"Isn't the quantity a bit... small?"
Unbelievable. That's the excuse he's going with? Every guy Xu Lu finds is all looks and no substance.
"Sir, that's just how luxury skincare works." Zhou Yali maintained her most polished professional smile.
Xu Lu could read exactly what that smile meant: if you can't afford it, just say so — don't make excuses.
"Lu Lu, is one set really enough? Let's get three."
Xu Lu hadn't expected that at all. Her heart leapt.
She grabbed Chen Qi's arm and leaned into him.
"Thank you, big brother. You're seriously the best-looking guy in the world."
[Xu Lu's favorability +1. Current favorability: 22.]
"Ring it all up, please."
Chen Qi scanned to pay. 66,000 yuan — transferred instantly. Zhou Yali handed over the receipt with a smile that didn't quite reach her eyes.
Favorability keeps climbing, Chen Qi thought, but she hasn't given me anything in return. At this rate, even when it maxes out, doubling 28 million isn't going to be that impressive. I need her to start spending on me.
Whether a girl would actually spend on a guy wasn't purely about favorability. Some of them were purely transactional — they'd love you as long as the money flowed, and the moment the transfers stopped, so did the feelings. That was just how it worked.
"Lu Lu, your boyfriend really spoils you."
That little — she actually landed herself a golden catch. And three sets? Who needs three sets?
"Of course he does. He's the best," Xu Lu said, deliberately loud enough for Zhou Yali to hear every syllable.
Both Zhou Yali and Xu Lu were naturally stunning — the kind of women who'd grown up being told they could marry into money, step into elite circles, leave their ordinary backgrounds behind. Both their families were working-class; they'd gone to high school in a small county town, raised by parents who punched in and punched out.
The truth was, wealthy families tended to care deeply about a woman's pedigree when it came to marriage — unless she was extraordinarily skilled at playing the long game. There were stories online: old-money heirs who'd fallen hard for a twice-divorced master of the art, reportedly paying out 900 million yuan in child support.
Chen Qi is the real deal. Nothing like those guys who talk a big game and do nothing.
Xu Lu pressed his arm tight against her side. It was the height of summer, and she was dressed lightly — Chen Qi could very clearly feel the soft warmth radiating through his sleeve.
It stirred something in him.
Xu Lu, in excellent spirits now, looked up at him with a faint hint of a pout.
"So what are we doing next, big brother?"
"The Amazing Spider-Man 3 came out two days ago. I haven't seen it yet — want to go watch?"
He'd actually bought tickets last night, planning to go with Li Ting after their Japanese dinner. 182 yuan, already paid for. Things hadn't gone that way.
"Sure! I haven't seen it either."
Wait — they made a third one? I haven't even seen the first two.
Xu Lu had essentially zero interest in Marvel films. The only reason she knew anything about them was from highlight clips that occasionally showed up on her TikTok feed.
But she could see that Chen Qi was excited about it, so naturally she made herself look excited too.
Chen Qi caught her thoughts and felt a quiet wave of appreciation wash over him. Money really does change everything. With money, people will reshape their own tastes to match yours.
Li Ting hadn't liked Marvel either. Back when Chen Qi had suggested seeing a film like this, she'd given him a flat look and said "I'm not watching that. You want to watch it, go alone." He'd spent the better part of yesterday begging before she'd finally agreed to come — and then everything fell apart anyway.
"Come on, let's get tickets."
They took the escalator to the fifth floor and found the cinema. Two IMAX seats: 182 yuan.
"You sit down, big brother — I need to use the restroom."
Chen Qi settled onto a bench in the lobby, feeling the full weight of everything that had happened in the past twenty-four hours.
Same 182-yuan tickets. Yesterday, that amount would have stung. Today, he'd handed over the money without a second thought.
Xu Lu was gone for nearly ten minutes.
Did she fall ill in there?
Then she appeared at the top of the escalator, a Starbucks bag dangling from her hand.
Oh — she went to buy coffee.
She walked over with a bright smile.
"We've been out for two hours and neither of us has had anything to drink, so I grabbed Starbucks. This one's an oat latte, this one's a caramel macchiato — which one do you want, big brother?"
Chen Qi's mind raced. Which one is more expensive? He'd been to Starbucks a few times with Li Ting, but he'd never paid close enough attention to remember the prices. Li Ting had never spent a single yuan when they went out — food, drinks, entertainment, all of it had gone on Chen Qi's card.
"The oat latte."
[Earned 30 Freeloader Coins — converted to cash.]
"You can't even eat freeloaded food right," the system chimed in. "The other one was 34 yuan. How are you supposed to get anywhere like this?"
"Soft Boss, drop it — I'm not going to pull out my phone and Google the prices," Chen Qi thought back, exasperated.
He wasn't a regular Starbucks customer. Every time Li Ting had wanted one, he'd paid through gritted teeth. What's wrong with a fifteen-yuan bubble tea?
Still — Xu Lu's gesture had genuinely warmed him up. An extra 300,000 yuan in the account, just like that.
This girl was worth keeping around. Some women knew how to play the game — they'd give a man small gifts, offer a little sweetness, make him feel seen. Then they'd leverage that to get him to spend ten times as much in return.
He didn't know yet whether Xu Lu was playing that game. Honestly, he didn't care. As long as she kept generating Freeloader Coins, that was all that mattered. He wouldn't mind spending a few million more on her down the line.
"Lu Lu, that was really thoughtful of you."
He knew, of course, that it was entirely because he had money. But comparing Xu Lu to Li Ting in his head, the contrast was devastating. Li Ting didn't even come close.
"You've been walking around with me for hours, big brother. You deserve something nice." Xu Lu handed him the oat latte.
"Is it iced?"
"Oh — do you not like iced drinks?"
"My stomach's not great with cold things."
"Oh no, they're both iced. Should I go back and get them to remake it?"
Something clicked for Chen Qi. "Wait — both of them are iced?"
Xu Lu registered the way he'd repeated that, and a faint flush crept into her expression.
"What are you thinking, big brother? It's just hot outside. Iced drinks cool you down, that's all."
He'd been reading entirely too much into it.
"Don't bother going back. I'll drink this one. But if my stomach gives me trouble later, that's on you."
"What would I even do about that?"
"Devote yourself to me. Take care of me for the rest of my life."
"You're terrible — one cup of coffee and you want someone to devote their entire life to you."
[Xu Lu's favorability +1. Current favorability: 23.]
Damn, Chen Qi thought. Rich guys can say the most absurd things and somehow get away with it. If I were broke, that line would've gotten me slapped.
Chen Qi had bought seats in the very last row — the couples' section. The film hadn't started yet; ads were still running on the big screen.
"Big brother — back at La Mer, why did you say you were my boyfriend?"
"I could tell things weren't great between you and that salesgirl. Figured if I said I was your boyfriend, it'd give you a little backup."
Xu Lu looked genuinely surprised. "How did you figure that out?"
"I just had a feeling. Maybe that's what they call being in sync."
"You're amazing. I can't stand her — thank you for standing up for me. You should have seen her face when you paid. It was priceless."
"As long as you're happy."
The film began. The moment Doctor Octopus appeared on screen, Xu Lu yelped and buried herself against Chen Qi's side.
This is a sci-fi film. Not a horror movie.
Chen Qi felt the warmth settle against him and instinctively wrapped his arm around her. The faint scent drifting from her hair made it genuinely difficult to think straight. For a moment, he very much wanted to close the remaining distance.