Chapter 15: Feeling a Little Dizzy from Milk

Lin Ran returned home. Since he’d said on the phone he wouldn’t be home for dinner, his parents hadn’t cooked; they were probably eating at the mahjong parlor. In Shu City, mahjong parlors were a marvel—if you played there, lunch and dinner came free, with good wine and hearty dishes. A crowd gathered, not only lively but well-fed. On holidays, gifts were exchanged, and the teahouse owner could even pick up your kids, tutor homework, and handle all manner of errands. If a guest lost money, they could curse the boss, who would only smile and say, “Come early tomorrow.”

This, truly, was the customer as god.

After showering, Lin Ran sprawled on the sofa, stroking his husky, checking his card balance: 3.3 million. Not too much, not too little.

He could buy a luxury car, but for real estate in a decent location, it would have to be a secondhand home. Take his own place in Emerald City, beside East Lake Park on the second ring. With a floor area of 110 square meters, his parents bought it ten years ago for over seven thousand per square meter—now it’s over thirty thousand. It’s worth about three million now, but so what? Even if it soared to ten million, it’d never sell.

He needed to keep making money. Opening the God of Men Store, he saw a new item had appeared.

Item: [God of Men’s Self-Cultivation]
Type: [Posture, Manners, Character]
Details: Being a god of men isn’t just about external appearance; it’s about combining inner quality with refinement. Your ex-wife always looked down on you as an uncultured bumpkin, embarrassed to be seen with you. It’s time to become a refined god of men, so she knows she didn’t just miss you, but a man of potential.

Function: Corrects and regulates posture, including walking, sitting, standing, and all personal gestures, achieving natural, graceful static form. Elevates daily etiquette, from appearance and manners to conversation and conduct, reception and interaction, reaching “know etiquette,” “understand etiquette,” “practice etiquette,” and “exhibit etiquette”—showing self-cultivation and respect for others, managing the god of men’s demeanor with high quality and depth.

Price: Two million.

Two million was steep, but this “God of Men’s Self-Cultivation” complemented the “Divine Facial Cleanser”—one for inner, one for outer, both together forging a god of men.

Lin Ran had never formally studied posture.

People strive upward; progress is natural. If only his wallet grew, but not his personal refinement, he’d seem like a nouveau riche. Since he was now on track to become a god of men, everything must be executed with high standards. In the end, the god of men could be summed up in one word—elegance.

And his ex-wife had called him an uncultured bumpkin.

He had to buy it.

If he didn’t, how would he make her regret it in the future?

Two million—gritting his teeth, he bought it.

[Successfully purchased God of Men’s Self-Cultivation. It will optimize every moment, with posture guidance in specific scenarios, such as tea tasting, dining etiquette from various countries, guest reception, etc.]

With this upgrade, Lin Ran needn’t worry about unfamiliar occasions—the skill would be his shield, always elegant.

His equipment was complete, but his funds were down to 1.3 million; he needed to keep milking the system.

Without several million in hand, Lin Ran dared not buy sports cars or mansions. What if, someday, the system realized it had bound to the wrong person?

Earning money was the only hard truth.

Once he’d squeezed enough from it, even if the system discovered its mistake, he’d already be a god of men—the habits ingrained, the money in his account, and he wouldn’t fear the system vanishing.

Of course, Lin Ran was still pondering another path—how to make the system recognize him as the ex-husband?

As long as the system recognized him as truly the ex-husband, the binding wouldn’t be an error; it’d be correct.

So, Lin Ran was desperate to know who the ex-wife was.

But for now, he had no clue. The only way forward was to become a god of men himself.

Once he succeeded, the system would inevitably send him to slap his ex-wife in the face, making her regret.

Nothing to do but keep milking it!

The system had no tasks, nor any new money-making items. He had to find a way with daily cash.

Currently, it was two thousand a day.

That’s sixty thousand a month.

Not enough—not nearly enough.

With 1.3 million in his account, his ambitions swelled. He had to upgrade, work harder to raise the daily cash.

God of Men Level: 2

Upgrade Experience: Obtain a specific God of Men approval value.

“So soon it’s a specific type?”

God of Men approval values were divided into ordinary and specific types.

Ordinary had the lowest threshold, broad recognition.

Specific had a higher threshold, in particular scenarios, one-on-one or one-to-many, harvesting approval values.

[A specific God of Men approval value: Raise a target’s favorability to above seventy to progress. Specific approval values significantly increase daily cash.]

“What does favorability seventy mean?”

[Fall in love with you, for no reason.]

[You may choose a woman or a man as the task target.]

“Bah! I’ll choose a woman!”

Lin Ran’s social circle consisted mainly of college classmates, now scattered. After returning to Shu City, except for his elementary, middle, and high school contacts on WeChat, he hardly knew anyone. He hadn’t reconnected with the girls yet—unsuitable as task targets.

After some thought, there was only Vivian.

“I choose Jane Vivian.”

[Jane Vivian has been bound.]

[Current favorability: 53 (the budding of romance, fluttering heart, ambiguous stage, more than friends, not yet lovers)]

The analysis was spot on.

Lin Ran sent Vivian a WeChat video, inviting her to hang out the next day.

Elsewhere.

Jane Vivian was lying on her bed in pajamas, scrolling through Douyin.

A video invite popped up, marked “Dog Man.”

Vivian hurriedly sat up, checked her clothes weren’t revealing, and only then accepted the video call.

On the other end, Lin Ran was on the sofa, stroking his dog.

Woof woof woof~

Baibai was barking wildly beside the bed.

Lin Ran asked, “Why does it get so excited whenever it sees me?”

Vivian replied, “I don’t know. It sulks when I get home, but gets excited when it sees you. Must be your husky traumatized it somehow—the shadow hasn’t faded.”

Lin Ran said, “I’ll buy it a treat tomorrow. By the way, are you free?”

“Tomorrow morning I have an interview at a studio for a sound engineer position—it’s scheduled already. After the interview, I’ll be free in the afternoon.”

That was a response—a willingness to meet. Whether they became a couple depended on how their feelings developed.

Lin Ran said, “OK, let me know on WeChat when you’re done. I’ll take you out.”

Vivian agreed.

Whether the specific approval value could be achieved depended on tomorrow.

“Vivian, I just got myself wet—why is there no body wash?”

At that moment, Jiang Shuyao walked in, completely naked, utterly unselfconscious.

Lin Ran’s eyes widened in the video.

(·人·)

This baby-faced, voluptuous beauty—simply stunning.

To sleep with a body like that, who knew how comfortable it would be.

“Ahhhhh!” Jiang Shuyao’s shriek came from the other end. “Vivian, why are you video calling Lin Ran?!”

“Why did you come out without clothes?!”

Smack.

The video ended abruptly.

Lin Ran shook his head, feeling dizzy from the sight.

“Did I just glimpse the legendary White Tiger???”