For Su Bai, Winning People's Hearts Is Easy

Su Bai's introduction to photography was rather unconventional.

When it came to equipment, he simply glanced at the prices and went for the most expensive options. As for the actual photography skills, he learned them from COSers.

It must be said that hands-on experience is the easiest way to get started with anything.

The senior girls from the anime club tirelessly helped Su Bai find the perfect angles and even taught him how to take flattering shots.

They were incredibly patient.

"Seniors, you must be tired after spending so much time with me, right?"

"Not at all! Honestly, we're the ones benefiting here. We rarely get access to such high-end equipment for our shoots. If anything, we're the ones scoring big."

"Scoring... big?" Su Bai was a little confused by their reasoning.

Well, since they seemed happy, Su Bai decided to keep going. After all, he had plenty of energy, and since he’d already come all the way to the comic convention, he might as well enjoy himself to the fullest.

To show his appreciation, Su Bai treated them to bubble tea.

He ordered plenty—so much that when the drinks arrived, everyone ended up with two cups each...

"The junior is so generous! And polite too, way better than a certain photographer we know."

"Come on, there’s no comparison—they’re not even on the same level... Oh, by the way, did he confirm if he’s joining the anime club?"

Sipping their drinks, the group suddenly realized they’d been so focused on teaching Su Bai photography that they’d forgotten their main objective for the day.

All eyes turned to Senior Xiaoxiong.

Her expression faltered as she smacked her forehead. "Oh no... I forgot to ask. But he seemed to be having fun, so... it should be fine, right?"

"That’s hard to say. We’ll have to confirm with him later."

In reality, Su Bai hadn’t forgotten about joining the anime club.

He’d even considered sponsoring them.

As a fellow otaku on par with Wang Haoran (though not as overt about it), Su Bai genuinely enjoyed hanging out with the anime club members.

The girls were enthusiastic, and the guys in the club were all great conversationalists.

Before, Su Bai had been debating which club to join, but now, the anime club seemed like the obvious choice.

Plus, he’d heard that the anime club had advantages when it came to event applications and securing venues—after all, it was one of Jiangcheng University’s oldest student organizations.

Still, he didn’t bring it up with the most eager seniors.

Their enthusiasm was one thing, but how Su Bai responded was another.

He’d always believed that when people wanted something from you, it was best not to agree immediately—instead, remain neutral, neither overly eager nor dismissive.

Stick to your own principles.

This attitude mirrored how he treated his female admirers.

If someone treated him well and he found them agreeable, he’d reciprocate the kindness.

But expecting Su Bai to become infatuated or even act like a simp for any woman? Impossible.

In fact, even among wealthy men, there were plenty of cases where they ended up simping for a particular woman.

Human nature was complicated.

Once he’d had his fill at the anime club’s booth, Su Bai wandered off with his camera to explore the rest of the convention, snapping photos of other COSers who caught his interest.

"The seniors were only so patient because they wanted something from me. I wonder if random COSers will approach me too."

Su Bai wasn’t entirely sure. After all, the otaku community could be eccentric, and in his experience, money wasn’t the only factor.

If this were a luxury boutique, Su Bai would have been 100% confident that sales associates would fawn over him—his outfit and the refined air of wealth he’d developed lately made that a given.

But reality turned out to be completely unexpected.

Nearly every COSer he passed by actively sought him out for photos.

A significant number of girls even asked for his WeChat.

(Though there were guys too... but Su Bai definitely didn’t add them. He wasn’t into that sort of thing.)

For lunch, he settled on a nearby Western restaurant.

Not because he particularly liked Western food, but because the more affordable, popular eateries around the convention center were packed.

This overpriced high-end restaurant, however, was clearly not most people’s first choice.

Su Bai checked and found it nearly empty.

Just as he was about to book a private room to dine with Yusheng and the Wan sisters, the system suddenly pinged him.

[Ding! Detected that the host wishes to join Jiangcheng University’s anime club for fun. To ensure the host enjoys himself to the fullest, the anime club has now been added to the cashback program! Any theoretically reasonable expenses related to the anime club will receive 2x–10x cashback!]

Well, well, the system really didn’t want him to half-ass his club activities, huh?

Not that Su Bai needed the extra money—his cashback channels were already plentiful. Between buying luxury goods for his seniors and injecting funds into Yusheng’s company, he had steady income streams.

For most wealthy people, these would be surefire ways to burn through cash.

But for Su Bai? They were just monthly opportunities to milk the system for all it was worth.

Still, getting cashback from the anime club was a pleasant surprise.

As Su Bai was quietly celebrating, the system pinged again:

[Ding! Detected that the host is now managing two organizations (Shengxi Tech and Jiangcheng University Anime Club). New feature unlocked!]

[Improving the reputation of organizations under the host’s management will grant additional lottery draws!]

Su Bai’s eyes lit up. Lottery draws? Now that was a good thing.

Hmm, so the system wanted him to stay motivated—enjoy life, but also achieve something worthwhile.

That wasn’t too hard. Shengxi Tech already had a team of experienced veterans and Chen Yusheng, a rising star.

As for the anime club? Even simpler. With enough funding, bored college students would naturally come up with creative ways to boost its reputation...

What amused Su Bai the most was that the anime club was now considered "his" organization.

Was it because the core COSers in the club all had a soft spot for him?

...Yeah.

For someone like Su Bai—tall, rich, and handsome—winning people over was child’s play.

Especially when it came to women.

Generally, it wasn’t easy for a new freshman to gain influence in a student club.

Established cliques made it hard to break in and take charge... unless, of course, you were Su Bai.

Jiangcheng University’s anime club revolved around a few semi-famous COSers, and naturally, they adored Su Bai.

Plus, Su Bai had money. And as any otaku knew, while anime could be a frugal hobby, it could also be a massive money sink—merch, cosplay outfits, niche games, light novels...

In short, Su Bai had come to the right place.