The delivery guy was fuming. He had been hung up on by the customer three times.
If it weren't for the fact that this was a villa and he was hoping for a decent tip, he would've reported it to the platform already.
He waited at the gate for a whole hour before the customer finally showed up to collect the food.
Staring at the rich guy who wasn't much more handsome than himself, the delivery man felt both sour and annoyed.
Fortunately, James handed him a 200-yuan tip, and his sour expression instantly turned into a wide grin.
James brought the breakfast to the table and sat down to eat with Tailsa, who was now wearing a fresh, new dress.
After the meal, James told her he had to go to work.
Reluctantly, Tailsa hinted at her desire to come along, asking softly if she could join him at the office.
James gently refused, explaining that he needed to meet with clients and couldn't bring her.
Understanding, Tailsa let him go, though she pretended to look pitiful and asked,
"If I miss you, can I message you?"
"Of course you can. Why wouldn't you?" James replied matter-of-factly.
"I just don't want to disturb your work," Tailsa said coquettishly.
"Heh, checking WhatsApp takes no time at all. Don't overthink it," James reassured her.
Before leaving, James instructed Winnie Morgan to take good care of Tailsa.
Winnie Morgan smiled and said,
"Don't worry, Mr. King. I'll make sure Mrs. Qin is satisfied."
Hearing "Mrs. Qin," Tailsa was overjoyed on the inside but acted shy on the outside, saying,
"Ms. Morgan, we're not married yet!"
"That's just a matter of time. Mr. King has such deep feelings for you. Why, some of the flowers used to decorate the villa yesterday were personally arranged by him..."
Tailsa was delighted by Winnie Morgan's words, her gaze toward James growing even sweeter.
James, for his part, was equally pleased with Morgan. She knew about Amanda and his other women yet was still able to spin stories to placate Tailsa.
A woman earning a million a year clearly had some skills.
Confidently leaving Tailsa in her care, James got into Jay Johnson's car and headed to Amanda's place.
On the way, he received a WhatsApp message from Tailsa.
Her enthusiasm was truly hard to resist, as though she couldn't bear to be apart from him for even a minute.
She mentioned wanting to install a swing in the yard.
James replied, "Agree."
She said she wanted to get a dog and asked if he could come with her to pick one out.
James replied, "Sure."
Then she talked about planting trees, building a pond, buying lounge chairs, and setting up a vegetable garden...
James responded to each request one by one.
"Honey, do you find me annoying?" she asked.
"No," he replied.
"Then why do you always reply with just two words?"
"Because I'm imagining our happy future together," James texted back.
"Hmph, you're just trying to make me happy."
"I mean it."
In truth, James was somewhat drawn to the idyllic villa life Tailsa described.
But now wasn't the time.
With the system in his hands, he felt he needed to spend a few years exploring the world and enjoying life's pleasures before settling down.
If Tailsa was willing to wait, he'd figure out a way to fulfill his promises.
After all, she was his first woman.
In James's heart, she held a special place.
Arriving at Amanda's gated community, James stepped out of the car.
He noticed a stunning girl standing by the roadside, staring straight at him.
James searched his memory, and his enhanced brain quickly recalled who she was:
Sofie Barnes, charm score 91.
She was the jogger he had encountered outside Amanda's house before. If he remembered correctly, she was also a yoga livestreamer.
James smiled politely at her and prepared to head inside to meet Amanda.
He wanted to move forward with Amanda as soon as possible.
But before he could leave, Sofie walked straight up to him and struck up a conversation.
"Hey, handsome! You look so familiar. Have we met before?"
"We have. You helped me find a crab roe bun shop," James reminded her.
"Wow, what a coincidence! Can I get your WhatsApp?"
Sofie Barnes eagerly opened her QR code, grinning as she held it up.
"I'm Sofie Barnes. I study dance and do some livestreaming on the side," she said with a bright smile.
The girl was undeniably pretty. Her face was small and delicate, with refined features, cherry-red lips, and sparkling white teeth.
Her dimples added a layer of sweetness to her charm.
James remembered that the last time he had encountered this yoga influencer, she hadn't been nearly this enthusiastic.
He smiled and scanned her QR code.
Now that he was a man with "iron kidneys," he wasn't about to reject what was being offered to him.
Sofie Barnes, seeing she had successfully added the owner of a Rolls-Royce to her contacts, flashed a smug smile.
Young, handsome, and wealthyâthis man was a bona fide diamond bachelor.
Far better than any of the "fish" in her pond.
She began plotting how to reel James in.
"Handsome, can you tell me your name so I can save your contact?"
"My name is James. You can call me James King," he replied politely.
The reason he kept some distance was because this girl was too bold.
The last time he'd checked, her "relationship history" count was at 8.
Now, in just a few days, it had risen to 9.
Clearly, she wasn't the kind of girl who'd play hard to get.
"James King sounds so formal. You're so youngâI'll just call you Big Bro James. And you can call me Sofie," she said with a playful grin.
"Why not Yingying?" James joked, though he immediately realized why. The name sounded too much like "yingyingying" (babyish whining).
"Hehe, because my livestream channel is called Sofie's Thoughtful Corner," she replied.
"Alright, let me know when you're streaming. I'll come and support you," James said.
He was curious about her potential system reward but didn't want to seem like he was paying for it outright. That would feel too much like a transaction.
"Wow, thank you, Big Bro James!" Sofie chirped.
As she fiddled with her phone, she kept stealing glances at James. Finally, she asked,
"What do you do for a living, Big Bro James?"
"I used to work in investments. Now I'm planning to get into the entertainment industryâstarting a talent agency or something," James said casually.
"Like a company that trains new talents to debut?" Sofie asked, surprised.
"Yes. We'll scout for attractive newcomers, invest heavily in their training, and have them become idol trainees. From there, we'll pick the most talented and hardworking ones and design billion-dollar movie projects around them..."
James roughly described the plan in his head.
The entertainment industry, when you boiled it down, was just a game of capital.
Nowadays, everythingâfanbases, online buzz, and even internet trollsâcould be bought.
With enough advertising, even an actor with the personality of a zombie could become a superstar.
And James had no shortage of money.
"Wow, that's incredible, Big Bro James!"
Sofie's eyes sparkled with excitement.
"Do you think I could become an artist?" she asked eagerly.
She twirled around in front of James, spreading her arms to show off her fit figure.
James glanced at her.
She was undeniably attractiveâyoung, vibrant, and dressed in tight-fitting clothes paired with an ultra-short pleated skirt.
Her spins were full of youthful energy, and she looked especially radiant.
"Not bad," James said with a small smile.
Sofie's eyes lit up. "Does that mean I could join your company?"
"We'll see. If you're interested, I can arrange an audition," James replied.
Any beauty with a charm score above 90 could join his company. The cost of maintaining them was low, and even if they couldn't make money, it wouldn't hurt to have them around the office.
But since the company hadn't officially launched yet, James didn't want to overpromise.
"Really?" Sofie exclaimed in delight.
"That's amazing! I graduated from an art school. I wasn't a performance major, but I'm willing to work hard and learn!"
Most girls harbored dreams of becoming a star.
At this moment, Sofie looked at James with hope and admiration.
Even though the billions he mentioned sounded like bragging, a man who could afford a Rolls-Royce didn't need to exaggerate for people to believe him.
Just as their conversation was heating up, a Maserati pulled up beside them.