Chapter 7

Over an hour later, when Nicholas walked out of an Armani store, he carried several shopping bags in his hands. His cheap clothes had been completely replaced with new, high-end outfits. He had bought two sets of clothes along with a pair of casual shoes, spending around 3,000 dollars in total. On average, each outfit cost about 1,500 dollars. It wasn't outrageously expensive, but they felt incredibly comfortable, and thanks to the cashback bonus, he received 30,000 dollars in return. On top of that, he had also bought a watch—a Rolex Submariner in green for 12,800 dollars. The cashback on the watch wasn't as high, only double the price, but it still boosted his savings to over 140,000 dollars. "Not bad," Nicholas muttered as he strolled toward his car. He quickly reached the silver Porsche Cayenne, placed the shopping bags on the back seat, and got into the driver's seat. "Hey, cutie!" Just as he was about to start the car, a voice called out to him. He turned his head and saw a woman standing outside. She was fairly attractive, but it was obvious she'd undergone some plastic surgery at some point. Smiling, she held up her phone and asked, "Can I have your number?" "Thanks, but no," Nicholas replied politely, shaking his head. "You sure?" she asked, raising her eyebrows. He replied calmly, "I don't even know you, miss." "You sure?" she repeated, louder and more insistent this time, her eyes wide with disbelief as she stared at him. "Sorry, but I have to go now," Nicholas said with a polite smile as he started the car. "You sure?" she said again, dragging the word out in a weird accent. At that, Nicholas's patience snapped. His face darkened, and he muttered coldly, "I'm sure and absolutely certain. Now, please step back. I'd hate for you to scratch my car. I doubt that you could afford to fix it." With that, he finally pulled out of the parking spot, leaving the woman behind. Inside the car, Nicholas shook his head, still annoyed. He had just witnessed firsthand how shameless some gold-diggers could be. The worst part was how overly confident that woman had been. Just then, his phone started vibrating. "Darling, it's almost noon. Don't forget to eat lunch." It was Charlotte calling. Nicholas replied, "I was just thinking about what to eat. Are you done with class?" He drove with one hand. He got his license at 18, and though he hadn't driven much in the following years, he was still familiar with cars. "Yeah. I'm about to go to the cafeteria with my roommates. What are you up to?" Charlotte asked. "I'm driving," he replied, switching the call to speaker mode and sending her a picture of the Porsche's interior. "How about I pick you up later in this car?" "Which car?" Charlotte asked. She opened the picture and gasped. "A Cayenne?" Nicholas was a bit surprised. "I thought that women weren't that into cars, but you recognized it right away." "Well, I guess I know a little..." Charlotte replied, dragging out her words before quickly changing the subject. "Darling, aren't you nervous or curious about finally meeting me in person?" "I'm a little nervous. But curious about what?" Nicholas asked. "Curious about what I look like. What if I'm ugly? Like, short and chubby? Would you run away the moment you saw me?" she asked in a low voice. "I wouldn't," Nicholas replied calmly. That part was true. But whether they'd stay together afterward? That was a different story. This world was shallow, and looks did matter. It wasn't heartless—just reality. "Charlotte, stop scaring your online boyfriend! You're the top beauty at Stola University. Guys practically fall over themselves when they see you. There's no way he'd run away. He might just jump on you the moment he sees you!" A burst of laughter came through the phone. "Abigail! What are you saying?" Charlotte scolded her friend, her voice filled with embarrassment. Upon hearing this, Nicholas' eyes couldn't help but flicker. The top beauty at Stola University? Charlotte's voice came back on the line. "Don't listen to her! She's just teasing me. Anyway, I'm heading to the cafeteria. I'll talk to you later!" With that, she hung up. "The top beauty at Stola University..." Nicholas muttered, holding his phone. Without thinking, he opened TikTok and started searching for her. There wasn't much one couldn't find on TikTok these days. He typed in "Charlotte Miller" and immediately, suggested searches popped up. "Top beauty at Stola University!" "Charlotte Miller's no-makeup look!" "Is Charlotte Miller really the top beauty at Stola University?" He clicked on one of the videos. A young woman appeared on screen, sitting on a bench with a book in hand. She wore a brown sleeveless turtleneck and a black leather skirt, her high ponytail swaying as she read. Her long legs, wrapped in black pantyhose, looked striking. "So that's Charlotte Miller?" Nicholas scrolled through the comments, all filled with praise. "This is Charlotte? Honestly, she's even prettier in real life. She's a total goddess!" One comment from someone in Stola caught his eye, racking up thousands of likes. "If this really is my online girlfriend, then damn, she's gorgeous!" Nicholas considered using his Discerning Skill to check her stats but then heard the system's voice. "Host, this isn't a livestream or a face-to-face meeting. You can't use Discerning Skill." "Alright," he muttered, taking another quick glance at the video. Just as he was about to toss his phone aside, a WhatsApp message popped up. It was from Melody, also known as SweetiePie, the streamer he followed. "Nick, I just realized that your TikTok location shows you're in Jazona. What a coincidence!" Nicholas remembered following her during a livestream last year. They were both in the same city. "Yeah," he replied with a quick voice message.