I'm Just Here for the Free Food!

The next morning.

Li Xian rarely felt like getting up early, but after staying here for a few days, he'd seen the sunset and the moon rising over the sea. The only thing he hadn't seen was the sunrise.

He'd planned to make up for missing that feeling of "the sun rises in the east, and I alone reign supreme"—that, uh... that kind of vibe. Unfortunately, he still got up too late.

The clock on the wall hadn't even reached six thirty when Li Xian quietly climbed out of bed. But when he eagerly pulled open the curtains to greet the first rays of sunlight, the delighted expression on his face immediately froze.

Damn it, Old Man Sun, couldn't you sleep in for once?

It's the crack of dawn, and you're already up so early. What, are you rushing to the morning market?

Muttering curses, Li Xian left the sunrise-watching crowd behind. By then, the sun had already risen above the water, bathing the entire beach in golden light. It was a breathtaking sight.

Still, it wasn't quite the feeling Li Xian was after. He wanted the thrill of watching the sun just peek over the horizon, the first rays piercing the dawn.

Unfortunately, it would be hard for him to experience that.

In June, excluding cloudy days, the sun rose in Bin City before five. Given his habits, he could probably catch it if he booked a night at an internet café.

Of course, there was no point in getting up early just to waste the morning. The view outside was pretty nice, perfect for a post on Moments.

A little before seven, Li Xian carried a bowl of abalone and seafood congee, a beef pie, and some fresh milk over to the floor-to-ceiling window.

"Click, click, click..."

One unbeatable photo of the sunrise over the sea, then a heart-shaped pose; next, a beauty filter on the steaming breakfast. Three photos, done.

After posting them to Moments, he happily slurped some seafood congee, took a bite of the beef pie, and leisurely admired the view outside. Then he lit a post-meal cigarette... now that was the life!

Inside the Adidas store on the third floor of Fuji New World Plaza.

Li Xian stood in front of the fitting-room mirror, dressed in his new outfit. He wore a black long-sleeved T-shirt with a white trefoil logo, classic black track pants with white stripes, and a pair of classic sneakers with white soles and black uppers.

Looking at the outfit, Li Xian frowned slightly and muttered, "Is wearing a whole Adidas outfit too tacky...?"

"Not at all, not at all..." The sales assistant beamed and hurried to reassure him. "You look very handsome in it. With your height and build, you look even better than our models."

"Heh, I like the sound of that." Li Xian raised his eyebrows, clearly pleased by the assistant's words.

He looked himself over in the mirror again and nodded with satisfaction. "I'll get another set, since you said that."

"Sure! I'll go get it for you right away." The assistant's face lit up. She had just turned toward the stockroom when Li Xian called her back.

"Wait, wait... Switch the shoes for those casual sneakers I looked at earlier, the white ones. And give me two of the hoodies you recommended, one white and one black."

The lightweight hoodies would be perfect for cloudy or rainy days, and the hoods could keep the rain off. Super convenient.

"No problem. I'll get you a new pair. Still size 43?"

"Mm-hmm..." Li Xian answered. After the assistant left, he continued admiring himself in the mirror. The longer he looked, the more handsome he seemed. Practically perfect.

With his current looks—70 points—he could pull off this all-black outfit without looking tacky.

As for fashion sense, that wasn't Li Xian's priority right now. All he wanted was something clean, neat, and comfortable. A casual athletic outfit like this suited him best.

His usual style had been similar: mostly casual pants and sneakers, and rarely tight jeans or suit pants.

It wasn't that jeans and suit pants looked bad. They just made him look too fat and squeezed him too tightly, which made Li Xian uncomfortable.

When it came to clothes, comfort came first. Brands and styles weren't that important.

Li Xian had been poor before, so he hadn't cared about what he wore. Now that he had money, he still wasn't going to fuss over it.

Of course, if someone wanted to manage his image for him, he wouldn't mind wearing designer brands like Armani or Versace to show off.

He followed the assistant to the register with the clothes. She scanned everything with a barcode reader and quickly calculated the total.

The sneakers were 1,099, the casual shoes 799, the track pants 399 each, the long-sleeved T-shirts 259 each, and the hoodies 459 each... This one shopping trip came to about as much as he'd spent on clothes in the past few years.

"Your total is 4,132. Would you like to pay by card or cash?" the assistant asked with a smile.

"Card." Li Xian took out his bank card and handed it to her. He was still a little surprised that buying just a few clothes had cost him more than four thousand yuan.

Luckily, he'd kept some spare cash on hand. Otherwise, with the system's paycheck still not here, where would he have found the confidence to stand there?

"Beep, beep, beep..."

He entered his PIN, and the POS machine immediately printed a receipt. As the assistant tore it off, a system notification sounded in Li Xian's mind.

[Quick Shooter effect activated. Charm increased by 10% for 4 hours.]

Well, well, so that was how this title worked.

Paying without hesitation increased his charm.

Not bad, not bad...

Li Xian's expression was complicated. He'd never looked into the title's effects because just seeing the title made him uncomfortable.

Quick Shooter!

Wasn't the system insulting him?

But he hadn't expected this stupid title to have such a miraculous effect.

The charm boost was similar to his skill [Driving with One Hand is Super Cool], but it didn't require a specific item and lasted for a set period. Clearly, it was more useful than [Driving with One Hand is Super Cool].

"Sir, here's your receipt." When the sales assistant handed it to Li Xian, her vision suddenly blurred. As soon as she could see him clearly again, her heart gave a sudden leap.

He was so handsome! Why hadn't she noticed before?

Oh my god, what was happening to her? Her heart was beating so fast.

The assistant's cheeks instantly flushed. She couldn't quite bring herself to look at Li Xian's profile. When he took the receipt, she suddenly spoke in a voice as quiet as a mosquito's buzz. "Sir, could I get your contact information? I can let you know when we have new arrivals."

"No need. I hardly ever go shopping." Li Xian smiled and politely declined, then picked up the bags and quickly left the store.

He didn't slow down until he'd walked ten meters. Glancing back out of the corner of his eye, he saw that the assistant hadn't followed him. He patted his chest in relief. "Good grief, this buff is that powerful? I almost got taken advantage of by a big sister who wasn't even a 70."

If she'd been a beautiful woman who scored 80, he wouldn't have minded exchanging VX contacts and chatting about life. But under 70? No thanks.

Carrying the bags, Li Xian headed for the escalator. He'd just checked the time: it was already ten thirty. There wasn't much time left before his appointment with Miss Dong. If he drove back now, he'd make it just in time.

When the escalator reached the first floor, Li Xian stopped instead of continuing down to the basement.

After thinking it over, he decided he should bring her a small gift. After all, he'd been teasing her for two days, and he was going on the date with the intention of getting a free meal. It would be unreasonable to show up empty-handed.

So Li Xian checked a directory, then headed for the cosmetics section.

At the Star Bay No. 1 sales office.

As the lunch break approached, Dong Linlin kept wandering near the entrance. Every so often, she checked the time, then repeatedly looked outside. She seemed to be eagerly anticipating the date, but inside, she was anxious and uneasy.

Sigh, why did you have to get into a contest with him?

Maybe he really does eat delicacies every day.

What are you getting excited about? It's not like it's your house.

Look at you now. You've gotten yourself into a bind.

Dong Linlin berated herself. If she hadn't acted on impulse and tried to give the other party a hefty bill to vent her frustration, she wouldn't have gotten herself into this mess.

In truth, she'd already regretted agreeing to the date with Li Xian yesterday. She'd been having second thoughts since last night.

Afterward, she'd also realized that things probably weren't how she'd imagined. She'd wanted to make him pay for an expensive meal, but it had only been a moment of anger. Once she'd cooled down, that would have been that.

But somehow, the whole thing had gone off script. She hadn't achieved her goal, and now it looked like she was the one who'd have to treat him.

Why should she?

He was the one who wanted to ask her out, so why did she have to bring money and pay?

Dong Linlin took out her phone and looked at VX. The words "Remember to bring money!" stood out like a sore thumb. She fumed to herself: Why should I bring money? I'm not bringing any... No, that's it. I'm not going at all.

Li Xian's sleazy move had only added fuel to the fire. Not even a fire extinguisher could put it out now. He had no idea that his attempt to complete the mission had nearly driven this beauty with an 80-point rating over the edge.

The system was to blame.

The system had no shame.

Dong Linlin filled a cup of water from the dispenser and took a sip, finally calming down a little. Just then, a voice came from behind her. It was her manager, Zhao Xianrui.

"Linlin, I want to talk to you about something."

"Brother Zhao, what's up?" Dong Linlin turned around and asked.

"It's..." Zhao Xianrui hesitated, then gave a wry smile and continued, "You remember Manager Wang from Juxing Entertainment, right?"

"Manager Wang?" Dong Linlin thought for a moment, picturing a middle-aged man in his forties, refined and polite, with a receding hairline.

At the thought of him, Dong Linlin frowned, her face showing a hint of disgust.

"Brother Zhao, don't come to me about anything involving that Manager Wang."

Manager Wang was Wang Haide, the owner of a small entertainment company whose main business was entertainment promotion and building up online influencers.

On the surface, he looked refined and polite. Behind the scenes, however, he was a complete scoundrel with a bellyful of bad intentions.

Dong Linlin had dealt with him three months ago. At first, she'd had a decent impression of him, but once she'd seen through his true nature, she'd stopped contacting him.

Wang Dehai had gone to see her several times after that, but she'd always come up with an excuse to avoid him. She hadn't expected him to go through her manager this time. He really was like a ghost that wouldn't go away.

"Sigh, I knew you'd react like this." Zhao Xianrui had expected this outcome. He sighed and said, "Manager Wang wants to buy an apartment here. He seems quite interested, and there's a chance we could close the deal. But he specifically asked to buy from you. This is awkward... Sigh, I know he must have some ulterior motive, but I can't just kick him out. This job isn't easy."

"Brother Zhao, don't tell me this. There's nothing I can do to help. Find someone else to show him around..." Dong Linlin glanced around. "Xiao Qin and the others can handle it."

"Mm, I'll talk to them in a bit... Don't worry, I'll cover for you. I won't let that guy cause you trouble." Zhao Xianrui smiled.

In their line of work, it was hard to avoid offending clients. But when choosing between a potential client and a capable employee, Zhao Xianrui would have to be an idiot to choose the former.

"By the way, it's almost lunchtime. Where are you going to eat?" Zhao Xianrui checked the time and asked.

"I..." Dong Linlin had just started to answer when her phone rang. She waved her phone and said, "He's here."

Zhao Xianrui didn't understand. At that moment, a matte-black Mercedes G-Wagon pulled up outside the sales office, looking imposing as it blocked the entrance completely.

Customers looking at houses and the employees couldn't help being drawn to it. Within moments, everyone had turned to stare. The steel beast was just too eye-catching.

"Whoa, whose car is that?" Zhao Xianrui exclaimed.

"Damn, that car's amazing!"

"Th-that's a limited-edition G65, isn't it? Since when has there been a G65 in Bin City?"

"What's the matter, is Bin City not good enough for a G65?"

"That's not what I mean. The car only just went on sale. So far, they've only shown up in Beijing, Magic City, and Shenzhen."

"Heh, you're making a fuss over nothing. If people have money, they can get cars that aren't even available in China."

This steel beast might have been the most expensive car there, but it was definitely the most coveted. There was only one reason: there was only one of them.

Amid everyone's astonished exclamations, the driver's door opened with a pleasant mechanical sound, and a handsome, slightly plump man climbed out.

The handsome man was none other than Li Xian. When he got out and saw so many people gathered around, he was momentarily baffled.

What was going on?

Had he hit the doorframe?

That couldn't be. The doorframe was so low.

Li Xian rubbed his chubby face in confusion and looked around. He spotted Dong Linlin and Zhao Xianrui not far away, waved, and called out, "Manager Zhao... Miss Dong, let's hurry up. We're almost out of time."

When Zhao Xianrui saw Li Xian, he suddenly understood. With a meaningful look, he said, "Linlin, I didn't know you and Manager Li were already so close."

Without waiting for Dong Linlin to explain, he strode toward Li Xian. "Manager Li, it's been two days. You look even more dashing than before."

Li Xian hadn't been obviously handsome before. Now that his looks had reached 70 points, he was strikingly handsome.

Zhao Xianrui's compliment was, in a way, the truth.

Pfft, who's close to him?

Dong Linlin finally reacted, her expression a little unnatural.

Even so, she kept sneaking glances at Li Xian's handsome face from the corner of her eye. She wondered, Why is this guy so much more handsome than he was a couple of days ago? His skin's so much fairer. Did he start using some kind of skincare product?

Women were more perceptive than men. With just one look, she could tell Li Xian's skin had changed a lot.

"Manager Li, let's set a time today. It's on me."

"Manager Zhao, I'm looking for—"

Zhao Xianrui was so enthusiastic that Li Xian found it hard to brush him off.

The other man was quick on the uptake. He immediately understood and said, "Oh, I nearly forgot. I've got something to take care of today. I'll have to make it another time."

As he spoke, he gave Li Xian a knowing look, then smoothly stepped aside to make room for Dong Linlin.

Dong Linlin walked up to Li Xian under the envious gazes of everyone around. She felt a little awkward and said, "Mr. Li, I..."

"Get in the car. Don't block the entrance and stop them from doing business."

Li Xian didn't bother with pleasantries. He led her straight to the passenger seat. After she got in, he climbed into the driver's seat.

The car started slowly and moved aside to clear a path. The onlookers gradually dispersed, while the employees stayed behind, as if they'd found something to gossip about. Two or three of them gathered together.

"What do you think Manager Li's background is?"

"Who knows? But he bought two apartments here and drives such a nice car. His family must be filthy rich."

"He spent twenty million on houses and drives a car worth four or five million. His family must have at least a few hundred million."

"Yeah. How come we've never heard of someone like that before?"

"He's probably just low-key! By the way, didn't Xiao Shuang show Manager Li around before? Let's ask her what she knows."

Just as they were about to ask Qin Shuang about him, Zhao Xianrui suddenly appeared beside them and cleared his throat. "I'm warning you, don't go spreading gossip! If your supervisor hears about it, you'll all be in trouble."