Chapter 3: The Draw! Flawless, Porcelain Skin!

In the buffet restaurant, Lin Qiongqiong carried her plate, picking food from every corner. Wherever she went, people thanked her, saying, "Thanks, boss, for the treat."

After two hours of eating, she finally leaned against the doorframe, holding her waist. Suddenly, she regretted getting the annual membership card. If she ate like this every day, wouldn’t her weight skyrocket?

[Pathetic.]

The system’s electronic voice was filled with disdain.

Lin Qiongqiong widened her eyes. “How dare you insult me? I’ve spent more money in these few hours than I ever have in my life!”

The system fell into an eerie silence for a moment.

[System balance: 815,000; Death countdown: 20:45:25]

She couldn’t buy gold or invest in financial products, but just getting the buffet card sparked an idea. Lin Qiongqiong quickly scoured the mall and nearby shops, signing up for annual cards at hair salons, clothing stores, fresh food supermarkets, beauty salons, amusement parks, and karaoke bars, both online and offline.

She also purchased commercial insurance for her parents, grandparents on both sides, siblings, and even all the aunts in her family chat group.

If it weren’t for the inability to transfer funds, she would have sent them extra red envelopes.

However, buying health supplements for the elders was still possible—calcium tablets, vitamins, blood pressure medicine—all stocked for a year. She even considered buying more but feared expiration.

With her younger siblings approaching their college entrance exams, she purchased a full set of past exam papers.

She also instantly bought all the items she had saved on Pinduoduo.

Her impoverished rural family finally received orders for washing machines, refrigerators, air conditioners, microwaves, beds, cabinets, tables, and other large furniture from JD.com, all shipped free to their doorstep. If she could transfer money, she would have had her parents renovate their earthen house inside and out.

Lin Qiongqiong then bought the latest Huawei smartphones, tablets, and computers—all top-tier models—and ordered new electronic devices online to replace the entire family’s outdated ones.

After switching phones, she purchased annual memberships for music, drama, and reading apps. She had never dared to spend on memberships before and always endured ads for free.

Passing by a car dealership, she gazed longingly through the glass at the various luxury cars inside. Unfortunately, she was too poor even to have a driver’s license. Even if she bought a car, she couldn’t drive it.

So she signed up for driving school online and then bought a Yadea electric scooter next door.

From now on, she wouldn’t have to bike shared bicycles to the bus stop every time she went to tutor.

System: [...]

“What’s wrong?” Lin Qiongqiong sensed the system was a bit speechless.

System: [Host, you’re the first person I’ve ever seen who, after binding the tycoon system, still wants to work as a tutor. Everyone else buys luxury cars, villas, and land right away. You’re the first to be so frugal!]

Lin Qiongqiong sighed softly. “I have no choice. What others give me are just castles in the air—they don’t feel real. Who knows when you’ll disappear? I have to have my own survival skills.”

She was the type to be cautious even in her dreams.

Even if she suddenly received a million, she wouldn’t spend it on luxuries; she’d first use it to improve her and her family’s conditions.

A person dying of thirst wouldn’t water flowers first.

...

The sky darkened.

Lin Qiongqiong returned to her dorm carrying piles of clothes, shoes, and membership cards.

Spending money was not difficult for her. She was stingy usually only because there was always somewhere she had to spend.

Meanwhile, the system’s settlement voice sounded in her mind.

[Newbie task completed. Rating: C (Pass)]

[Host gains one lottery chance. Do you want to draw? (Lottery chances A:B:C = 3:2:1. You may save chances; ten consecutive draws guarantee a premium prize.)]

[Current prizes: Baldness cure, beauty filter, fertile constitution, flawless fair skin, hot figure, eat a lot without gaining weight, guaranteed exam pass (premium), speed reading, seven treasures birth, thank you for participating.]

“Draw!”

Lin Qiongqiong was eager.

As the words fell, the roulette wheel spun before her.

She pressed her hands together in prayer nervously: “Just not fertile constitution, seven treasures birth, or thank you for participating, please!”

She felt the first two weren’t rewards but punishments.

Of course, her skin was a bit tanned, so she wasn’t superficial and didn’t care much about looks. If she could get “guaranteed exam pass,” that would be the best! Every college student dreams of that buff!

The pointer landed on “flawless fair skin.”

[Flawless Fair Skin: Permanent effect. Porcelain white skin. All pimples, spots, blackheads, moles, scars, birthmarks, and dark circles vanish! Your skin will be smoother than a peeled boiled egg.]

Lin Qiongqiong’s first thought: didn’t that make her beauty salon membership card a waste?

But could it really be that miraculous?

She reached out and wiped her face, only to touch a sticky layer. A foul odor began to emanate from her body.

Terrified, Lin Qiongqiong shouted inwardly, “System, I smell awful!”

[Don’t make a fuss. Just take a shower.]

...

Lin Qiongqiong struggled up to the sixth floor carrying her heavy load.

She knocked for a long time with no answer. Assuming her roommates hadn’t returned, she went downstairs to borrow a key from the dorm supervisor to open the door.

But when she opened it, all three roommates were inside.

Xu Ruyin sat on the bed sneering at her.

Liu Xuan, sitting by the door watching variety shows, pinched her nose and looked at her with disdain. “Lin Qiongqiong, did you fall into a cesspool?”

Lin Qiongqiong frowned. “If you’re all here, why didn’t you open the door for me?”

Xu Ruyin was always hostile to her, but Liu Xuan and Yan Zhiqing had been on good terms with her. She had let them copy her homework and lab reports, covered for them when they skipped class, and often brought them meals and parcels.

Now that she had bound the tycoon system, she even bought them Chanel skincare and perfume gift sets.

Yan Zhiqing was playing a game. “Oh, didn’t hear you.”

Liu Xuan sneered with sarcasm, “You have a key, so why bother making us open the door for you?”

Lin Qiongqiong was stumped and a little angry. “Who hasn’t forgotten their keys sometimes? I’ve opened the door for you plenty of times. Besides, I brought you gifts.”

Xu Ruyin swung her legs from the bed, mocking, “Wow, Qiongqiong actually spends money on gifts? Aren’t you usually too stingy to even buy a cup of 15-yuan milk tea?”

Yan Zhiqing glanced at her while gaming. “We didn’t ask you to buy gifts. I don’t want them—so I don’t have to take out the trash tomorrow.”

Liu Xuan snorted. “I don’t want them either. You smell awful, like you scavenged gifts from a trash bin again.”

They used to joke about rummaging through trash bins on Valentine’s Day, but only Lin Qiongqiong actually did it, even rescuing flowers discarded by others.

They had long despised her for being poor and stingy, but when they needed her for classes, they kept quiet.

Now, in their senior year, with almost no classes left, they no longer needed to cozy up to Lin Qiongqiong.

Besides, according to Xu Ruyin, Lin Qiongqiong might even be expelled, and they didn’t want to be associated with her.

Moreover, what valuable gifts could this miserly Lin Qiongqiong buy for them? At best, a milk tea from some cheap shop.

Lin Qiongqiong placed her things on her desk, then lifted the white gift bag to reveal the logo: “Chanel gift set. You don’t want it either?”