Chapter 256: Chapter 146: I’m Inexplicably Wearing a Fake Watch?

"Oh, really?"

Zhu Jingheng looked at Xu Yun in surprise and asked, "You’re also wearing a Patek Philippe?"

"Uh, I think that’s the name."

Xu Yun said, "I just liked it at the time, so I bought it."

"So how much did your watch cost?"

Gao Wenwen asked with a smile, "It’s not over a million, is it?"

"No, not that much."

Xu Yun replied, "A little over 300."

An awkward silence fell over the group.

Everyone instantly understood. The watch on Xu Yun’s wrist was probably a fake.

But that made sense.

They would have been truly shocked if Xu Yun were actually wearing a watch worth millions.

Especially Lin Xi. For a moment there, she had actually felt a flicker of expectation for Xu Yun.

’I really was overthinking it.’

’I don’t even know what I was getting my hopes up for.’

"A watch is just an accessory, after all."

Having finished his showboating, Zhu Jingheng switched to playing the nice guy. "We shouldn’t care about the price. There’s nothing wrong with a high-quality replica, as long as it tells time."

’Our dear Class President sure knows how to console people.’

’So now I’m inexplicably wearing a fake watch?’

Xu Yun took off his watch, handed it over, and asked humbly, "Class President, could you take a look for me? How did you tell it was a fake?"

"Alright, I’ll give you a quick lesson."

In reality, Zhu Jingheng didn’t know much either, but now that Xu Yun had asked, wouldn’t it prove he was a fraud if he didn’t say something?

So he took Xu Yun’s watch, compared it to his own, and began to lecture the group.

He rattled on and on about the dial, the hands, the strap, the movement...

You’d think he was a watch repairman if you didn’t know any better.

In any case, he used every possible angle to prove that Xu Yun’s "Patek Philippe" was a fake.

The others were all clueless about watches and couldn’t understand a thing he was saying. Aside from Xu Yun, they were all impressed despite their confusion.

Actually, Xu Yun couldn’t understand him either, but he knew his watch was real.

After all, if this watch worth over three million was a fake, he’d have his lawyers sue that shop in Shanghai until its owners couldn’t take care of themselves!

However, this also proved one thing: their dear Class President knew nothing about watches, just like him.

He just bought one so he could show off now and then!

After Zhu Jingheng finished his "lesson," Xu Yun took back his "fake" watch.

He put it back on and said with a smile, "When I get back, I’m going to go after that shop. How dare they sell me a counterfeit."

"Forget it. Don’t go looking for them."

Zhu Jingheng said, "The cheapest Patek Philippe watches cost several hundred thousand. How could a watch that costs a little over 300 possibly be real?"

"Besides, for something you bought for over 300, I’d say you got a good deal."

"Even though it’s a fake, the craftsmanship and materials aren’t bad. It feels pretty high-quality. The quality is no worse than watches that cost over a thousand. You came out ahead."

"Xu Yun, I actually need a watch."

Zheng Yi said, his interest piqued, "Send me the link to that shop’s website later. I want to get one for myself. It’s actually pretty good-looking."

"What, you want to wear a fake watch too? Aren’t you afraid people will laugh at you?"

"You don’t get it. For people like us, a good-quality, nice-looking, inexpensive fake watch is perfect."

Zheng Yi said, "If I actually wore a real watch worth millions and someone exposed it online, I’d be finished. Wouldn’t they all call me a corrupt official?"

Xu Yun was speechless.

"Alright, let’s head back. It’s getting really late."

Zhu Jingheng said, "I booked a private dining room with karaoke at the Imperial Court Hotel for tonight. We can eat and sing at the same time."

They wouldn’t have to walk back down; there was a cable car.

However, they still had to walk a fair distance from the summit to the cable car station below.

A short while later, the group was lining up to board the cable cars.

As luck would have it, the five of them were split into three separate cars.

Lin Xi and Zhu Jingheng were in one car, Xu Yun and Gao Wenwen were in another, and Zheng Yi ended up in a third with some other tourists.

In Xu Yun’s car, Gao Wenwen, who seemed to have something on her mind, suddenly asked, "Your watch isn’t a fake, is it?"

"Why do you say that?"

Xu Yun looked at her, surprised, and chuckled. "The class president already appraised it for me. Are you a watch expert too?"

"I’m not."

"Then why do you think my watch isn’t a fake?"

"Just now, I secretly used an identification app on my phone to scan your watch. It said your watch is a Patek Philippe Celestial, and a limited edition at that."

Gao Wenwen continued, "According to the official website, this watch is worth over three million."

Xu Yun was speechless.

"So when you said ’a little over 300’ earlier, you didn’t mean 300 yuan, but over three million, right?"

"Teacher Gao, you’re pretty sharp."

Xu Yun grinned. "Oops, you found me out. I’m a rich man."

"So you admit it, right?"

Hearing this, Gao Wenwen’s face lit up with a surprised smile. "I knew I wasn’t mistaken yesterday! That person really was you."

"What person was me?"

"I went to the molten iron fireworks show last night too. I saw you, and you were surrounded by a group of beautiful women!"

Gao Wenwen said, "I became even more suspicious when I heard the host announce the sponsor’s name."

Xu Yun was speechless.

Meanwhile, Zheng Yi had already added the watch dealer Xu Yun sent him on his phone.

After a brief chat, he explained that he wanted to buy a watch similar to Xu Yun’s.

The salesperson sent him a link and said, "Mr. Zheng, this is our official website. You can take a look first. Once you know which series you like, I can give you more details."

"Okay."

Zheng Yi clicked on it and was redirected to the official Patek Philippe website.

’This website is really well-made, it looks so realistic.’

After browsing, Zheng Yi took a screenshot of a watch he liked and sent it to the salesperson.

"Mr. Zheng, we have the watch you selected in stock at our store. It’s one of the basic models. Let me know when you can come by, and I’ll hold it for you."

"Just mail it to me. I won’t come to the store."

Zheng Yi asked, "How much is it? Just tell me, and I’ll transfer the money to you right now."

"Sir, this is a valuable item. For security reasons, we don’t offer shipping. It needs to be picked up in-store."

"An item worth a few hundred yuan, what’s so valuable about that? Just ship it. I can buy shipping insurance if I have to."

"Sir, are you sure you’re not mistaken?"

The salesperson replied, completely baffled, "The watch you selected is priced at 366,000 yuan in our store."

"What? 366,000?"

"That’s correct, sir."

"That’s not right. Aren’t the watches in your store only a few hundred yuan?"

Zheng Yi asked in confusion, "My friend bought one from you, and it was only a little over 300 yuan."

"Are you referring to the Mr. Xu who recommended me to you?"

"Yes, that’s him."

"Then, sir, you must have misheard. He purchased a limited edition Celestial series watch from our store, priced at over three million yuan."

"!!!" Zheng Yi was stunned.

’What the hell!’

’How did a little over 300 yuan suddenly become over three million yuan!’

Zhu Jingheng and Lin Xi were alone in their cable car, and he couldn’t have been happier.

"Lin Xi, do you think Zheng Yi really just asked us out today to go hiking?"

"Probably not."

Lin Xi replied with a smile, "I guess it was for Xu Yun."

"I think so too."

Zhu Jingheng analyzed, "Zheng Yi was Xu Yun’s best friend in high school. Now that Xu Yun is back after being fired, he must have wanted to ask him for help finding a job first."

"But Zheng Yi himself is just a minor section chief at the Tourism Bureau. He doesn’t have any good positions to offer him."

"So he thought of us and arranged this gathering."

"That’s what I was thinking too."

Lin Xi said, "Among all of us, you’re the most capable. I and Gao Wenwen are probably just here to make up the numbers. The one he really wants to ask is probably you."

"We were all classmates, after all. If you can help him, you should."

"I know, but I offered to arrange a job for him, and you saw how he reacted. He didn’t appreciate it."

"We were probably too direct, which made him feel like he was losing face. That’s why he acted that way."

Lin Xi said, "You can talk to him privately during dinner later."

"Lin Xi, it’s only because you’re the one asking that I’ll agree."

Zhu Jingheng smiled. "If it were anyone else, with his attitude, I definitely wouldn’t have helped."

Lin Xi just smiled and didn’t respond.

’Men only cherish what they can’t have.’

’I’m not going to agree to be his girlfriend so easily.’

’After all, the current economic climate isn’t great, and income from construction projects is far from stable.’

’I’ve heard recently that a lot of bosses who used to be in construction have been losing a ton of money these past few years!’

’I need to observe him a little longer!’

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