Chapter 46: Quancheng Business District

Upon hearing this, Wang Qiang's face lit up with a satisfied smile. "Xiao Dong, your jade carving and wood carving skills are both excellent. Plus, you're still young, so you'll have plenty of opportunities to make big money in the future. Gambling with stones is just like gambling; a little is for fun, but too much can be harmful. You'd better not get involved in it easily!" As she finished speaking, Wang Qiang's tone became somewhat melancholic, her face tinged with a hint of sorrowful reminiscence, her eyes filled with complexity.

Seeing her expression, Liu Dong was taken aback. He had never seen Wang Qiang with such an expression before, and he thought to himself, "It seems Sister Wang has a story of her own!"

"Alright, put the things down first, then get ready. We'll go out to buy you some decent clothes!" After calming her somewhat disordered thoughts, Wang Qiang said.

"Okay, Sister Wang! Wait for me, I'll be right back!" With that, Liu Dong carried the raw jade back to his room and placed the basket in the corner.

However, leaving the nearly 50,000 yuan worth of jade raw material there made Liu Dong feel uneasy. He took a few old newspapers from the table, which he usually used for carving, and covered the basket.

"Well, this will have to do! It's not very safe, but it's better than nothing!"

By the time Liu Dong had put everything away and closed the door, the TV in the living room was already turned off.

"Sister Wang?"

"Wait a moment, I'll change my clothes. I'll be quick!" A soft, clear voice came from behind the closed door.

"Okay, I understand!" Liu Dong replied, then turned and walked into the adjacent bathroom. He hadn't used the water since noon, so it was a good time to freshen up.

After washing his hands and coming out, Liu Dong glanced at Wang Qiang's still-closed door and sat down on the sofa in the living room. He picked up a newspaper from beside him and started reading. In the past, he had always been preoccupied with how to make more money, but he had never felt so relaxed before.

"Dad, Mom, are you doing well there? I miss you so much!" Sitting on the bed, she tightly clutched a brown photo frame, large tears falling like broken beads onto the white glass, quickly splashing and faintly reflecting her pale, sorrowful face.

The photo frame showed a family portrait of a family of three. In the middle, a girl of about fifteen or sixteen years old, surrounded by two adults, smiled happily, bearing a seven or eight-tenths resemblance to the current Wang Qiang. It was clear that this was a young Wang Qiang.

"Sniff, sniff!" The low sobs and her trembling shoulders made Wang Qiang look particularly helpless at that moment.

Half an hour slowly passed. Just as Liu Dong finished reading the newspaper and was lying on the sofa, bored and thinking, he heard a light 'click.' Wang Qiang's long-closed door finally opened.

Liu Dong, who had been waiting impatiently, immediately jumped up from the sofa.

With a crisp sound of footsteps, she wore a white T-shirt with small blue flowers, blue tight pants, and white high-heeled sandals with diamond-encrusted straps. Her hair was tied up high, and her delicate and beautiful face was lightly powdered. Her tall and curvaceous figure exuded a noble aura, which made Liu Dong, who was usually quite composed, stare in amazement.

"What? Do you think I look beautiful?" Seeing the stunned expression on the young man's face, Wang Qiang smiled mischievously and suddenly asked.

Hearing this, Liu Dong nodded woodenly, then quickly shook his head. Seeing the displeased look on Wang Qiang's face, Liu Dong couldn't help but laugh bitterly. "Sister Wang, if we go out together, every man's eyes will probably kill me!"

Hearing his words, Wang Qiang's eyes sparkled, and she smiled, looking at Liu Dong with a radiant expression. "Alright, stop being cheeky. Let's go quickly, or we won't make it in time tonight!"

"Okay, I understand!" Liu Dong replied and hurriedly followed Wang Qiang out.

After closing the door, Liu Dong's face showed a thoughtful expression as he looked at Wang Qiang's beautiful back. Although Wang Qiang's appearance had left him incredibly impressed, he could still see a trace of lingering sorrow in her slightly swollen eyes.

Clearly, Wang Qiang had been crying in her room. Although Liu Dong was very curious about the reason, now was not the time to ask. Moreover, this was clearly Wang Qiang's private matter. Although their relationship was no longer unfamiliar, they were not yet close friends or lovers.

To be honest, compared to his talent in jade carving and wood carving, Liu Dong's emotional intelligence was at a primary school level. Although he wanted to possess Wang Qiang, he didn't dare to make any bold moves. In today's terms, he was just a "poor guy." Of course, he also couldn't seize such a good opportunity to chat with a beautiful woman and take advantage of the situation.

Liu Dong knew that Wang Qiang had a car. The four interlocking rings on the hood were the same as the car brand Uncle Long had bought, which made him realize that besides Volkswagen and Mercedes-Benz, there was another car brand—Audi! However, he wasn't very clear about how much Wang Qiang's red Audi cost.

"Looks like I should buy a car soon!" Watching the car slowly drive towards the entrance of the residential area, Liu Dong couldn't help but think of Zhou Bin's advice to buy a car, feeling a bit excited.

Of course, besides this reason, there was also a bit of machismo at play. Seeing that Wang Qiang, whom he intended to pursue, already had a car, he naturally couldn't fall behind. Otherwise, he would always feel inferior to her, making him feel unworthy in front of Wang Qiang. To be honest, Liu Dong really disliked this feeling.

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Quancheng City has four main bustling commercial districts: Quancheng Road Commercial District, Daguan Garden Commercial District, People's Mall Commercial District, and South Gate Commercial District.

The Quancheng Road Commercial District is located in the city center and is home to Jinan's most famous shopping malls: Yinzuo Mall and Yinzuo Underground Supermarket. Additionally, there are major shopping venues such as the Department Store, Guihe Shopping Mall, and Walmart. The Quancheng Road Commercial District is a high-end consumption area in Quancheng, offering a wide range of international brands.

The Daguan Garden Commercial District is the most distinctive local commercial area in Quancheng, mainly selling various Shandong specialties and tourist souvenirs, such as black pottery, root carving, Shandong donkey-hide gelatin, and jujubes. The People's Mall and South Gate Commercial District are the main consumption areas for local residents, with a wide variety of goods at relatively affordable prices.

Now, the two of them were driving to the Quancheng Road Commercial District in the city center. Thanks to the car, and it being the afternoon before the rush hour, plus the fact that there were not as many cars in Quancheng in the year 2000 as there would be later, it took them less than half an hour to reach the Department Store in the Quancheng Commercial District. After parking the car in the underground garage, they got out, locked the car, and entered the elevator that went directly to the upper floors of the Department Store.

Wang Qiang, who often shopped here, was very familiar with the place. She pressed the button for the fifth floor as soon as they entered the elevator.

Of course, the spacious elevator, which could hold up to 18 people, was not empty. Liu Dong, standing close to Wang Qiang, could clearly feel the various gazes of scrutiny, envy, and disdain from the people around him, making him feel extremely uncomfortable.

The reason was that the beautiful woman openly holding his arm was simply too eye-catching! In contrast, Liu Dong, with his average looks and ordinary clothes, exuded a rustic and shabby aura, making him seem like he was from a different world compared to the radiant Wang Qiang. Such a stark contrast naturally drew a lot of attention.