My System Forces Me to Live off Women-Chapter 103 - 101: Nausea

"Why are we here? Shouldn’t we be asking you that!"

Seeing Li Peifeng, Xu Manning was baffled: "What are you doing here? Didn’t you say you were going to..."

"All done!" Li Peifeng interrupted with a grin: "Then I just thought I’d stop by the nearby mall and get some gifts for the people around me."

People around me?

Getting gifts for us?!

The two girls relaxed slightly, while Zhao Qingge watched coldly.

As Li Peifeng was leaving, he was intensely listening to what the three women were discussing.

When he heard Zhao Qingge suggest the three of them go shopping together, Li Peifeng’s hand was already on the doorknob, ready to leave anytime, but he hesitated.

Because Zhao Qingge is incredibly clever, with just a few words she left Xu Manning and Wu Wenyue speechless.

If they ended up shopping and chatting together, Old Zhao would certainly continue probing, potentially exposing more clues, which would be unimaginable.

A small crisis could evolve into a big trouble.

So when he heard Wu Wenyue and Xu Manning agree to shop together, Li Peifeng, who had been slowly opening the door, slammed it shut and returned to greet them, attempting to disrupt their group shopping plan.

Even if he couldn’t disrupt it, with him there they wouldn’t be able to talk!

Would he be afraid to face these three? Absolutely not!

A true warrior dares to face a bleak life and confront dripping blood!

Li Peifeng proudly declared: "I’ve been shopping for ages and still don’t know what to buy. Just happened to see you all here, which saves me the trouble. You pick whatever you like, today’s expenses are on me!"

Xu Manning gave him a pleased yet annoyed look, as if saying; At least you have some conscience.

Wu Wenyue hesitated: "We were just bored, out for a stroll. Just bumped into Professor Zhao..."

Li Peifeng realized, looking at Zhao Qingge: "Mentor, is there anything you want to buy? This time I signed for platinum, the person I should be most grateful to is you. Without your cultivation I wouldn’t be here today. If there’s any jewelry in this shop that interests you, pick it out, I’ll gift it..."

"No need." Zhao Qingge smiled: "I ate too much and just came out for a walk. You shop, I’ll do my own looking."

With that, Zhao Qingge turned away, her smile vanished, and continued browsing around the shop...

"Ate too much and bored?" Li Peifeng thought to himself, seems Old Zhao wasn’t too pleased with him popping up like this!

While the four were chatting, the round-faced saleswoman had already quietly walked out from the counter, picked up the bank card on the floor by the column, and pocketed it, then approached, politely speaking to Li Peifeng;

"Hello sir, may I ask what kind of jewelry you’re looking to purchase?"

Still owe money, the creditor chasing quickly!

"Let’s start with bracelets."

Li Peifeng casually replied: "I want to buy some gifts for the elderly at home. Wenyue, Manning, you also pick what you like."

Wu Wenyue was half-skeptical: "You’re really going to buy us gifts?"

"Seems like he really earned big." Xu Manning murmured: "Daring to say this in Cartier!"

"A little, but gifting you guys a few pieces of jewelry is no problem."

Seeing Zhao Qingge walking further away, Li Peifeng lowered his voice: "After receiving the gifts, settle down and stop leaving the group over trivial matters!"

"You should tell her that."

Wu Wenyue said indifferently: "Every time I leave, it’s because she leaves that I leave."

"I’ll leave if I want to, even if you gift me something!"

Watching Li Peifeng staring at her with a slightly furrowed brow, Xu Manning rolled her eyes: "Make sure you don’t piss me off next time, why didn’t you notify us immediately?!"

The three followed the round-faced saleswoman to the counter, where she promptly displayed the bracelet Zhao Qingge had previously selected and tried on, priced over fifty thousand, and started introducing it...

"This LOVE series bracelet, released in 1969, represents endless love, made from 18K white gold. Perfect for gifting family or a lover, not too expensive, what do you think, sir?"

"It’s good."

Li Peifeng nodded decisively: "Pack it up, I’ll take it."

"What size might you need?" the round-faced saleswoman hinted: "I have size 17 with me, generally this size fits just right."

Li Peifeng silently applauded: "Then 17 it is!"

"Buying swiftly aren’t you?"

Wu Wenyue sneered: "How much did selling the rights make for you to splurge like this?"

"More than three million, but future royalties increased by thirty percent."

"Heh, the rumors are all wrong, some even claiming you make millions a year..."

"Rumors, they exaggerate."

Xu Manning’s eyes held some suspicion: "Is the bracelet for your aunt?"

Li Peifeng ambiguously replied: "Yeah."

"By the way, I called your aunt this afternoon about you signing a platinum deal, she said she might visit in a few days..."

Li Peifeng had overheard this news while eavesdropping behind the column, puzzled about how they knew his mother was visiting when he himself didn’t, but now finally understood, feeling unsettled.

"Why’d you tell her?" Li Peifeng sighed: "Couldn’t you let me tell her myself?"

"What’s the big deal?" Wu Wenyue puzzled: "I thought you forgot, so I let her know."

"If you hadn’t told her there’d be no issue of forgetting, and now my mom must be upset!"

Li Peifeng helplessly said: "She’ll definitely blame me for not telling her first, but my friends know everything. She’ll be jealous, thinking her son achieved a little success and forgot his mother."

"Really?" Wu Wenyue was surprised: "Did your aunt call to scold you?"

"Hasn’t called yet, but precisely because she hasn’t, it means she’s mad. She’s probably holding in her anger, waiting for me to call her so she can give me an earful."

"Then call her now to explain, it’s a good thing and she won’t be too upset."

Li Peifeng waved: "Forget it, I’ll talk about it when I get back. You guys choose, I’ll check on my mentor."

With that, he turned to Zhao Qingge...

"Give me the car keys." Zhao Qingge faced the counter with her back to him, not even turning her head: "I’m leaving shortly."

Li Peifeng took out the car keys from his pocket, ensured the other two weren’t looking, discreetly handed them over, then whispered.

"Mentor, after buying the bracelet, do you think my online girlfriend would feel surprised receiving this gift? Would she be thrilled?"

"If she wasn’t with you shopping today but met four opposite gender friends buying gifts for you..."

Zhao Qingge calmly said: "She might be thrilled."

Li Peifeng laughed: "But if she’s really with me shopping, yet meets four girls buying gifts for me, how would she feel?"

"Read any works by the French writer Sartre?"

"...Yes." Li Peifeng sensed a bad omen.

"’Nausea.’

Zhao Qingge smiled: "I guess her mood might be like finishing Sartre’s ’Nausea’."

Li Peifeng pondered, having read ’Nausea,’ he understood Zhao Qingge wasn’t referring to nausea in the literal sense, not as something that induces vomiting.

Considering Sartre, one of France’s greatest thinkers, the pioneer of existentialism and his novel ’Nausea,’ Zhao Qingge’s nausea likely refers to life’s absurdity, life’s pain, human alienation, the meaninglessness of life; feeling nausea toward the false facade of beauty, all values ultimately slipping to destruction.

Doesn’t it lead to depression?

"Loyalty, even absolute loyalty, is never flawless."

Li Peifeng decided to quote Sartre as well.

Yet Zhao Qingge seemed oblivious, continuing to select jewelry at the counter, even telling the saleswoman: "Take out that necklace for me to see."

"Certainly."

"This is the Trinity series necklace, featuring white gold, gold, and rose gold materials. The pendant is inlaid with 53 round brilliant cut diamonds, totaling 0.22 carats."

Priced at fifty-two thousand.

As the necklace reached Zhao Qingge’s hands, Li Peifeng caught a brief glimmer of admiration in her eyes and immediately decided: "I’ll buy it!"

"..."

"I’ll wrap it up for you." The saleswoman swiftly prepared it.

Li Peifeng cleared his throat: "If I gift this along with the bracelet... will she still feel nauseated?"

Zhao Qingge looked at Li Peifeng, cautious with a hint of skepticism: "I’m not... her, how would I know?"