Chapter 2: Money in the Pocket, No Panic in the Heart!

Mango Smartphone Store.

A male clerk with black-framed glasses and slightly greasy hair enthusiastically introduced products to the two of them. "Sir, you have great taste. This Mango 17 Pro Max is equipped with the latest—"

Su Yunzhou waved a hand to interrupt the pitch. "Do you have this one in stock?"

At this, the clerk's heart gave a hopeful leap. Knowing he had a solid lead, his face broke into a wrinkled, wide smile. "It just arrived! We have several colors. Plus, today is our store's anniversary. The 1TB version is 12,888 yuan, but if you buy two at once, with the stacked discounts, it only comes to 20,888 yuan. This is our biggest promotion of the year."

Su Yunzhou was quite satisfied with the price, though it would have been even better without the discount. He nodded and turned to look at Liu Yiyi beside him. "Yiyi, do you want to get a new phone too?"

A trace of temptation flashed through Liu Yiyi's eyes, but she quickly shook her head. She held up her pristine phone and said, "I just replaced mine a month ago."

Su Yunzhou shrugged and turned back to the clerk. "Get me one in black and one in white."

Overjoyed, the clerk rushed off. It had been a long time since he'd met such a decisive customer. He quickly returned with a POS machine and two sealed, brand-new phones.

Liu Yiyi furrowed her elegant brows in curiosity. "Why are you buying two?"

"To give as a gift!" Su Yunzhou smoothly added, "Yiyi, please pay for this."

Hearing this, the clerk's mouth twitched, unable to hold back a look of sheer astonishment. The mature woman before them was absolutely stunning. His face practically screamed his inner thoughts, "Bro, you're a legend! Living off a woman so shamelessly... you're a role model for our generation."

Liu Yiyi wasn't worried about him welshing on a debt. After all, they worked at the same company and knew each other well enough. She pulled out her phone and scanned the QR code to pay.

"Thank you. Please keep your receipt!"

The clerk's tone was laced with envy. He thought resentfully about how this pretty boy had just fleeced a sugar mama for twenty grand. The guy was only slightly handsomer and slightly taller than himself—and probably not even as good in bed. He wondered when something this good would ever happen to him. While complaining internally, his hands moved nimbly, unboxing one of the black Mango phones to set it up for the pretty boy.

"A mature woman has spent 20,888 yuan on you. Affinity is at 30 points. Cashback: 626,640 yuan."

The system's notification chimed like a heavenly melody. Su Yunzhou was so thrilled he wanted to dance for joy. Who the hell would believe this? He just made over 600,000 yuan!

In this society where earning money was as hard as eating dirt, his exhausting full-time job only paid 7,500 yuan a month after taxes. He had scrimped and saved for so long, painstakingly putting away 80,000 yuan. The last time he went back to his hometown, his parents said they could scrape together 300,000 yuan for him. He had planned to work hard and save another 20,000 in the second half of the year. With 400,000 yuan, he could barely afford a down payment on a house.

But now, the "Mature Woman Cashback" had realized his lifelong dream in a matter of minutes.

Su Yunzhou looked at Liu Yiyi with burning eyes. Suddenly, buying a house in full didn't seem like a big deal at all.

Liu Yiyi, however, felt a bit uncomfortable. Su's gaze carried a naked, unapologetic desire.

[Affinity -3]

This sudden change immediately brought Su Yunzhou back to his senses. An apologetic look crossed his face. "Sorry, Yiyi, I was just thinking about something else. Let's go! It's getting late."

Liu Yiyi turned and walked out.

The clerk respectfully saw them out. Watching the elegantly swaying figure of the mature woman—every step seemingly stepping right on his heartstrings—he licked his lips and muttered, "That young man just skipped decades of hard work!"

On the way back.

Liu Yiyi looked at the two transfer amounts in their chat window and frowned. "Su, why did you send two transfers?"

"Yiyi, I didn't mean anything by it. It's just that there are so few people willing to help out, even among colleagues. It's just a small red envelope to show my appreciation. I hope you'll accept it."

Su Yunzhou had transferred 20,888 yuan, followed by another 666 yuan. If he sent too much, he was afraid she would misunderstand. If he sent too little, it would feel stingy. After all, he had just scored 600,000 yuan off of her!

Liu Yiyi simply replied with an "Oh," accepted the twenty-thousand-yuan transfer, and returned the 666 yuan. "You're being too polite! It was just a small favor. Anyway, I need to get back to work!"

During the afternoon shift.

Su Yunzhou was a bit distracted. He kept checking his bank balance on his phone. After all, compared to working, he was much better off figuring out how to milk this system.

After getting off work, he went back to Qinda Plaza.

Now that he had money, walking into a place like this finally stripped away the lingering sense of inadequacy he used to feel when accompanying his ex-girlfriend shopping. He thought, "It's true what they say. When your pockets are full, your heart is at ease!"

However, he didn't plan on going on a massive spending spree today. What was the point of putting on a show without an audience? He needed to pick out a gift for Liu Yiyi. It couldn't be too expensive, or she would reject it, but it couldn't be too cheap either, or it would seem insincere.

After much thought, he finally settled on the perfect gift. Following a smooth, effortless payment, Su Yunzhou headed upstairs to a restaurant he had passed by countless times but never eaten at—Zhuji Noodle Shop.

The storefront wasn't large, but its traditional Chinese decor was incredibly elegant. There weren't many diners inside. After all, a noodle shop with an average cost of nearly a hundred yuan per person wouldn't be packed, even if it had once been nominated for a Black Pearl restaurant award.

"Boss, get me a large bowl of crab roe noodles," Su Yunzhou ordered.

"That will be 398 yuan! Please pay first," the owner replied.

The chime of a successful QR code scan sounded exceptionally sweet. The scattered diners cast curious glances his way. After all, a novelty dish like crab roe noodles was rarely ordered by the average customer.

At one table, a group of cosmetics clerks who worked nearby began whispering upon seeing the young and handsome Su Yunzhou.

"Wow, I want to try the crab roe noodles too."

"Hehe! When I told you to order it earlier, you said it was too expensive."

"Besides, do you want to eat his crab roe noodles, or do you want to eat him?"

"HAHAHA!"

The young clerks giggled endlessly, sizing him up. "But seriously, that guy is really good-looking."

"Why don't you go hit on him? You're wearing your killer black pantyhose and pencil skirt today, after all..."

The young clerk had exactly that in mind. She touched up her makeup, walked over, and flashed a seductive smile. A moment later, she stomped back, puffing her cheeks in anger.

Seeing her furious expression, her friend asked, "What happened?"

"He wouldn't add me on WeChat. He even tactfully said he wasn't interested in a young, girly type like me. I'm so mad!"

Su Yunzhou had always been blessed with good looks. He had been hit on before, but because of his ex-girlfriend, he had always politely declined. Now, he purely just wanted to eat his noodles in peace. Unknowingly, his mindset had already subtly begun to shift.

After finishing his meal, he returned to the office, carefully placed the gift under Liu Yiyi's desk, and went home.

Back in his rented apartment, old memories surfaced once more. He shook his head to dispel the lingering thoughts and thought, "Looks like it's time to find a new place!"

Later that night.

Lying in bed, Su Yunzhou looked up Liu Yiyi's Little Blue Book account—Yang Liu Yiyi. Her recent posts were all peaceful, aesthetic slices of life: blooming flowers, sunny days, and high culture. Although she never showed her face in the photos, her graceful figure and highly recognizable peach-shaped curves were enough to confirm her identity.

She had divorced about three months ago. Her posts from that period were filled with melancholic quotes and moody photos. One post in particular had a lot of likes.

[My past, my present, and my future all deserve to be respected. The past is gone, the future is yet to come. Cherish the present. Keep going ^_^]

Su Yunzhou hesitated for a moment before sending her a direct message:

[Thank you! Seeing your post reminded me of something I went through recently. I want to be like you—forget the past and live well in the present.]

But he waited a long time without receiving a reply. Hadn't he heard that she loved to chat freely with people on Little Blue Book in the dead of night?

The night passed in silence.

The next morning, Su Yunzhou woke up early, full of hope for a better life, and headed to the company. He hoped his Affinity with her would increase again today. But reality often went against one's wishes.

He had just sat down and brewed a cup of tea.

[Affinity -7]

Liu Yiyi's Affinity had dropped to just 20 points. What on earth was going on?