Rian Sinclair was three years older than her younger brother. To support the two of them, she had been forced to work herself to the bone. If she wanted to go to school, she had to earn the money herself. If she wanted to survive, she had to earn it herself.
Society was inherently unfair. Rich kids always started a few steps ahead. They could buy their way through anything and possess things ordinary people couldn’t even dream of achieving in a lifetime.
But now, Rian had money. She just wanted to live well, to do the things she used to be afraid to do, and to live a life she had never even dared to imagine.
Rian was a college senior, but her days had been entirely consumed by studying and working part-time jobs. Because of dorm issues and the fact that Ash Sinclair had gotten into the affiliated high school, she hadn’t lived on campus. Consequently, she had practically no friends at her university. Her only close companions were two best friends from elementary school she still kept in touch with.
However, they both lived in Basilia, a world away from her current life in Argent. It was simply too far, leaving her without a single friend nearby to confide in.
"Rian, I’m going to make big money. I don’t want anyone looking down on us!" Ash’s eyes were bright, filled with hope and radiant energy.
Rian smiled. "We have money now, though."
"That’s different. That’s your money. I told you before that I was going to earn money to support you. Even if you’re rich now, it doesn’t change the fact that I want to earn money for you to spend. In the future, every cent I make is going straight to you! You can buy beautiful bags! Fancy jewelry! High-end makeup and skincare! I’m going to make sure you have more money than you could ever spend!"
Rian didn’t reply. She supported everything her brother did. He was a spirited young man, and it was best to let him pursue what he loved. After all, if the sky fell, the tallest person would hold it up—and she was Ash’s tallest person.
Rian was thinking of a grander blueprint for the future. She wanted to establish a voice of authority in society. Though it was a massive goal, she believed she could definitely achieve it!
A short while later, the dishes began to arrive one by one, with Nate introducing the culinary delights as he served them. Afterward, Nate left the private dining area, giving Rian and Ash some privacy. Ash only completely relaxed once the waiter was gone.
"Rian, I’ve got to be honest. Except for that knucklehead we ran into at the very beginning, the service at this restaurant is generally pretty good. It really lives up to its five-star rating—absolutely top-notch. And look at this stuff. Is this the legendary foie gras? Why is there so little of it? And is this caviar? It doesn’t even taste that great," Ash critiqued as he ate.
"Even food can’t shut your mouth." Rian rolled her eyes at her brother. Although she wasn’t entirely familiar with some of the dishes, she had previously worked as a server at a three-star restaurant and had undergone some training, so she knew a little bit.
"Don’t say that, Rian, it is actually kind of tasty. It definitely justifies the exorbitant price!" Ash added.
As Rian ate, something came to mind, and she asked, "By the way, Ash, you have less than half a month until the college entrance exam. Do you have any plans for after the exam? Do you want to go traveling or something?"
"No thanks, Rian. I don’t really want to travel. I’ll listen to you and get my driver’s license first. As for the rest, I’ll figure it out when the time comes. Although, I was originally planning to find a part-time job."
Rian set down her knife and fork, looking at him seriously. "Ash, you need to realize something. We aren’t who we used to be. The two of us don’t have to scramble just to survive anymore. My advice is to do something you truly love and are passionate about. If you’re getting a part-time job purely to make money and alleviate the stress of living like before, I wouldn’t recommend it. But if you’re doing it to improve your practical skills, then I fully support you. Do you understand?"
Ash was caught off guard by his sister’s words. In the past, he had wanted to get a part-time job to lessen her burden so their lives wouldn’t be so exhausting. Now that their family was wealthy, what was he supposed to do? Confusion flickered in Ash’s eyes, leaving him temporarily at a loss. Rian could see his bewilderment and didn’t expect an immediate answer.
"Let’s just eat for now. There’s no rush. You can take your time to think about it after your exam."
Realizing he wasn’t going to figure it out right then, and hearing his stomach growl, Ash quickly lowered his head and dug into his food. In his mind, nothing in the world was more important than eating, so stuffing his face was the only way to go.
Seeing Ash eat with such gusto gave Rian a huge appetite as well, and she joined the feast. The two of them managed to turn a five-star dining experience into something resembling a hearty meal at a bustling street food stall.
After they had eaten and drunk their fill, they sat in their seats to digest. Ash decided to play on his phone, while Rian fell deep into thought.
Her brother was getting older and had his own worries now. Rian actually had a pretty good idea of how he felt about what she had just said.
Back when they were broke, Ash would look on with envy as other kids bought toys, got new clothes, and wore designer brands. He had never complained, but Rian understood exactly how he felt.
In the past, she hadn’t had the ability or the money to give her brother what he wanted. Now that she had the funds, Rian decisively made a choice for him. Once his college entrance exam was over, he absolutely needed to eat well, have fun, sleep soundly, and enjoy himself to the fullest.
Ash, busy tinkering with his new phone, had no idea that his entire summer vacation had just been meticulously planned out by his sister.
After Rian finished linking her bank card to all the necessary payment apps, she finally led Ash out of the restaurant.
Trailing right behind Rian, Ash suddenly pulled her into a Throat Lock. "Rian, where are we going next?"
Looking at the arm wrapped around her neck, Rian reached up and gave the soft flesh of his hand a hard pinch. Ash released her with a yelp of pain. Rian rolled her eyes at him. "Just follow your sister."
What was the fastest way to spend money? Buying luxury goods, of course! Her brother was practically a living, breathing cash-back machine. They would buy some nice clothes and then go buy a car. Wouldn’t that be wonderful?
As she thought this, Rian’s hands and feet didn’t stop moving. She dragged Ash straight to the luxury boutiques on the fifth floor. The fifth floor housed Hermès, Chanel, Gucci, Versace, Dior, Louis Vuitton, Hennessy, Armani, Rolex...
The first thing Rian zeroed in on was skincare. After all, a woman’s face was her most important asset! Plus, the system had mentioned that her base appearance was already quite high. If she could enhance it further, throwing cash at it was definitely the way to go!
Estée Lauder’s Advanced Night Repair eye cream? Buy! La Mer’s The Renewal Oil? Buy! SK-II’s Facial Treatment Essence? Buy! La Prairie eye cream? Buy! Face masks that cost a thousand bucks a sheet? Buy! Proya, L’Oréal, Dior, Granny Fleur? Buy! Buy! Buy! Buy!...
Rian bought everything by the dozens. Those large refrigerators on the second floor of their home needed to be filled with these, didn’t they? Besides... she had her little brother acting as her personal cashback tool right next to her. It would be a waste not to use him.
Initially, the sales associates thought the two were just window shopping. They never expected them to outright buy so many items. Realizing they had a wealthy patron on their hands, the staff swarmed forward, eagerly pitching their products to Rian.
Regardless of whether it was makeup or skincare, Rian bought everything she considered useful. The sales associates were overjoyed, of course. After all, the more a customer bought, the higher the commission they would receive!
After Rian finished buying all the skincare and makeup, she had only spent about two million in total. Leaving her address for delivery, she immediately charged toward the next store.