Imogen Blake basically wore black tights year-round.
Her circulation wasn't great—she was sensitive to cold, and her legs especially got cold easily, so wearing tights was comfortable for her.
As for why black? Obviously because black was the most practical and didn't show dirt.
It was an absurd reason, but for Imogen, a straightforward STEM major whose thinking differed from most people, it made perfect sense.
The actual effect, in others' eyes, was that Imogen was naturally suited to wearing black tights.
Completely natural, harmonious, beautiful without being gaudy, alluring without being vulgar.
Closing her laptop, Imogen prepared to grab dinner. Passing the mirror by the dorm door, it reflected the girl's face that captivated countless guys.
Her complexion showed a hint of fatigue.
Her mother's condition was worsening, and the hospital bills kept climbing.
Her savings had long been depleted, and now all her mother's treatment expenses were being shouldered by Imogen alone.
To earn money, she worked on commercial projects that Professor Miller helped secure for the lab, receiving a salary.
But it was still difficult to make ends meet, so Imogen leveraged her excellent gaming skills to become a paid companion.
Income from being a companion was unstable—she couldn't always take orders.
Sometimes an order would suddenly come through in the middle of the night, and even though Imogen was exhausted, she'd still push through the drowsiness to finish the session.
After all, she didn't know when the next order would come, so she had to seize every opportunity to earn money.
Today her luck was explosive—some rich guy actually booked her for a month straight.
She had a stable, long-term income now.
Imogen was happy, but she also felt oddly uncertain.
That WestOfEden guy hadn't even played a single game with her before paying the full monthly fee upfront.
Initially, she suspected he had ulterior motives.
However, after playing for over two hours, WestOfEden didn't make any inappropriate moves.
He didn't pry into her personal life.
He didn't ask her to send pictures or anything weird.
There wasn't even any verbal flirting during games.
It was just wholesome, pure gaming—he followed her lead, dominated, and hyped her up calling her 'boss' repeatedly.
The overall impression was that he was a cheerful, sunny college guy.
So what was he after, spending over a thousand bucks on her all at once?
Could it really be as he said—just wanting "a pleasant voice and strong gaming skills"?
After thinking for a long time without figuring it out, Imogen simply shook her head and gave up.
Anyway, since she'd received the monthly payment, she'd just help him climb ranks. As long as he maintained this attitude, it was a good thing because she could earn money steadily—over a thousand per month even after the platform's cut.
What paid companion wouldn't love such a high-quality client?
Time to eat. She still had afternoon classes.
Sigh, when would this nonstop grind ever end?
Actually, Imogen knew that if she lowered her standards, she could easily make quick money.
Her looks, figure, untouched body, plus the appeal of being a top-tier university student—plenty of rich guys would pay.
But she didn't want to sink that low.
As long as she could earn money through her own efforts, Imogen would never compromise.
Unless... well, there was no "unless"!
Harrison Hall, Room 510.
Arden turned off his computer and said to Ryan, "Let's go grab food?"
"Let's go!"
It was just past noon, and students with morning classes hadn't gotten out yet, meaning the dining hall wasn't too crowded.
In another half hour, it'd be packed, and even buying a soda would require waiting forever.
The closest dining hall to Harrison was the West Commons.
Walking into the entrance, Arden made a bold move.
He didn't head to the usual main dining area on the first floor but took the stairs directly to the second floor's specialty grill section.
Though he'd indulged at breakfast, it was lunchtime now, and the morning food had long been digested.
As everyone knows, male college students can eat more than fattened pigs.
Not to mention Arden was tall and built, with an appetite even greater than most students.
"Second floor, really? I feel like the food upstairs isn't very cost-effective—it's too corporate," Ryan hesitated. His family background was similar to Arden's pre-"revelation."
"What are you hesitating for? Dad's treating today. Let's get four entrees and soup, eat till we're stuffed!" Arden waved his hand grandly, full of confidence.
"Wow, that generous... Evan and Tyler never treated us."
"That's because they're too cheap. They act rich and flex every day—surely they can afford West Commons' second floor, right?"
"You're right."
Ryan agreed deeply. Indeed, Arden's personality was completely different from those two.
However, there was one thing Ryan found strange.
Since Arden was a rich kid, why had he been so low-key since starting college?
His everyday stuff and clothes were all pretty basic.
It was only today he'd suddenly started spending lavishly.
Faced with Ryan's confusion, Arden said:
"I remember telling you I was adopted, right?"
"Yeah, you did."
"Recently, some wealthy family found me and said I was their long-lost son, and then, you know."
Arden made a money-counting gesture with his hand.
Ryan's eyes widened: "No way, dude, are you serious? Are you making a TikTok drama here?"
"Completely serious, I'm not messing with you. Of course, don't spread it around—I still want to keep a low profile."
"Got it, got it."
Ryan was envious for a while but quickly came to terms with it.
Such a windfall was purely fate. Arden had good luck, and as his friend, he could benefit a little too. It was a good thing.
At the table.
The two ordered a solid spread.
Grilled steak, spicy Korean fried chicken, mushroom pasta, and shrimp tacos.
Plus tomato bisque.
These were all pretty standard dishes, but they were way better than the questionable taste of the first-floor dining hall.
The price was naturally different—the four dishes and soup cost nearly thirty dollars total.
His luck wasn't great this time—only double cashback, netting sixty bucks.
Not bad. Mainly, his cashback luck had been too good earlier, which had raised Arden's expectations.
He'd see if there were any suitable indulgent spending opportunities this afternoon.
Arden and Ryan devoured their meal.
Rubbing their full bellies, they returned to the dorm.
As soon as they walked in, they saw Evan and Tyler mid-debate.
"The facts are right in front of us. Everyone in CS knows Professor Miller personally secured a corporate project and put Imogen in charge. She's making at least a couple grand a month—she's not strapped for cash at all. She supports herself through her own ability!"
Evan was defending his goddess again.
When talking about Imogen's achievements, his face practically glowed with pride.
Arden had no idea what he was so proud of—he wasn't the one the professor valued!
Tyler retorted, "Oh, hard to say. Girls have crazy high material desires. How's a couple grand a month supposed to satisfy them? Clothes, bags, makeup—which one doesn't burn through cash? You really think they're as frugal as us guys in the dorm who don't even spend on mobile games?"
Ryan protested, "Hey, dude, what's wrong with being free-to-play? Do I have to whale on gacha games?"
"...I wasn't talking about you, just giving an example." Tyler paused. "Evan, don't put so many filters on Imogen. So what if it's the Goddess Dorm? My new girlfriend's in that dorm too, and she's no worse than Imogen!"
"I don't care. Anyway, in my eyes, Imogen is the most outstanding goddess. If I can't win her over, I'd rather stay single all four years of college."
Evan spouted outrageous simp rhetoric, his face radiating a sacred glow.
Tyler was stunned: "Holy crap, are you seriously gonna put all your eggs in one basket? She doesn't even acknowledge you, and you're practicing celibacy here?"
"Heh, the rejections I've faced so far are just minor setbacks on the road to success. Truly refined men should appreciate Imogen. Only guys without game settle for less."
"...Who the hell are you shading?"
Tyler was furious.
Indeed, the one he truly liked was another girl in the Goddess Dorm, but she had countless admirers. Tyler knew he didn't have the clout, so he'd settled for the only ordinary-looking girl in the Goddess Dorm—Chloe Parker.
But "ordinary" was only compared to her roommates. Among regular girls, she was definitely a beauty!
It was quite an achievement.
School had only been in session a month—how many classmates had gotten into relationships? His success with Chloe definitely proved his charm was extraordinary.
How dare that annoying Evan mock him?
Always going on about "refinement"—just because he was from a wealthy East Coast family, looking down on people from other places.
Tyler was a local Bayside kid from a real estate family.
His family owned four rental properties, and the monthly rent collection was substantial.
His monthly allowance was at least a thousand bucks.
And he'd been given a Volkswagen Passat to drive right after school started—a $30k sedan. How many freshmen got to drive a Passat?
Regarding his roommates' argument, Arden watched coldly, purely enjoying the drama.
He imagined some abstract TikTok streamer's classic moves and demonic voice:
[Rich kid vs. local boy, you know?]
Seeing Evan and Tyler's endless bickering, Arden quickly said, "That's enough. If you want to argue, go to the hallway. I want to take a nap."
"Arden, you be the judge—what kind of person do you think Imogen is?" Tyler persisted.
"Yeah, let Arden decide." Evan chimed in eagerly.
Arden yawned: "Too lazy to talk. I ate too much at lunch, feeling sluggish."
He pulled up his blanket and immediately crashed.
He was too lazy to get involved in these boring disputes. Resting and thinking about how to indulge himself this afternoon was more important.