bill for booking the restaurant."

The man was none other than Zhang Kangyang, the Young Master of Su Ning.

The woman was of average appearance, but she was Xie Qirun, the heiress to Thailand’s wealthiest family, the Xie Clan.

"President Xie, President Zhang, allow me to make an introduction. This is the chairman of Shengxuan Group, Qi Sheng."

"Chairman Qi, these two are the heirs to Su Ning and the CP Group, respectively."

Yang Mi acted as the intermediary, introducing the two parties.

"Chairman Qi, I’ve heard so much about you. I never expected to run into you in Milan."

Zhang Kangyang quickly stepped forward, his face wreathed in smiles as he extended a hand.

"I’ve also been familiar with your name for a long time, President Zhang. Inter Milan has been doing quite well under your leadership."

Qi Sheng exchanged pleasantries with Zhang Kangyang. He was quite familiar with the Young Master of Su Ning.

Unlike Principal Wang, who was only interested in sleeping with internet celebrities.

Zhang Kangyang, on the other hand, had made quite a few waves in the football world.

But with his family’s foundation collapsing, he eventually had to retreat from Inter Milan in disgrace.

"I’ve heard many friends mention you before, Chairman Qi. I hope we’ll have the opportunity to collaborate in the future."

Xie Qirun was, of course, familiar with Qi Sheng’s name.

Or rather, among anyone with a bit of influence, Qi Sheng’s name was already practically a household word.

Spicy King, Banyan Tree Group, Universal Entertainment—all were companies under his name.

In terms of net worth, he was likely qualified to be the richest man in the country.

Even though her Xie Clan was considered the wealthiest family in Thailand...

...their wealth paled in comparison to his.

"Of course."

Qi Sheng smiled. "Since you two are on a date, we won’t intrude. I’ll cover the bill tonight, let’s consider it a celebration of our meeting in a foreign land."

"It’s not a date. Just a get-together between old friends."

Xie Qirun shot a glance at Zhang Kangyang, flatly denying any romantic connection between them.

Back when Su Ning was at its peak, a marriage alliance between her and Zhang Kangyang might have been possible.

But now that Su Ning had collapsed, the Xie Family certainly wasn’t going to let her leap into the Zhang Family’s pit of fire.

"We won’t disturb you any further, Chairman Qi," Zhang Kangyang said. "On the 28th of this month, there’s an Inter Milan Europa League Round of 16 match."

"If you’re interested, I can reserve a VIP box for you ahead of time."

Zhang Kangyang was desperate for capital. Having finally run into a domestic tycoon with a staggering net worth...

...he naturally wanted to find an opportunity to get closer to him and see if he could secure a loan.

"The 28th?"

Qi Sheng thought for a moment, then nodded with a smile. "Sure. It’ll be a good chance to experience the European football atmosphere firsthand."

"Then it’s a date. We’ll leave you and the ladies to your meal, Chairman Qi."

Beaming, Zhang Kangyang tried to pull Xie Qirun away.

But she mercilessly shook off the Su Ning Young Master’s hand.

Qi Sheng had no interest in the drama between these wealthy heirs and simply continued to enjoy the fine dining with Gu Pan and the others.

While it was a step down from his chefs at home, it was still far superior to the restaurant they had eaten at the previous night.

"Are you all finished eating?"

Qi Sheng looked at Yang Mi and Reba, who had barely touched their food, and couldn’t help but sigh inwardly.

’Female celebrities really have it tough. Their figure management is incredibly strict.’

With so much food, they had only eaten a few vegetables, strictly controlling their calorie intake.

"Mhm, we’re finished."

Yang Mi nodded absentmindedly, her thoughts replaying the scene from earlier.

The young master and heiress of two prominent families, people she herself had to greet with a deferential smile, had been utterly respectful toward Qi Sheng.

’That was the power of wealth!’

Even though she was considered extremely wealthy among celebrities...

...compared to the heirs of dynasties worth tens, or even hundreds, of billions...

...she wasn’t even qualified to earn a second glance from them.

...

「Back at the hotel」

Qi Sheng was ambushed by Jin Ying.

"Chairman Qi, is this how you treat a business partner?"

Jin Ying had been sitting in the hotel lobby all day. Seeing Qi Sheng and his group return laden with shopping bags, she stormed over, her high heels clicking angrily on the floor.

"You all head on back first."

Qi Sheng gestured with his eyes for Gu Pan and the others to leave.

He led the persistent Jin Ying to the executive lounge and ordered a bottle of Macallan.

"President Jin, it’s true that we’re partners, but there’s no need for us to get involved in each other’s personal lives."

Qi Sheng looked at Jin Ying with sincerity.

"I’m sure you’re a good woman, but you’ve seen for yourself how many women are already in my life."

"We’re not a good match. It’s better for us to just be friends."

"So, you’re rejecting me?"

Jin Ying didn’t care how sincere Qi Sheng sounded.

All that mattered was that she wanted to sleep with the man in front of her.

It was a vulgar way to put it, but it was the most honest reflection of her thoughts at that very moment.

When a man sees a goddess, he feels the impulse to sleep with her.

Why wouldn’t a woman feel the same when she sees her "prince charming"?

The only difference was, Jin Ying’s background gave her more than enough capital to be willful.