At the north gate of Fenglin International, a BMW X5 slowly pulled to a stop.
Chen Jingjia glanced outside, then unbuckled her seatbelt and settled comfortably in her seat.
Her sister, Chen Jingxian, had a class here. Since it was getting late, Chen Jingjia had been tasked with picking her up.
Seeing that there were still a few dozen minutes until class ended, Chen Jingjia picked up her new LV bag and gently stroked its surface.
Then she took out her phone and delightedly snapped several pictures.
"If only I could have bought that tote bag," Chen Jingjia muttered to herself.
This LV messenger bag had been a gift from Zhao Qingtian while they were out shopping, costing over ten thousand yuan.
However, the one she truly coveted was the new tote bag, but it was too expensive at over thirty thousand yuan.
Given Zhao Qingtian's financial situation, he couldn't afford such an expensive bag for the time being, which was a bit of a shame.
Still, a bag worth over ten thousand wasn't cheap by any means, and carrying it around was quite impressive.
At that thought, Chen Jingjia took several more photos and then began furiously editing them on her phone.
RING RING RING—
Her phone rang. It was a call from Chen Jingxian.
"Where are you?"
Chen Jingjia looked toward the side of the road and immediately spotted her sister.
"I'm right on the roadside. The BMW X5 with its hazard lights on."
As she spoke, Chen Jingjia rolled down the car window. "Sis, over here!"
Seeing Chen Jingjia, Chen Jingxian hung up and jogged over.
"Whose car is this?" Chen Jingxian asked, opening the door.
"It's my friend's. I had to come pick you up, so I borrowed it for a drive. Get in."
"What kind of friend would lend you such an expensive car?" Chen Jingxian got in, half-doubting her sister's story.
"Oh, you wouldn't know them anyway, so just drop it."
With that, Chen Jingjia started the car, and the two of them headed toward their parents' house.
Chen Jingxian didn't press the matter, but she had a vague suspicion.
"Even though you're single now, you still need to be careful. Don't hang out with the wrong crowd."
"I know, don't worry. When I do find someone, I'll definitely let you and Mom and Dad vet him."
Chen Jingjia said with a smile, quickly changing the subject. "Look at my new bag. Isn't it nice?"
"It's very nice. It suits you."
"It's alright, I guess. I actually prefer the new tote bag, but it's too expensive. It sells for thirty thousand... huh?"
Chen Jingjia paused, her eyes landing on the bag Chen Jingxian was holding.
"Sis, did you buy this bag? I thought you weren't into luxury brands. Why'd you buy a high-end knockoff? Did someone try to show off in front of you?"
"No. I had class today and stopped by Lin Jiang's place for a bit. He bought it for me."
"What?!"
Chen Jingjia slammed on the brakes. "He bought you a bag?"
"You scared me to death! Good thing there were no cars behind us," Chen Jingxian complained, clutching her chest.
Chen Jingjia pulled the car over to the side of the road. "Let me see the bag."
Without waiting for Chen Jingxian's permission, Chen Jingjia snatched the bag from her.
"He said I'd helped him a lot in the past, so he bought me a bag."
Opening the packaging, Chen Jingjia froze for a long moment.
Inside was the very same tote bag that sold for over thirty thousand yuan—the one she couldn't afford!
Chen Jingjia's first reaction was that the bag had to be fake.
She knew Lin Jiang's financial situation all too well. How could he possibly afford a bag worth over thirty thousand?
But in the next second, she saw the receipt inside the shopping bag.
Berkeley Mall!
LV Official Store!
Total Amount: 36,463!
Chen Jingjia's head was buzzing. With the mall receipt right there, the bag couldn't possibly be fake.
"How did he get the money to buy you such an expensive bag?"
"I don't know. Maybe business at his shop has been good lately."
Chen Jingxian's expression was calm. Although she really liked the bag, she wasn't about to go on a photoshoot with it.
"I know what happened."
Chen Jingjia breathed a sigh of relief, her expression relaxing considerably.
"I returned the engagement gift money to him today. He must have used that money to buy you the bag."
Chen Jingxian was also taken aback. Now she understood where Lin Jiang got the money.
Her bag, plus the watch he'd bought, added up to almost 120,000 yuan. In a single evening, he had spent all of the engagement gift money.
'But why would he do that?'
'Was this some kind of revenge spending because it was the engagement money?'
'But on second thought, that seemed unlikely. Lin Jiang wasn't that reckless.'
'Business at his shop must be good, and he must have earned some money. Otherwise, he wouldn't be spending so extravagantly.'
But there was no need to explain this to her sister; it wasn't worth the breath.
"Sis, be honest with me. Was it the right choice for us not to get married?"
"I don't know about that, but I do know that 'best friend' of yours, Xu Lili, is bad news. You should stay away from her in the future."
"Don't be so hostile toward her. She's actually a nice person."
"Whatever you say. Just drive, I'm a little tired."
...
「The next morning.」
A groggy Lin Jiang was awakened by the clatter of pots and pans as someone cooked breakfast.
He picked up his phone and glanced at the time. It was almost nine o'clock.
He rolled over and rubbed his eyes. His gaze unintentionally fell upon a picture on the headboard—it was their wedding photo.
'How embarrassing...'
[You fought tirelessly through the night. Physique +1.]
[Congratulations on obtaining the achievement: Wei Wu's Legacy.]
[Congratulations on obtaining the title: Explorer.]
'Holy crap!'
'Are you fucking kidding me?!'
Lin Jiang got dressed, got out of bed, and peeked into the kitchen.
Xu Lin had changed into a lilac slip dress and a pair of lace-trimmed shorts. Her hair was clipped up with a white clasp to keep it from falling into her face while she cooked.
But above her head, a red exclamation mark had appeared!
'A different type of quest?!'
"Go wash up first. I've prepared a new towel and toothbrush for you."
After saying that, Xu Lin continued to cook, her tone composed, as if nothing had happened last night.
A closer look, however, revealed that she was avoiding eye contact with Lin Jiang.
'Last night was pretty wild. She must be a little embarrassed.'
"Okay."
Lin Jiang nodded and went to the bathroom. At the same time, he pulled up the game interface and finally understood why there was a red exclamation mark over Xu Lin's head.
[You have gained the favor of NPC Xu Lin. Affinity +40.]
[Affinity: 80]
The system had mentioned before that reaching an Affinity of 80 or higher with an NPC would trigger a main quest.
So, the red exclamation mark above Xu Lin's head made perfect sense now.
'All thanks to my diligent labor!'
'I've triggered a main quest!'
Lin Jiang didn't rush. He washed up in the bathroom first, and by the time he came out, Xu Lin had already set the food on the table.
White rice porridge, fried ham, fried eggs, and slices of toast—it was quite a lavish spread.
Compared to last night, Xu Lin was especially quiet this morning.
She spent most of the time with her head down, eating, only occasionally telling Lin Jiang to eat more.
Taking the opportunity, Lin Jiang clicked on the red exclamation mark above her head.
[Quest Name: The Rise of Capital]
[Quest Description: Sell 200 bowls of noodles within 24 hours (any type).]
[Quest Reward: Delicious MSG *1, 50 EXP.]