webnovel Chapter 346 - 174: The Door You Can’t Enter, I’ll Get You In
Chapter 346 - 174: The Door You Can’t Enter, I’ll Get You In
In front of the Louis Vuitton chocolate store, a long line of people braved the 37-degree heat. The scene was as bustling and lively as a line at Disney.
After all, it was only the third of its kind in the world, and the very first in the country.
On top of that, the store was only open for half the day, starting at 1:00 PM.
The store offered only 20 different products, with prices ranging from 230 to 3,200 yuan.
While most people couldn’t afford other Louis Vuitton products, they could at least get a taste of this relatively "accessible" chocolate.
Consequently, the event attracted a crowd of online influencers and LV die-hards, all eager to be the first to check out the store, post about it, and do unboxings. People had even traveled from out of town just to buy the chocolates.
At the same time, many news reporters were there to gather material for what was sure to be a trending story.
Xu Yun and Xino drove to the scene.
As they drew near, a man kindly approached them and asked, "You two here to buy chocolates?"
"Yeah, why?"
The man asked, "I can give you my spot in line. Interested?"
"What do you mean?"
The man said, "Just give me 500 yuan, and my spot is yours."
"You can’t be serious."
Xu Yun couldn’t help but laugh. "Scalpers for a chocolate line? You’ve got the nerve to charge 500 for a single spot?"
"Take it or leave it. If you don’t want it, fine. There are plenty of people who do."
The man said scornfully, "You think you can just show up and get in line to buy something? You need to make a reservation in advance. Only then can you queue up to be let inside."
"..." Xu Yun was speechless.
He glanced at the long line. It was filled with women; the few men present were most likely scalpers like this one.
Xu Yun could actually understand why the place was so popular and why people were clamoring to get in.
The opportunity to take a photo with the purchase was probably far more valuable than the item itself.
’An unpolished life, a perfectly curated social media feed. Isn’t that how it is?’
’His ex-girlfriends, Huang Menghao and Wang Qing, were probably just like them.’
"Well then, Mister, just watch how we get inside without queuing," Xino said with a smile. Taking Xu Yun by the hand, she led him toward the service desk on the basement level.
That was where you went to make a reservation.
Besides them, a young man of college age was also at the desk.
He hadn’t known about the reservation system—he’d read online that it wasn’t required. So even though he’d been near the front of the line, he’d been turned away at the door.
Now he was here, trying to make one.
However, the staff member told him that all reservation slots were currently full and they weren’t accepting any more.
Disappointed, he quickly asked, "When is the next available time I can make a reservation for?"
"That’s hard to say."
The staff member explained, "We have to compile the list and submit it to the Louis Vuitton store. You can only queue if your name is on the list and there are available slots."
"Will there be any more today?"
"Definitely not. We’ve already been notified that registration for today is closed."
"Alright, then."
The young man sighed. He turned and saw Xu Yun and Xino standing beside him. "Are you guys here for the chocolates too?" he asked.
"Yes," Xu Yun nodded.
"That’s a shame. You can’t buy any today. You’ll have to make a reservation for a later date."
Just then, the staff member behind the desk asked, "Do you want to make a reservation now? If it goes through, we’ll send you a notification."
"Yes, please," the woman replied.
"Alright, please provide your member ID number so I can register you."
"Huh?! A member ID?"
The young man asked in surprise, "I’m not a member. Do I need to register for one?"
"It’s fine. Just your contact information will do."
So he gave his phone number to the staff member.
The staff member took down his information, then turned to Xu Yun and Xino. "And you two?"
Xino went first, reciting her phone number.
The staff member assumed she was also an unregistered customer, but the moment he entered her number into the system, he froze.
She was an LV VIC—a Very Important Client. A super-tier member.
Then, Xu Yun recited his phone number. The staff member typed it in and found he was a super-tier member as well.
’What the hell? Why would people like this need to come here to make a reservation? Shouldn’t they have been personally invited to the pre-opening tasting event?’
He was completely baffled.
Seeing the staff member staring blankly, Xu Yun said, "Look, if we can buy some today, we will. If not, just forget it. Don’t worry about making a reservation for us."
"Miss Xi, Mr. Xu, please wait just a moment."
The staff member’s attitude shifted instantly. He offered an apologetic smile and said, "I’ll just make a quick call to check."
With that, he turned away and dialed a number.
A moment later, a store manager came down from the main floor.
He had received a sudden call instructing him to come down and personally receive two VIPs, ensuring their every request was met with impeccable service.
The store manager walked over to Xu Yun and Xino and smiled. "Mr. Xu, Miss Xi, hello. I’m the manager of this store.
My apologies, I wasn’t aware you would be stopping by on such short notice. I’ll take you into the store through our private entrance right away."
The young man who had just been rejected stood nearby, completely stunned by the scene.
He asked in confusion, "Wait a minute, how can those two go in and buy things?"
"They are our super-tier members," the manager explained. "They have the privilege of bypassing the reservation and queuing process."
The young man: "..."
’Fuck. A harsh slap of reality just knocked him senseless.’
’Sure enough, rich people have special privileges everywhere!’
"See?" Xino said. "I told you we wouldn’t need to queue or make a reservation. Otherwise, I would’ve canceled my membership today and had all my friends do the same."
"!!!" The manager nearly had a heart attack when he heard that.