eurekapd Chapter 233 Escaping New York
Chapter 233 Escaping New York
Chapter 233 Escaping New York
September in New York is a very pleasant season if you don't encounter a lot of rainy days.
The temperature is between 20 and 26 degrees Celsius throughout the day. Wearing a single layer of clothing won't feel cold, and wearing an outer layer won't feel hot either.
This is why New York attracts tourists from all over the world every spring and autumn, with visitor numbers easily exceeding those during the Christmas holidays.
After all, while Christmas is festive, the sub-zero temperatures and occasional blizzards can deter many people from going.
Just like right now, the entire Manhattan is almost completely blocked by surging crowds and traffic.
The cars on the road formed a long line, which looked like a stagnant steel dragon from a distance.
Forget about stepping on the gas to accelerate; drivers should be secretly thanking their lucky stars if the wheels can keep rolling smoothly without getting stuck in traffic.
The roads in Manhattan, in particular, are mostly narrow and can hardly handle the massive traffic flow. With the added bonus of the peak tourist season, the congestion is only made worse.
"Why do we have to go to Long Island for dinner?" Ernst asked, frowning as he sat in the car, his voice full of reluctance.
Given the current road conditions, let alone getting to Long Island, even moving around in downtown Manhattan would feel like crawling at a snail's pace.
Moreover, it's already close to noon, which is the peak time for pedestrian and vehicle traffic. Going out at this time is simply asking for trouble.
Connery, sitting to the side, tried to put on an innocent smile, but if someone looked closely, they could see a hint of fear hidden in that smile.
These past few days, she has been accompanying Ernst to various high-end cocktail parties. Undeniably, in the process, she has indeed met many important figures in the business and political circles, successfully expanding her circle and greatly increasing her network of contacts.
Moreover, there have been numerous media reports about her, and both the positive reviews and the buzz surrounding her have boosted her fame to a new level, which is a welcome development for her acting career.
But only Connery himself knew the terrible price he paid for this success.
She really can't take it anymore.
terrible!
Connery had never imagined that a man could be so physically strong; it completely overturned her understanding.
She was so overwhelmed and on the verge of collapse that she had no choice but to rack her brains and suggest having lunch on Long Island, which was further away, to avoid the morning's battles and give herself some time to catch her breath.
"There's a really famous Spanish restaurant on Long Island that I've always wanted to try, but I never had the chance. Now that I have some free time, I definitely have to go."
Connery spoke with great enthusiasm, as if he had truly longed to visit that restaurant for a long time.
But only she knew that she had been to that Spanish restaurant before. The food was indeed good, but it was far from being worth making a special trip for.
I'm saying this now just to find a plausible excuse to escape Ernst's endless demands.
Ernst glanced at her sideways. "Didn't we agree before that we could stay in New York for two more days? Why the sudden change of heart?"
Connery rolled his eyes inwardly, thinking to himself: I want to stick to the original plan, but my body won't allow it.
She had initially planned to stay in New York for only three or four days, but just the day before yesterday, her agent suddenly called to inform her that due to some work coordination problems, the originally arranged trip had to be postponed, and she unexpectedly got three more days of vacation.
When he received the call, Connery was so happy he almost jumped for joy, knowing he could enjoy a few more days of solitude.
But the reality is that these extra three days of vacation were not a pleasure for her, but rather an ordeal.
Left with no other option, she lied and told Ernst that her three-day vacation had been canceled and that she was leaving New York that night.
She really couldn't stay any longer. Although Connery still looked radiant and outwardly normal, she could clearly feel a gritty, stinging sensation in a certain part of her body every time she took a shower. It was the pain from her skin being chafed.
Now, even when walking, I can inadvertently feel a strange discomfort, as if someone has installed a remote control switch in that area, and I will feel a sharp pain from time to time.
It must have worn through!
If she stayed in New York for another three days, she really couldn't imagine what she would become; she might even have trouble walking normally.
"What else could it be? It's because I have to work, of course!" Connery clearly didn't want to dwell on this embarrassing and frustrating topic any longer, so she quickly changed the subject, her gaze falling on Ernst's clothes.
"Isn't your outfit a bit too casual today?" As she spoke, she reached out and straightened the corners of Ernst's T-shirt, trying to use this intimate gesture to cover up her earlier panic.
Ernst looked out the car window. The street was bustling with people, and the various styles of clothing and outfits in the crowd were dazzling.
But with just a glance, he could easily distinguish which were native-born Americans and which were foreign tourists.
"Look at everyone on the street, isn't that what they all wear?" Ernst shrugged dismissively, his tone tinged with a sense of entitlement.
Americans' fashion sense is quite unfashionable. Apart from public figures like Connery who need to maintain their image to stay famous and dress up carefully, even billionaire business tycoons dress just like ordinary people in their daily lives.
Most of them are basic vests, and when the weather is cool, they might wear a simple jacket over them, without any airs of a big shot.
If they encounter a formal occasion, they won't spend too much time on their attire. They only need to wear a well-fitting suit to handle any situation, which is so simple that it seems perfunctory.
In American supermarkets, you can buy clothes everywhere at surprisingly low prices; a regular T-shirt can be bought for just three to five dollars.
If you happen to catch a supermarket sale, you can bring home a piece of clothing for less than a dollar.
These clothes are designed to be extremely simple, with no logos even visible on the outside, yet they are exceptionally comfortable to wear and their quality is absolutely reliable.
It is precisely because clothes are so cheap that the saying goes that Americans don't wash their clothes and just throw them away when they get dirty.
The cost of washing a piece of clothing is more expensive than the cost of buying it. Would you wash it if you were in that situation?
This is also why Ernst can tell tourists from Americans at a glance; just looking at their clothes is enough.
Those people dressed in brightly colored clothes, as if they wanted to cover their entire clothes with brand logos, as if afraid others wouldn't know they were wearing designer brands, are most likely foreign tourists, and the majority of them are from Eastern countries.
On the other hand, most of the people dressed in clothes that look like they're from a street market, with simple styles, plain colors, and even whose brands are hard to identify, are Europeans and Americans.
When it comes to clothing, Westerners are indeed more pragmatic than Easterners. They won't look up to you just because you're wearing designer brands, nor will they feel inferior because they're wearing a cheap T-shirt that costs only a few dollars.
Of course, this is not absolute. There will always be some Westerners who pursue brand names and pay attention to their appearance, but the vast majority of people adhere to the clothing philosophy of prioritizing comfort and practicality.
That's why luxury brands value the Asian market so much.
Because the Western market simply cannot support such high stock prices for luxury brands.
Ernst wasn't without designer clothes; quite the opposite, his wardrobe was filled with clothes and shoes from various luxury brands.
All kinds of accessories are available.
To some extent, most of the women he associates with are actively pursuing him. Many of the designer clothes in his wardrobe were bought for him by these women. Connery in front of him is one of them.
Even with so many designer clothes, Ernst still preferred to wear the cheaper clothes that Muller and his friends bought at the supermarket.
What's wrong with spending a year's savings on a designer outfit? I can easily travel in a Rolls-Royce and buy a private jet without batting an eye. Do I really need a designer outfit to prove my status?
However, Connery clearly didn't understand, a hint of grievance on her face, and a slightly coquettish tone in her voice, "Didn't you like those designer clothes I bought you before?"
In her opinion, those clothes were top-notch in terms of brand, design, and quality, and were completely befitting of Ernst's status. However, Ernst rarely wore them, which made her feel uneasy.
Ernst remained indifferent, shrugging his shoulders. "It's not that I dislike it, it's just that I feel like you're giving money away to capitalists."
As the two chatted back and forth, the car finally arrived at its destination, moving slowly along.
Ernst got out of the car first, looked up through the restaurant's transparent glass and couldn't help but think to himself, "It's pretty popular!"
It's only 11 a.m., but most of the tables in the restaurant are already full of customers. Groups of two or three diners sit at the tables, enjoying their food and chatting quietly, creating a lively yet elegant atmosphere.
After Ernst and Connery entered the restaurant, they learned from the waiter that reservations were required to dine there, otherwise there would be no seats available.
The two were led to a window seat. Ernst smiled mockingly and said, "See, even wearing designer clothes doesn't give you special privileges in this restaurant, does it?"
This is the difference between the rich and the super-rich. Although Connery is considered wealthy and has a large following and fame as a celebrity, he was still turned away from this top-tier restaurant without a reservation.
But Ernst is different. In order to maintain its high-end positioning and customer resources, such a high-end restaurant will always reserve some seats for special guests.
At this point, celebrities can no longer significantly boost the restaurant's brand awareness, because the fan base they represent is unlikely to be able to afford the prices there.
But Ernst was different; he could influence the wealthy class.
Connery blushed even more at Ernst's teasing. She quickly picked up the menu on the table and pretended to look at it seriously, completely ignoring the victorious smile on Ernst's lips.