The sun was barely visible anymore when Chris's car was entering the open parking lot of Viewmont Mall.
"It's 4:45 already, it will take two hours to shop for you. Won't it be too late for a dinner party?"
Tina untied her seat belt and looked back to check on sleeping Lena, after crying, she fell asleep on the car seat. Tina gently touched her cheeks to see if the temperature had risen.
"Well, I am going there just for appearance's sake, but I have to meet her parents, so I had to look presentable. It's mostly a birthday party with lots of people."
Chris parked the car and then looked back at sleeping Lena, she was soundly asleep. When Tina opened the door to get out, a small frown appeared on her little forehead because the wind was too cold.
"She might catch a cold like this. I'll hold her in my jacket, you can lock the car."
As Tina opened the back door and leaned inside, the cold wind felt too harsh for a baby, and Tina usually isn't the type to bother other people for her or her babies' sake, so Chris suggested.
Tina looked at herself, she was wearing a slim-fit jacket over her long dress. Her deep neckline was fully on display for Chris, but his eyes were on Lena, and he looked deeply concerned.
"Alright."
Tina nodded her head and stepped back down from the backseat. Chris took Lena in his arm, as he was so tall and big, sleeping Lena felt like she could fit in the palm of his hand. She was wearing her tiny sweater, but Chris hid her inside his baggy black jacket, you could only see her head just beside him.
Tina locked the car and ran to catch up with Chris, he was walking ahead to enter the heated mall. Tina was wearing an open-toe sandal, and her legs looked blue with the cold winds making it harder for her to walk in.
"Walk on this side, it will help you block the wind."
As Tina walked on the windy side, Chris walked ahead and blocked the wind for her, and Tina tried to grab his hand for more warmth, but halfway through, her eyes went wide and her hand returned back.
The temperature inside the mall was very cozy and warm, as soon as they entered the mall, they sighed with relief even Lena's frowned brow's returned to normal.
"Wait here for me, I forgot to pull money out from my glove box."
Chris gave Lena back to her mother gently, then took his car keys back, he wanted to go and take the system money, which was supposed to be in his glove box.
"Sure."
Tina smiled and sniffed her baby with a happy smile on her face, she could smell Chris from her jacket, and she was warm like a hot water bag.
Chris ran outside, the wet paved parking lot looked shiny when the neon lights of the mall lit up. It helped Chris a lot with the lighting, so he paused before turning his phone flashlight on.
"Damn!"
Even now, Chris didn't understand how 100$ bills could be this new. He touched them with weird emotions in his mind, then pulled out his wallet and stored all thirty bills inside, then looked at the pay stub*, it showed he worked in the Viewmont Mall and earned every penny and even paid taxes on the $3000 he just got.
"With $3000 now, $1000 from earlier, and $1100 from Mel and Dad, I can say I am pretty fucking rich."
Chris smiled unconsciously, the system was very intriguing, and he was all for it if it was making him rich like this.
"Guess I have to use a credit card for today, then deposit this money tomorrow. Mel might ask questions, but that can be easily solved somehow."
Chris muttered, then pulled his wallet back in his back pocket. Somehow the fat wallet gave him a satisfaction he never thought he would feel, credit cards don't give this joy even though they're less hassle.
Chris turned his rearview mirror towards him, and as he suspected, he had a huge grin on his face. He was not doing it on purpose, but it was there, so he had to stay inside the car for three whole minutes before his stoic face returned to him.
Chris, with his calm face, walked in the mall and looked around. He didn't see Tina nearby as he suggested, so he walked to the center of the mall because he was very tall, anyone searching for him will be able to see him, but it will also make him the center of attention.
"Are they shooting?"
"Is he a Michael Kors model?"
Chris looked around, and as the people began to take notice of his presence, he saw Tina near a small Christmas train for babies, she was looking at Lena with excited eyes.
Chris took big strides and stood by Tina's side, the train was actually not moving but Lena's joy was out of the roof, Chris smiled and waved at her and seeing Chris she began to jump with joy.
"Sorry, as soon as she woke up she started to cry, to soothe her I had to…"
"It's alright, look how much fun she is having."
Chris replied before Tina could finish her sentence because he was the one who was bothering them on this cold afternoon for shopping.
"Dada"
After she was done with the train, she wanted Chris to hold her rather than her mother. Chris looked at Tina with a teasing gaze and then picked her up in his arms.
"What a cute couple."
"They both look good, but I feel like the boy can do much better."
Although Tina was not wearing makeup, her face was super attractive, and with a killer body, both of them looked like high-tier models who came to visit their hometown for Christmas.
Is this my Protagonist Halo? The Chinese novel didn't disappoint me in the slightest.
Chris gloated inside while walking with Lena in his arms and Tina by his side, the first shop they decided to visit was the chocolate booth because Lena was pushing her body towards it.
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[*Pay Stub: A pay stub/tax-paid documents, shows your earnings minus federal, state, local taxes, Social Security, and Medicare deductions, revealing your net take-home pay.] Basically what you're getting.