Chapter Sixty-Nine: Return to School

Early the next morning, standing before the mirror, he saw a fair, clean face, dressed tastefully in an Anima casual suit, a nearly new Rolex Submariner with a green dial on his wrist. Next to the mirror, Qin Jing’s stats appeared:

Attractiveness: 88 (+10)
Physique: 99
Vitality: 180
Hair care – 180 credits per session (about once every 7 days)
Facial skin care – 250 credits per session (about once every 30 days)
Anima casual suit – 18,000 yuan
Seven Wolves men’s underwear – 99 yuan
Saint Laurent men’s shoes – 27,000 yuan
...

As the saying goes, clothes make the man as a saddle makes the horse. With Susan at his side, Qin Jing had indeed changed in many ways. These were changes Chen Hua had never brought him. Apart from the watch on his wrist, every other piece of clothing had been recently chosen by Susan—comfortable, well-fitting, and, most importantly, Qin Jing had uncovered a secret about the mirror:
Your attractiveness can actually be increased! This very outfit granted him ten extra points in attractiveness.

Of course, the reason the mirror reflected an almost dazzlingly handsome young man wasn’t just the clothes—there was also the beauty elixir.
Qin Jing had told Zheng Qiuying he only had two bottles of the elixir, but in fact, he had three; one was reserved for himself. Even as a man, he wanted to look better. He hadn’t had the chance before, but recently he’d secretly finished off the last bottle behind Susan’s back.
The effects were remarkable. The next morning, Susan was still muttering, “The cultivation of the extraordinary is amazing. Your skin’s so much fairer now, and even the pimples on your face have vanished. I don’t even know when it happened.”
Qin Jing felt quite pleased. Who doesn’t like being praised? Of course, he felt a pang of guilt toward Susan—she was a woman, after all, and he hadn’t saved her a bottle. But good things naturally came to him first. Now that he had plenty of G-points, he could always trade with Jessica Teo for more.

After breakfast, he stepped out, made his way to the parking lot at the mouth of Erdaozi Alley, and fired up the massive F650. With a thunderous roar, the beastly pickup launched forward...

The Cold Sea Academy of Arts sat on the eastern outskirts of the city, not far from Erdaozi Alley. As his alma mater, Qin Jing knew every corner. He drove the F650 straight onto campus, and a small incident occurred at the entrance.

“Hey, who let you drive that truck in here? Get out!”
The F650 had barely reached the school gate when it was stopped by a man in a security uniform who ran up to the window and shouted. The F650’s cab was over a meter high off the ground, so the man’s head barely reached the window.
Qin Jing rolled down the window, smiling. “Old Wei, long time no see. Promoted to captain now?”
This was one of the campus security guards. Qin Jing had often run into him during his business days—they’d shared many a meal and drink. Yet when trouble struck, none of these so-called friends stood up for him.
“Qin Jing? Is that you?”
Old Wei looked stunned, trying to smile, but memories of the past made it awkward. He froze, caught in embarrassment.
“Yes, it’s been a while since I left. Didn’t even recognize old friends anymore,” Qin Jing said, self-deprecating.
Old Wei hurriedly replied, “Qin Jing, you don’t blame me, do you? Back then...”
Qin Jing waved it off. “Enough. That was all orchestrated by Hu Chaoyang; it had nothing to do with a security guard like you. Old Wei, after all this time, you’re still trying to take the blame for everything?”
With that, Old Wei visibly relaxed, accepting the cigarette Qin Jing offered. He grinned. “Park your car over there and let’s chat. I heard you got Hu Chaoyang thrown in jail—is that true?”
“This is a pickup, an imported F650. I have a Class C license, so I’m allowed to drive on campus.” Qin Jing patted the vehicle and smiled mysteriously. “As for Hu Chaoyang, he’s probably out by now, right?”
Old Wei gaped. “How did you know? I was just about to tell you. Hu Chaoyang was released the day before yesterday. He’s been making a scene around campus, swearing revenge, and even got into trouble with Yan Yizhen, the campus beauty. You—”
“Thanks for the warning, Old Wei. We’ll catch up later. I’m here to see Yan Yizhen today.”
“Oh, alright.”

And so the F650 rolled into the campus with regal swagger, leaving jaws dropping in its wake.
“Old Wei, who was that? Driving a truck onto campus—you let him in?”
Old Wei rolled his eyes. “What do you know? That’s an imported pickup, worth several million.”
“Millions? Why not buy a BMW or Mercedes instead?”
“Tch, that’s Qin Jing. His business has taken off. Of course, he’d buy a vehicle that suits his trade.”

In the end, Old Wei could only sigh. He’d just checked his phone and realized how expensive the F650 was. The man expelled from the school a year ago had returned in a luxury vehicle—who knew what storms he might stir up...

Qin Jing was oblivious to Old Wei’s musings. Along his way through campus, he ran into several familiar faces—former classmates, teachers, and even an old dormmate named Lin Xinying. They’d always gotten along, and when Lin Xinying saw the F650, he excitedly asked for a ride. Qin Jing agreed without hesitation.

“Wow, this is amazing. All real leather, real wood down below, the sound system, the craftsmanship... Tsk, when are our own automakers going to build something like this?” Lin Xinying was in awe, touching everything and muttering non-stop.

While chatting, Qin Jing navigated to the internal parking area—really just the sports field. Along the way, he noticed green tents had been set up with flags reading “Green Recycling” and similar slogans, all very official-looking.

After parking, Qin Jing took out his phone and messaged Yan Yizhen.

Lin Xinying, hearing the name, couldn’t help but ask, “Hey, Third Bro, are you really together with Yan Yizhen?”
“Oh? Where’d that rumor come from?” Qin Jing replied.
“Everyone’s talking about it. We all thought so, especially since Chen Hua used to help you collect goods on campus. But Yan Yizhen has even more clout—she’s started her own club here.”
Lin Xinying looked at him with envy. “You’re something else. First Chen Hua, now Yan Yizhen. What’s your secret? You weren’t even that rich, yet you managed to win over all the campus beauties.”
“Watch it. Don’t say it like that—it sounds terrible.”
Qin Jing shook his head. “You know me, don’t spread rumors. Yan Yizhen and I are just business partners. Don’t tarnish her reputation.”

As they spoke, Yan Yizhen approached from a distance, already calling out, “Mr. Qin, you really are a busy man. I haven’t had time to visit your shop lately, and you never drop by either...”

Seeing her easy familiarity, Lin Xinying just grinned silently, thinking to himself: Still claim you’re just business partners? Yeah, right. Only a fool would believe that.