Chapter 376

Chapter 376: The Wall-Climbing Ladder

“Today you bought a BMW, and the only thing left is the money for this outfit. Even if it’s expensive, with the discount your dad gave me, I still came out ahead today,” Qi Fei said while sizing up Lin Mo. The suit didn’t usually fit the physique of Chinese individuals, who were generally not as tall and slender as Europeans, but on Lin Mo, it looked remarkably tailored.

Perhaps calling it a “spiritual” aura wasn’t enough; it was more like a drawn sword, sharp and striking. Qi Fei couldn’t quite understand how her college classmate had such a presence.

“Come on, take a few steps! Let me see!” Qi Fei playfully teased the handsome guy.

Girls these days seemed impervious to charm. Back in the day, a few meaningful glances, a bouquet of roses, some love songs strummed on a guitar, or a close tango dance could easily win a girl’s heart. But those days were long gone and no longer effective.

Most women pursued both love and stability, making them very practical. Even innocent girls fresh out of school were hard to impress in the face of fierce competition.

A few sweet words wouldn’t easily land a guy in their arms; that sort of fantasy existed only in men’s imaginations and the stories of novels, films, and TV shows.

The high standards and expectations that boys held when evaluating modern women’s dating views became a core dilemma.

“Esteemed lady, may I request the honor of dining with you as a knight of the empire?” Lin Mo suddenly performed a complete set of noble gestures from the Su Lan Empire in front of Qi Fei, executed with remarkable skill.

Once a Dragon Knight forms a dragon deity contract with a Giant Dragon, he automatically rises to the noble class within the empire. The benefits and status associated with aerial knights are respected in any world.

As nobles, they must adopt the relevant etiquette and knowledge. Alongside combat training, lessons in etiquette and culture were also essential; no one wanted an uncouth Dragon Knight causing a disturbance among the nobility.

If a conflict arose, while no one could stand against a Dragon Knight, maintaining the dignity of the nobility was still important.

Though the customs were from another world, the essence of nobility transcended ethnicity. The series of movements radiated elegance and grace, transforming Lin Mo in Qi Fei’s eyes into someone almost regal, as if a prince was extending an invitation to her.

“Okay, okay, I, uh, hum, I’ll play along, but don’t get too smug. What kind of gesture is this?” Qi Fei hastily corrected herself, almost slipping up and agreeing.

“How was that? Did I pass?” Lin Mo moved with an understated composure.

“Not bad, not bad! It’s acceptable! This will do,” she said, though she didn’t completely mean it. Still, Qi Fei felt her cheeks flush and her heart race. How had this guy suddenly acquired such an aristocratic air?

If he started charming girls around town, what would that mean for her?

Letting such a handsome guy go to waste was unacceptable.

Having known him for so long and sensing he had decent character, if he ended up with someone else, how could she face it?

Wouldn’t it be a sign of poor judgment on her part?

This was ridiculous; she should be the one to take the opportunity.

Caught up in the moment, Qi Fei unknowingly placed her heart fully in the hands of this man, a former member of their cosplay group and her college classmate. She couldn’t help but approach him, casually adjusting the hem of Lin Mo’s suit as if they were a couple.

Once, they laughed and joked around, getting along famously. At that time, Qi Fei had only felt a mild attraction, but never like this intense flutter of emotions.

In an instant, Lin Mo’s image in her mind shifted completely.

“Never mind, I’ll just use my card!” Lin Mo took off the suit jacket and handed it to the attendant to remove the tag while he pulled out his bank card.

Letting a woman pay for him would have been ungracious. He wasn’t blind to the looks from the attendants, who seemed to regard him as a freeloader living off Qi Fei.

As a Dragon Knight, he certainly wouldn’t be a kept man; Lin Mo wouldn’t let himself take advantage of Qi Fei. This money wasn’t just falling from the sky or lying around to be picked up.

He didn’t notice that Qi Fei’s tone and her gaze towards him had changed.

“Hey, where did you get the money? This costs over three hundred thousand!” Qi Fei exclaimed, seeing Lin Mo act before she could. The card he used was one he usually kept at home in Hangzhou, relying on online banking for transactions. It just happened to be with him today.

“It’s no big deal. You work hard for your money; it’s going on me,” Lin Mo replied with a smile. He recognized Qi Fei’s diligence; earning money these days was no easy task. It required talent, hard work, and a bit of luck.

For a girl to build a decent career from scratch was no small feat, and Lin Mo felt it was inappropriate for him to take advantage of her like that.

“Hmph! You have money, huh? Just keep pretending! Go ahead and brag! I think you should focus on saving up your marriage fund. In these years, to get married you need a house and a car; without a few million, it just won’t work,” Qi Fei said, glaring at Lin Mo with wide eyes. His eagerness to pay left her feeling embarrassed, but she refused to back down.

Deep down, she was surprised by how much pocket money Lin Mo seemed to have, thinking it must come from his dad who runs a car dealership.

It really is easy come, easy go, Qi Fei thought. Although she knew pilots earn slightly more than regular soldiers, she still didn’t believe he could save over three hundred thousand in just over a year of service.

She regretted bringing Lin Mo to the Armani store; this guy, so keen on appearances, might actually end up draining his savings, and she would have to cover him later.

“Don’t worry, money never runs out! Even if it does, I can just earn more,” Lin Mo said as he tapped his password into the mobile POS machine that the attendant handed him. The soft whirring sound confirmed that the receipt was printing out.

“Also, no need to pack it up! I’ll wear it right now, and help me adjust the cuffs on the pants,” he instructed the attendant.

Lin Mo was using a cash card, and the noise from the POS proved there was more than enough balance to pay for the purchase.

“Should I buy a few outfits too? Lin Da Shao can cover for me?” Qi Fei teased Lin Mo, her playful jealousy bubbling up. She had initially planned to pay for his clothes, and now that he had jumped ahead, she felt a bit humiliated and thought to teach him a lesson about showing off.

“Sure! There are still over two million in my card, buy whatever you want!” Lin Mo said carelessly. Just as he mentioned, money was something that could be earned again, and he had long become desensitized to seeing his account balance drop to zero only to rise again.

After all, the government provided food, housing, and pensions; he didn’t need to keep much for retirement. Who knows, he might even get a bonus at the end of the year that includes a girlfriend too.

In no time, the adjusted pants and the tailored outfit were returned to him. Lin Mo slipped them on, stuffed his old outfit into a bag, and waved in front of Qi Fei, who was blushing and looking dazed, “Alright, stop being dazed! If you want to buy clothes, hurry up—it’s already past three in the afternoon.”

“Hmph! Let’s see if I can outspend you!” Qi Fei said, snatching the bank card from the attendant who had returned it to Lin Mo.

…

Two days later, when Lin Mo boarded the flight to Urumqi, his mind still felt a bit foggy.

As a Dragon Knight, he had never felt this unclear. His thoughts were still spinning with memories of everything that happened at Qi Fei’s home and the awkward kiss she had given him at the entrance of her neighborhood after the dinner party.

At that moment, he felt a rush of darkness and lost focus for a second or two, as if his memories had skipped a beat, only to be filled with the sound of Qi Fei’s familiar, fading laughter and her triumphant declaration.

“Veni! Vidi! Vici! (I came! I saw! I conquered!)”

The Gold Coin quickly translated her words, giving Lin Mo a lesson.

It felt like a bolt from the blue.

Sitting in his seat, he unconsciously licked his lips, still savoring the lingering taste. Lin Mo couldn’t help but chuckle at the thought that this girl might be a reincarnation of Caesar.

Did she really have to give herself a battle cry before a kiss? Although he held feelings for Qi Fei, the skies and flying took up most of his heart; he had never imagined she would be so forward.

It seemed Qi Fei’s parents had prepared a lavish dinner, looking at him with the eyes of someone fully expecting a son-in-law, piling food onto his plate and interrogating him about his job and family background.

It had been just four hours since Qi Fei had asked him to pretend to be her boyfriend for dinner. Clearly, she had orchestrated this whole thing well, and he was completely in the dark, feeling dizzy and used as a human shield.

But was he really just a shield? Who was protecting whom—him or her parents?

Lin Mo was a bit confused, unsure if Qi Fei had developed feelings for him or if her kiss was just a little reward for his participation.

Was this acting just a play that turned real?

Ding!

His watch chimed with a new message. Since they hadn’t fully taken off yet, he had a moment to check his electronics.

Lin Mo was surprised; he hadn’t expected many messages or calls on the new card. He opened it to find a deposit of five hundred fifty-six thousand four hundred nineteen yuan.

What kind of money was this?

He thought for a moment and called Gold Coin to connect to the 4G network to check the bank transactions. In the notes section, he saw a message from Qi Fei: “Auntie keeps her word; save this for your marriage fund.”

Wow, this girl has quite a tough attitude. She really means what she says!

Lin Mo chuckled again, feeling entangled in a web of confusion.

Figuring out how to navigate this relationship would certainly be a big challenge.