Chapter 7: Transformation

[Beep! Qin Ruowei has a favorable impression of you, though it has not yet reached the level of liking, and is still far from love. Love is about being well-matched in social status and meeting one's equal; you currently lack the qualifications.]

[Beep! At the very least, you are lacking in terms of your outward appearance and attire.]

Lin Bai suddenly realized the truth. He looked down at his outfit; the total cost of everything he was wearing didn't even exceed two hundred yuan. The gap was indeed too wide.

"I really should tidy myself up, if not for anything else, then just to prove a point," Lin Bai told himself.

[Beep! Side quest triggered!]

[Side quest content: Clothes make the man; tidy up and refresh your appearance within eight hours to meet the system's required standards.]

[Note: The host has only eight hours. All expenses incurred during the task will be covered by the system. If the standards are not met by the time the clock runs out, the task will be considered a failure, and the host will be required to repay all expenditures.]

Lin Bai never expected that such a thing could trigger a side quest.

As he thought more about the details, his mouth slowly fell open. Isn't this just a completely free image makeover?

All expenses within those eight hours would be paid for by the system, provided the money was spent on improving his outward appearance.

However, the system's "standards"...

Lin Bai was a bit unsure.

"I'm finished eating, I'm heading out."

Before Lin Bai could ask about the criteria, Qin Ruowei had finished her meal and was preparing to leave.

Habitually, Lin Bai reached out and grabbed her hand. "Wait a second!"

Qin Ruowei stiffened, her eyes fixed on their joined hands. The people around them were casting looks of surprise.

Lin Bai quickly pulled his hand back. "Sorry, I was a bit distracted."

Qin Ruowei didn't show much of a reaction. "Is something the matter?"

Lin Bai thought about it. To meet the system's standards, the best approach was to find someone with excellent taste, and for him, the most suitable person was Qin Ruowei.

And so...

"Do you have anything to do this afternoon?"

Qin Ruowei tilted her head, thinking for a moment. "Nothing important. Do you?"

"If you're free, come shopping with me. I want to buy some things and change up my look, but you know, I'm not familiar with this area."

Lin Bai's eyes were sincere.

Facing his invitation, Qin Ruowei didn't resist at all; in fact, she felt a slight spark of excitement.

Besides, she was a girl—she naturally loved shopping. Plus, she knew that since the semester started, Lin Bai hadn't left campus much, so it was true that he wasn't familiar with the surroundings.

After a moment's thought, she nodded. "Sure, no problem. When are we going? Aren't you supposed to be at your part-time job?"

Lin Bai thought to himself that at a time like this, who cares about a part-time job? He might earn enough this afternoon to cover four years of part-time work.

"I'm not going today. I'm leaving right after I finish."

Lin Bai checked the time; it was almost one o'clock.

Time is money. Lin Bai devoured the remaining food on his tray, grabbed his shoebox, and left the cafeteria with Qin Ruowei.

He ignored the strange looks from the people around them.

Qin Ruowei followed behind him. It was strange—Lin Bai was poor, yet he carried himself with an indescribable sense of confidence and composure.

And this was exactly what she admired most about him.

They each grabbed a shared bike. Lin Bai went back to his dorm first to shower and change into the new sneakers Qin Ruowei had given him before heading out.

Qin Ruowei noticed the new shoes immediately and smiled slightly. "Nice, they suit you."

Then, Lin Bai called a ride on his phone, heading straight to the nearest Walmart shopping mall.

Upon entering the mall, they passed a hair salon. Qin Ruowei stopped him and pointed inside.

"Let's get your hair cut first."

Lin Bai looked at the salon. It was elegantly decorated, the stylists looked thoroughly professional, and the prices were surely not cheap.

But then he remembered the system was paying, so why worry? He nodded.

"Alright, I'll listen to you. My makeover this afternoon is entirely in your hands."

Qin Ruowei smiled, walking into the salon first with Lin Bai following close behind.

"Hello, are you both getting haircuts, or...?"

Qin Ruowei pointed at Lin Bai. "Design a hairstyle for him."

The salon staff loved hearing that, as custom designs were expensive and brought them higher commissions.

Before Lin Bai was taken away by a stylist, he went to the front desk to ask about the price. "Excuse me, how much will this cost?"

Qin Ruowei stepped up behind him and tugged at his shirt.

"I have a membership here. Don't worry about it."

Lin Bai knew she was trying to save him money, so he shook his head with a smile. "That's a different matter. How much is it?"

The receptionist calculated the cost. "Sir, it will be 2,800 yuan in total, including a custom design and cut by our deputy store manager."

Behind him, seeing Lin Bai's persistence, Qin Ruowei's favor for him dipped slightly.

She thought she understood him well, and this behavior felt like he was just trying to show off.

Lin Bai did feel a pang of pain at the price of 2,800 yuan, but fortunately, it wasn't his money.

"Just charge the card." Lin Bai pulled out his bank card and handed it to the staff.

The employee took it with a beaming smile, swiped the card, and Lin Bai entered his PIN, successfully paying the 2,800 yuan.

Only after the payment went through did he feel comfortable heading off to get his hair washed.

Watching his back, Qin Ruowei was a bit bewildered. She looked at the receptionist.

"Are you sure you just charged 2,800?"

The girl glanced at the bill and nodded with a smile. "Yes, that's correct, ma'am."

Qin Ruowei shook her head. She couldn't understand where Lin Bai got 2,800 yuan; he didn't look like someone who had that kind of money.

Of course, she couldn't ask, so she just sat in the waiting area, scrolling through her phone.

...

The entire process took over three hours, and Lin Bai was nearly falling asleep.

Finally, past four in the afternoon, his new hairstyle was done.

Looking at the textured, layered cut in the mirror, Lin Bai had to admit that "expensive" certainly had its merits!

Qin Ruowei approached, and her eyes lit up when she saw the result.

"Not bad. It's much better than I imagined."

Lin Bai stood up and instinctively reached out to pat her head, but halfway through, he realized it was inappropriate and awkwardly pulled his hand back.

"Thanks for your hard work. Let me treat you to a big meal when we're done."

Qin Ruowei smiled. "It's fine. Let's go."

After leaving the salon, the two wandered aimlessly through the mall, popping in and out of various shops.

The details of their shopping trip need not be belabored.

Another three hours passed, and by nearly seven in the evening, Lin Bai finally received the system's approval.

[Beep! Congratulations to the host for completing the side quest: Clothes Make the Man! All expenses during this period have been covered by the system.]

Looking at Lin Bai now, his plain white T-shirt had been replaced by a crisp white shirt from the brand Guler, and his street-market jeans had been swapped for sleek, cropped casual trousers from the brand Verdun.

In his hands, he carried bags filled with various new clothes.

The total cost had come to over 30,000 yuan. For the first time, Lin Bai deeply understood why girls loved shopping so much.

As they walked out of the mall, Qin Ruowei glanced at the handsome, dashing Lin Bai, her eyes filled with an unconcealable joy.