Chapter 4: The Five Star Beggar
The silence in the small noodle shop stretched on. The boss behind the counter was pretending to scrub a pot very hard, afraid to look at the young man sitting at table three.
Ye Chen picked up his chopsticks and calmly finished the last few bites of his beef noodles, as if he had not just dumped a small fortune onto a greasy table.
Lin Wan'er sat across from him, clutching the napkin he had given her. Her heart was still pounding fiercely in her chest.
She looked at the empty space on the table where the mountain of cash had been moments ago. Then she looked at Ye Chen.
His expensive suit was ruined, torn, and covered in drying mud. His hair was a mess. He smelled faintly of rain and sweat. Yet, in her eyes right now, he looked more dependable than any CEO in a pristine suit she had met in the last year.
"Thank you," she whispered again, feeling that the words were wildly inadequate. "I... I do not know how I will ever repay you. That was one hundred thousand yuan."
Ye Chen wiped his mouth and stood up. He looked at her seriously.
"You said you needed two hundred thousand just for interest tonight, right? I only paid half. Those sharks will be back tomorrow."
Lin Wan'er's shoulders slumped again. The brief relief evaporated.
"I know. My company... Lin's Cosmetics... we have a crucial supply shipment stuck at the docks because we cannot pay the customs fees. If I do not get that shipment released by Friday, the company is totally dead. The loan sharks are just the beginning."
Ye Chen listened, his mind racing. A failing cosmetics company. A former campus queen desperate for a savior. This was the perfect opportunity.
"System," Ye Chen mentally commanded. "Bind target Lin Wan'er."
[DING! Binding successful.]
[Target Lin Wan'er is now bound to the Host. Raise her affection to 30 to unlock the first tier reward.]
Ye Chen looked at her pale, exhausted face.
"It is 3:00 AM. We cannot solve your company problems tonight. Look at us."
He gestured to his muddy suit, then to her tear stained face and shivering form.
"We are both a mess. We need sleep, a hot shower, and a safe place to think. Come with me."
Lin Wan'er hesitated. Going off in the middle of the night with a strange man, even one who just helped her, was risky.
Ye Chen saw her hesitation and smiled grimly.
"Do not worry, Senior Sister Lin. I just got divorced four hours ago because my wife cheated on me. I have absolutely zero interest in taking advantage of a woman right now. I just do not want to be alone tonight, and I do not think you should be either."
His honesty disarmed her. She looked into his eyes and saw only exhaustion and a strange, burning determination.
"Okay," she nodded softly.
They left the noodle shop and walked out into the cold night air. Ye Chen scanned the street. About two blocks away, the towering sign of the Imperial Jiangbei Hotel glowed gold against the dark sky. It was the city's most expensive five star hotel.
"We are going there," Ye Chen said, pointing.
Ten minutes later, the automatic glass doors of the Imperial Hotel slid open.
Ye Chen walked into the massive, marble floored lobby as if he owned the place, with a nervous Lin Wan'er trailing behind him. The lobby smelled of expensive perfume and fresh flowers.
The two receptionists behind the long marble counter were chatting quietly. When they saw Ye Chen enter, their conversation stopped dead.
They stared. A man covered in mud, with a torn suit, walking in at 3:30 AM with a woman who looked like she had been crying for hours.
One of the receptionists, a young woman with too much makeup and a pinched expression, immediately stepped around the counter to block their path.
"Excuse me, sir," she said, her voice dripping with polite condescension. "The public restrooms are outside around the corner. This lobby is for guests only."
Ye Chen stopped and looked at her.
"I am a guest. I want a room."
The receptionist let out a small scoff. She looked pointedly at the mud drying on his expensive Italian shoes.
"Sir, our rooms start at two thousand eight hundred yuan a night. And we require a deposit. Perhaps the hostel down the street is more within your... budget tonight?"
It was the second time tonight he had been treated like trash because of how he looked. The anger that had simmered down after dealing with the loan sharks flared up again.
Before Su Yun framed him, he had stayed in hotels like this often. These people were all the same. They only respected money.
Ye Chen did not say a word. He reached into his muddy pocket.
He pulled out a crumpled wad of remaining cash, about ten thousand yuan, and slammed it onto the reception counter.
Slap.
Then, he pulled out the black Swiss bearer card and slammed it down on top of the cash.
Click.
The receptionist jumped back, startled by the noise and the sight of the pink bills. Her eyes immediately locked onto the sleek black card.
"I want your best available suite for tonight," Ye Chen said, his voice icy. "And I want two sets of clean clothes, a men's suit, size fifty, and something for this lady, delivered to the room in thirty minutes. Can you manage that, or should I take my business elsewhere?"
The receptionist's attitude changed instantly. Her face paled, and a terrified, sycophantic smile replaced her sneer.
"Of course, sir. My apologies, I did not recognize you. The Presidential Suite on the top floor is available tonight. It is eighteen thousand eight hundred and eighty eight yuan. I will arrange the clothes immediately."
She grabbed the black card with trembling hands to process the payment.
Lin Wan'er watched from behind Ye Chen, stunned speechless again. This man had just casually dropped nearly twenty thousand yuan on a hotel room for one night, right after giving away a hundred thousand.
Who was Ye Chen?
A few minutes later, they were standing in a golden elevator, heading up to the thirtieth floor.
Ye Chen looked at his reflection in the polished metal doors. He looked like a disaster, but his eyes were bright and dangerous.
He touched the pocket where the remaining Reality Modification Card sat in his inventory. He had seven million in the bank, a beautiful indebted CEO standing next to him, and the ultimate cheat system in his brain.
The comeback had officially begun.