CHAPTER 251: 249, BRING THE MOTHER-IN-LAW! SHOP, SHOP, SHOP!

Green Willow Center.

The admission ticket for sightseeing was over 160 yuan. If booked through an online channel, it was a bit cheaper, just over 130 yuan.

But booking the entire venue was a different story.

"For an hour, it probably costs over 10,000 yuan," the driver said.

Bai Ningbing actually breathed a sigh of relief. Although 10,000 yuan wasn’t a small sum, it was still within her acceptable range. After all, she didn’t like Luofeng spending money recklessly on her.

"At least it’s not too expensive!" Bai Ningbing nodded.

The driver drove steadily. As an experienced driver from the hotel, he was also a seasoned actor, playing his roles with consistent skill. In the end, he received a tip of 500 yuan.

Tangya looked at Luofeng with a complex gaze, then helplessly glanced at Bai Ningbing. Her silly daughter! she despaired internally. To actually believe that 10,000 yuan could book the whole venue? Even though I don’t know exactly how much it costs, I still have common sense, don’t I? 10,000 yuan? That might be possible on an ordinary day. But during a peak tourist season, booking the entire place would cost a fortune! It’s just an observation hall, but does she even realize how many people it can hold? Or how much ticket revenue it can generate? If it only cost 10,000 yuan to book, one could easily book it and then sell tickets for a net profit. An observation hall can accommodate at least 100 people. Bai Ningbing has been completely fooled.

"Since we’re booking the venue after 10 o’clock, where should we go now?" Bai Ningbing began to ponder.

"How about we go to Jingzhou’s Guojin Center?" Luofeng suggested after thinking for a bit.

The Guojin Center in Jingzhou was also considered a landmark building and a shopping paradise.

"You want to go shopping again?" Bai Ningbing asked.

"Now that we’re in Jingzhou without any luggage, shouldn’t we go get some things?" Luofeng deliberately joked.

Bai Ningbing rolled her eyes at Luofeng.

But the middle-aged driver quietly changed the route.

Luofeng subtly gave the driver a thumbs-up.

In less than half an hour, the driver brought them to the Guojin Center.

"Mr. Luo, I’ll contact the observation hall about booking the venue for you first. If you need a car, you can contact me at any time!"

Luofeng nodded, "No problem."

After that, Luofeng, Bai Ningbing, and Tangya headed towards the East Zone of the Guojin Center. Luofeng asked, "Ningbing, do you want coffee or ice cream?"

They definitely had Starbucks and Haagen-Dazs here. Luofeng planned to have an iced vanilla latte.

Bai Ningbing looked at her mother, "Mom, do you want ice cream, or coffee?"

Tangya thought for a moment. "Coffee, I’ll have a mocha Frappuccino!"

"I’ll have coffee too, a matcha latte with skim milk, and make sure it’s medium roast coffee beans!" Bai Ningbing specified.

Luofeng nodded, "Alright, I’ll handle it."

After speaking, Luofeng started to place the order. If they ordered now, they wouldn’t have to wait when they got to Starbucks.

When the three of them arrived, it was clear that ordering ahead was beneficial. There was no need to wait; they simply picked up their three coffees and found a window seat.

After sitting down, Tangya voluntarily activated her ’mother-in-law mode’. "By the way, Student Luofeng, where is your home in Shanghai?"

Luofeng didn’t hide anything and said straightforwardly, "My place is just a few kilometers away from Auntie’s home."

Of course, Luofeng didn’t directly mention that his home was in a high-end neighborhood, while Bai Ningbing’s home was in a regular one. But owning property in Shanghai was already quite impressive. Without several million yuan, one simply couldn’t afford a place there.

"So Student Luofeng, what do your parents do?" Tangya continued to inquire.

She’s truly a prospective mother-in-law, alright, Luofeng thought. These questions are so typical.

"My mom works as an accountant in an accounting firm! Her work isn’t usually too busy, and she mainly takes care of family matters!"

Luofeng’s answer was tactful. He first mentioned his mother’s profession, indicating she was an elite professional. Then, he added that she wasn’t too busy and mainly handled family matters. The subtext was clear: if Bai Ningbing married into their family, she wouldn’t be burdened with excessive housework, and her mother-in-law would have more time to spend with her daughter-in-law. Furthermore, portraying his mother as family-oriented was precisely the kind of assurance a prospective mother-in-law would want to hear.

"And my dad works at a small construction company. Emm, he’s sort of the biggest shareholder," Luofeng continued.

His claim of it being "small" seemed plausible. After all, Luofeng’s wealth was self-made, not due to family assistance.

"It’s a genuinely small company, so my dad isn’t particularly busy. With such companies, they’re swamped like crazy when there’s a project, but when there are no projects, they’re as relaxed as if they were unemployed! In fact, for this Mid-Autumn Festival, he took my mom abroad for a honeymoon," Luofeng replied humorously.

Bai Ningbing chuckled as well.

From Tangya’s reaction, she seemed quite satisfied with Luofeng’s description of his parents’ occupations, at least on this point. After all, Luofeng had tailored his answers to what he presumed Tangya would want to hear.

Of course, Tangya asked these questions but didn’t probe further. Given Luofeng’s attire, demeanor, and the fact he had just arranged to book an entire venue, she could infer his general situation. Working at a bank, Tangya certainly had an idea of the lifestyle afforded by different levels of family assets.

The three of them sat at Starbucks for half an hour. For the most part, Bai Ningbing shared amusing anecdotes from school. Luofeng occasionally chimed in with a question or two.

"By the way, Auntie, later I have a favor to ask you," Luofeng said, looking at Tangya.

"Oh? What is it?" Tangya asked.

"I’ve booked a plane to Shanghai for tomorrow evening, and since I’m already in Jingzhou, I want to bring back a gift for my mom. Otherwise, I’m afraid she won’t cook for me anymore," Luofeng joked.

"You mean you want to ask my mother to help you choose a gift?" Bai Ningbing inquired.

"More or less!" Luofeng nodded.

During lunch today, he had satisfied Tangya’s first desire and received a cashback card. Luofeng planned to use it. At the same time, he aimed to increase his prospective mother-in-law’s good feeling towards him.

It wasn’t that Luofeng had any ulterior motives. But if Tangya approved of him, she wouldn’t feel the need to rush over to Jingzhou, weary from travel, to shield her daughter from some imagined disaster.

Therefore, to win over Bai Ningbing, he first had to get her mother on his side.

If he directly took his prospective mother-in-law and girlfriend shopping, his intentions would be too transparent and might even cause them to feel uncomfortable or resentful. However, phrasing it as a request for *her* help was a much better approach.

This way, once she selected gifts Luofeng approved of, he could then, in turn, give her some gifts to express his gratitude for her help.

Gift-giving is an art. If someone is greedy, they’ll accept anything you offer. But when dealing with those who aren’t particularly avaricious, a bit more finesse is required.