Chapter 2: Is There Anything Else You Desire?

"Little Zheng, where are you heading?"

While heading downstairs, Zheng Qian ran into his supervisor, Li Tao.

"Nothing much, brother Tao."

"Care to grab a drink tonight?" Li Tao was Zheng Qian’s mentor and had always looked out for him at the company; they had a great relationship.

"Er... I'm a bit busy, I have plans." Zheng Qian gestured toward Qin Xueli, who had already walked out the door.

Li Tao smiled, said nothing, and just nodded: "Alright, off you go then."

After stepping outside, Zheng Qian decided to test out this system. He ran to a nearby bubble tea shop and bought two cups of Nayuki—one for Qin Xueli and one for her best friend.

[Spent 74 yuan. System cashback of 740 yuan has been received.]

*Ding.* A notification suddenly popped up on Zheng Qian's phone.

That settled it!

"Here, I bought you a drink," Zheng Qian said, handing the tea to Qin Xueli. "This one is for your friend; give it to her when she arrives."

"She won't be here for a while yet. You drink it for now."

"Oh, right."

The two took a taxi to Joy City. After scanning the code to pay the fare, Zheng Qian received another system notification: [Spent 40 yuan. System cashback of 400 yuan has been received.]

How refreshing!

His monthly salary was 6,000 yuan, and in just this short amount of time, he had already earned 1,140 yuan.

After getting out of the taxi, Qin Xueli walked to the entrance of Joy City and held up the cup of Nayuki, snapping a photo.

Hmm... the classic "sea queen" tactic: no traces of any male presence in her social media photos.

But Zheng Qian didn't care. He was only here to treat Qin Xueli as a tool for grinding money; only she thought this was a date.

In this game, she was on the first floor, while Zheng Qian was on the fifth.

"Let's go."

The clientele at Joy City consisted of the elite, catering to traditional luxury brands like LV, BV, and Balenciaga, as well as high-end trendy labels like Purple Label North Face, Descente, and White Mountaineering, alongside premium Western brands like Arc'teryx and Haglöfs.

Brands like Nike or Adidas didn't even make the cut here. A single item from any of the aforementioned brands could easily cost tens of thousands.

In Qin Xueli's eyes, Zheng Qian lacked the financial capacity for this level of consumption. Being able to treat her to a meal here was already quite impressive.

"Let's just walk around for a bit," Zheng Qian suggested.

"Oh, sure." Qin Xueli didn't refuse. It was only around 3:00 PM; it was still too early for dinner.

Inside, however, she felt a trace of disdain. What was the point of just looking without buying?

In Qin Xueli’s eyes, Zheng Qian was simply not on her level. The only reason she agreed to go shopping with him today was because her usual "simps" had all disappeared, leaving a lot of vacancies in her social circle.

If Zheng Qian was willing to play the role of a simp, she wouldn't mind having a little flirtation with him, but it would remain just that—a flirtation.

As a "sea queen," she had to maintain strict boundaries: don't refuse, don't initiate, and don't take responsibility—the basic principles of any player.

She had to make a man feel like he was just one step away from success, leading him to believe that if he just tried a little harder, they could become a couple.

So, this shopping trip could count as a date.

Since Zheng Qian dared to bring her to a place like this, he clearly had a little cash in his pocket, so Qin Xueli decided to test him.

"My lipstick just ran out. Let's check out this store."

They walked into a Saint Laurent boutique. A set of lipsticks here cost over a thousand yuan.

A thousand-yuan gift was just an ordinary present to Qin Xueli. Ever since she started college, she had never received a gift worth less than that. If Zheng Qian wasn't even willing to spend a thousand yuan on her, there was no need for further development; they could just finish the meal and go their separate ways.

Qin Xueli picked out a set of lipsticks and tried several colors, sending a clear signal to Zheng Qian.

Zheng Qian had two thousand yuan in his account intended for rent, plus the thousand-plus in cashback he had just received from the system, so he had more than enough.

"Do you want to buy them? I'll get them for you."

"Maybe not. The shades released this year are quite ordinary; they aren't as good as last year's."

Qin Xueli turned him down. Although she was a materialistic girl, if she agreed too quickly, it would make her seem too blatant.

It’s not fair to judge people by appearances, but who can truly avoid it?

The saleswoman at the Saint Laurent counter had noticed Zheng Qian the moment they walked in. He was dressed shabbily, wearing a T-shirt with no recognizable brand—likely a cheap knockoff bought online for a few dollars. Standing next to someone like Qin Xueli, he looked completely out of place.

She had already pegged Zheng Qian as nothing more than a "simp" boyfriend who didn't even have much money, so she didn't bother putting any effort into her sales pitch.

"If you like them, just buy them. How much could a set of lipsticks cost?" Zheng Qian asked the saleswoman.

After hearing this, the saleswoman was even more convinced of her assessment. Not only was Zheng Qian broke, but he also loved to act like a big shot. *How much could a set of lipstick cost?* Did he not know what kind of store this was?

"Sir, this is our new collection for this year, priced at 1,499."

"This set of shades suits your girlfriend's temperament perfectly..." the saleswoman rattled on.

*So you like to act big, huh? I'll make you bleed for it,* the saleswoman thought, pushing hard.

If you buy it, it costs over a thousand, which is clearly beyond your means. If you don't buy it, you look stingy and lose face in front of your girlfriend.

There are two paths—take your pick, kid.

Most people would choose the former, puffing themselves up to look rich to avoid losing face in front of a woman, which was exactly what the saleswoman wanted.

"Only a thousand-something? That's too cheap. Lili, this set doesn't suit your temperament."

*Too cheap?*

Qin Xueli and the saleswoman were both stunned.

In their minds, Zheng Qian was using "too cheap" as an excuse to avoid buying. Qin Xueli was surprised because she had always thought Zheng Qian was an honest, simple guy; why was he suddenly putting on such a show?

Whether he bought it or not didn't matter to her—she didn't actually need the lipstick—she just wanted to test him.

"Sir, if you find these too cheap, we have other options in the store. Let me introduce..."

The saleswoman was now locked in a battle of wills with Zheng Qian. She was determined to make him lose face.

"I don't need your introduction."

"You, come over here and show me."

Zheng Qian pointed at a girl nearby who looked like a trainee—a quiet, honest-looking girl.

The girl pointed at herself: "Me?"

"Yes, you. Come here," Zheng Qian called out.

In boutiques like this, every sale counted toward commissions. Zheng Qian had some money now, but he didn't want that snobbish saleswoman getting the credit.

Xiao Liu was indeed a newcomer, and because the senior saleswoman bullied her, she only got to serve customers when the store was extremely busy.

"Xiao Liu, he's calling you. Go introduce our 'big customer' to some products." The senior saleswoman remained defiant. *Fine, don't let me have the commission. Let's see how much you can actually afford.*

Xiao Liu walked over to Zheng Qian and very patiently and thoroughly introduced several sets of lipstick.

In the end, Zheng Qian selected a set for 3,099 yuan.

"Lili, do you like this set?"

"It's alright."

"Then I'll pay for it."

[Spent 3,099 yuan. System cashback of 30,990 yuan has been received.]

After receiving the system cashback, Zheng Qian straightened his back and asked boldly:

"Lili, see if there is anything else you want?"