Chapter 3: A Makeover, My First Experience with Money

Lin Chen couldn't help but see Wang Hao's arrogant face in his mind, along with the disdain in the eyes of his fraternal twin sister, Wang Lin.

Back in high school, he was like a cloud hanging over Wang Hao's head; his grades were consistently at the top of the year, and his handsome, clean-cut features carried a natural youthful air.

The teachers' praise and his classmates' friendliness always revolved around him, completely overshadowing the limelight Wang Hao constantly tried to steal.

This brilliance became the reason Wang Hao targeted him.

The malice was never hidden: deliberate harassment in class, rumors behind his back, and the most fatal incident of all.

Wang Hao intentionally set a trap, having his sister instigate several girls to frame him for indecency, causing a massive uproar throughout the school.

He was nearly expelled back then. If it hadn't been for his long-standing top grades contributing to the school's college entrance rates,

the school authorities wouldn't have shown mercy and protected him; otherwise, his life would have likely veered off track long ago.

He thought that after surviving high school, he would be able to cut ties with the siblings once and for all.

He hadn't expected that Wang Hao and Wang Lin, relying on their family's connections,

would also receive admission letters to this 985 University, forcing him to be under the same roof as them again.

"Money really is a master key!"

Wang Hao's family owned a factory-based business, with assets estimated at fifty million.

"Hmph, just you wait."

Lin Chen leaned against the mottled wall of his rental room, the resentment he had suppressed for years surging in his eyes,

"The losses I suffered before, I'll take them back bit by bit."

Recalling how Wang Lin had kicked him while he was down and looked at him with utter contempt, a cold arc curled at the corner of his mouth:

"Framing me for indecency?"

"Just wait. One day, I'll let you taste what it's like to be played with."

"If I don't play you, Wang Lin, I won't consider this debt settled."

Clothes make the man, and a saddle makes the horse—this saying has always been true in reality.

Lin Chen looked down at his faded, slightly wrinkled T-shirt and jeans.

These were old clothes he had worn for three years. Forget attracting attention; they would likely only lead to him being looked down upon as before.

He knew the mindset of some women nowadays all too well.

Most were somewhat snobbish; if you wore designer brands, a luxury watch, and drove a fancy car,

they would swarm around you like flies to a scent;

but if your clothes were shabby and you looked destitute, they would only turn up their noses, not even bothering to give you a second glance.

So, the first step now was to change his appearance.

Lin Chen tucked away his bank card and headed straight for the most famous Outlets mall in Star City.

Various big brands gathered here, where he could buy decent outfits at a better price than regular stores.

People came and went in the mall, most of them dressed glamorously,

Lin Chen, in his old clothes, inevitably looked a bit out of place among them.

He ignored the subtle glances from others and walked straight into the first store, Adidas.

As soon as he entered, a sales assistant with exquisite makeup glanced at him. Seeing his shabby clothes, she immediately looked away,

lowering her head to slowly organize the clothes on the rack, not even bothering to greet him.

Her lips curled in a faint, imperceptible sneer as she whispered a few words to a colleague, her eyes full of mockery.

However, a girl standing in the corner with an "Intern" badge on her chest took the initiative to walk over,

her expression was calm, and her tone was a bit shy but enthusiastic enough:

"Handsome Guy, would you like to look at clothes or shoes? I can recommend some suitable styles for you."

Hearing this, the cold sales assistant from before let out a scoff and deliberately raised her voice:

"Some people really don't know their place. A country bumpkin dares to browse international brands?"

"I bet he can't even afford a pair of underwear. He's probably just here for the air conditioning and to window shop!"

Her voice wasn't too loud or too soft, just enough for Lin Chen and the intern to hear.

The intern's face flushed, and she awkwardly tried to smooth things over,

Lin Chen raised his hand to stop her, his tone calm but with an unquestionable certainty:

"Short sleeves, long pants, sneakers, socks. Pick five sets of each in my size."

He paused and added:

"Choose some underwear too, pure cotton."

"Huh?"

The intern was completely stunned, her eyes wide with disbelief,

it took her a while to react, stammering as she confirmed,

"Hand—Handsome Guy, you're not joking, right?"

"One set of summer clothes here is about 1,200 yuan. Five sets... that's nearly 6,000 yuan in total."

She had just graduated and started her internship this year. She had only treated Lin Chen as an ordinary customer,

hoping to practice her communication skills. She never expected to close a large deal,

especially with a customer dressed as simply as Lin Chen, who really didn't fit the image of a "big client."

Lin Chen didn't waste any more words. He pulled his bank card from his wallet and handed it over, his tone indifferent:

"Swipe it!"

Hearing this, the sales assistant who had mocked him dropped the clothes she was holding onto the rack with a "thud,"

her face instantly turned from white to green, then from green to red. Watching Lin Chen's back, she stomped her feet in anger, her nails nearly digging into her palms.

She never imagined she would misjudge someone so badly and miss out on such a large commission.

The intern, on the other hand, was both surprised and delighted,

she quickly took the bank card and hurried to the checkout counter to process the payment, her hands and feet trembling slightly the whole time.

After buying the clothes, Lin Chen walked out of Adidas carrying several large shopping bags and went straight to the phone store in the mall.

He pulled out the second-hand phone from his pocket. The casing was already battered and dented, the screen had a crack, and the battery was bulging,

not only was it old and broken, but the signal was also terrible. Forget using it to attract women; even basic use was affected.

As soon as he walked into the phone store, the staff's gazes fell on him in unison.

By now, Lin Chen had changed into the newly bought Adidas short sleeves and sneakers,

he looked clean and sharp. His already handsome features appeared even more striking, and his aura had instantly improved significantly.

A female clerk in professional attire immediately greeted him warmly,

with a polite smile on her face, she proactively handed him a cup of warm water:

"Handsome Guy, which phone model are you interested in?"

"We have the latest models here. Let me give you a detailed introduction."

Seeing the other's attentive attitude, Lin Chen couldn't help but feel emotional.

He remembered when he bought the second-hand phone last year; the clerks were all indifferent,

he had stood at the counter for a long time, and no one came to talk to him,

yet, they were incredibly enthusiastic towards the customers surrounding the new phone counters.

"As expected, the attraction of a wealthy person is different."

Lin Chen thought to himself,

"This service attitude is like night and day,

it really proves the saying: 'Money makes the world go round, but without it, you're just a beast of burden.'"

He became even more determined to make a lot of money,

only with enough wealth could he escape his past hardships and have the confidence to achieve everything he wanted.

"Which is the most expensive new model?"

"How much is it?"

Lin Chen took the water cup and asked casually.

The female clerk immediately pointed to a black phone in the counter and introduced it:

"Handsome Guy, the latest model currently is the huawei mate 7, priced at 3,999 yuan,"

"its performance and appearance are excellent, and it's very popular among young people."

"Additionally, the Apple iPhone 6 will be released on September 9th,"

"you can pre-order it now. The starting price is 5,288 yuan. Would you like to know more about it?"

"Which one is in stock?"

Lin Chen didn't care about brand gimmicks; he just wanted something he could use immediately.

"The huawei mate 7 is in stock, and all colors are available. The iPhone 6 requires waiting until the release date; you can pay a deposit to pre-order first."

The clerk replied patiently.

"I won't wait, and I don't like Apple either."

Lin Chen waved his hand and pointed at the black Mate 7,

"This one. I'll pay by card."

"Certainly!"

The clerk was overjoyed and hurried to prepare the invoice, then asked,

"Sir, would you like to try it out first to get familiar with the features?"

"No need."

Lin Chen handed over his old phone,

"Just help me transfer the SIM card from my old phone into it."