Maxing Out Charisma, Inheriting Game Assets Chapter 477: The Beautician’s Mercedes G-Class

Wednesday, September 20, 2023, Cloudy turning overcast, 16~27°C

A crisp autumn morning, the mist hadn’t fully lifted, and there was a hint of chill in the air.

Tap, tap, tap—

Rhythmic footsteps echoed through the Yanjing Huating Residential Complex, accompanied by steadily deepening breaths.

Tang Song wore Bluetooth earphones, with Liu Qingning’s lazy and adorable voice drifting into his ears: “I don’t know why, but ever since I got back from Yan City last time, I’ve felt so much better physically. My smartwatch says my deep sleep data’s been amazing.”

It was the fourth day of her period, so naturally she wouldn’t be working out remotely with him, but she still hadn’t skipped their morning voice chats.

Tang Song teased, “Guess that’s the power of love. The more you think about me, the better you’ll feel.”

“Pfft~ So full of yourself!”

Liu Qingning sounded like she had just gotten out of bed. She’d switched to speaker, and Tang Song could faintly hear the soft rustle of clothes.

“What kind of photo?” Liu Qingning instantly grew alert.

“Just a selfie of how you look now. Don’t worry if you’re not wearing makeup—you’re always beautiful in my eyes.”

“No way, keep dreaming!”

“Then at least call me ‘darling hubby’.”

“You little rascal, are you messing with me?” Liu Qingning raised her voice slightly, half-annoyed, half-shy. “I’m not calling you that!”

Tang Song couldn’t help laughing and said happily, “Isn’t this just a bit of fun between couples? I’ve got even cuter ones, want me to teach you?”

“No! Stop!” Liu Qingning said in a flustered tone. “This is all Wen Ruan’s bad influence—you’d better not think I’ll start flirting with you like she does…”

And just like that, they chatted casually back and forth.

More and more people were out for their morning workouts.

Once he’d finished exercising, Tang Song ended the call, bought some breakfast outside the complex, and returned to Building 6.

He entered the townhouse and set the food on the dining table.

Gently pushing open the master bedroom door, a faint fragrance greeted him.

The beautician, who was lying on the bed playing on her phone, quickly looked up and said in a sweet, playful tone, “You’re back, Brother Song. Morning~”

“Morning, Qianqian.” Tang Song leaned over and tousled her thick, wine-red hair, then couldn’t resist leaning into her neck and taking a deep breath.

A rich scent flooded his nose, making his already good mood even better.

It was worth noting that the 【Phantom Elegance】 on Zhao Yaqian had gradually fused with her naturally.

Depending on her emotional state, her scent subtly changed.

Especially when she played basketball—that heated, sexy aura was practically an aphrodisiac.

Combine that with her youthful, energetic body, and she was an absolutely perfect teammate.

No wonder she was a system-raised canary.

“Tickles~” Zhao Yaqian shivered slightly, and seeing Tang Song teasing her, she simply grabbed his shoulders and yanked him onto the bed.

They tumbled and laughed on the bed for a while.

Suddenly, Zhao Yaqian pulled out a black gift box from under the pillow, handed it to him with a bright smile, and said, “Ta-da~~ A surprise gift for you!”

Seeing the familiar box, Tang Song’s expression stiffened a little. “Van Cleef & Arpels?”

“Yup!” Zhao Yaqian nodded hard, then slowly opened the box to reveal a platinum ring. “I saw it at an event and thought it was really pretty, perfect for your hand.”

Tang Song’s eye twitched.

D**n, it’s exactly the same as the one Xiao Jing gave him!

Good thing he hadn’t come to see the beautician last night—would’ve been super awkward.

Seeing her expectant gaze, Tang Song slipped the ring on and gave her a bright smile. “Thanks, Qianqian. I love it.”

“As long as you like it.”

“Oh right!” Tang Song suddenly remembered something, gave her plush thigh a light pat, and whispered mysteriously, “I got you a gift too. Should arrive today, but you’ll have to pick it up yourself.”

“Eee~” Zhao Yaqian squealed in delight and threw herself onto him. “Mua~ Thanks, babe! Mua~”

Feeling the beautician’s affection and joy, Tang Song’s face softened into a pampering smile.

It had been over three months since Zhao Yaqian got her driver’s license. Lately, she’d been practicing on Xiao Xue’s 911 every now and then, and her driving was pretty decent now.

He’d previously asked Xiao Xue to find out what kind of car the beautician liked and pre-ordered her favorite model.

Since it was a parallel import, it had only arrived in Yan City yesterday, and should be ready for delivery today.

As for Xu Qing’s DB11, due to custom specs and paint, that one would take even longer.

“Alright, let’s go eat.”

“Mm-hmm, okay!” Zhao Yaqian jumped off the bed and dragged Tang Song by the arm toward the dining room.

At the dining table, they plated the packed breakfast onto dishes and bowls.

Zhao Yaqian glanced at the tightly shut door of the guest room and said helplessly, “Tingzi finished her stream pretty late last night—she’s definitely still sleeping.”

Tang Song nodded. “Let her rest. We’ll eat first.”

Ever since the company started pushing the 【He Yiyi】 IP and gave her 5% equity, He Liting had been going all out.

Not just her streaming work, but also short video content, creative planning, operational analysis, logo design—she handled it all herself.

Tang Song was sure He Liting’s loyalty was now at 100%.

After sitting down, Zhao Yaqian brought out a small plate of pickled vegetables from the kitchen and placed it between them.

Tang Song took a bite of a pork bun, then picked up a piece of pickled radish and popped it in his mouth.

Crisp and flavorful—the radish strips were delicious. He couldn’t help reaching for another chopstickful.

Savoring the texture and taste, Tang Song’s eyebrows lifted slightly.

This pickle... tasted a lot like the ones Lele used to make.

Back when he lived at the Normal University faculty apartment, he’d eaten Qian Lele’s homemade radish pickles almost daily—it had left a deep impression.

“Qianqian, where’d you get this radish?”

Hearing him, Zhao Yaqian said softly, “A friend gave it to me.”

“Oh? A friend?”

“Mm. She’s a high school classmate of a friend of mine. We met at a café. Her name’s Qian Lele.”

“Uh…” Tang Song’s lips parted slightly, surprise flashing across his face.

He never would’ve guessed Zhao Yaqian knew Qian Lele.

Zhao Yaqian paused, then added in a low voice, “Over the weekend, Xiao Xue and I were out for a walk and saw her standing near the East Gate of Yanjing Tiancheng. She said she was just out for a stroll. We bumped into her, and she gave me the pickles she’d brought.”

After hearing that, Tang Song pressed his lips together.

Knowing Qian Lele as he did, he could easily piece together what really happened.

She must’ve wanted to see him, but was too shy. So she made pickles for him, but when the moment came, didn’t dare to approach.

And that might not even have been the first time—she could’ve been there before.

The lingering taste of the pickles clung to his tongue.

Thinking of that modest, resilient, shy yet sensitive college girl, a complex swirl of emotion rose in Tang Song’s chest.

Zhao Yaqian didn’t say anything more, just quietly ate her breakfast.

...

11:00 a.m.

Ding dong— Her phone buzzed.

While watching a drama, Zhao Yaqian picked it up and glanced at the screen.

【Auntie: “Qianqian, are you coming back to Decheng for Mid-Autumn Festival?”】

Zhao Yaqian pressed her lips together and replied, “Not sure yet, I’ll see how things go.”

【Auntie: “Oh, okay. If you do come back, we can go together.”】

After a couple of simple messages with her aunt,

Zhao Yaqian hesitated briefly, then transferred 50,000 yuan via WeChat.

She left a note: “Auntie, my mom borrowed 100,000 from you before, and there was still 50,000 left. I’ve got some money on hand now, so I’m paying it off.”

Over the past few months, she had gradually helped her family pay off some debts—this chunk to her aunt was the biggest.

Buzz—

【Auntie: “Oh my! You sweet child, I didn’t mean to pressure you. Take your time paying it back—Congcong doesn’t even start college until next year.”】

Zhao Yaqian reassured her a little more, and in the end, Yu Wenxia accepted the transfer.

Exiting WeChat, Zhao Yaqian opened the China Merchants Bank app to check her total assets.

【¥3.42 million】

In three days, she’d be receiving another ¥1.17 million in trust income.

She set her phone down and rested her chin on her knees, a faint glimmer of thought flashing in her eyes.

She had never imagined she’d be this wealthy one day.

Of course, after the initial joy and sleepless nights, she had now gotten used to it.

She now had her own business and had slowly grown.

Her understanding of both family and wealth had changed too.

Like Xiao Xue once said—sometimes, properly showing your wealth and background isn’t a bad thing.

After all, there’s no way to hide it forever.

She used to be scared to let people know because she lacked the awareness and ability, and her personality had been too simple and naive. She couldn’t handle that much wealth and could’ve easily made mistakes.

She didn’t know how much time had passed.

Suddenly, a sharp ringtone pulled her back to reality.

It was her high school classmate, Li Yuanyuan.

She answered, and a familiar voice came through the receiver: “Hey? Qianqian, are you busy right now?”

“Not at all. What’s up, Yuanyuan?”

“It’s almost noon—wanna grab lunch? I found a new Western restaurant that’s amazing, and they’ve got your favorite steak!”

“Eh? It’s Wednesday, aren’t you working today?”

“Nope, took the day off. I actually wanted to meet up and vent about work. I’m so fed up!”

Zhao Yaqian glanced at the time and nodded. “Sure, send me the location—I’ll head over now.”

“Okay, see ya!”

After hanging up, Zhao Yaqian started getting ready.

She put on some makeup, changed into a casual outfit, grabbed her bag, and headed downstairs.

...

Beayce Western Restaurant was located in the city center, just 3 kilometers from Yanjing Huating.

A black Didi ride stopped by the roadside.

Zhao Yaqian stepped out from the backseat, walking ahead with light, brisk steps.

She hadn’t gone far before spotting Li Yuanyuan sitting at an outdoor patio table.

Zhao Yaqian smiled and waved, calling out loudly, “Yuanyuan!”

Li Yuanyuan, who had been scrolling on her phone, looked up in surprise. “Qianqian?”

It hadn’t been that long, but she felt like her high school classmate looked somehow different now.

After sitting down, Zhao Yaqian’s eyes crinkled in amusement as she teased, “Hey, why are you staring at me like that? Don’t tell me Zhao Beauty’s looks got you spellbound?”

As she spoke, she playfully flipped her wine-red waves—her movements natural and a little cheeky.

That familiar nickname and little gesture instantly closed the distance between them, and Li Yuanyuan quickly snapped out of it.

“Wow, Qianqian! You seriously look like a celeb now. Your figure’s amazing too—you’re glowing!” Li Yuanyuan said with genuine admiration.

“Haha, I’ve been practicing dance lately—it’s finally paying off.” Zhao Yaqian smiled modestly, her tone tinged with pride.

The two of them chatted and laughed for a while, then placed their order. The atmosphere grew increasingly lively.

After all, they’d been classmates for three years in high school and had always gotten along.

The weather was pleasant today, no sun in sight, and the breeze felt especially nice as they sat outside.

They’d bought a group deal—238 yuan for a meal for two, and it was super hearty.

Premium steak, Italian pizza, fried chicken wings, salad, and all kinds of snacks practically filled the entire small table.

Seeing her favorite steak, Zhao Yaqian’s eyes sparkled and she dug in eagerly.

In between bites,

Li Yuanyuan opened up, venting about her current situation.

Like Zhao Yaqian, she had entered the workforce right after high school.

But she’d been a bit luckier—working in a small company owned by relatives, doing filing, printing, and copying.

The company mainly did building materials trade. It was small—only about 20 employees in total.

The job was easy, but the pay was low: only 3,500 yuan a month, with basically no room for advancement.

For someone like Li Yuanyuan who didn’t have big ambitions, it was bearable. Coasting through life wasn’t the worst thing.

But last month, some internal changes happened. A few salespeople quit, and the company was short-staffed.

Seeing her with free time, her relative naturally handed her the task of phone sales.

They told her she’d get a higher commission rate than others—but that only mattered if she got results.

Now, on top of her clerical duties, she had to make endless calls to clients and push products.

With zero experience, Li Yuanyuan was overwhelmed.

Zhao Yaqian asked, “So what are you planning to do next?”

“I don’t know…” Li Yuanyuan shook her head, looking dejected. “I want to quit, but I’m scared. I don’t have a degree or skills. I don’t know what else I could even do. I was thinking… maybe I should learn a trade, like you did.”

She hesitated a bit, then looked at Zhao Yaqian with a mix of hope and embarrassment. “Qianqian, I remember you said you’re working at the headquarters of a beauty salon chain. Do you guys take on apprentices?”

Qianqian had once mentioned that her boyfriend helped her land a really easy job at a great company.

She’d asked her out today partly to test the waters.

Hearing Li Yuanyuan’s question, Zhao Yaqian paused slightly and asked, “You’ve always done admin work, right?”

Li Yuanyuan immediately nodded. “Yeah, that’s right.”

Zhao Yaqian thought for a moment and said, “Then if you had a choice, would you prefer to stay in admin or learn beauty?”

Li Yuanyuan hesitated for a while before answering honestly, “I’d still rather do admin.”

“I’m currently working at Isha Beauty—you remember the one I mentioned before. If you want to come, I can help set something up. I’ll send you our company intro first—take a look.”

As she spoke, Zhao Yaqian sent over a promotional flyer.

Ding dong— A WeChat notification sounded.

Li Yuanyuan immediately picked up her phone. As she read through the introduction, her breathing began to quicken.

Eight locations, high-end beauty clubs, light aesthetic medicine, valuation of 120 million...

“Holy sh*t! That’s insane!”

She had only ever heard Zhao Yaqian mention the company name before and had never looked it up. She didn’t expect it to be so badass.

This was basically a major enterprise.

Li Yuanyuan swallowed hard, her face flushing with excitement. “Qianqian, you mean... I could work in admin at your company?”

Zhao Yaqian nodded. “Yeah. At Isha Beauty, HR and admin are part of the same department. Once you’re there, you’ll also get to touch on some human resources tasks and maybe transfer in that direction later.”

“HR... I...” Li Yuanyuan nervously twisted her fingers, voice trembling a little. “Qianqian, I’m taking this seriously, okay? I’ll go resign tomorrow!”

“Mhm, no problem at all.” Zhao Yaqian smiled and gave an OK gesture.

She was a shareholder at Isha Beauty now, but aside from Zhang Mengchu and Sister Li, she didn’t really have any of her own people at the company.

And both of them were focused on the salons, not based at HQ.

Bringing Li Yuanyuan into HR/admin was also a way for her to better understand the company’s inner workings.

But there was another, more important reason:

It was the “new mission” Tang Song had mentioned—and her own future development.

For her, helping a friend change their situation, climb out of a tough spot, and showing what she was capable of—

That gave her a sense of achievement and boosted her confidence.

Maybe that’s what they call “self-actualization.”

Li Yuanyuan took a deep breath, cheeks still flushed with excitement. She raised her cup and said loudly, “Come on, let me toast you! Thank you so much for helping me out—I’ve been so stressed lately I was about to lose it.”

“No need to be so formal.” Zhao Yaqian giggled, clinked glasses with her, and took a big sip.

Just then, a voice called out from the side, “Qianqian, Yuanyuan!”

Zhao Yaqian looked up in surprise—and saw Jiang Zimu waving at them.

Behind her stood a tall, skinny guy—Zhang Wensheng.

“What are you guys doing here?”

Jiang Zimu walked over with a smile. “I saw your post on Moments. Wen Sheng and I were doing a street promo in the mall next door. Once we wrapped up, we came looking for you. Surprise!”

Looking at Zhao Yaqian sitting there, Zhang Wensheng took a deep breath. “Hello, Qianqian, Yuanyuan. Long time no see.”

As soon as he greeted them, emotions began churning in his chest.

It really had been a long time.

Ever since his Southeast LingShuai broke down, and that mess with Li Jingzhong and Tang Song happened, he hadn’t contacted Zhao Yaqian again.

She’d been his white moonlight for over four years. Even if he knew they had no future, seeing her again still stirred something in his heart.

“Long time no see.” Zhao Yaqian waved cheerfully. “Hey, Zhang Wensheng, you look even skinnier now.”

“Hehe, I’ve been super busy with part-time jobs lately.” Zhang Wensheng scratched the back of his head, looking a little awkward.

Jiang Zimu nudged him with a grin. “This guy’s been working nonstop to fund his