Chapter 25: A Kindred Spirit

Lin Fan simply nodded indifferently and slipped the business card into his pocket. He was only interested in women with a beauty rating above nine. After all, only spending on goddess-level beauties would earn him cashback, and he didn’t mind playing the sycophant if it meant a return. In his mind, the wealth from cashback was paramount—beauty came second.

He glanced again at Su Xuanmo and noticed her affection level for him was still zero, which left him puzzled. Other women, more or less, had some favorable impression of him—why did she always treat him like a complete stranger?

Just then, the voice of the system sounded in his mind.

[Ding! Detected host’s special interest in Su Xuanmo. New mission triggered.]

[If the host can raise Su Xuanmo’s affection to 50 points, you will be rewarded with ten attribute points!]

“What kind of lousy mission is this?”

Lin Fan was dumbfounded.

He didn’t have any particular fondness for Su Xuanmo; he just wanted to get to know her and perhaps find a powerful ally. And now the new mission wanted him to play the sycophant just to curry favor with her? Utterly absurd!

Su Xuanmo had no interest in him whatsoever, yet the system insisted he try to win her over—wasn’t that just going to make her dislike him even more?

However, the reward of ten attribute points was extremely tempting. In the past, he’d have to win over two goddesses to earn ten attribute points. Now, all he had to do was find a way to please Su Xuanmo and raise her affection to fifty, and he’d get the same reward. This task was almost laughably simple!

At that thought, Lin Fan’s eyes darted slyly, and he put on a foolish, lovestruck grin worthy of a true sycophant.

“Miss Su, since you don’t care for gold jewelry, perhaps I could give you something else. If there’s anything you like, just say the word...”

Su Xuanmo’s expression shifted subtly, and she looked at him strangely. Ouyang Qi, beside them, gave a gossipy smile and said, “What’s this? Are you trying to pursue my cousin?”

“No, I just want to be friends with Miss Su. I feel we’re fated to meet. If I could become her confidant, it’d be a blessing earned over eight lifetimes!”

Lin Fan beamed from ear to ear. Even as he said it, he found his own words nauseating. He’d never spoken so sickeningly sweet to Chen Yanzi before, but today he was playing the lovesick fool.

“Haha, that won’t work on my cousin. She’s completely immune to honeyed words! You already have a girlfriend, and you still want to cozy up to her? Aren’t you afraid Xinzi will get jealous?” Ouyang Qi crossed her arms and looked at him teasingly.

“You misunderstand. I’m absolutely not some fickle playboy with a foot in multiple boats. I just want to be friends with Miss Su, nothing more,” Lin Fan said in all seriousness.

“Hmph! Who’d believe that? I know men too well—you must have some ulterior motive!” Ouyang Qi declared with mock gravity.

Lin Fan rolled his eyes. Of course—this woman’s purity score was eighty-eight, meaning she’d had twelve boyfriends. A textbook man-eater—how could she not know men? Naturally, he couldn’t tell her that he was only trying to please Su Xuanmo to complete a system task.

Fifty points of affection was just enough to be considered a close friend. But looking at things now, becoming Su Xuanmo’s confidant might be even more difficult than winning over other goddesses. After all, she was a wealthy heiress with an impressive background, not lacking in money. Earning her favor would take a fortune.

But he didn’t care—he had more “sycophant funds” than he could spend in several lifetimes!

After thinking it over, Lin Fan decided that since a direct approach wasn’t working, he’d start with the people around Su Xuanmo. Since Ouyang Qi was her cousin and clearly close to her, she must know Su Xuanmo very well.

“So, Miss Ouyang, could you tell me what kind of things Miss Su likes?”

“You’re pretty clever—trying to get information from me!” Ouyang Qi giggled, surprised by Lin Fan’s quick thinking. Then she changed the subject: “If you want my cousin’s full profile, you’ll have to please me first!”

“No problem! Whatever you want, just say the word.” Lin Fan grinned—he was happy to play the sycophant! Whether before he got the system or now, he always had a sycophantic streak. The difference was, now he could earn unimaginable wealth by playing the part!

“Ouyang Qi, aren’t you going a bit far?” Su Xuanmo, nearby, couldn’t stand it any longer and voiced her displeasure.

“Oh come on, cousin, can’t you give the guy a break? He’s genuinely trying to be your friend, and you won’t even give him a chance? No wonder people call you the Ice Queen,” Ouyang Qi said with a laugh.

She herself was single and had been wishing for a sycophant to wait on her. And Lin Fan was a generous tycoon—if she could be his friend, she’d never have to worry about food or clothes again!

Lin Fan sneaked a glance at Su Xuanmo. With her breathtaking looks and air of weary indifference, she was the very definition of an “Ice Queen.”

“Well... if you could get me a bottle of Clive Kirstein’s Rose Perfume, I’ll tell you all about my cousin’s likes and interests. Consider it an exchange of information. So, can you do it?” Ouyang Qi’s eyes glinted mischievously, clearly plotting something.

Lin Fan was taken aback—he’d never heard of the brand before. But not wanting to appear clueless before the two women, he feigned a look of understanding.

“No problem. I’ll look for that perfume for you right away. I won’t keep you any longer...”

With that, Lin Fan left gracefully, putting on an air of elegance. As soon as he left, he asked the system in his mind what Clive Kirstein was.

Thankfully, the system was omnipotent and gave an instant answer.

[Ding! Clive Kirstein is a top luxury perfume brand. Their perfumes average over a hundred thousand each... The rose perfume retails at a million per bottle. Due to its exorbitant price and rarity, it can only be custom-ordered at select boutiques...]

Upon hearing this, Lin Fan was nearly floored.

“A million a bottle? This woman really knows how to ask!”

He scratched his head, realizing she was clearly setting a trap for him. He’d never imagined there were perfumes worth that much in the world. He’d bought makeup for Chen Yanzi before—Chanel, Lancôme, Dior—the cheapest was a couple of thousand. But now he’d learned there were perfumes worth a million!

But now he was wealthy—he could buy a perfume worth a hundred million if he wanted to!

Watching Lin Fan scratch his head, Ouyang Qi couldn’t help but burst out laughing. “See that, cousin? The poor fool is pretending to know what I’m talking about, but he has no idea what brand I mentioned! It’s hilarious. He probably doesn’t know this perfume costs over a million—even top celebrities can’t bring themselves to buy one. There isn’t even a bottle for sale at the Hangzhou boutique!”

“Then why did you ask him for it?” Su Xuanmo shot her an exasperated look.

“I’m testing him... If he brings me a fake, it means he’s a liar!”