Chapter 37: The Great Shopping Spree

The house was settled, and it was a top-tier residence at that. Honestly, Li Yan had never lived in such a high-end complex before, hotel stays excluded.

It was still early when he returned to the hotel. Li Yan wanted to take advantage of his free time to stock up on the household essentials still missing from his new place. Since the apartment was spacious and well-equipped with air conditioning and furniture, he needed to supplement it with bedding sets, daily refrigerator provisions, and a selection of beverages. Li Yan had always been particular about quality and didn't want to settle for cheap alternatives. After giving it some thought, he decided to buy everything he needed in one go to avoid running back and forth later.

Back at the hotel, he washed up and changed into another casual Louis Vuitton outfit. Looking at the limited clothing in his suitcase, he realized he would need to do some more shopping once the house was fully organized. A Mercedes-Benz E-Class ride-hailing car pulled up to the hotel, and Li Yan got in.

"Tianyu Life Plaza"—a highly comprehensive commercial complex with a wide array of brands, ranging from home textiles to supermarkets and liquor stores. This was Li Yan's destination. He arrived about half an hour later; the mall was bustling with customers.

Li Yan headed straight to the fifth-floor home textile section to pick out bedding. He browsed several major brand stores, comparing styles, textures, and prices, finally settling on the "Luolai Home Textiles" counter. The store displayed a diverse range of styles: solid colors, prints, embroidery, silk, and blends. The sales assistant enthusiastically recommended a long-staple cotton set in a light gray base with geometric lines, embodying a minimalist, modern aesthetic. Li Yan felt the fabric—it was soft and breathable. The tag price was 1,980 yuan, which included two pillowcases, a duvet cover, and a bed sheet. Since his apartment was a large 140-square-meter unit with a 2-meter bed in the master bedroom, he needed the slightly larger King Size version. The assistant said that would be an extra 200 yuan, totaling around 2,180 yuan. Li Yan also spotted a solid-colored washed cotton set in an off-white hue for 1,680 yuan and decided it was worth grabbing as a spare for easy rotation.

As for the pillows and duvet insert, the ones left by the landlord were subpar, so he added a pair of high-end pillows and a feather-silk duvet insert. The pillows were from "Tempur," priced at 499 yuan each, so he bought two. The duvet insert was a premium feather-silk model from Luolai, priced at around 880 yuan.

The clerk carefully calculated the total:
• Long-staple cotton bedding set (King Size): ~2,180 yuan
• Washed cotton bedding set: 1,680 yuan
• Two pillows (499 x 2): 998 yuan
• Duvet insert: 880 yuan

The total came to approximately 5,738 yuan. After some discounts and a few small gifts from the clerk, he paid just over 5,700 yuan. Li Yan swiped his card without hesitation. The clerk packed everything into two large paper bags and offered, "If it's inconvenient for you to carry these now, we can ship them to your home free of charge. They should arrive by this afternoon or evening." Li Yan nodded, left the address of his new home, and instructed that the security guards could receive the delivery. With that settled, he walked out of the textile section feeling lighthearted.

After buying the bedding, he took the elevator down to the supermarket on the basement floor. This was the flagship store of "Baijiahui" in Shudu, offering a rich and complete selection of goods. He pushed a shopping cart to the fresh produce section and picked out several fruits: imported blueberries (about 50 yuan per box), red grapes (about 35 yuan per jin), a cantaloupe (25 yuan), and apples (about 20 yuan per jin), all of which he weighed and bagged. Seeing strawberries priced at around 60 yuan per jin, he decided to treat himself and grabbed two boxes. In the vegetable section, he chose some leafy greens and tomatoes, but knowing he rarely cooked, he kept it modest. Checking the price tags—oil-seed lettuce at about 6 yuan per jin and tomatoes at 4.5 yuan per jin—he took just enough for the next two or three days. He then turned to the refrigerated section, grabbing milk and frozen dumplings to toss into his cart.

Next was the beverage section, where he wanted to stock up on premium beer and whiskey. For beer, he selected two types of craft brews: six bottles of "BrewDog" IPA from the US at about 25 yuan each, and six bottles of the German "Kaiser Stout" at about 30 yuan each. For whiskey, he spotted a bottle of "The Macallan 12 Years" from Scotland on the shelf for over 600 yuan. There was an 18-year version for around 1,600 yuan, but he felt the 12-year was sufficient for daily sipping. Finally, he hit the snack aisle, picking up some nuts and imported cookies—perfect for when friends visited or for a late-night snack.

He pushed his cart, brimming with goods, to the checkout. The clerk scanned everything, and the total came to over 2,000 yuan. These items were enough to initially fill the refrigerator and cabinets of his 140-square-meter luxury apartment, instantly making his new life feel complete. After paying, he requested delivery at the customer service desk, paying a 50-yuan delivery fee. The staff member said they could arrange a driver for that evening. Li Yan left his door number and contact information, asking the security staff to sign for the delivery.

Once finished, he let out a sigh of relief. Pushing the heavy cart hadn't been easy, but the haul was bountiful. With food, drinks, and bedding sorted, he didn't feel the need to furnish everything at once; he planned to gradually fill the house over time.

It was past five in the afternoon when he returned to the hotel. He still needed to head to Binjiang Puyuan that evening to organize the things he had purchased. The bedding didn't need washing; he had paid extra for the clerk to send the sets to a dry cleaner for express service, with instructions to deliver them to his home afterward. However, the fruits and frozen goods required him to go over and put them in the refrigerator, as security certainly couldn't enter his private residence.

Beyond settling into the house, Li Yan had another plan in mind—one that hadn't begun yet. This matter concerned his status and lifestyle after enrollment at the university. He already had some preliminary ideas, though the implementation would need to start gradually. What was Sichuan University most famous for? Li Yan didn't know. But he did know that the university was home to many beautiful women, and their quality was undeniably high. After all, as a top-tier 985 university, the girls who managed to get in were vastly different in character and substance from his high school ex-girlfriends. Of course, that was something to consider only after he had purchased his car.

...

Two days later, the morning in Shudu remained gentle, with sunlight slanting in through the floor-to-ceiling windows. Li Yan opened his eyes and stretched on the soft mattress. The bedroom was over twenty square meters, with light beige latex paint on the walls and bright, gentle high-end wooden flooring underfoot. The air was filled with a faint, woody fragrance—a high-end diffuser from "Miller Harris" he had ordered online two days ago, priced at 1,280 yuan. This niche British brand was renowned for its blend of wood and floral scents. He had chosen their "Forest Wood" series; the light brown bottle contained a scent hovering between cedar and sandalwood—neither pungent nor overwhelming, possessing a refined, sophisticated quality.