Ryan Ling stared at the message, his eyes going wide. The shoes in front of him looked seriously stylish—not flashy, but exquisitely crafted, radiating a unique charm from inside out.
Normally, Ryan didn’t care about this kind of stuff, but suddenly remembered he had to go to that fancy ball tomorrow. Sophie Su had told him at least three times before leaving: don’t forget to be her dance partner.
Ryan had agreed, but with his trash dancing skills, he’d probably just embarrass himself. He hadn’t planned to actually dance—just wanted to keep other guys from getting close to her. Of course, he knew that would be kinda rude and boring.
But now things were different. With these Supreme Dance-King Shoes in hand, he wasn’t nervous anymore. He wanted to try them on right away, but it was already late—and seeing Frank Qin sleeping so soundly, he didn’t want to bother him.
After stashing the Supreme Dance-King Shoes, Ryan started browsing the newly upgraded Special Item Store. There were way more goods than before, but prices were up too. With just a few thousand Merit Points, he could barely afford a basic item—thinking about that 95,000-point loss still made his heart ache.
Still, as he scrolled, luck struck—he suddenly spotted a joint promo: the Rain God Token and the Snow God Token, both up for grabs. Normally, each token was a one-time use and cost 5,000 Merit Points, but now the bundle was just 5,000—half price, seriously worth it.
Ryan thought of the ten-thousand-mu medicinal-herb base in Harbor City. Those fields weren’t just the Su Group’s main supply—they were the lifeblood for over a thousand farmers, and the backbone of the whole city’s ag economy.
Sophie’s words last time were crystal clear—she didn’t care about money. Even if the Su Group lost money for ten years, they’d still be way better off than regular folks. But if this year’s crop died, those farmers would be totally screwed.
So whether it was to help the Su Group or just do some good and rack up karma, he had to buy those tokens. The description was clear: Rain God Token meant three days of rain, Snow God Token meant one day of snow. Three days of rain would end the drought; one day of snow would break the city’s heat wave.
Ryan didn’t hesitate—he just slapped down his Merit Points and bought the bundle.
Buying stuff felt awesome, but after blowing all his Merit Points, Ryan Ling was totally cleaned out—flat broke, not a dime left. Even if he spotted something epic, he couldn't buy squat.
But just as he was about to bail, the store suddenly flashed a massive message: Attention, dear customers! Personal shop feature launching soon! Free registration today—now you can not only buy stuff, but open your own shop! We're short on rare curiosities—maybe you’ll score big selling them. Don’t miss out, register now!
Open a shop and sell stuff? Ryan blinked, but quickly realized this might be his ticket out.
This Special Item Store had all kinds of wild stuff, but not a single human-world gadget. For the supernatural crowd who’d never touched high-tech, those things would be total treasures—maybe this was his big break.
No clue if this would work, but registration was free today and didn’t cost a cent. Ryan didn’t even hesitate—a quick thought and he dashed to sign up.
Finally, he had his own little shop—time to run it right. In just a few minutes, hundreds of personal shops had popped up.
Maybe his luck was finally turning. Ryan grinned and exited the Special Item Store.
...
After an epic night's sleep, Ryan was blasted awake by a wave of heat. The power grid had finally crashed—repair crews all over were scrambling to fix it.
Ryan wiped the sweat off his forehead—who knew it’d be this hot at dawn? Frank Qin was nowhere to be seen; turns out the heat-stricken red-furred zombie was soaking in the tub. His corpse body ran cold, but even he couldn’t handle this heat. Even submerged, Frank’s face was flushed and steaming.
Ryan was speechless. Maybe he should just call Jason Lin or Sophie Su and crash at their place, or heck, buy Frank Qin a giant freezer and stuff him in it.
Staring at the blazing sun outside, Ryan couldn’t believe Harbor City’s summer was this savage. He fingered the Rain God Token and Snow God Token, thinking maybe he should cool things down right away.
Just as he was hesitating, Sophie Su called. Ryan rushed to pick up.
"Ryan, I’m downstairs! Hurry up, we need to get ready for today!"
This early? Ryan blinked, then looked out the window—sure enough, a black RV was parked outside. Sophie wore sunglasses, a baseball cap, and tight sportswear, striking a stylish pose by the curb. Sure, there’s a ball tonight, but do we really need to prep at dawn?
"Exactly! The Su Group took a beating this year—people look down on us now. Tonight’s ball is my chance to win back some respect and show everyone what a real Su Group chairwoman looks like!" Sophie clenched her fist. Ryan knew her dancing was top-tier at Harbor City High—her solos could mesmerize anyone.
He glanced at his Supreme Dance-King Shoes—might as well clear this ball hurdle first. With a girlfriend who danced like a pro, he couldn’t drag her down. Only a dazzling couple dance that blew everyone away would do.
"Alright, I’m coming down!" Ryan agreed instantly. Plus, that massive RV definitely had killer air conditioning—way better than roasting in his room.
The moment Frank Qin heard about the RV’s super-powered AC, he leaped out of the tub and dashed for the door, not hesitating for a second.
Dude, chill out! At least put some clothes on! Ryan yelled, totally speechless.
Soon enough, master and zombie both threw on big shorts and dashed downstairs. Sophie nearly burst out laughing—if they showed up to the ball dressed like this, the whole crowd would die laughing.
"Alright, guess I’ll have to dress you guys up myself!" Sophie seemed to have seen this coming. She hopped in the RV, snapped her fingers, and the car roared off toward Harbor City’s fanciest mall.
...
The day’s oppressive heat faded quickly, and night fell. Harbor City’s busiest nightlife strip, East Lake Promenade, was packed—cooler and more scenic than anywhere else.
At the southeast corner by East Lake, a lavish private club was mobbed—luxury cars rolling in one after another, everyone watching. This was obviously a top tycoon gathering; regular folks didn’t stand a chance of getting in.
Families came in droves, with sons and daughters dressed to the nines, all eager to make a splash at the ball.
"Oh my god, I just saw Young Master Drake in the dressing room—his outfit was killer! Not only is he handsome, his aura is totally unmatched!"
"Haha, he’s the Asian dance king and Azure Dragon Society’s star—of course he’s hot and stylish! I wonder who’ll be his partner tonight. I really hope he picks me; last night I even dreamed we toasted together!"
"Keep dreaming! If Drake picks anyone, it’ll be me. I’ve been training with a top coach for three months—my dancing is totally worthy of him!"
"Ha! Keep dreaming. With that barrel waist of yours, if Drake danced with you he’d be crushed in a second!"
Hahahaha!
Nearby, a bunch of socialite ladies gossiped away, laughing without a care. Ryan just shook his head.
Just then, someone suddenly shrieked: "Young Master Drake is here!"
A suave guy in a tailcoat strode out, radiating confidence. Behind him marched at least a dozen suited men, their presence almost suffocating.
And right then, Young Master Drake actually walked straight toward Sophie Su...