Chen Qi rode the escalator to the third floor and let his eyes sweep across the luxury storefronts.
Hermès. Louis Vuitton. Gucci. Armani.
Half an hour ago he'd walked past this floor without even slowing down. Now he had ¥6,000,000 in his bank account and nowhere to be.
He strolled in like he owned the building.
The mall was full of women — but charm ratings above 80 were already rare. A full 90? He hadn't spotted one yet.
The closest store was the king of them all: Hermès.
"Welcome to Hermès."
The associate who greeted him was striking. Chen Qi glanced up at her stats.
────────────────────────────── TARGET PROFILE Name : Zheng Fangyue Age : 28 Height : 164 cm Charm Rating : 90 Occupation : Sales Associate Relationships: 8 Affection : -5 ──────────────────────────────
A perfect 90. Shame about the eight relationships — only goddesses with three or fewer can be bound.
"Sys — why is my Affection already at -5? I haven't done anything."
〖 She thought: "Head-to-toe Li-Ning and Anta. He's definitely here to take photos for social media. Never seen the inside of a Hermès in his life." 〗
Zheng Fangyue kept her professional smile perfectly in place. Whatever she thought, her face would never show it.
Judging a book by its cover. Chen Qi almost laughed.
Hermès associates earned ¥50,000 to ¥60,000 a month. They had every right to look down on people — in their world, spending a million at LV didn't even qualify you to open a Hermès VIP account. They had standards.
Should I show her up? He thought about it for half a second. She'd still pocket the commission. What's the point?
"Sorry — wrong store."
He walked straight back out.
〖 She thought: "Broke loser. What a waste of my smile." 〗
Next door: Louis Vuitton.
Two associates by the entrance — both attractive, neither above 90.
"Welcome to Louis Vuitton."
He headed deeper into the store.
An associate in the back was reorganizing handbags. She turned around — and Chen Qi stopped walking.
She was stunning.
Exactly his type. Like Han Hyo-joo stepped off a screen. Fitted professional uniform, black stockings showing just below the knee — enough to see her legs were long and perfectly shaped.
────────────────────────────── TARGET PROFILE Name : Xu Lu Age : 26 Height : 165 cm Charm Rating : 93 Occupation : Sales Associate Relationships: 2 Affection : 0 ────────────────────────────── Bind target? ──────────────────────────────
"Do you even need to ask? Bind."
[ SYSTEM ] ────────────────── Target bound: Xu Lu Charm Rating : 93 ✓ Relationships: 2 ✓ Status : ACTIVE ─────────────────────────────
Chen Qi walked over.
"Hi — could you help me pick out some clothes?"
"Of course. Formal or casual?"
No inner voice from Xu Lu. She was simply doing her job — professional, unhurried, completely unbothered by his outfit.
"Let's start with shirts."
Near the entrance, the other two associates were whispering.
"Classic Xiao Lu — she'll take any customer. A guy dressed like that? Just let him browse." "She just got chewed out by the manager yesterday for a complaint. She's not taking any chances."
Chen Qi picked up a random short-sleeve tee off the rack.
¥23,000.
"Can this thing stop bullets?"
He'd seen fashion influencers online claim their outfits cost hundreds of thousands. He'd always assumed they were exaggerating.
He was not going to assume that anymore.
"Can I try it on?"
〖 She thought: "You'd better actually buy it." 〗
"Of course — fitting room's right here."
He came back out a minute later.
"What do you think?"
"You're very handsome, sir — you'd look good in anything."
〖 She thought: "Okay, he's actually good-looking. But that outfit he walked in wearing… Can he even afford this?" 〗 〖 "Stop. No playing favorites. Manager just warned me yesterday." 〗
"If you say it looks good, I'll take it." Chen Qi said. "Can you grab me two more? Simple, clean lines."
〖 "Thank god I didn't give him attitude." 〗
Xu Lu returned with one black, one white. He tried them, came back out.
"Well?"
"Very handsome."
"Both."
〖 "Wait — is he actually a low-key rich kid? Three shirts and we're already at ¥60,000." 〗
"Pants too — relaxed fit, breathable fabric."
She came back with two pairs: khaki and linen.
He tried one.
"You're tall, well-built — these clothes don't make you. You make them."
"Both pairs."
"The linen is ¥38,000. Khaki is ¥19,000."
"Doesn't matter."
〖 "He's definitely a rich kid. I almost misjudged him completely." 〗
"Shirts and a suit too — help me pick."
Xu Lu got to work. Back at the entrance, the other two were no longer whispering — they were staring.
"That guy — he's actually loaded?!" "I should've gone over when he walked in. Xu Lu just hit the jackpot."
What they didn't know: even if they'd been ten times more enthusiastic, Chen Qi wouldn't have looked twice.
When it came to mooching, he had exactly one standard.
90 and above.
Xu Lu held up an outfit. "This one suits you better — the cut isn't too fitted. More natural."
"If you say it looks good, I'm buying it."
She pressed her lips together. A small smile.
That smile. Something in Chen Qi's chest went soft.
"Has anyone ever told you that you look like Han Hyo-joo?"
"Han Hyo-joo? She's so much more beautiful than me."
"Shoes too — two pairs of dress, two casual."
He tried them on without asking prices.
"All four."
〖 "He's at around ¥280,000. If he buys a little more, my commission hits ¥20,000." 〗
"We just got in a tie that pairs perfectly with that suit. And two new men's bags came in last week."
"Whatever you pick, I'll take it. Your taste is better than mine."
〖 "Did this guy come in here specifically for me?" 〗
Chen Qi caught that thought and smiled to himself.
Yeah. Pretty much.