“How about it?” Chen Qi asked.
“You helped me choose the car. As thanks, whatever you want to buy, I’ll pay for it.”
“I just tapped around on the iPad. I didn’t really help much. No need to thank me on purpose,” Xu Lu said with a smile.
I was just being polite—don’t take it seriously.
Chen Qi heard her thoughts and replied, “Picking configurations takes a lot of effort. You helped me handle such a troublesome task, so I definitely need to thank you.”
“Well, alright then. It’s hard to refuse such sincerity. Let’s walk around a bit.”
At noon, while putting on makeup, Xu Lu realized her skincare products were almost used up. So she brought Chen Qi to the La Mer counter.
La Mer is a high-end brand under Estée Lauder, and its prices are extremely high.
Xu Lu had bought it before, but only two or three times. Because of her job, she used a lot of cosmetics and skincare products. If she kept using expensive ones, even with a salary of over 20,000 yuan, it wouldn’t be enough.
The apartment she lived in now was a small unit she bought with some financial support from her family plus her own savings. Every month, she still had to pay a 4,500-yuan mortgage.
Now that Chen Qi said he would pay, she naturally chose the more expensive items. After all, someone like him—a rich second-generation—wouldn’t lack money.
“Welcome to La Mer.”
A sales assistant warmly greeted them. Chen Qi was handsome, Xu Lu was beautiful, and both were dressed in branded clothes. At a glance, they clearly had spending power.
Chen Qi had been to La Mer once two months ago with Li Ting. Back then, he gritted his teeth and spent 3,000 yuan to buy her a bottle of body lotion. That month, he ate plain noodles in his rented apartment for over twenty days.
Just as the sales assistant was about to serve them, another assistant pulled her aside. “Let me handle this one. She’s my classmate.”
Zhou Yali walked over. The moment Xu Lu saw her, her heart sank.
Why is she working here? What bad luck.
“system, what’s her score?”
The system returned the data: charm point 89, relationship count 38.
Chen Qi noticed that girls with charm points above 80 rarely had fewer than three relationships. Someone like Xu Lu—beautiful yet with so few past relationships—was truly rare.
“Lulu, long time no see,” Zhou Yali said with a bright smile, stepping forward and grabbing Xu Lu’s hand as if they were close.
“Yali, you work here? I didn’t know.”
“I just started a few months ago. Is this your boyfriend? He’s really handsome.”
Hope he’s not another pretty boy who scams women for sex.
Zhou Yali’s charm point hadn’t reached 90, so Chen Qi couldn’t hear her thoughts. If he could, he’d definitely be surprised—Xu Lu had actually been deceived before.
Xu Lu’s ex-boyfriend had been a fake rich second-generation. His family had some money and ran a small company. Even his Porsche was a company car purchased for tax deductions. If you asked him to buy a bag worth 20,000 or 30,000 yuan, he’d complain endlessly.
He would say things like how much he loved her, making it sound like buying her gifts was a huge sacrifice. Xu Lu had been deeply moved at the time.
Later, they once went to a Michelin restaurant and spent over 8,000 yuan. When it was time to pay, the so-called rich guy realized his credit card had been frozen by his family. In the end, Xu Lu paid. The next day, she couldn’t contact him anymore.
Between women, relationships can’t be judged from the surface. Xu Lu and Zhou Yali looked close, but in reality, they were sworn rivals.
Back in high school, they had been the two most beautiful girls in the entire school—and they were in the same class. Each had her own group of friends, and they simply disliked each other for no reason at all.
The story about Xu Lu’s ex-boyfriend somehow spread, and Zhou Yali found out. She even made sarcastic remarks in the class group chat to mock Xu Lu.
This damn woman. Just seeing her makes me sick.
What should I say? If I call him my boyfriend and he gets unhappy, what then?
Many rich second-generation men wouldn’t easily confirm a girlfriend. They preferred to drift among various beauties. Once a relationship was confirmed, if they continued fooling around, public opinion would turn against them.
Hearing Xu Lu’s thoughts, Chen Qi finally understood that her relationship with this sales assistant was far from what it appeared.
Women… truly terrifying. They could hate each other so much and still hold hands with a smile.
“Hello, I’m Xu Lu’s boyfriend,” Chen Qi said proactively, introducing their relationship.
[favorability +1. Current: 21]
Xu Lu froze for a moment. She hadn’t expected Chen Qi to say it himself, but it helped her immensely. At least now, she had face.
“Hello, I’m Xu Lu’s high school classmate, Zhou Yali,” she said.
“Lulu, your boyfriend is even more handsome than your last one.”
Damn it, what is this woman talking about?
Between men and women, unless asked, no one would voluntarily bring up their ex.
“Of course. Lulu is so beautiful—how could someone not handsome be worthy of her?” Chen Qi replied.
The moment he said that, Xu Lu immediately linked her arm with his. The soft, fragrant touch sent a tingling sensation through his body. Still, he had seen his share of the world. Li Ting wasn’t lacking in looks or figure either, and although he hadn’t gone further with her, physical contact wasn’t unfamiliar.
He quickly calmed down and said, “Lulu, go ahead and pick whatever you like. I’ll sit over there for a bit.”
Just acting cool… let’s see if he makes an excuse to leave later.
Zhou Yali didn’t know Chen Qi’s true financial strength and assumed he was just putting on a show in front of Xu Lu.
Xu Lu, however, wasn’t worried that Chen Qi would run off without paying. Still, she wouldn’t recklessly overspend.
Yesterday’s 100,000-yuan bag had been a gift from Chen Qi himself—she hadn’t even mentioned it. Now, with La Mer already being expensive, if she went wild, spending 50,000 or 60,000 yuan would be effortless.
She didn’t want Chen Qi to think that just because he was paying, she would splurge carelessly.
“Then I’ll browse on my own, Brother Chen,” she said.
Her form of address had already changed to Brother Chen.
Zhou Yali enthusiastically began introducing various skincare products—toners, lotions, body lotions, eye creams, and serums.
“Lulu, your boyfriend doesn’t seem short on money. Why not go for the full set?”
I want to… but will he be put off? Will he think I’m a gold digger?
Chen Qi sat on a nearby sofa, scrolling through Douyin. He filtered for local streamers.
His mind-reading ability only worked face-to-face, so distant streamers weren’t convenient.
Damn it, can’t there be some with fewer relationships?
In this fast-paced society, social values had become increasingly open. What once mattered so much between men and women now seemed far less significant.
After scrolling for ten minutes, not to mention charm points—even the relationship counts of those female streamers weren’t below seven.
I should find time to visit the university district.
Although he knew college students could also be quite wild, there were still plenty of beautiful girls there. He could try his luck.
Chen Qi stood up from the sofa. Xu Lu was testing sample products.
“Lulu, how’s your selection going?”
“Lulu wants this La Mer Gilded Luxury Set,” Zhou Yali answered first.
This damn woman—I didn’t even say anything. Why are you rushing? Are you trying to trip me up?
Xu Lu didn’t respond. She wanted to see Chen Qi’s reaction.
“The Gilded Luxury Set—how much is it?” Chen Qi asked.
“It’s currently on promotion, only a little over 20,000 yuan.”
Over 20,000 yuan for just four small bottles the size of a palm… as expected of luxury skincare for the wealthy—definitely not something ordinary people could afford.