Chapter 156: The Suit, Custom-Made

Cheng Yao had truly become a viral sensation online, and his fame had spread throughout the university town as well. Even his nickname, the "Talented Scholar of Jinling," had been dug up. Of course, the few pieces he had imitated were somewhat lacking in substance, but that didn't stop the media from enjoying such stories—after all, they made for good headlines. What else were they going to report on? The untold stories between Cheng Yao and Xia Shiqi? That had already been dragged through the mud online, hadn't it?

Taking advantage of this buzz, Shengxia Technology accelerated production. Employees were hired to work in two shifts, day and night without rest, to begin manufacturing their smart toothbrushes.

Late at night, Cheng Yao snuck into the neighboring villa to steal a moment of intimacy. Naturally, he was caught red-handed by Lin Ketong. She turned to run, but she couldn't escape his grasp; she was pulled inside by a rogue hand. Moments later, soft, melodic sounds began to drift out.

[Your intimacy level with your "nurtured girlfriend" has reached ninety. You have received an "Advanced Skill Card."]

Item: Advanced Skill Card
Effect: Upgrade any skill to the advanced level.

Watching Lu Mengyao and Lin Ketong sleeping on either side of him, Cheng Yao pulled up the quilt with a satisfied smile before slipping out of the villa and returning to his own place next door. He had things to do tomorrow; he had already contacted Wang Yiming and Fang Liang to start preparing for the product launch.

The venue for the launch was set at the Chaoyang Building on Qilin Road in Xinjiekou. It was a high-traffic area, perfect for renting space for promotional displays. Furthermore, they had hired dozens of security guards and had applied for traffic control support from the relevant authorities. Everything that needed to be prepared was mostly ready. Once sales began, they would just need to handle advertisements online, as offline efforts would be less critical.

In this era, everything ultimately belongs to traffic. Some people know how to seize traffic to hype products and make money, and Cheng Yao naturally understood this principle. Traffic is supreme; it is much easier to manage than a brick-and-mortar store. Nowadays, physical storefronts were truly becoming less and less profitable; most were just struggling to survive, and the unlucky ones even ended up in the red.

Following the standard process, Cheng Yao realized he didn't own a suitable suit, so he asked in his group chat. If he were in Shanghai, Zheng Yuechan would know a good place, but they were in Jinling, and she wasn't a local, so how would she know? Fortunately, the people in his supercar club did—people like Chen Xingyan and Qin Haoran.

They all knew that Cheng Yao had started Shengxia Technology. Chen Xingyan had known for a while, as Cheng Yao had confided in her—they were close, after all. Qin Haoran and the others had only found out today and were quick to offer their congratulations. They even teased him, asking if he was living with Xia Shiqi.

Cheng Yao ignored their teasing and asked where he could find a high-end suit; he didn't mind if it was expensive.

Lin Sujiao replied, "Jinhong Building, 11th floor, international custom tailoring. It's too late for a bespoke suit now, so just settle for buying one that fits well for the time being. You won't be wearing it for more than a few days anyway."

"Fair enough. Thanks."

"Do you want me to take you?"

"No need, I'll go myself."

After closing the chat, Cheng Yao logged on to play some games. There was nothing else to do late at night, so he invited Ouyang Aili and Zhenli to join him. Both had already returned to Guangzhou and resumed their school lives. Cheng Yao's appearance had had a profound impact on their lives; while it changed their lifestyles, it had also shifted their mindsets. Now, the two sisters were happy every day, free to do what they wanted. Ouyang Aili had become increasingly uninhibited, venturing further and further down the path of 18+ manga; with no lack of money, she had completely let go. Ouyang Zhenli, while having no particular hobbies, loved to go shopping—it was a girl's natural instinct—and she never returned home without bringing back items she liked to decorate their space. Their three-hundred-square-meter duplex river-view villa had truly become a cozy home. The sisters had even agreed not to bring their parents there, treating it as their own secret base, acting all mysterious about it. Whenever Cheng Yao carried the team in their games, Ouyang Aili would reward him with sweet, intimate words... In response, Cheng Yao naturally carried them every single round.

The Platinum rank had become very simple for him now; his game sense, hand speed, and overall skill far exceeded that level.

"Cheng Yao, I have class tomorrow. Time to sleep."

"No, let's keep the voice chat on while we sleep."

At 1:30 AM, they left the voice chat open and drifted into their respective dreams. This was a level of treatment that even Zhang Ya hadn't received.

The next morning, the sun rose in the east. The voice connection had dropped on its own due to an unstable network. Cheng Yao got up, washed up, and made breakfast.

"Your cooking is actually pretty good," Zheng Yuechan praised him without reservation.

Cheng Yao raised the corners of his mouth. "Of course. I'm a craftsman, after all. How can I not have a few skills?"

Xia Shiqi asked, "What time does it start?"

"After lunch. The afternoon will be busy. I've already arranged for makeup artists and everything else for you. Someone will come to pick you up later."

"Alright. And you?"

"I'm going to buy a suit. It's a formal occasion; it wouldn't be appropriate to show up without one."

Xia Shiqi teased, "That's not what you said back when we went to that salon in Shanghai."

"Circumstances are different. That was a completely separate matter."

Cheng Yao didn't argue with her. After breakfast, he drove his LaFerrari away from Gaoke Ziweitang and arrived at the foot of the Jinhong Building in Xinjiekou. Below, KFC and Starbucks were fully stocked, but it was too early; the mall hadn't opened yet, and there were hardly any people on the street, save for the tea shops that opened earlier.

The suit shop, however, was always open for appointments. It was a custom tailoring boutique; most people didn't even know such a place existed on the eleventh floor of the Jinhong Building. Who would go up there for no reason?

He had already added the contact and made an appointment to visit in the morning, so Cheng Yao opened his contacts and dialed the number.

"Hello."

"Hello, I'm the one who made an appointment to look at suits."

"You're Mr. Cheng, the one introduced by Ms. Lin, correct?"

"That's right."

"I've just arrived downstairs. Where are you?"

"I'm right downstairs."

Cheng Yao closed his car door and walked to the entrance of the KFC, where he saw a rather sexy, mature woman waving at him.

"Mr. Cheng, hello, hello."

"Hello."

"I just arrived. Let's go up and take a look so we don't waste your time."

The back door of the mall opened early for staff, so they took the elevator to the eleventh floor. Cheng Yao looked around and asked, "Nobody usually comes here, right?"

"That's right. Very few people ever come here, but we have our own dedicated channels. Ordinary people wouldn't have a use for this, nor would they be willing to pay the price." He Yiwen sized Cheng Yao up. Since he knew Ms. Lin, he must be a wealthy second-generation heir.

Cheng Yao noticed her gaze, but she didn't seem to recognize him. It was true—even as the online buzz grew more intense, most people in reality still didn't know who he was. Sometimes, even if people had seen his photos online, they would forget them in an instant, and even if he were standing right in front of them, they might not make the connection.

"What brands do you carry?"

"We carry a wide variety of brands and have many stores across the country, including in Shanghai and Beijing. Our bespoke suits are from the world's top brands, such as William Westmancott’s Ultimate Bespoke, among others..."

It sounded very high-end. Cheng Yao smiled. In truth, he had originally intended to check out Armani—the suits Hu Ge endorsed looked pretty good—but since the mall wasn't open, he had chosen this place instead.

He Yiwen led him around a corner to a shop that didn't even have an advertising sign. A string of delicate English lettering hung above, simple and elegant. The decor was luxurious, with only a few letters visible inside the hollowed-out counter.

"Please, come in."

Cheng Yao followed her inside, and his eyes lit up. The interior was much brighter, with many expensive wardrobes standing open, filled with fabrics of various colors, each with tags in English.

He Yiwen asked, "Mr. Cheng, you're looking to buy a finished suit today, right?"

"Yes, I'm short on time."

"Understood. This cabinet contains ready-to-wear pieces. This one is from the Zegna brand, retailing for $22,500. It's made from over seven hundred types of fabric, with exquisite craftsmanship and premium materials. Since you were introduced by Ms. Lin, I can take five hundred off for you..."

"Is this the cheapest suit in your store?" Cheng Yao didn't make a decision immediately. There were quite a few that looked very good in the cabinet. He couldn't really tell the difference by looking at the surface, as he had never dealt with such things before.

Cheng Yao then looked at brands from the UK and Germany, as well as an "Alexander II" custom piece with gold and diamond buttons—it was extravagantly over the top. He noticed they were all foreign brands, whether it was the suits or the cars. In other countries, they mostly used their own domestic brands, but in China, it had become a hodgepodge.

He looked at other styles, such as "William Westmancott Ultimate Bespoke" and "Kiton K-50." The prices were all quite steep, starting at over a hundred thousand per set. It was said that this was actually on the cheaper side; there was no upper limit to the luxury of bespoke pieces. As long as you had the money, they could get it for you, though how much of that was just hype was unclear.

"Let's go with this one. I'll try it on."

Cheng Yao picked one out and tried it on. He looked tall and lean on the surface, but when he took his shirt off, his perfectly muscular physique was revealed. His shoulders had broadened significantly due to his training—he was a natural clothes hanger. This golden-ratio physique looked powerful, a display of "violent aesthetics."

Cheng Yao was very satisfied with his body; this was the effect of the Genetic Capsule, which had refined his physique toward perfection. Just standing there, the difference between him wearing clothes and not was like night and day. His broad shoulders and solid, beautiful abdominal muscles had a strong visual impact.

The suit felt very comfortable on his skin—no sense of restriction, not heavy, and somewhat silky. This was the difference in materials; some suits felt like being wrapped in a layer of rough cloth.

Cheng Yao didn't fuss too much over the suit. He didn't need a bespoke one since he rarely wore them. From selecting the suit and trying it on to paying, it only took about ten minutes. In ten minutes, a suit costing over a hundred thousand had been sold. This was the effect of channels and the influence of one's social circle. Once you had one client, how could you have only one in such a circle?

He didn't take the suit off, finding that it fit perfectly. Now, he finally had that "look." Already possessing a cold, detached aura, the suit only made him look even more aloof.

A domineering CEO?

Cheng Yao gave a self-deprecating smile, headed downstairs, and drove straight to the Chaoyang Building.