That evening, Harrison Hall, Room 510.
Evan and Tyler returned to the dorm after class.
"Holy crap, Ryan, why are you still playing Genshin? I've seen you on it since this morning," Tyler exclaimed.
"Oh, I picked up a boosting gig," Ryan said casually.
Since Arden told him to keep it low-key, he definitely wouldn't advertise Arden's wealth.
"Oh, I see. Boosting's good—work-study. It's actually great trying part-time jobs during college. You can experience society's hardships early."
Tyler inexplicably started putting on airs, as if he really had extensive life experience. "These days, money's hard to earn. We top-tier university students all think we're heaven's chosen, but after graduation, we find even highly educated people's salaries are just so-so, nowhere near passive income from assets..."
"Indeed, not as good as your four rental properties as a local," Evan suddenly said sarcastically.
"You bastard..."
Evan pouted. "Actually, truly quality women, when choosing partners, don't just consider a guy's assets—his personal ability matters too. If he only has family wealth but is utterly useless himself, hot girls will still look down on him."
"Heh, anyway I'm not single anymore, unlike certain people with such high standards," Tyler retorted. "Evan's talking about naive college girls with zero life experience and unrealistic expectations. Once they truly enter society, who cares about your career advancement? Think working hard for promotions and raises earns more than collecting rent?"
"On the contrary, the more girls experience real life..."
"..."
Similar debates happened almost daily in Room 510.
Evan versus Tyler, a daily love-hate relationship.
So passionate—more intense than any anime rivalry.
Ryan was already used to it, treating it like a comedy show, his boosting work uninterrupted.
Seriously, playing a character with max constellation and signature weapon was so satisfying.
The two rich guys got tired of debating and rested their mouths briefly, then suddenly heard hearty laughter from Arden's side.
They looked up to see Arden lying lazily on his bed, legs crossed, laughing like an idiot at his phone.
Tyler asked, "What're you watching that's so funny?"
"Nothing, just some funny videos on YouTube."
"Holy crap, wait—Arden, when did you change phones?"
The two had been engrossed in their debate earlier and hadn't noticed.
Only then did they realize something was off.
Arden originally used a cheap Android, but now he'd suddenly switched to an iPhone.
Evan leaned in for a look and said in surprise, "It's even the latest Pro Max."
"That's gotta be almost two grand. Given Arden's family situation, using such a nice phone must be stretching it, right?" Tyler's words were instantly outrageous.
"Yeah, but I recently came into some money—just enough to treat myself."
Arden casually explained, then continued looking at his phone, too lazy to engage further.
Arden was already accustomed to Tyler's outrageous remarks and felt zero emotional response.
After all, would you care what a random monkey on the street thought of you?
So Arden didn't care about Tyler's opinions either.
Tyler, however, continued rambling, showing off his knowledge—saying iPhones were inferior to android brands.
Meanwhile, Evan was a die-hard Apple fanboy.
The two then began a new round of debate.
They quickly forgot about Arden changing phones.
These days, it was normal for kids from modest families to save up for an iPhone.
Getting an iPhone couldn't change the fact that Arden was broke.
As for Arden, he continued chatting with Imogen.
Just now, Imogen had shared a funny video with him on Instagram, and after watching, Arden had vented his urge to roast it with her.
They naturally started chatting, and the conversation flowed smoothly.
For people with aligned interests, starting conversations was always effortless.
If he were usually bored to death, Arden might join the "Gatsby vs. Local Boy" battle, playing straight man to amuse them.
But now he was busy chatting with Imogen.
Honestly, Arden had always held very negative views on "chatting with girls."
Many guys, driven by thirst, actively approached girls, catering to their preferences and discussing topics they were interested in.
From dates to setups, most occasions were like this.
But had they ever considered whether they fundamentally enjoyed the process of interacting with girls?
Finding topics, managing emotions, setting the pace—all required by the guy.
Most of the time, girls stood in the position of judges, scoring boys' awkward, clumsy performances.
If it was an experienced girl, she might even let out a disdainful scoff while scoring.
Look at that clown, acting just like a dog!
Take blind dates as an example.
What did they even discuss? Family background, exes, celebrity gossip—the classic female blind date trinity.
Unless desperately simping, what guy actually cared about this stuff...
Couldn't girls actively chat with guys about GPUs, games, basketball, web novels, or indie bands?
I'm so angry I'm shaking. What did guys do wrong? Can this world ever be fair to men?
So Arden generally couldn't be bothered chatting with girls.
Shooting the breeze with Ryan was better.
Even watching "Gatsby vs. Local Boy" was more interesting than flirting.
Imogen broke Arden's preconceptions.
The two quickly entered a state of spiritual fusion, as if they were long-lost friends finally reunited.
This made Arden sigh—actually, Tyler that clown was right in a sense.
Money was core equipment for contemporary men.
If he hadn't been bound to the Indulgence System, Arden wouldn't have spent $1,800 on monthly companion services, wouldn't have been able to reveal Imogen's hidden side, let alone develop this subtle connection.
Quick, say thank you, System bro!
Arden was immersed in chatting, and when he looked up, he realized it was already dark.
His stomach rumbled.
Time to eat!
Anyway, eating didn't interrupt chatting.
The four from 510 went to eat together.
Actually, Arden only wanted to invite Ryan, but Tyler and Evan habitually tagged along.
Maybe their rich-guy wars also needed an audience. Arden and Ryan were excellent audience members—they looked poor at a glance, had good temperaments, didn't lose composure, top-tier audience material.
At the dining hall entrance, they ran into two attractive figures.
Imogen Blake and Chloe Parker.
The former was a renowned beauty and academic genius, while the latter was also a delicate, pretty girl.
The two walking side by side attracted countless gazes from passersby.
"Chloe! What a coincidence—you're getting dinner too."
Tyler forced what he thought was a gentle smile, his profile even showing wrinkles. Who knew if there'd been some malfunction when his unlucky mother gave birth to him, but he already had wrinkles despite barely being an adult. Evan privately called him a "Shar Pei mutt."
"Mm, we just got out of class."
"Yeah, we just finished too, hehe."
Tyler chuckled foolishly and scratched his head.
He always got nervous around girls.
Especially when it wasn't just his girlfriend Chloe, but also Imogen.
Tyler knew in his heart that Chloe was nothing compared to Imogen.
But this girl had such a cold demeanor and was exceptionally brilliant academically, always looking at others like they were trash (actually no malice, just resting bitch face...). Tyler felt he had zero chance pursuing her.
Tyler couldn't help glancing at Imogen. She was truly beautiful, like a secluded lotus in a deep valley.
If his family didn't own four properties locally but eight, maybe Tyler would have the courage to try.
But reality was cold—he could only admire from afar.
Chloe maintained a polite smile, but internally her eyes were rolling to the heavens.
Of course she noticed Tyler's gaze. Tyler awkwardly peeked at Imogen as if worshiping a deity.
This philandering scumbag—men really were all trash!
Whatever. I refuse to still be single as a sophomore. If I don't find a boyfriend soon, I feel like my college experience will be wasted.
Though Tyler wasn't great, he was willing to spend money on Chloe. She was quite satisfied with that aspect.
However, for her to genuinely feel physical attraction to Tyler? Hiss—absolutely impossible!
Speaking of physical attraction...
Chloe couldn't help secretly glancing at Arden.
So handsome.
Assuming Arden had Tyler's family background, Chloe felt she probably would've been unable to resist hooking up with him right after orientation.
Unfortunately, he was poor, and dating a hot broke guy had no future.
But occasionally eye candy was acceptable.
While Arden was absorbed in his phone, Chloe snuck several more glances. His tall, upright figure made Chloe's breathing quicken, and a faint blush appeared on her cheeks.
Seeing this, Tyler's face immediately turned green, and he said, "Well, we'll head in to eat first."
"Ah, um, we're eating too."