Some time ago, at the campus dining hall.
"Scarlet, over here!"
Chloe Parker, who'd already secured a table, waved to get Scarlet Hayes's attention.
Scarlet's graceful figure walking elegantly attracted countless stares.
Chloe couldn't help feeling a twinge of envy. God, if only she were as beautiful as Scarlet, there'd be so many quality guys surrounding her.
She could take her time choosing, finding her ideal man before graduation.
Unlike now—she'd met so many guys her freshman year, but they were all duds, either too broke or too ugly to stomach.
Well, Tyler wasn't exactly easy to stomach either.
But she could at least hold her nose and make it work for now.
Mainly because there wasn't a better option at the moment.
Chloe believed a girl's youth was short, and it was best to enjoy it while keeping an eye out for better prospects—that was the optimal strategy.
Tyler was the temporary stepping stone she'd chosen.
However, Scarlet didn't seem to want even a stepping stone.
She said from start to finish, she'd never met anyone she truly liked.
Man, as expected, total knockouts always had impossibly high standards.
Just as Chloe was sighing, Scarlet gradually approached.
Only then did Chloe notice the bag on her back.
It was colorful, vibrant but not gaudy, instead possessing this unique artistic flair.
It perfectly matched Scarlet's lively and enthusiastic vibe.
"Wow, Scarlet, is that a new bag? It's gorgeous!"
"Mm-hmm." Hearing this, Scarlet became shy. "My boyfriend gave it to me."
"??"
Chloe's eyes widened in complete shock.
Wait, what.
She'd literally just been thinking about how Scarlet wasn't dating, and now she was immediately told Scarlet had a boyfriend?
Sure enough, what her family elders said was true—Bayside City had weird energy.
"No way, seriously? Scarlet, when did you get a boyfriend? This feels so sudden."
"Oh, I think it's pretty sudden too... Let's sit down first. I'll grab our food and we can talk while we eat. I'll report everything!"
"Mm-hmm, okay, I'm waiting for the full debrief!"
Chloe nodded obediently, sat down, her face full of gossip anticipation.
What kind of exceptional man could capture Scarlet's attention and progress to boyfriend-girlfriend status so quickly?
Soon, Scarlet returned with a plate of vegetables.
She didn't even get rice.
She'd eaten way too much seafood with Arden at lunch, so she'd just have something light for dinner, otherwise she'd gain weight.
Though she'd always been proud of her voluptuous figure, she couldn't get bloated—the places that needed to stay slim had to stay slim.
"Scarlet, let me ask first—this boyfriend you found, he's gotta be loaded, right?"
The first question Chloe asked was totally consistent with her personality.
When she and Scarlet had those late-night dorm talks, she'd repeatedly mentioned that she'd definitely find a rich boyfriend in the future.
In her view, financial strength was a man's core value—as long as he had enough money, she could tolerate pretty much anything else like looks, personality, or education level.
"Mm..." Scarlet nodded shyly. Admitting it like this seemed a bit materialistic, but since she'd already come back with this Murakami Takashi collaboration bag, she was kind of planning to show off anyway.
"I knew it! This bag of yours is LV, and it looks expensive. I remember seeing it somewhere, wait, let me find it..."
Chloe fiddled with her phone.
Suddenly she trembled violently, covering her mouth to stifle a scream.
"Oh my GOD, Scarlet, this one of yours—it couldn't be that, that super expensive collab, it's already discontinued, and the resale price exceeds twenty thousand... Holy crap, this is my first time seeing such an expensive bag in real life!"
"Chloe, you're too hyped, don't scare the other students."
Scarlet had this "basic operation, no need to be shocked" expression, secretly thrilled at showing off, and said casually:
"He is pretty well-off financially. We made things official today, and he said he wanted to buy it for me. I actually didn't want it, but he said carrying this bag would naturally scare away other guys trying to hit on me... Hehe."
"Dude, that actually makes total sense!"
As someone who dreamed of marrying rich, Chloe quickly understood Scarlet's meaning.
A bag at this price point had a use value that completely mismatched its cost—it was purely a rich person's flex.
But Scarlet's spending habits had always been those of a regular girl. Suddenly carrying a hundred-sixty-thousand-dollar bag—in everyone's eyes, that definitely meant she had an ultra-wealthy boyfriend.
"But, Scarlet, won't being this obvious make malicious people talk trash about you? Like, say you found some old sugar daddy..."
Chloe's concern actually aligned pretty well with general public opinion.
In today's world, it was increasingly hard for young people to make it big.
There were trust fund kids, sure, but they were limited in number.
And they generally weren't that extravagant with spending.
In most people's minds, those who sponsored college girls were more often balding, pot-bellied middle-aged or even elderly local business owners.
Scarlet smiled easily and freely. "No worries, hehe. Let them be jealous—I'll just enjoy my life."
Chloe suddenly understood something and got even more excited. "Scarlet, from what you're saying, your boyfriend must have amazing qualities in other areas too?"
"Mm. He's... yeah, he's really handsome."
Scarlet spoke somewhat conservatively.
She was afraid of giving Chloe a literal heart attack right there in the dining hall.
Just kidding—Chloe was her only real friend at school. If she had a heart attack, Scarlet would be devastated.
Only after Chloe's emotions had calmed a bit did Scarlet continue: "And he's younger than me."
"!!!"
This time Chloe was genuinely shook.
After finding out the bag's price, she'd already preemptively assumed Scarlet's boyfriend would at least be some socialite in his late twenties, almost thirty.
Most likely thirties or forties.
A single purchase of a hundred sixty grand indicated monthly spending at minimum in the hundreds of thousands.
Chloe figured he had to be the owner of some seriously powerful company.
The kind with family money behind it too.
However, the answer Scarlet gave completely blindsided her!
He was actually younger than Scarlet?!
Didn't that mean the guy was still a college student?
No, this was way too outrageous...
Chloe was well aware of how much allowance rich kids at school usually got, and the corresponding family assets required for those amounts.
She'd discussed it with some finance major upperclassmen and had also researched relevant info on Instagram.
For high-net-worth families, basic living expenses exceeding ten grand a month were common.
However, going beyond that wasn't just handed out casually. Parents would generally ask about how the money was being used, or simply let their kids use credit cards under their parents' names so every expense was traceable.
Maybe freely disposable funds could expand to fifty or even a hundred thousand.
The corresponding family income would certainly have to be way higher.
But you want some rich kid to drop a twenty grand on a bag for his girlfriend?
Come on—even his mom might not be willing to use that nice a bag!
Being able to afford it was one thing, but actually having the heart to make such a luxurious purchase was another.
Moreover, this was just a gift.
Overall, Scarlet's boyfriend's monthly allowance had to be at least a million dollars.
After working through the logic, Chloe had an epiphany.
No wonder Scarlet had been glowing with that sweet smile ever since they met.
Life was about to get good!