"System, what's my appearance score right now?"
Evan settled into the BMW's driver's seat, then shot the question to the system in his head.
Ever since he switched up his hairstyle, he looked a lot better. He couldn't help but wonder.
"Host's current appearance score is 75," the system replied.
He raised an eyebrow. Before the haircut, he remembered he was at 69. Now it jumped all the way to 75. Not bad—turns out a good hairstyle works almost like magic. Who needs plastic surgery when you have a decent barber?
A 75. That's solid. But clothes matter, too. He glanced down at himself. Short sleeves, basic pants—nothing special. Actually, he looked kind of bland.
Time to upgrade.
They say, "Clothes make the man." Not just a saying, honestly. Evan felt it now.
Where to shop, though?
He pushed those thoughts aside, buckled up, and glanced at Emily, who was already in the passenger seat.
"Let's go to the shopping mall," she said, catching his look. "They've got all kinds of luxury brands there. Even that Italian designer brand everyone's been talking about."
She shot him a quick look. The new haircut suited him, but his outfit? Not so much.
Evan nodded. "Alright, let's go."
He pulled up directions to the shopping mall and drove off.
Half an hour later, they arrived. Evan parked, and the two of them headed for the elevators.
"That Italian store is on the third floor," Emily said, pressing the button. Truth be told, she'd just Googled it on the way over. She hadn't been here before.
…
On the third floor, inside the Italian shop, Emily grabbed a shirt, some pants, and a pair of sneakers. "Try these. They'll look good on you."
"Sure," Evan said. He went to the fitting room and changed.
He stepped out, and right away, Emily's eyes lit up. The clothes fit him perfectly—white shirt, black pants, white sneakers. Clean, simple, but sharp. The new hairstyle pulled it all together. He looked different now. More confident, somehow. Fresh, relaxed, but also put-together.
Honestly, Emily felt her heart skip a beat. She didn't say anything, but her cheeks went a little pink.
A sales assistant came over and smiled. "Your partner has great taste.". That outfit's perfect for you."
Emily blushed harder, but didn't argue. She glanced at Evan. He didn't say anything either.
Evan checked himself out in the mirror. Emily really did have an eye for this stuff. The outfit was simple, but it worked.
"I'll take this one—and let's pick out a few more," he said, looking at Emily.
"Leave it to me," she grinned, diving back into the racks.
She picked out three more outfits, all of them spot on. Evan ended up with four outfits, two pairs of shoes, and a lighter wallet—over $18,000 gone in a flash. Pricey, for sure. Each set was more than four grand. Still, Evan didn't flinch. It wasn't even his money. The system was covering everything.
Between the haircut and shopping, the system's $20,000 makeover fund was basically gone.
"System, how much do I have left?" Evan asked in his head.
"You have $74 remaining," the system replied.
Before Evan could say anything else, the system chimed in again.
"Host, you've changed your appearance. Would you like your new look rated?"
"Yes," Evan thought, a mix of nerves and excitement bubbling up.
He couldn't deny it—he looked completely different now. New hair, new clothes, more confidence. If he ran into his old classmates, they probably wouldn't recognize him.
Would he get the reward, though?
He didn't have to wait long. The system's voice rang out:
"Ding! Host's image score is 91. Congratulations, you've unlocked a hidden reward."
The hidden reward? It was a Patek philippe 5740.
Yeah, really. The watch is already bought—paid for using Evan's own ID, all above board and by the book.
All Evan has to do is show up at the Patek Philippe Watch Center, flash his ID, and the watch is his.
For a second, Evan froze. He figured the system's hidden reward would be something cool, but this? This was on another level.
A Patek Philippe 5740.
He remembered seeing a post on Instagram—someone raving about how rare and expensive this watch was.
Officially, it's priced at just over $191,700, but if you actually want to buy one, you're looking at $221,000.
And now? He owns one.
A single watch. $221,000.
To put it in perspective, his BMW—the top model—cost him $114,000.
Basically, strapping this watch on his wrist is like driving around with two of his cars at once.
The system, honestly, is wild.
Evan let out a real, deep sigh. Then he grabbed his phone and found the nearest Patek Philippe center. Not too far—maybe half an hour's drive, tops.
Meanwhile, Emily stood beside him, completely in her own head. She didn't even notice Evan spacing out, because she was just as distracted.
She'd just watched Evan hand over more than $18,000 without batting an eye.
That's what threw her off. For her, $18,000 was what her parents made in a year. For Evan, it was just… a quick shopping trip.
Sure, she'd known Evan's budget was $20,000 before they went out, but seeing him actually spend it, so casually, was something else. It was stunning. Almost dizzying.
She looked at Evan, seeing him in a new light.
She always understood, in theory, that being rich had its perks. But now, it wasn't just an idea. It was right in front of her, as real as it gets.
Evan slipped his phone into his pocket. No hurry to grab the watch—it's not like it'll sprout legs and run off.
His mind was somewhere else anyway. He needed to pick out a gift for Emily.
Honestly, without Emily helping him find a barbershop and pick out clothes, he probably wouldn't have landed those hidden system rewards. And if that hadn't happened, forget about an expensive watch—he'd never get his hands on it.
So yeah, a gift felt right.
But what should he get her?
He barely got to mull it over before the system's voice chimed in his head, dropping a new mission on him.
"Ding, host has triggered a mission: give Emily a gift."
The system even promised to cover anything under $20,000. Was he hearing this right?
Seriously? He'd just thought about buying her something, and the mission popped up. Plus, a $20,000 cap? That gave him all sorts of options.
He glanced at Emily. "There's an LV store next door. Want to check it out?"
She looked surprised, but nodded. "Alright."
So, off they went. The moment they stepped inside, the sales assistants clocked the shopping bags in Evan's hands—all from the high-end Italian boutique next door. Their smiles instantly warmed up.
Luxury store staff always smile, but when they spot someone who clearly has spending power, those smiles get a whole lot more genuine. Makes sense—their commission's on the line.
One sales assistant greeted them, her attitude practically sparkling.
Emily noticed. It stung a bit, honestly. Last time she came to the LV store, nobody had been this eager to help. But that's just how it goes.
She looked at the shopping bags Evan carried, pushing aside her mixed feelings.
They browsed for a while. Evan noticed how Emily kept glancing at one particular LV handbag.
He broke the silence. "Like that one?"
She nodded, not hiding it. "I do, but I can't afford it." Her eyes flicked back to the bag. It was a brand-new summer release—she loved it, but $14,000? Honestly, that price was nuts.
"If you like it, that's enough," Evan said, grinning.
Emily paused, a little thrown by his words. And then she froze altogether.
"I'll take that bag," Evan said, turning to the sales assistant. "Where do I pay?"
The sales assistant blinked, then hurried to show him, beaming. He paid, showed her the confirmation, and she went off to wrap up the bag, sneaking a look at Emily—couldn't even hide her envy. It was clear who the bag was for.
People like Evan? They don't blink at dropping nearly $14,000 on a bag. He barely said a word, just handled it.
Once the bag was packed, Emily finally snapped back to reality. She saw what was happening and panicked a little. "Wait, I can't take this. It's way too expensive."
She didn't expect him to just buy it, like it was nothing.
Evan just smiled at her. "Take it. If you hadn't helped me pick out clothes, I'd still be lost."
He meant it, too. Without her, he'd never have gotten near that Patek Philippe watch. And besides, the system was footing the bill for this gift.
The sales assistant brought the bag over, all wrapped up in that classic LV packaging. "Here you go, sir."
Evan took it and handed it straight to Emily. "It's yours. I already bought it. If you really don't want it, toss it out."
He was still smiling.
Emily clutched the bag, flustered. "How could I throw something like this away? It's so expensive."
"Then keep it," Evan said, waving her off.
Emily went quiet. She wanted to refuse, but the words just wouldn't come.
This bag was exactly what she'd been after.
Honestly, she'd been dreaming about this bag for ages, and now that it was finally in her hands, how could she possibly say no?
"If you're too shy, just keep helping me pick out clothes. You've got great taste, so from now on, you're my personal stylist," Evan said, grinning.
Emily hesitated, then nodded. "Alright, I'll help you pick your clothes from now on."
"Great. Let's get going. We still have somewhere else to be," Evan said, already leading her out of the LV store.
"Where are we headed?" Emily asked, curiosity getting the best of her.
"To the Patek Philippe Center," Evan replied.
"What are we going there for…" Emily started, but then caught herself. She realized—what else do you do at Patek Philippe? Buy a watch, obviously.
If it were anybody else, maybe they'd just want to browse. But with Evan… she knew he was there to buy.
"You're buying a watch?" Emily asked, trying not to sound too shocked.
"No," Evan shook his head. She started to look confused, but then he added, "I already bought it. We're just picking it up."
Emily didn't know what to say to that. Before she could recover, they were already at the elevator. The doors slid open, and the car was packed. She stayed quiet all the way down, then finally asked what kind of watch he'd bought.
"Do you know the Patek Philippe 5740?" Evan asked.
She shook her head. "I have no idea." Watches weren't really her thing, though she did know Patek Philippe was a big name.
"Let's go," Evan said, not wasting any more words. He headed over to his BMW.
Once they were in the car, Evan buckled up and started the engine. Emily—sitting in the passenger seat—couldn't help herself. She pulled out her phone and searched up the Patek Philippe 5740.
The price popped up right away.
$221,000.
Her eyes went wide. That was more than she'd expected—way more.
------
Patek Philippe Watch Center.
Evan pulled up, flashed his ID, and followed the manager straight into the VIP lounge.
The manager, wearing white gloves, carefully opened a sealed watch box.
Inside, a Patek Philippe 5740 sat quietly, almost glowing.
Honestly, the thing's gorgeous.
The dial catches your eye first—it's blue, but not too dark. Just a little richer than light blue, really.
It just looks expensive. Sleek, sharp, and honestly, kind of irresistible.
This watch keeps things low-key, but anyone in the know recognizes just how pricey it is.
People say it all the time: the less well-off go for cars, the rich collect watches, but when you're really loaded, that's when you start chasing the rarest watches.
Look at Evan's Patek Philippe."That thing costs as much as two fully loaded BMWs."
It's just a different mindset. Cars and watches aren't even in the same category. They mean different things.
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