“Apologize to the VIP or pay ¥10,000 for dirtying the carpet, you little charity case!”
Inside the Vacheron & Patek Prestige Watch Boutique, Store Manager Zhang slapped a pink termination notice onto Su Wan’s chest. The corner of the clipboard scraped the collar of the twenty-two-year-old salesgirl’s white uniform blouse.
Su Wan stood straight in front of the central glass display counter. Her face was pale, and her hands held a porcelain tray with a single paper cup of hot jasmine tea.
Behind her knelt sixty-two-year-old Old Wu, the mall’s deaf night janitor. The old man held a damp cloth over a tiny black scuff mark near the brass threshold, trying to read Manager Zhang’s angry lips.
“Manager Zhang, Old Wu didn’t scratch the display base,” Su Wan said, her voice clear despite the tremor in her fingers. “Young Master Zhao Kai kicked the brass corner with his heel five minutes ago. The camera above the door caught it.”
Manager Zhang sneered, adjusting the gold brooch on her blazer. Two senior saleswomen stood by the VIP rope with their arms crossed, watching the rookie get crushed.
“The camera sees whatever I tell regional headquarters it sees!” Manager Zhang hissed. “Young Master Zhao is browsing our VIP salon upstairs. If he hears a deaf cleaner and a probation girl blamed him, we lose a three-hundred-thousand-yuan sale!”
She pointed a manicured nail at the paper cup of tea on Su Wan’s tray.
“And what is this?” Manager Zhang demanded. “You brewed premium jasmine tea and tried to carry it out the side door to that soaked delivery boy by the wonton stall! Do you think our boutique runs a soup kitchen?”
“He was standing in the freezing rain, and it was only one paper cup from the staff pot,” Su Wan replied stubbornly. “And I won’t sign a false report forcing Old Wu to pay ten thousand yuan. That’s four months of his wages.”
“Then pack your locker and get out with him!” Manager Zhang barked. “Unless you close three hundred thousand yuan before nine o’clock tonight, your probation is terminated, and I’m docking your final paycheck!”
Old Wu saw the pink termination slip and let out a hoarse sound. He dropped to his knees on the marble floor, gesturing frantically at his own chest to say the fault was his alone.
“Don’t kneel to her, Uncle Wu,” a calm voice said from the doorway. “The floor is cold, and her shoes aren’t worth the wear on your knees.”
The heavy glass doors swung open.
Lin Mo stepped into the warm boutique. Rainwater still clung to his yellow delivery jacket, but his posture was steady as he reached down with one hand and lifted Old Wu effortlessly to his feet.
Old Wu blinked in shock. He weighed a hundred and fifty pounds, yet the young rider had raised him up like a feather pillow.
Above the three people in the showroom, Lin Mo’s [Pure-Heart Eye] locked onto their floating halos.
Above Store Manager Zhang hovered a muddy red tag:
[Target: Zhang Meili (Store Manager) | Goodness Score: 18/100 (Bully, skims rookie commissions, swaps VIP gift boxes for knockoffs).]
Above Old Wu floated a steady emerald glow:
[Target: Wu Laogen (Old Wu, Deaf Mall Janitor) | Goodness Score: 89/100 (Hardworking, supports his orphaned nephew, never stole a coin in twenty years).]
And above Su Wan’s neat dark ponytail shone a radiant golden-green halo:
[Target: Su Wan (Rookie Watch Salesgirl) | Goodness Score: 95/100 (Fiercely honest, shielded a disabled worker at the cost of her job, carries her bankrupt father's debt).]
“Sir, you shouldn’t come in here,” Su Wan said quickly, stepping forward to block Manager Zhang’s glare. She held out the paper cup on her tray. “I poured this hot tea for you earlier, but please drink it outside. Manager Zhang is looking for someone to blame.”
Lin Mo took the warm cup and drank half of it in one swallow. The jasmine tea warmed his throat.
Ninety-five out of a hundred, Lin Mo thought, looking at Su Wan’s determined eyes. She’s about to get fired, and her first worry is whether I get yelled at for wet sneakers. Meanwhile, Manager Zhang sits at eighteen points and begs to be bankrupted.
Manager Zhang pinched her nose in disgust.
“Who let this takeout boy inside?” Manager Zhang snapped. “Take your paper cup and get out! One thread of this wool rug costs more than your rusty scooter!”
Lin Mo didn’t even glance at Manager Zhang. He looked at Su Wan and pointed to the sales tablet clipped to her waist.
“Miss Su,” Lin Mo said calmly. “Does your employee code still work on that tablet?”
Su Wan blinked. “Yes, until nine o’clock tonight. Why?”
“Good,” Lin Mo said, glancing at the glass accessory counter beside the entrance. “What are the two cheapest items you sell in this boutique?”
Manager Zhang let out a sharp, mocking laugh.
“The cheapest items?” Manager Zhang sneered to the senior salesclerks. “The delivery boy wants to play rich hero for the probation girl! Tell him, Su Wan, so he can crawl back to the rain!”
Su Wan bit her lip, refusing to mock a customer. She pointed politely to the lower glass shelf.
“Our entry-level accessories are the imported Swiss leather care kit at one thousand eight hundred yuan,” Su Wan explained softly, “and the pure winter cashmere client scarf at three thousand yuan.”
“Eighteen hundred plus three thousand,” Lin Mo said. “Four thousand eight hundred yuan total. Ring both of them up under your employee code right now.”
Su Wan froze. “Sir, four thousand eight hundred yuan is a month of delivery wages! You don’t need to buy accessories just to help me—”
“I’m not buying them for myself,” Lin Mo said deadpan. He nodded toward Old Wu, whose thin janitor shirt was damp around the collar and whose cracked leather belt was held together with wire. “I’m buying the leather care kit and the winter cashmere scarf for Uncle Wu. His hands are freezing.”
Old Wu read Lin Mo’s lips and shook his head wildly, waving both rough hands in refusal.
Manager Zhang laughed so hard her shoulders shook.
“Four thousand eight hundred yuan for a deaf janitor?” she crowed. “Even if your card doesn’t bounce, a four-thousand-yuan accessory sale won’t save her watch quota! You’re throwing away your rent money for nothing!”
“Whether it’s for nothing depends on the math,” Lin Mo said mildly. He pulled the matte emerald-green [Benevolence Charity Card] from his breast pocket. “Ring it up, Miss Su.”
Seeing the calm certainty in Lin Mo’s eyes, Su Wan took a deep breath. She scanned the cedarwood leather care box and the navy-blue cashmere scarf, then held up the wireless POS reader.
Lin Mo tapped his card against the screen.
Beep!
A green checkmark flashed on the terminal. The printer spat out a paid slip for ¥4,800.00.
Lin Mo picked up the soft navy cashmere scarf, draped it around Old Wu’s chilly neck, and pressed the leather care box into the old janitor’s calloused hands.
The instant Old Wu’s fingers closed around the warm wool with tears in his eyes, the golden ledger inside Lin Mo’s mind erupted.
[Ding! Benevolent Transaction Verified!]
[Host spent ¥4,800.00 RMB through Honest Salesgirl Su Wan (95/100) to gift winter warmth and dignity to Deaf Janitor Wu Laogen (89/100).]
[Triggering 100x Pure-Heart Cashback Multiplier!]
[+¥480,000.00 RMB (Tax-Cleared Sovereign Funds) deposited into Host's Personal Vault!]
[+480 Benevolence Merit Points (BMP) awarded!]
Buzz!
Lin Mo’s phone vibrated in his pocket as the bank notification arrived:
[Account Ending 8899: Incoming Transfer +¥480,000.00 RMB. Current Available Balance: ¥480,000.50 RMB.]
A second wave of warm golden qi flowed through Lin Mo’s meridians, settling his Rank 1 Early Martial foundation.
Four hundred and eighty thousand yuan, Lin Mo thought. Thirty seconds ago I had one scarf’s worth of cash. Now Guo’er’s surgery deposit is covered, with a hundred and eighty thousand to spare.
Across the counter, Manager Zhang clapped her hands in slow, sarcastic applause.
“Bravo! What a touching performance!” Manager Zhang sneered, reaching out to snatch Su Wan’s tablet. “You just emptied your life savings for a ¥144 commission, delivery boy.”
“Too bad Su Wan’s probation requires three hundred thousand yuan in timepiece sales! Hand over your badge, Su Wan!”
“Wait a second,” Lin Mo said, resting one knuckle on the glass display case. “Who said I was finished shopping?”
Manager Zhang paused in contempt. “Finished? Your bank card probably has two yuan left! What else can you buy in here—a paper bag?”
Lin Mo ignored her and pointed straight down through the glass at the velvet centerpiece pillow in the middle of the counter.
Resting on the cream velvet was a rose-gold mechanical dress watch with an ivory dial and a hand-stitched alligator strap. The small gold plaque beside it read: Patek Philippe Calatrava — Reference 5227R — Official Retail Price: ¥450,000 RMB.
“Miss Su,” Lin Mo said. “Does this watch have a buyer?”
Su Wan’s breath caught. “No, sir. That’s our flagship display piece. It costs four hundred and fifty thousand yuan.”
“And if I buy it through your tablet right now,” Lin Mo asked, “does it clear your three-hundred-thousand-yuan probation quota?”
“It would more than clear my quota,” Su Wan stammered. “And the store pays a ten percent direct commission—forty-five thousand yuan. But sir, please don’t let Manager Zhang provoke you—”
“Let him try!” Manager Zhang cut in, laughing loudly as she shoved the wireless card reader toward Lin Mo’s chest. “Key in four hundred and fifty thousand yuan! When the terminal screams ‘Insufficient Funds,’ I’m calling security to throw all three of you into the gutter!”
The two senior salesclerks giggled behind their hands, pulling out their phones to film the rider’s humiliation.
Lin Mo slid his hand into his pocket and drew out the heavy black-gold [Personal 100x Vault Card]. It linked automatically to his benevolence channel whenever a purchase went to an 80+ recipient.
“Before I tap,” Lin Mo said clearly, “this watch isn’t for me. Miss Su, your wrist is bare, and a watch specialist shouldn’t have to check the wall clock. I’m buying this Patek Philippe for you as your official work watch.”
Su Wan stared at him in shock. “For... for me?!”
“Tap it, broke boy!” Manager Zhang jeered. “I’ll eat this termination slip if that card has four hundred and fifty thousand on it!”
Lin Mo lowered the black-gold card onto the sensor.
Beep—BEEP!
For one second, the boutique was dead quiet.
Then the thermal printer inside the terminal roared to life.
[BANK OF JIANGCHENG SOVEREIGN CLEARING — TRANSACTION APPROVED!]
[ITEM: PATEK PHILIPPE CALATRAVA REF. 5227R | AMOUNT PAID: ¥450,000.00 RMB]
[SALES ASSOCIATE ID: #084 — SU WAN | DIRECT COMMISSION CREDITED: ¥45,000.00 RMB]
The long white receipt curled out of the slot and draped over Manager Zhang’s manicured hand.
At the same time, a golden cascade exploded behind Lin Mo’s eyes:
[Ding! Benevolent Transaction Verified!]
[Host spent ¥450,000.00 RMB gifting a flagship work timepiece to rescue Honest Rookie Salesgirl Su Wan (95/100) from workplace extortion!]
[Triggering 100x Pure-Heart Cashback Multiplier!]
[+¥45,000,000.00 RMB (Forty-Five Million Yuan, Tax-Cleared Sovereign Funds) deposited into Host's Personal Vault!]
[+45,000 Benevolence Merit Points (BMP) awarded!]
[Current Personal Liquid Vault Balance: ¥45,030,000.50 RMB!]
[Good People Network Updated: 9 Verified Beneficiaries!]
Lin Mo felt the phone in his pocket buzz with the forty-five-million-yuan deposit confirmation. His expression didn’t even twitch.
Across the counter, Store Manager Zhang’s face drained of blood until it was the color of wet ash.
She snatched the printed receipt with shaking hands, holding it two inches from her nose.
“Four... four hundred and fifty thousand yuan?!” Manager Zhang’s voice cracked. “Paid in full?!”
The two senior salesclerks dropped their phones onto the glass counter.
Manager Zhang’s chest heaved as the math hit her like a slap.
A forty-five-thousand-yuan single commission! If she hadn’t insulted Lin Mo at the door and tried to fire Su Wan over a cup of tea, she could have pocketed that forty-five thousand yuan herself! Instead, she had lost half a year’s bonus in two minutes, and Su Wan was now the top seller in the boutique!
“Mr... Mr. Lin!” Manager Zhang’s knees went soft as she tried to force a groveling smile. “I had no idea you were a super VIP inspecting our store! Let me brew you our three-thousand-yuan tea right now—”
“Save the tea,” Lin Mo said. He lifted the rose-gold Patek Philippe off the velvet pillow, took Su Wan’s slender left wrist, and buckled the alligator strap into place.
“A four-hundred-and-fifty-thousand-yuan watch looks much better on someone who pours hot tea for a stranger in the rain,” Lin Mo said calmly. “Keep the receipt, Miss Su. If anyone tries to touch your forty-five-thousand-yuan commission, call me.”
Su Wan looked down at the watch ticking on her wrist, then up into Lin Mo’s dark eyes. Tears of relief spilled over her lashes.
“Mr. Lin, this is too expensive—my family owes debts, and I could never afford to keep a watch like this—”
“Call it a work uniform loan if it helps you sleep,” Lin Mo said with a dry smile. “Strictly speaking, you just helped me close a very profitable deal.”
Beside them, deaf janitor Old Wu clutched the navy cashmere scarf to his chest. His sharp old eyes flicked toward the back corridor where Manager Zhang kept her locked cupboard of counterfeit VIP gift boxes and crooked inventory ledgers.
Old Wu bowed deeply to Lin Mo, patted his own eyes, and pointed toward Manager Zhang’s back office—silently promising to watch every dirty move the manager made.
Lin Mo was just about to ask Su Wan for her phone number when the smartphone in his jacket pocket rang loudly.
The caller ID showed Grandma Chen’s wonton stall phone.
Lin Mo swiped to answer immediately. “Grandma Chen?”
“Little Lin! Help—somebody help us!” Grandma Chen’s voice came through the speaker, ragged and sobbing over the roar of sirens. “Guo’er’s lips turned purple right after you walked inside! She collapsed in the cart!”
“The ambulance brought us to Jiangcheng First Hospital, but the intake supervisor kicked my bag of coins across the floor and won’t let her into the ICU without three hundred thousand yuan cash!”
Lin Mo’s eyes turned ice-cold.
“Hold on, Grandma Chen,” Lin Mo said, turning toward the exit as Su Wan grabbed her umbrella to run right behind him. “Don’t kneel to anyone. I’m bringing my card to Jiangcheng First Hospital right now.”