Chapter 02

Gia's POV

*Cashback System, online. Current daily spending limit: $1,500. Complete the daily spending task and receive 100% cashback.*

I sat up so fast I almost fell off the bed.

"Wait. Spend fifteen hundred dollars a day," I whispered, "and get fifteen hundred back?"

*Correct, Host. A starter fund has been added to your account.*

My phone buzzed. I opened my bank app with trembling fingers.

$1,500.00.

I rubbed my eyes and checked again. Still there.

"It's real," I breathed. "It's actually real."

My stomach growled loudly, like it wanted a vote too. I hadn't eaten since breakfast, and that was just two slices of dry bread.

"Okay," I said, grabbing my hoodie. "Food first."

Forty minutes later, I stood outside Ember & Gold, the fanciest steakhouse in the city. The kind of place with candles on every table and waiters in white gloves. The kind of place my father said people like me only saw in movies.

I ordered everything I'd ever dreamed about. Gold-leaf wagyu. Lobster tail in butter sauce. A chocolate dome that melted when the waiter poured hot caramel on it.

When the bill came, I tapped my card with a proud smile.

*Beep.* Declined.

The waiter raised an eyebrow. I tried again.

*Beep.* Declined.

"System!" I hissed under my breath. "Why isn't it working?"

*Notice: The daily limit may only be spent on members of the opposite sex. The target's overall appearance score must be above 85 out of 100. Each completed stage task grants one Mystery Box draw.*

I stared at the ceiling. "You're telling me I can only spend money on handsome men?"

*Correct.*

I ended up paying with my old debit card. It took the last twelve dollars of my tutoring money. The waiter wrapped up half my food in a box and gave me a pitying look.

On the bus home, I hugged the leftover box and thought hard.

Spend on men. Handsome men. Gifts to male streamers had to count, right?

The moment I got to my room, I opened StarLive.

The singer from last night was live again, smiling his perfect smile. I pointed my phone at his face.

"System. Score him."

*Target score: 71.*

"Seventy-one?" I nearly dropped the phone. "Look at him! He's gorgeous!"

*Scores are based on natural, unaltered appearance only.*

I squinted at his nose. His chin. His suspiciously perfect jawline.

"Oh," I said slowly. "So he's had surgery."

I swiped away and went to Enzo's channel.

He wasn't live. But a clip was trending in the StarLive feed. *Enzo comforts top fan after drama.* I tapped it.

It was a private call screenshot that someone leaked. Bella was crying, and Enzo was leaning toward the camera.

"Hey, stop crying. I'm here, okay? Honeybee is just a wallet. You're the one I care about."

My chest went cold.

A wallet. That's all I was to him.

*Target detected. Enzo. Score: 86. Meets requirements.*

"He meets the criteria?" I laughed bitterly and closed the clip. "Forget it. I'm not giving that liar another cent."

I scrolled. And scrolled. Faces blurred past. Seventy-four. Sixty-eight. Eighty-two.

Then I stopped.

A small channel with only thirty viewers. A young man sat behind a cheap keyboard in a room with peeling blue paint. Pale skin. Black hair falling into calm grey eyes. A face so clean and sharp it looked carved.

*Target: Julian. Score: 93.*

"Ninety-three," I whispered. "He's the one."

He was playing a soft tune, glancing at his chat now and then. Nobody was sending gifts.

I typed. *Hi. Can you sing a song with me?*

He looked up, surprised. "Someone wants to sing with me?" A shy smile tugged at his lips. "Sure. I'd like that."

"Great!" I said out loud, then typed fast. I sent him a private jet.

The screen flashed silver.

*Ding! Spending task progress: $300. Cashback received: $300.*

My balance jumped back up.

"It works," I gasped. "It really works!"

I sent another private jet. Then another.

*Ding! Cashback received.*

Julian stopped playing. His eyes went wide. "Wait. Honeybee, why are you sending so much? These cost a fortune. You don't have to do this."

*They're cheap,* I typed, grinning like a fool. *Now call me Queen.*

His ears turned pink. He cleared his throat and looked down at the keys.

"…Queen," he said softly.

*Ding! Julian's affection toward Host: 50 points. At 60 points, Host will receive one Mystery Box draw. Keep going.*

I sat straight up in bed. "Are you serious?"

My fingers flew over the gift menu.

"This one," I said, tapping a diamond crown. "And this one." A golden rose. "One of each. Actually, two of each."

Gifts rained across Julian's small screen until his thirty viewers became three hundred.

He stared at the camera, stunned, his lips slightly parted.

I leaned close to my phone and lowered my voice.

"Julian. Come closer."