Chapter 8

Meanwhile, outside a university gate in Jazona, a young woman in a school uniform listened to Nicholas' voice message. She hesitated for a moment. She wasn't planning on throwing herself at him, but she couldn't help feeling a bit amazed at how she had suddenly made over 3,000 dollars. After thinking it over, she wondered if she should invite Nicholas out for a meal to thank him. After all, he had spent a few thousand on her livestream. "Nick, thanks again for the 21 Grand Prize Gifts earlier. Since we're both in Jazona, how about lunch? My treat!" After hesitating for a moment, Melody sent a voice message. After sending the message, Melody blushed. She normally acted carefree, but in real life, she was easily flustered. Otherwise, with her looks, if she'd been more outgoing, she could've easily become an influencer with millions of followers. Even if she wasn't that big, she could've at least been a small streamer with tens of thousands of fans after a year. And now, asking the top donor out for lunch made her feel embarrassed. "Sure!" Nicholas responded quickly. "Send me your location, and I'll pick you up," he followed up with another voice message. "His voice sounds pretty young," Melody mumbled as she scratched her head. "I remember the ID 'Misty Nicky' from my streams. He rarely talks, but he's always there when I go live. He shouldn't be a bad guy, right?" With that thought, she sent him her location. ... "What's Melody planning? No way she's throwing herself at me just because I sent her some Grand Prize Gifts, right?" Nicholas thought to himself as he followed the GPS toward Emberton, Jazona's university district. It would take him at least 20 minutes, maybe even 30 minutes, depending on traffic. He considered for a moment before sending her a voice message. "You might have to wait about half an hour. It'll take me a little while to get there." He didn't want her to get impatient and leave before he arrived. "No problem. I'll head back to my dorm for a bit," Melody replied instantly. "Getting ready to doll herself up?" Nicholas chuckled and shook his head. Melody had an Attractiveness score of 88. Even though he was already chatting with Charlotte online, he'd be lying if he said he wasn't interested. After all, what man didn't like having multiple options? Nicholas was no exception. About 20 minutes later, a silver Porsche Cayenne slowly pulled up to the gate of Emberton. "A Porsche!" "Which model is that? Looks awesome!" "It's a Cayenne, right? That must be at least 100 grand. Which rich kid is here trying to pick up girls?" Voices started to rise as the luxury car stopped at the entrance. Several tall, pretty women stopped walking, glancing at the car. To most people, a car that cost over 100 thousand dollars was considered top-tier. Out of a thousand people, maybe one could afford it. Melody, who was wearing jeans and a white cropped shirt with her hair tied up in a bun, also noticed the car. She admired it for a moment before her phone buzzed in her hand. "I'm here," Nicholas's message read. "I don't see you," Melody replied, sending a voice message. Just as she finished speaking, she saw a handsome man step out of the Porsche Cayenne. Her heart began to race. Melody widened her eyes in surprise. No way! Was that him? "Over here!" Nicholas waved at her. At that moment, Melody knew for sure—it was him. The same guy who had sent her 21 Grand Prize Gifts that morning. "Holy crap! He's hot!" she thought as her eyes sparkled with excitement. "Melody Lane's Affection Factor +5!" Nicholas heard the system's notification in his head and paused for a moment. "The system tracks Affection increases in real-time? That's pretty neat," he thought. This feature would let him know exactly what worked or didn't when talking to women. He could figure out the right moves, and even when a woman was playing hard to get, he'd know if he should push forward. This was quite nice. "He's so handsome. Who's that rich guy?" "Who's that girl? She's so lucky to land a handsome, wealthy guy!" "I'm not bad-looking either. Why can't I meet someone like that?" As Nicholas and Melody met, murmurs from the crowd began to grow. "You're... Misty Nicky?" Melody asked softly, still a bit in disbelief. She felt like she was meeting an online friend she had known for a year but had never seen in person. "That's me," Nicholas replied with a nod. Since Melody never used filters during her streams, she looked almost identical in person. Actually, Nicholas thought she looked even more innocent and pure in real life. "I didn't expect you to be so young and this handsome," Melody said, sneaking a glance at Nicholas. Melody stood at five feet five inches, but Nicholas looked about six feet one inch in his shoes. She glanced up at him, admiring his sharp jawline, and couldn't help but be surprised. A guy this tall and handsome had been hanging around her livestream for almost a year without posting a single thing. "Melody Lane's Affection Factor +2!" "Thanks," Nicholas smiled and thanked her. They both got into the car and drove off, while the crowd kept watching them as they left. "So, what do you want to eat?" Nicholas asked as he drove. "I'm treating you, so it should be your choice," Melody replied, glancing around the luxurious interior. "Wow. So this is what a luxury car looks like on the inside," she thought. "It's actually super comfy." "How about barbecue? I remember there's a pretty good place nearby," Nicholas suggested. Melody immediately perked up. "That place is good, but I know an even better one. It's a barbecue spot tucked away in an alley. It's cheap, delicious, and has plenty of options." Halfway through her sentence, she realized she was the one treating him and paused. Feeling a bit embarrassed, she looked at Nicholas and mumbled, "But if you'd rather go to the other one, that's totally fine too." "It's fine, let's go to the barbecue spot in the alley," Nicholas replied with a smile. "I swear I'm not choosing it just because it's cheaper! It's honestly, really, really good!" Melody insisted, her eyes sparkling with excitement.