The moment the card swiped, a sharp, clear, and authoritative "Ding!" echoed from the machine.
Bold white letters flashed across the screen:
"5.3 Million Yen – Transaction Successful."
Everyone froze in shock.
There was a mild confusion on Li Chan's face. He glanced at his black card, then, a bit startled, thought to himself,
"What just happened? I only had 2,000 yen in my account... so how did a 5.3 million yen transaction go through?"
On the other side, Dayna's hands had gone cold. Sweat dripped from her face. Her mind was in a total storm:
"What... does Li Chan really have that kind of money? Is he from some billionaire family? Has he been faking being poor this whole time?"
Suddenly, a futuristic ding-ding notification popped up on Li Chan's system interface:
> [SYSTEM NOTIFICATION]
Host: Dayna
Trust Level Increased: +5%
Current Trust Level: 5.1%
You've already received 100,000 yen for just a 0.1% increase.
Now, 5 million yen is being transferred to your black card...
Seeing this, a spark lit up in Li Chan's eyes but the confusion still lingered.
Sudo, who had been confident until now, began to sweat. Thoughts raced through his mind:
"Did I just offend some powerful business tycoon?"
Li Chan turned and looked directly at him—with a gaze sharp enough to pierce through flesh.
Sudo's throat went dry. His legs trembled.
Jaisi, who was standing with Sudo, grabbed his hand and said,
"Babe… what do we do now? He made the payment. Should we apologize to him?"
Sudo glared at her and slapped her hard across the face.
"Shut up, you idiot! I can't afford to piss off a billionaire tycoon because of you!"
He immediately dropped to his knees in front of Li Chan and begged with his hands,
"Brother, please forgive me… I didn't mean to offend you!"
Li Chan was still scanning through the transaction history within the system, one question looping in his mind:
"Where did this money come from? Who sent it? What's the logic of this system?"
Then, casually glancing at Sudo, he said,
"Forget it, man. It's no big deal. I'm going with my girlfriend."
Li Chan took Dayna's hand and started to walk away.
Sudo's brain shifted into high gear. He quickly reached into his jacket pocket, thinking:
"I can't miss this opportunity… this guy looks like someone who's going places!"
He called out behind Li Chan,
"Hey Brother! Can you wait a second?"
Li Chan turned slightly and asked,
"Now what?"
Sudo rushed up and handed him an elegant, golden-embossed business card.
"This is my business card… if you ever need anything, please contact me."
Li Chan looked at it briefly, gave no reaction, and slipped it into his pocket.
"Alright."
He took Dayna's hand again and said,
"Let's go, Dayna."
But Dayna stopped him, gently holding his hand.
"Wait, I want to give you something too."
Li Chan looked at her, slightly surprised, and thought,
"She wants to give me a gift?"
Dayna smiled and said sweetly,
"Shouldn't I give you something?"
But inside, her thoughts were burning with intensity:
"I need to get closer to this Li Chan. Until now he was just a quiet boy… but now, his true self is beginning to show. Maybe he's emotionally vulnerable after the breakup… if someone else wins his trust first, I'll fall behind."
She had made up her mind—she had to act.
With a loving tone, Dayna said,
"Come on, let me take you for a nice dress and a makeover for your hair."
Li Chan smiled slightly and nodded.
Saying this, Dayna takes Li Chan to "BarBar."
After some time...
Dayna is standing outside the mall, using her phone. The cold breeze was blowing through her hair, when suddenly someone calls out to her.
Hearing that voice, Dayna looks ahead... and it's as if time stops. The boy standing in front of her looks completely changed, glowing in a different light. Dayna stares wide-eyed.
Then Li Chan walks up to her and says,
"Hey... why are you looking at me like that?"
Dayna blushes. She quickly tries to hide her face and thinks to herself,
"He used to look so lame before... but now... now he looks like some top-tier model!"
Then she says with an awkward smile,
"Come on, I'll get you a dress set."
She takes him to the dress section. Pointing towards a white shirt and black pants, she says,
"Li Chan, wear this. It'll be perfect on you."
Li Chan looks at the price tag. Eyes wide, he says,
"50k Yen?! Are you seriously giving me this?!"
Dayna thinks to herself,
"Yeah... I have to..."
Then she mentally prepares herself,
"This was my whole month's pocket money!"
And silently wipes her inner tears,
"Never mind... if I can win him over, all the money's worth it!"
Then she says with a forced smile,
"It's okay, I can gift you at least this much. Now go, try it quickly."
Li Chan smiles slightly and heads to the changing room.
After some time...
Li Chan comes out, completely transformed.
"Hey... how do I look?" he asks Dayna.
Dayna is using her phone at that moment. As soon as she sees Li Chan, her phone slips from her hand. But just like in a movie scene, before the phone hits the ground, Li Chan catches it.
"Dayna, what happened?" Li Chan asks.
Dayna, blushing, thinks to herself,
"This guy... has always been this handsome!"
Li Chan lightly taps her shoulder and says,
"Dayna, are you okay?"
Coming back to her senses, Dayna says,
"Nothing..."
Then she turns to the shop attendant and says,
"Please bring the machine, I'll make the payment."
The attendant nods and says,
"Yes, ma'am."
After the payment...
Both walk out of the mall. Li Chan says to Dayna,
"So... Dayna, see you at college tomorrow?"
Dayna nods with a slight smile and says,
"Alright..."
Then she calls him closer. Li Chan looks confused, but still moves his face close to hers.
And then...
Dayna kisses him on the cheek and runs away!
Li Chan stands there stunned, holding his cheek. His face turns red with embarrassment. Then, smiling slightly, touching his cheek, he walks toward his hostel.
Some time later...
Li Chan opens the door to his hostel room. His hand is still on the cheek where Dayna kissed him. His three friends were inside.
Lin Fan was in a vest, black hair, black eyes. Watching some adult video on a laptop, wiping his hands with a tissue.
Yuan Hao, wearing glasses, black hair. Trying to memorize books.
Siyan Dong in a green shirt, holding a phone and scrolling through online videos.
All three look at Li Chan at once. Their faces turn to shock.
Lin Fan shouts in surprise:
"Br... Bro... who are you?! Where's Li Chan?!"
Yuan Hao, equally shocked, making a strange face, says:
"Don't tell me that—"
Before he can finish, Li Chan removes his hand from his cheek and says,
"It's me."
Siyan Dong, hearing this, makes a weird face and says:
"This can't be! You went to make up with your girlfriend... how did you come back looking like a model?!"
Li Chan calms them down and says,
"A girl gave me this gift..."
Yuan Hao laughs hearing this and says,
"Sounds good! Now you're getting gifts too?"
Li Chan becomes a bit serious,
"It's nothing like that... forget it."
Then he sits next to Siyan. Suddenly, while scrolling, Siyan stops and asks Li Chan,
"Bro... your girlfriend, Liya... posted a photo with a new guy. Caption says: 'My New BF'."
Everyone falls silent. Li Chan remains calm. The atmosphere becomes heavy.
To lighten the mood, Yuan says,
"Let's go have dinner?"
All three say together,
"Yeah, let's go have dinner..."
After that, they all head to a small roadside eatery nearby and take their seats.
A cool breeze flows through the air, and the distant hum of traffic gives life to the surroundings. As they browse the menus, Yuan suddenly points toward a 3-star hotel across the road and says,
"When I get a job, I'll treat you all there! Full royal dinner!"
Just then, Li Chan looks toward the hotel and pauses for a moment. A hint of surprise appears on his face.
"That's... Dayna's family hotel," he murmurs softly.
Suddenly, he notices someone running toward them from the hotel. His legs freeze slightly.
He wonders,
"Who could that be?"
Lin Fan narrows his eyes and says,
"Wait wait... isn't that our campus goddess, Dayna?!"
Hearing this, Li Chan starts sweating. His throat dries up, and the glass in his hand trembles slightly.
From behind, Yuan says confidently,
"Don't worry... she's definitely here for me."
But in the very next second, Dayna stops right in front of Li Chan. Her cheeks are slightly flushed.
With a soft smile, she says,
"Hey Li... are you here for dinner?"
Seeing this, Lin Fan and the others are left speechless once again. Siyan stares wide-eyed, trying to absorb the moment.
Yuan, placing a hand on Siyan's shoulder, says dramatically,
"What... am I witnessing?!"
Then Dayna speaks again,
"Come on, tonight's dinner is on me... at my hotel."
Hearing that, Li Chan looks toward his friends. They all signal him silently with their eyes—'Say yes, bro. Just say yes!'
Taking a deep breath, Li Chan thinks,
"Well... guess God finally listened."
They all walk into the hotel. As soon as they step inside, they are greeted by a castle-like royal ambience. Golden chandeliers hang above, polished marble covers the floor, glass walls shimmer, and soft instrumental music plays in the background.
Dayna walks up to Li, leans near his ear, and says,
"Dear, order whatever you like. I'll just be back from the washroom…"
As she turns and walks away, the boys' jaws drop once again.
Yuan, eyes wide open, exclaims,
"What... what is happening right now?!"
The moment Dayna disappears into the washroom, Li Chan's friends rush to him. Lin Fan shouts in excitement,
"Bro, what's going on here?! How the hell did you get so close to our goddess?!"
Siyan, laughing, says,
"You're not even worthy to call us 'bro' anymore!"
Just then, Li Chan notices something outside the hotel. A red Ferrari pulls up to the road, and two people step out.
Liya steps out in high heels and a designer dress. Her style and presence were absolutely top-tier.
Next to her was her new boyfriend, stepping out in a smart blazer, flashing a confident smile.
Li Chan thinks to himself,
"What is she doing here...?"
Just then, Liya's eyes lock directly with his.