Chapter 8: I'm Definitely Making You My Friend!

After browsing through the terms of the bet, Tang Song pondered for a moment and quickly grasped the rules of the game.

[Zhao Yaqian] likely referred to Qianqian, the beautician currently trimming his eyebrows.

If he treated "the progress of the relationship between him and Zhao Yaqian" as a project, then the "betting stake" was the investment.

The entire project had three phased goals.

When they became WeChat friends, this investment would inflate to 1.5 times its value.

When they became true friends, this investment would inflate to 3 times its value.

When he gained Zhao Yaqian’s affection, this investment would inflate to 6 times its value.

Once inflated, the investment could be withdrawn and cashed out.

It was very similar to investment agreements in the real-world financial market, though the withdrawal process was much simpler.

He entered the [Personal Center] to check his asset information.

[Balance: 51,020.80 Yuan]

If he invested 50,000 yuan, he could cash out 300,000 yuan if he managed to gain her affection within a month.

For him right now, that was a massive sum of money. His charm value would certainly increase as well; it was hard not to be tempted.

Thinking of this, Tang Song opened his eyes slightly.

Right before him was a pair of slender hands, the nails rounded and even, with no calluses or dead skin—very beautiful.

Through the clean vanity mirror, he could see Zhao Yaqian working diligently.

She was around 20 years old, full of vitality, dressed in clean and neat attire, with a tall, graceful figure and her hair tied back in a black hairnet.

In terms of appearance, she was an outstanding girl.

If this were the Tang Song from a week ago, he wouldn't have had the courage to approach her at all.

At most, he would have sheepishly asked for her WeChat, then slowly tried to become friends through sincerity and warmth.

As for a romantic entanglement? That would have been impossible.

But now, he was becoming better and better, his life was about to take off, and he was full of ambition.

Without much hesitation, he used his consciousness to input 50,000.00 yuan into the [Please enter betting amount: ____] field.

"Ding! Betting agreement signed. Event in progress."

Immediately after, the phone in Tang Song’s pocket vibrated.

He checked his asset information again.

[Balance: 1,020.80 Yuan]

For a moment, Tang Song felt a hollow sensation in his chest, along with a bit of panic.

He had been working in the Imperial Capital for over two years; the money he earned at the start had all gone toward paying off his family's debts. These 40,000-plus yuan were savings he had scraped together with great difficulty.

He was genuinely afraid the system might run off with his money.

"Brother, I've finished the rough work. Do you have any specific requirements for your eyebrow shape?" Zhao Yaqian stopped what she was doing.

Tang Song looked at his now very well-groomed eyebrows and felt they looked very nice. He smiled and said, "I don't really know much about this. Why don't you just do what you think is best? As long as it looks good."

"Alrighty, then I'll trim them into a standard men's eyebrow shape based on your face structure."

Zhao Yaqian picked up the small scissors and began to work, though a look of hesitation crossed her face.

If it were Sister Li, who was training her, she would be chatting with the customer non-stop right now.

Starting from work and life, building a rapport, and then step-by-step guiding him to open a membership card.

But Zhao Yaqian was not good with words; she couldn't get those scripts out, which was the reason her interviews never went well.

Just as she was frantically trying to build up her mental resolve, Tang Song suddenly asked, "Miss, I want to improve my skin. Where do you think I should start?"

Hearing him take the initiative to talk about skincare, Zhao Yaqian was so excited she almost cried out, and her expression immediately became lively.

She said earnestly, "First, naturally, is cleansing. You have a typical oily complexion—active sebaceous glands and thick cuticles, which easily lead to dull skin tone and clogged pores..."

"Do you have any recommendations?"

"You can use an amino acid-based APG facial cleanser. You can get a tube online for a few dozen yuan, and it lasts a long time!"

"Got it, I've noted that down. Besides cleansing, what else should I pay attention to?"

"Hydration!" Zhao Yaqian reached out and touched Tang Song's face. "I suggest you choose a toner that has soothing properties for acne and regulates water-oil balance. The slightly more expensive ones can provide secondary cleansing and regulate the skin's pH level..."

Feeling the warm, soft touch on his cheek, Tang Song’s eyelashes fluttered.

They chatted back and forth like this for a while.

Zhao Yaqian suddenly realized that she was supposed to be promoting the salon's services, not showing off her knowledge or giving advice!

She gave an awkward laugh, abruptly changed the subject, and said embarrassedly, "Um, we provide professional skincare services here. You can see results in just one course of treatment. If you're interested, you can take a look. We have a special promotion for opening a card right now that's really worth it."

"How about we add each other on WeChat? You can send the promotion details to me," Tang Song said, seizing the opportunity to bring up his main goal.

"Sure! I'll scan you in a moment." Zhao Yaqian finally breathed a sigh of relief. She wiped his brow with a damp cotton pad and said with a smile, "All done! How does it look?"

Tang Song opened his eyes. His previously messy, unruly eyebrows had been transformed.

The thickness was just right, the inner corners were slightly tapered, the tails were subtly adjusted upward, and the arch was perfectly defined.

The attractiveness of his entire eye area had improved by a notch.

He also looked much more energetic.

"Very satisfied!" Tang Song praised her sincerely and successfully added Zhao Yaqian on WeChat.

"Ding! [Betting Agreement] Condition 1 met! Current betting stake inflated to 75,000.00 yuan."

The system notification arrived right on cue, and Tang Song felt his own spirits inflate along with it.

In less than half an hour, he had made a net profit of 25,000!

Game items were truly terrifying!

He looked at Zhao Yaqian with even more fervor; she was a little treasure vault that could "burst" gold coins.

After paying 367 yuan at the register and chatting with Zhao Yaqian for a few more moments, Tang Song left the salon and headed straight for the shoe section of the mall.

Cutting through the Gordian knot, he spent 399 yuan on a pair of light-colored Converse canvas shoes.

His balance instantly shrank to 254.8 yuan.

Thinking about the long road ahead for the betting agreement with Zhao Yaqian, he knew he would have to spend more during this time.

Tang Song opened Alipay and checked his "Jiebei" credit limit: 20,000 yuan.

Without a second thought, he withdrew it.

At critical moments, one still had to rely on Old Ma for support!

He reopened the [Personal Information] interface.

[Balance: 20,254.80 Yuan] (Loan: 20,000 Yuan)

The word "Loan" was highlighted in red, clearly a reminder that funds increased through this method would not count toward his charm score.

...

Back in his rented apartment at Qingxin Garden, Tang Song stood in front of the full-length mirror and examined himself carefully.

His weight had dropped to 84 kilograms, he had abundant energy, decent attire, and a fluffy hairstyle.

He looked much better than he had a week ago.

The only regret was that his face was still in terrible shape.

Aside from being fat, the biggest problem was his skin.

In fact, the thing that affected a person's attractiveness the most was their skin.

Having clean, delicate skin was equivalent to having a beauty filter turned on in the real world, which could cover up many flaws.

Perhaps this was the important reason why the [Betting Agreement] had selected the beautician Zhao Yaqian.

Everyone's skin type was different, and as skin problems improved, skincare methods needed to be changed periodically.

It was hard to master this quickly through self-study; it required a vast accumulation of experience.

With a beautician friend like her, his path to transformation and a comeback would definitely be much smoother.

"Ding-dong—" The WeChat notification sounded.

[Zhao Yaqian: Promotional Poster.jpg]

[Zhao Yaqian: "I've sent you the promotion details. If you have any questions, feel free to contact me (#smiley face)"]

He clicked on the promotional poster to take a look.

[Deposit 1,998 yuan to open a card and enjoy 20% off all services, plus 3 complimentary basic facial treatments, 1 VIP treatment, and your choice of a designated product worth 998 yuan.]

Tang Song didn't hesitate and transferred 2,000 yuan immediately.

He left a message: "Help me open a card. I'll come to the shop to pick it up when I have time."

I've definitely made a friend in you!