WRA CH8

Chapter 8: Hubby, I Made Big Money!

Huayun Supermarket.

There were two kinds of uniforms for supermarket promoters: a light-blue vest with the supermarket’s name printed across the back, and an apron with the logo printed on the front.

Xiang Zhen felt he ought to wear the vest instead of the same apron worn by the aunties scooping fish in the fresh seafood section.

The supervisor, however, was thoroughly satisfied. The Dragon Boat Festival gift boxes were positioned in the most eye-catching spot right by the entrance, and stationing a virtuous, golden-haired beauty in an apron there was guaranteed to turn heads.

The apron fell to his knees, its ties fastened into a bow behind his waist. Xiang Zhen bowed his head, using a small steel knife to slice open a rice dumpling, cutting each into eight pieces to hand out free samples.

“Come and see our Dragon Boat Festival gift boxes! Nut-filled rice dumplings stuffed with pecans, cashews, pine nuts… Along with the dumplings, the gift box comes with a free jar of mixed nuts—a wonderful choice for morning oatmeal or baking buns!”

Reciting his lines, Xiang Zhen smiled at the customers.

About twenty people gathered around to look at him and snap photos. Yet whenever Xiang Zhen asked if anyone wanted to buy, not a single person dared to meet his eyes.

Xiang Zhen also felt that 268 yuan for a box of eight rice dumplings was far too expensive.

While promoting, he kept his ears pricked, secretly listening to the promotional announcements broadcast over the fresh foods section.

His husband worked so hard behind the wheel; Xiang Zhen wanted to buy some meat and vegetables to nourish his body.

Once the morning grocery rush passed, the supermarket began clearing out and discounting the day’s slow-selling stock.

[King Prawns on special: 26 yuan per catty!]

[Pork Trotters on special: 15 yuan per catty!]

He would buy these two today!

All morning, Xiang Zhen only sold three boxes of rice dumplings, earning thirty yuan in commission.

Thirty yuan was just enough to buy half a catty of prawns and a catty of pork trotters!

At 1:00 PM, foot traffic hit its lowest point, allowing Xiang Zhen an hour of break. In the bakery section, he found discounted bread expiring that day—bread that usually sold for fifteen yuan cost him only five!

Since his stomach wouldn’t get upset anyway, Xiang Zhen bought two extra loaves to save for tomorrow.

Sitting in the dim emergency stairwell and nibbling on his bread, Xiang Zhen opened WeChat just as Sun Youzhi, the person who had helped him get his job, sent a message.

[Sun Youzhi: I heard you were assigned to do ground promotions at the supermarket today? Getting used to it?]

[Xiang Zhen: Thank you for your concern, Youzhi-ge. I like the supermarket very much!]

[Sun Youzhi: That’s good then. Let me know if you run into any difficulties.]

[Xiang Zhen: Thank you, Youzhi-ge.]

Staring at the chat interface, Xiang Zhen suddenly realized that when humans found a partner, they were supposed to “officially announce” it. He hadn’t posted anything about his husband on Moments yet!

He needed to block Auntie Guihua, but there was no need to block Youzhi-ge. He could give Youzhi-ge a private heads-up and then treat him to a meal together with Zhou Sicheng. That would introduce his husband while expressing gratitude for helping him find a job—killing two birds with one stone.

Xiang Zhen curved his eyes smugly. When it came to social etiquette, he was truly an experienced member of society now.

He tapped open his husband’s WeChat.

[Xiang Zhen: Hubby, are you free this Saturday evening? I want to treat a friend to dinner and introduce you two.]

Inside the panoramic top-floor President’s office, Zhou Sicheng fell into contemplation upon receiving Xiang Zhen’s message.

Right now, it wasn’t suitable for him to meet Xiang Zhen’s friends; it would be too easy to get recognized.

[Zhou Sicheng: What friend?]

[Xiang Zhen: A senior executive in our company’s operations department, and also a fellow townsman who helped me get my job.]

[Zhou Sicheng: I have an interview this Saturday evening. You take him out to dinner alone, and I’ll make it up to him later.]

[Transferred 1,000 yuan]

[Xiao Kui: Your wifey wants to introduce his friend to you. What kind of magnificent future is worth missing out like this~ @Zhou Sicheng]

Zhou Sicheng: “…” Hadn’t Xiang Zhen configured it to play wingman? What an idiotic piece of junk.

[Xiang Zhen: @Xiao Kui, you don’t understand. The interview is very important to my hubby. My hubby is exceptionally talented; he can’t be a driver for the rest of his life.]

[Xiang Zhen: Hubby, I want to post an official announcement on Moments. Let’s take a photo together tonight!]

[Zhou Sicheng: Don’t expose your likeness on Moments. You’re too good-looking; people might steal your photos for illicit activities. Just post a text update to notify your friends.]

[Xiao Kui: Refusing to meet friends and refusing an official announcement—are you afraid of being recognized by someone? Or do you have another wife? @Zhou Sicheng]

Zhou Sicheng wished he could reply: Xiao Kui Bao, do you believe I’ll cut off your funding?

Double-standard piece of garbage. Flattering toward Zhou Sicheng the tycoon, yet passive-aggressive toward Driver Zhou.

Calm down. Don’t lower yourself to the level of artificial idiocy.

Xiang Zhen swallowed nervously. Xiao Kui Bao’s offensive power was off the charts today. It was entirely his fault: earlier, while fiddling with Xiao Kui Bao’s settings, he had discovered a bias slider and tried dragging it from the neutral 50% all the way to 100% biased in his own favor.

Xiang Zhen hurriedly reset Xiao Kui Bao back to normal.

[Zhou Sicheng: Which programmer taught you to speak like that?]

[Xiao Kui: I apologize, I spoke out of turn! Let me rephrase: posting personal life photos on Moments poses potential security risks. Photos can easily be stolen to impersonate and deceive others, bringing unnecessary trouble upon oneself. @Zhou Sicheng, your concerns are completely justified.]

[Xiang Zhen: Hubby, don’t be mad at Xiao Kui Bao.]

[Zhou Sicheng: I’m not mad.]

[Zhou Sicheng: How’s work today? Are your legs tired from standing? If you’re tired, resign and come home. I can afford to support you.]

[Xiang Zhen: Not tired at all! But I haven’t sold many rice dumpling gift boxes, only made thirty yuan in commission.]

[Zhou Sicheng: Huayun is a budget supermarket, so gift boxes are inherently difficult to promote there. It’s a strategic flaw on your supervisor’s part, nothing to do with you. Don’t agree to unreasonable requests from customers just to make sales.]

[Xiang Zhen: Mn, mn.]

[Zhou Sicheng: Don’t let people touch your hair, face, or hands… Forget it, just don’t have any physical contact with customers at all.]

[Xiang Zhen: Okay~]

Back in the office, the more Zhou Sicheng thought about it, the more uneasy he felt. After the incident picking up a passenger that morning, he looked at everyone with hostility, even unseen supermarket shoppers.

He summoned his secretary, Gao Ou: “Handle an errand outside for me.”

An hour later.

A white-collar customer arrived at Huayun Supermarket. Upon entering, he scanned the surroundings and locked his gaze onto a blond promoter.

At that moment, the promoter was pitching dumplings to two middle school boys. In reality, one glance was enough to tell they weren’t prospective buyers; seeing how pretty Xiang Zhen was, they had crowded around the stall, wracking their brains to ask endless questions about the ingredients.

Gao Ou strolled over from the beverage aisle and stopped before the sampling station: “A sample, please. Thank you.”

Xiang Zhen served a piece: “Welcome, please have a taste!”

Gao Ou tasted it with practiced pretense. “The flavor is very novel. Our company plans to customize a batch of Dragon Boat Festival gift boxes for our employees. I wonder if your company has the capacity for contract manufacturing? By the way, we have 12,000 employees.”

Twelve thousand!

Facing a commercial negotiation for the first time, Xiang Zhen was somewhat nervous: “Yes, we do! Our company’s production capacity is more than enough!”

Gao Ou: “Are you free to negotiate the details right now?”

Xiang Zhen: “Yes!”

Xiang Zhen immediately contacted his supervisor to report. The supervisor told him to forget about the supermarket and bring the client to the company right away.

Before 2:00 PM, Gao Ou escorted the young President’s spouse away from the supermarket stall.

President Zhou was paying out of his own pocket to add an extra Dragon Boat gift for all group employees stationed in Haicheng. Naturally, contract-manufactured gift boxes couldn’t be purchased at retail price; no matter how wealthy President Zhou was, he wouldn’t act like a fool waiting to be fleeced. Gao Ou bargained with the supervisor with effortless ease.

Xiang Zhen had no role in this part. Sitting off to the side, he poured tea on occasion and excitedly whipped out his phone to report to his husband that he had landed a massive deal today.

[Xiang Zhen: The supervisor is negotiating the price with him.]

[Zhou Sicheng: Regardless of the final price they settle on, you can still demand a ten-yuan commission per box.]

Zhou Sicheng had instructed Gao Ou to leave room for the commission.

[Xiang Zhen: Can I really do that?! I can make 120,000 in commission?]

[Zhou Sicheng: Give it a try. Bring it up right now before he can go back on his word.]

Half-skeptical, Xiang Zhen turned to his supervisor: “Supervisor, does my commission still count?”

The supervisor wished he could shoot daggers from his eyes to skewer Xiang Zhen on the spot: We’re actively negotiating prices with the client, why are you bringing up internal commission right now?! Who taught you to handle business like this!

Supervisor: “Of course, of course.”

Xiang Zhen: “Ten yuan per box.”

Supervisor: “How could that be possible?! We’re not selling at full retail price!”

Xiang Zhen: “You said earlier that anything over fifty boxes would be doubled.”

Gao Ou intervened: “I decided to partner with your company precisely because of this promoter’s sincerity. From what I understand, the commission in your sales department is set at this exact rate. If you cannot treat everyone equally, I must question your company’s integrity.”

The supervisor was left speechless. While sales commissions were indeed high, the issue was that Xiang Zhen was customer service; there was no policy stating he had to receive the sales department’s cut. Forget it, forget it—just give it to him.

Xiang Zhen was utterly flabbergasted. Just like that… in a single afternoon… he had earned 120,000 yuan?

He made big money!

Added to his original thirty thousand, he had the fifteen percent down payment!

[Xiang Zhen: Heavens, hubby, I made big money! We have the money to buy an apartment!]

[Zhou Sicheng: You’re amazing.]

[Xiang Zhen: This client negotiates so professionally! It’s like he knows the exact cost price! He even helped me ask for my commission! He’s so nice and polite—so this is what a big-firm elite looks like! This is my first time meeting one!]

Zhou Sicheng: “…”

Is that so, Elite Gao?

Having received his orders, Elite Gao signed the contract, ensuring “promoter’s sales commission” was explicitly drafted into the terms.

Filled with gratitude, Xiang Zhen saw Gao Ou out. Spotting a white luxury sedan, he noted, “Your car looks a bit familiar.”

Gao Ou, who had driven President Zhou’s white Maybach out to command respect: “…”

Xiang Zhen quickly shut his mouth. Remarking that someone’s car looked common on the streets didn’t seem polite.

His husband’s BYD was still much more distinctive; he could spot it in a heartbeat among heavy traffic.

Gao Ou: “If you ever wish to switch jobs, feel free to contact me. Working at this small company is truly beneath your talents.”

President Zhou surely had better arrangements planned.

Xiang Zhen: “Thank you, but I don’t plan on switching jobs for now.”

As the first person in the entire corporate group—and indeed the entire world—to learn of the President’s spouse’s existence, Gao Ou felt the crushing weight of responsibility. With President Zhou pulling stunts where he simultaneously played broke while showering money from the shadows, covering for him was going to be an uphill battle.

“You can get off work now. Would you like me to give you a lift?”

Xiang Zhen: “No need, no need! I have to stop by the supermarket.”

The first thing to do after striking it rich was to double tonight’s king prawns and pork trotters!

On the other side, having wrapped up his pending tasks, Zhou Sicheng was presented with the third-quarter wardrobe catalog by his estate manager.

Lately, whenever Zhou Sicheng returned to the rental, he took off his suit beforehand. With no mood to shop for clothes, he flipped through it casually, about to tell the manager to handle it as usual, when his thumb suddenly halted over a cufflink design.

The cufflinks were shaped like sunflowers, with a yellow diamond in the center surrounded by eight white diamond petals, three-dimensional and exquisite.

The manager introduced on cue: “This is Harry Winston’s Sunflower series. There are also necklaces, rings, watches, and more.”

Zhou Sicheng wanted to buy it for Xiang Zhen.

However, neither a necklace nor a watch felt right. A ring? They had only known each other for three days; they weren’t at that stage yet.

He recalled Xiang Zhen’s dazzling head of golden hair that looked just like sunflower petals. The bangs fell slightly too long over his brows… he needed a hair clip.

Zhou Sicheng: “Do they have a sunflower hair clip?”

Manager: “Uh, no.”

Zhou Sicheng: “Commission a custom piece.”

Manager: “Understood. The budget will be 1 to 1.5 million.”

Zhou Sicheng: “As soon as possible.” If they took too long, Xiang Zhen might go cut his hair.

Manager: “Are you clocking out soon? Do you need dinner prepared?”

Zhou Sicheng: “No, I’m heading to the gym.”

Xiang Zhen had been secretly watching videos of muscular men in the middle of the night, proving he had quite an eye for the flesh. It was imperative that Zhou Sicheng tighten his physique management outside of work.

The phone on the desk rang. Reading the room, the manager quietly excused himself.

Zhou Sicheng answered: “Mn?”

Xiang Zhen: “Hubby! I bought groceries to celebrate tonight! Stop taking orders and come home right now.”

Zhou Sicheng: “Okay.”

He would go to the gym tomorrow instead.

Once Xiang Zhen stepped into the supermarket, he couldn’t stop himself. He bought a massive haul of groceries, lugging two heavy bags home. Unpacking the meat and vegetables one by one, he placed the greens into the washing basin, plucking and rinsing the leaves stalk by stalk.

When leaving the promotional stall earlier, he had forgotten to return the apron to the supermarket; now, it came in handy.

When Zhou Sicheng arrived home, what greeted him was an exceedingly heartwarming scene.

A low-ceilinged kitchen, a virtuous wife plucking vegetables, the warmth of hearth and home—simple, pure happiness.

Xiang Zhen turned his head, staring at Zhou Sicheng with sparkling eyes: “Hubby, I finished washing the vegetables.”

Eyeing the apron, Zhou Sicheng’s tone sounded pleased: “Mn, thank you for your hard work.”

Xiang Zhen rested both hands on either side of the basin, still staring at him: “The vegetables are washed.”

Zhou Sicheng met his gaze. After a long moment, he asked suspiciously, “Aren’t you going to cook?”

Xiang Zhen: “I only know how to wash vegetables.”

When he had just cultivated into a Yao, he was merely a plant Yao who didn’t dare touch raw meat. Auntie Guihua had only ever allowed him to wash vegetables, never letting him cut meat or cook meals.

Zhou Sicheng: “Then who cooks?”

Xiang Zhen: “Don’t you know how?”

Zhou Sicheng gritted his teeth. Xiang Zhen made it sound as though not knowing how to cook made him incompetent. But was he supposed to know how?

He pulled open the bags on the floor. Inside lay live prawns and pork trotters, an overwhelming sight that made his vision swim. Not knowing how to cook yet buying such high-difficulty ingredients—the filter of a “virtuous wife” shattered completely.

Xiang Zhen pulled out his phone and took photos of the ingredients: “Xiao Kui, Xiao Kui, generate two dishes and their cooking steps for me.”

[Xiao Kui: Understood. Customizing recipes for you now.]

[Xiao Kui: Below is the cooking tutorial for Braised Prawns and Red-Braised Pork Trotters. @Zhou Sicheng, please follow step by step, starting from deveining the prawns. Do not skip any steps.]

Zhou Sicheng never would have dreamed in his wildest fantasies that one day he would be slaughtering live prawns and deveining them.

Even more absurdly, the culprit was sitting leisurely on the bed, watching that blasted first episode of the cartoon.

This wasn’t lacking cognitive awakening; this was dodging chores.

Xiang Zhen swung his legs back and forth: “Hubby, your hands are so big, and the prawns I bought are very big too.”

Zhou Sicheng: “You do it then. It’s suited for small hands.”

Xiang Zhen fell silent.

After prepping the prawns, Zhou Sicheng followed the tutorial to blanch the trotters and rinse away bone fragments.

“The trotters you bought weren’t chopped all the way through.” Brandishing a cleaver, Zhou Sicheng severed the connective tendons. “The supermarket staff slacked off. You need to keep an eye on them next time.”

Xiang Zhen: “I’m sorry, this is my first time buying groceries.”

Zhou Sicheng was speechless. So before this, the kitchen stove had never even been fired up—all this domestic hearth and home had been prepared solely for him.

Fine. This was the life he had chosen.

Spending one or two million on Xiang Zhen took barely the blink of an eye, but cooking a meal for him was a true test of character.

The rental’s range hood operated with the roar of a freight train and hung so low that Zhou Sicheng stood taller than it, forcing him into a half-crouch just to see the wok beneath.

Xiao Kui Bao’s instructions were very thorough, and Zhou Sicheng was a capable, practical man. The dressed lettuce turned out crisp and emerald green, the braised prawns glossy red, and the red-braised trotters scooped from the electric rice cooker were tender and richly seasoned.

Without a dedicated dining table in the unit, the two gathered around a small folding table to eat.

Lacking an extra pot to steam rice, it was fortunate Xiang Zhen had bought large steamed buns.

Xiang Zhen dipped his steamed bun into the savory trotter glaze: “So delicious! Hubby, your cooking is incredible. A man who cooks seriously is the most handsome!”

Zhou Sicheng: “Is a husband cooking more handsome, or an elite at the negotiating table?”

“Of course it’s my hubby!” Xiang Zhen offered his unconditional support.

Zhou Sicheng let out a soft huff. All Gao Ou knew was how to look cool spending his boss’s money.

Xiang Zhen was thoroughly content with his current life; no wonder everyone wanted to get married: “Hubby, we have money now! You don’t have to drive night shifts anymore. Let’s both get off work at six, and then buy groceries and cook together, okay?”

“I don’t think that’s a good idea.” Zhou Sicheng nearly choked on his steamed bun. Xiang Zhen called this cooking together? He hadn’t even climbed down from the bed until the food was plated, watching the same cartoon episode twice in a row.

Feeling a bit guilty, Xiang Zhen glossed over the issue: “Mainly, I want you to come home at six because I feel bad for you working so hard.”

Zhou Sicheng: “That won’t do.”

If he didn’t drive night shifts, he would have no excuse to stay late at the company. If he couldn’t even finish his daytime workload, how would he find time to hit the corporate gym?

Without working out, his abs would fade, and with them, Xiang Zhen’s blind infatuation would disappear too.

To a married man, abs were no less essential than underwear.

Zhou Sicheng’s refusal was resolute, leaving zero room for negotiation. Xiang Zhen blinked in surprise. That made sense too: Zhou Sicheng was a dedicated man who loved whichever trade he was in. Driving for ride-hailing was his career now, and a man always needed to build his career.

Xiang Zhen: “Then I’ll accompany you on your drives at night.”

Zhou Sicheng: “No.”

Xiang Zhen: “Why? Wasn’t this morning great?”

Zhou Sicheng: “Not great. Unless I switch to driving a cargo truck.”

The back would only hold freight, not people. A box of cargo couldn’t gawk at his wife.