Ye Chen nodded lightly in agreement.
Last month, his father, Ye Dashan, had been hit by a car and left unconscious in a hospital bed.
The driver had fled the scene. With the heavy rain that night and the car bearing fake plates, the culprit still hadn't been caught.
The medical bills piled up every day like water running down a drain. They were far beyond what an ordinary family and their basic rural health insurance could cover.
Overnight, Ye Chen's mother, Li Juan, had worried herself gray.
Hao Ren looked at everyone's expressions, thoroughly pleased, then gestured for the man in the black suit to hand out the jewelry.
Once Ye Chen and Cheng Tong had put on their assigned jewelry, they entered the venue and began the fashion show.
Under the lights.
Ye Chen made a handsome entrance in a black suit.
The glittering jewelry shone alongside him, making him stand out even more.
Down below, the wealthy women watched with gleaming eyes.
As soon as the show ended,
Ye Chen was invited to the banquet and surrounded by a group of rich women.
A wealthy woman in her forties, with a curvy figure and a well-maintained appearance, made no attempt to hide the hunger in her eyes. Pretending to inspect his brooch, she reached through his suit and laid a hand on Ye Chen's firm chest.
"Not bad. I like it," the woman said with a smile.
Ye Chen stiffened. He couldn't let her grope him for nothing.
"If you like it, are you buying it?" Ye Chen asked bluntly.
The long-haired woman smiled and withdrew her hand, answering generously, "I'll buy it. It's just a brooch. Think of it as me treating you to a cup of milk tea."
A staff member immediately stepped forward with a card reader to process the payment.
"Thank you!" Ye Chen forced out a faint smile, took off the brooch, and personally pinned it on the woman.
He'd just earned over thirty thousand in commission.
What kind of milk tea cost over thirty thousand a cup?
Money really was great.
A brooch worth over three hundred thousand, and she bought it just like that. It felt as easy as buying cabbage.
Ye Chen only wished his system would finish repairing and activate. Then he wouldn't have to sell his looks for a little money.
In fact, Ye Chen had been born on Earth Star and transmigrated to Blue Star.
He still remembered that before he came here, he'd been lying in bed, staying up late to read novels.
Just before he died suddenly, he'd only managed to restore his phone to factory settings.
The two terabytes of seeds, more than a dozen websites, the gorgeous pictures, and the instructional videos on love on his computer hadn't been formatted in time.
Before he was five, Ye Chen still had memories of Blue Star.
Once, he recited "Ode to the Goose" in his residential complex. All the aunties and older women there were stunned, praising him as a little prodigy.
Suddenly, a clap of thunder rang out of nowhere.
It made Ye Chen's head buzz.
In an instant, most of his precious memories of entertainment and culture from Earth Star vanished from his mind.
After the thunder, a little girl's voice rang in Ye Chen's head.
[ Ding! I've found my esteemed host. Attempting to activate system...]
[Host's cultural memories from Earth Star are too powerful, triggering a deadly lightning strike on Blue Star... The system was damaged while shielding the host from the fatal strike... Insufficient energy. Activation failed... Initiating host protection mode. Temporarily locking some of the host's Earth Star memories. They will be unlocked after repairs... Crackle... System repair in progress...]
As the system notifications sounded,
Ye Chen was stunned.
The good news was that he had a system.
The bad news was that it was still being repaired...
That lightning strike had ruined his plans. He'd meant to spread Earth Star's culture across Blue Star and amaze everyone.
Since the system had been damaged saving his life, all he could do was hope it would be repaired soon.
When Ye Chen was little, his family had been fairly well-off, so he hadn't been in a hurry to unlock his memories.
Who could have guessed that he'd wait for more than a decade and still not see the system finish repairing?
Ye Chen was lost in thought.
A plump, short-haired wealthy woman seated across from him smiled and beckoned him over. "Young man, that necklace around your neck looks nice too. Come sit over here so I can get a closer look."
The long-haired woman glanced at the plump one, a flicker of displeasure in her eyes, but said nothing. She simply waved Ye Chen over, signaling that he could go.
Ye Chen needed the money, so he had no choice but to get up. After nodding to the long-haired woman in thanks, he walked over and sat down at the table beside the plump woman.
"Mmm, it really is lovely. Absolutely top-notch. Drink this glass of wine, and I'll buy it." Using the necklace as an excuse to touch him, the plump woman ran her fingers over Ye Chen's Adam's apple. She also got a good look at his face, and was very pleased.
The necklace was worth two and a half million, with a commission of two hundred and fifty thousand.
A real man knew when to bend and when to stand tall.
Ye Chen closed his eyes briefly. It was just a glass of wine.
If he drank it, he'd have enough for part of his father's medical bills. His mother wouldn't have to work so hard, and his younger sister could go to school without worrying.
Without a system, he'd just have to rely on himself. He could definitely get through this.
What was there to be afraid of?
Ye Chen had a decent tolerance for alcohol. He picked up the glass and downed the red wine in one go.
Hmm... It tasted a little strange.
But he'd never had such expensive wine before. He figured it was supposed to taste that way and didn't think much of it.
"Good, I like your spirit! Have another glass, and I'll buy the bracelet on your wrist too." The plump woman swallowed, a glint in her eyes.
Ye Chen was wearing three pieces of jewelry in all, and the bracelet on his wrist was the most expensive, worth three million.
He'd be done after this glass.
Ye Chen didn't hesitate. He picked up the wine and downed it in one go.
The plump woman said cheerfully, "Great. Run my card."
After the payment went through,
Ye Chen took off the necklace and bracelet and put them on the plump woman.
Rich women were incredible!
He'd just made five hundred and fifty thousand. Money was so easy to earn—he could leave now.
Ye Chen was feeling a little excited too.
Wearing the necklace and bracelet Ye Chen had put on her himself, the plump woman beamed. She raised a chubby hand, about to touch his inner thigh.
Ye Chen saw that she was about to grope him again. His expression shifted as a burning heat spread through his body. Something felt very wrong.
"Let me buy you a drink." Ye Chen raised his glass, pretending to offer a toast. He stopped the plump woman's hand and even made it knock over her glass.
The red wine spilled all over Ye Chen's expensive suit.
Ye Chen struggled to his feet, dodged her wandering hand, and put on a panicked, helpless expression. "Th-this is bad. The suit belongs to the company, and I..."
Seeing Ye Chen's helpless yet handsome face, the plump woman was overwhelmed by a surge of affection.
"It's no big deal. How much could the suit cost? I'll cover it. Here, use my card," the plump woman said, waving it generously.
Ye Chen's lips curved into a gentle smile, and he said gratefully, "Thank you so much. I'll go change."
Charmed by that faint smile, the plump woman was beside herself with delight. "Sure, go ahead. Don't catch a chill."
Seeing what was happening with Ye Chen, Cheng Tong feared he might get taken advantage of and hurried over with a smile. "Ma'am, look, his clothes are all dirty. How about I have a couple of drinks with you instead?"
Ye Chen was handsome, but the plump woman preferred men who took the initiative. For women like her, they spent money to have a good time.
The plump woman glanced at Cheng Tong's handsome face and smiled. "All right. If you make me happy tonight, I'll buy you whichever piece of jewelry you like."
As she spoke, the plump woman laid a hand on Cheng Tong's strong, youthful thigh.