It's too damn sandy, can't pull off the ultimate move

Chi Qingchi's petite face was equally filled with astonishment.

Buying all three would cost nearly three thousand yuan!

Where did Lin Yu get that kind of money?

Even if he had it, he shouldn’t spend it like this—it was way too extravagant.

With the others present, Chi Qingchi couldn’t outright say anything.

She could only tug lightly at Lin Yu’s sleeve, using her eyes and subtle head shakes to try and stop him.

Lin Yu smiled faintly, raising his brows slightly as he gave Chi Qingchi’s small hand a reassuring pat.

This intimate gesture was once again clearly observed by the trio.

It looked exactly like a girlfriend scolding her boyfriend for reckless spending, only to be soothed by him in return…

Lin Yu turned to Zhao Yuhao and asked,

"Yep, all three. Vice President, I’m new to the anime fandom."

"Is there a problem with buying all three at once? Any unwritten rules I should know about?"

Hearing that three big purchases were about to be made, the ponytailed female shop manager hurried over:

"No problem at all! Of course you can buy them together!"

"Handsome guy, pretty girl—if you get all three, I can give you a 10% discount."

"And we’ll throw in a free membership card. Points can be redeemed for gifts later."

In this store, smaller items priced at a few dozen or a hundred yuan sold fairly often.

But large-scale figurines costing one or two thousand? Rarely did anyone bite.

Yet, running an anime merchandise shop without high-end figurines would kill the vibe—no flex, no prestige.

Hearing that a big spender had walked in, the shop manager was over the moon!

At this point, Zhao Yuhao’s expression soured.

Skeptical, he warned,

"Lin Yu, are you sure about this? Store policy—no returns on any of these."

He still suspected Lin Yu might be forcing himself to buy now, only to secretly return the figurines later when no one was around.

But his thinly veiled threat fell flat.

Lin Yu simply turned to the manager and asked, "Miss, can I pay by card?"

Manager: "Of course! Handsome guy, pretty girl, just wait here a moment. I’ll get these packaged for you."

Soon after,

Lin Yu and Chi Qingchi walked up to the counter, with Chi Qingchi pressing close to him.

In a voice only the two could hear, she fretted,

"Lin Yu, are you crazy? Spending over two thousand on figurines?!"

"Is this some stupid male ego thing?"

"Don’t waste money just to one-up the vice president. It’s not worth it!"

"We can still back out. Let me say I don’t like the expensive one, and we’ll just buy the other two, okay?"

Her words made Lin Yu respect Chi Qingchi even more.

She was a good person—principled and sensible.

She knew better than to encourage reckless spending for the sake of pride.

But what she didn’t know was that today, this money had to be spent—to "slay the demon."

Once the deed was done, most of the expenses would be footed by none other than… the demon himself.

"Qingchi, let me tell you a little secret. Don’t spread it around—I recently came into some money."

Chi Qingchi wore a skeptical frown, like someone who’d been fooled before.

"Really? You’re not lying to me?"

Lin Yu replied confidently,

"Who could ever fool you? How else would I have this much cash?"

"I wrote a novel online. It got kinda popular, and the royalties aren’t bad!"

He’d crafted a plausible excuse to stop Chi Qingchi’s objections.

Earning money from writing wasn’t some far-fetched fantasy—it sounded perfectly reasonable.

Before long,

The manager personally packed the figurines and returned to finalize the payment and membership card.

Lin Yu withdrew the spirit stones stored in his system, bringing his balance to over four thousand.

After paying, he was left with 1,524.62 yuan.

The membership card awarded one point for every ten yuan spent, with each point roughly equivalent to one yuan in redemption value.

This purchase alone earned him 251 points.

While registering the membership and entering his phone number,

Lin Yu nudged Chi Qingchi. "Your number."

Chi Qingchi blinked, surprised but delighted. "Mine?"

Lin Yu: "Who else’s?"

Chi Qingchi bit her lip, hesitating. "But… 251 points? That’s enough for so many little gifts."

Lin Yu nodded. "I know. Consider it a reward. Have fun with it. Just give me more massages when we get back, deal?"

Hearing this, Chi Qingchi stopped hesitating and nodded eagerly, like a chick pecking at rice.

Grinning, she chirped, "Thanks, Lin Yu! Hehe!"

[Ding!]

[Masterstroke move! The perfect gift is the key to a sect ally’s heart. The Joyous Sect Bell Envoy’s intimacy with the host has ascended to the fourth realm!]

[Reward: 20 spirit stones.]

As expected.

Gifts had to hit the right spot.

Handing Chi Qingchi 200 yuan directly? She’d never accept it, let alone feel happy about it.

But giving her a points card? Not only did the money return to him, but their intimacy level also rose.

Now,

Chi Qingchi’s status read: [Intimacy with Host: 40% (Fourth Realm—Silent Understanding)]

With the cheat sheet to this otaku girl’s heart, reaching higher intimacy levels was just a matter of time.

At the counter,

Lin Yu and Chi Qingchi stood hand-in-hand, shoulder-to-shoulder, completely oblivious to the others’ reactions.

Zhao Yuhao stood frozen between the shelves, staring blankly at the pair.

Everything had backfired!

He’d scripted the perfect scenario, only for Lin Yu to steal the lead role.

Some people might seem alive, but inside, they’d already died a little.

Their companion Hao Qian, arm-in-arm with Zhou Yang, couldn’t resist adding fuel to the fire:

"How’s Zhao Yuhao gonna talk his way out of this? Even a blind man could see they’re a couple."

Zhou Yang had originally tagged along for the drama, but seeing "Brother Hao" get utterly humiliated gave him a pang of sympathy.

"Cut him some slack. Let’s not rub it in later."

[Ding!]

[Critical hit! The foreign-path demon has been grievously wounded by the host and now lingers on the brink. Seize the moment to deliver the final blow!]

[Reward: 20 spirit stones.]

Well, well.

Still clinging to life?

This demon was one tough nut to crack!

Such mental fortitude?

After a brief pause, Lin Yu suddenly raised his voice and pointed at Zhao Yuhao.

"Miss Manager, if not for our vice president’s recommendation, I’d never have found such a great store."

"Since I bought so much, any chance of a little freebie? Something for my recommender here?"

"He’s a loyal customer too. How about gifting him the same 99-yuan Zoro figurine?"

Zhao Yuhao: "???"

Zhou Yang and Hao Qian: "???"

Killing him… wasn’t enough? Now he had to salt the earth?!

Chi Qingchi’s "boyfriend" was downright ruthless.

A dazed Zhao Yuhao hastily waved his hands. "No, no, that’s unnecessary—"

But his reflexes were no match for the quick-thinking manager.

A 99-yuan Zoro was already placed in front of Lin Yu.

Lin Yu personally carried it over to Zhao Yuhao, who resisted desperately:

"Seriously, keep it. I don’t need it."

Lin Yu feigned generosity:

"Come on!"

"What would I do with two identical ones?"

"Vice President, didn’t you say you liked this one?"

Chi Qingchi swiftly delivered the coup de grâce:

"Yeah, Vice President. Thanks for the recommendation today!"

"It's free, take it. It's a little token of 'our' affection."

Our affection...

We...

Lin Yu's actions hadn't been that painful at first.

But Chi Qingchi's words were the real sharp blade.

Straight to the heart!

Zhao Yuhao seemed to lose all his strength, accepting the free gift like a walking corpse.

The small gift in his hand felt like carrying a mountain.

[Ding!]

[Heavy critical hit! The Outer Path Demon's physical form has been destroyed, leaving only a lingering trace of obsession. Failure to finish it off may lead to future trouble. Host, seize the opportunity!]

[Reward: 20 Spirit Stones]

Lin Yu: "???"

What the hell do you mean "lingering trace of obsession"?

The guy's already like that, and you still want me to twist the knife?

System, don't be so cruel.

Honestly,

Zhao Yuhao's resilience is downright terrifying.

At this point, he still hasn't completely "perished in body and soul"—short of watching a porno right in front of him!

No choice left... time for the ultimate move.

Lin Yu casually pulled out his phone and opened a recent payment notification.

With flawless acting, he frowned and said:

"Oh, I almost forgot..."

"Qingchi, we still need to pay the water bill for our place."

"Let's head back. We gotta pay it before the property management takes their lunch break."