It's no wonder Zhou Wang was shocked. Although he and Liu Zixi had been close friends since middle school, Liu Zixi's family wasn't particularly wealthy. Zhou Wang knew he could probably borrow the money, but he never imagined his friend could come up with such a large sum.
After Liu Zixi explained, Zhou Wang finally understood.
The money was a down payment from Liu Zixi's family for a car he planned to pick up during the National Day holiday. That's why he had asked Zhou Wang if he could repay the loan within three months.
Thinking about his childhood friend, Zhou Wang couldn't help but feel a pang of wistfulness.
Liu Zixi had never been as academically gifted as him, but his "natural advantages" had always given him an edge. Despite playing the same video games, Liu Zixi somehow avoided developing nearsightedness.
During their senior year of high school, when representatives from aviation colleges distributed brochures, the teachers casually tossed them onto the podium. Liu Zixi, however, had noticed them.
Though he failed the military's physical exam, he passed the Civil Aviation's. His college entrance exam score of just over 400 points barely met the minimum requirement, but it was enough for him to become a cadet pilot.
Immediately after entering university, Liu Zixi signed a 99-year employment contract with an airline, setting him on a predictable path for life. And what did Zhou Wang get?
Tuition-free education, the promise of a million-yuan annual salary, a life of traveling the world with different flight attendants, and frequent vacations.
Zhou Wang was certain that at least 90% of his graduating class hadn't achieved as much as he had.
So, which mattered more: the choices you made, or the effort you put in?
No wonder Liu Zixi could afford a house and a car right after graduation. Even with an average family, the tuition savings from four years of university alone would have been a substantial sum.
With Liu Zixi's transfer, Zhou Wang's account balance now stood at 61,273 yuan.
Zhou Wang decided to stop fretting. He dug out a half-pack of Purple Cloud cigarettes he hadn't touched in ages, grabbed the two leftover bottles of Big Wusu beer, and settled onto the balcony to await the moment when the gears of fate would turn.
Time had never crawled so slowly. As Zhou Wang anxiously waited, midnight finally arrived.
Ding!
A text message and an app notification popped up simultaneously on his illuminated phone screen:
China Merchants Bank: Your account ending in 1024 received 6,127.3 yuan at 00:00 on July 1st. Claim your reward: cmbt.ch/H0.
Is this real?
Only then did Zhou Wang truly relax.
He clenched his fist, a surge of exhilaration coursing through him.
Six thousand yuan a day—that's 200,000 a month!
Even when he'd been most ambitious with his startup dreams, he'd considered earning 80,000 to 100,000 a month in the future to be an incredible achievement.
And this six thousand yuan was just the beginning. As the principle of compound interest took effect, the daily gains would only increase exponentially.
He couldn't even begin to imagine it!
Zhou Wang stared at his bank account balance for a long moment before a question popped into his head. Out of curiosity, he clicked to view the transaction details.
The payment had come from a company called Cloud Trust, with the memo "Fund Distribution."
Zhou Wang immediately searched online and, to his surprise, found scattered information confirming that Cloud Trust was an offshore trust institution registered overseas.
After further research, Zhou Wang gained a basic understanding of trust funds and clicked his tongue in wonder.
In simple terms, a trustor entrusts funds to a trust institution for management, with the resulting profits distributed to beneficiaries according to agreed-upon terms.
Many wealthy tycoons use trust funds to secure independent assets for their children and families, ensuring their livelihoods remain unaffected even in the event of personal bankruptcy.
Come to think of it, the Nobel Prize itself is structured as a trust fund.
He couldn't fathom how the System managed to achieve such extraordinary feats, but for now, it seemed this income stream posed no legal risks.
That night, Zhou Wang didn't struggle with insomnia. Instead, he drifted into a deep sleep, feeling unusually relaxed both physically and mentally.
July 1st, 9:00 AM.
Zhou Wang suddenly opened his eyes. He stared blankly at the peeling paint on his dorm ceiling for several seconds before abruptly sitting up.
He pulled out his phone and checked his China Merchants Bank account. The six thousand yuan was still there, untouched. A smile crept across his face.
Given Zhou Wang's extraordinarily eventful four years of university life, he wouldn't claim to be particularly mature. However, his resilience and emotional regulation skills were undoubtedly exceptional among his peers.
Even if he discovered that everything had been just a dream, he might be disappointed, but his heart wouldn't be thrown into turmoil.
What should he do next?
The best option was, of course, to continue growing his capital.
Zhou Wang racked his brain for ways to make quick money, but limited by his knowledge and resources, even with over sixty thousand yuan at his disposal, he couldn't think of any way to significantly increase his capital within a single day.
If he possessed such abilities, he wouldn't be just another face in the crowd.
While washing up, Zhou Wang stared at his disheveled reflection in the mirror and decided he should get a haircut first.
During his internship, Zhou Wang had worked himself to the bone. Coupled with a shift in his mindset, he had neglected his appearance for far too long. His once handsome face, rated an eight out of ten, had deteriorated to barely a seven.
Just as Zhou Wang was contemplating this, a sudden "ding" echoed in his mind.
There's only one thing in life you can't undo: the first impression.
Host's mindset shift successful! First Action Round triggered.
Host must proceed to the core commercial district and transform personal appearance to enhance outward presence before the Action Round timer expires.
Core Reward Mechanism - Impression Points: The System will automatically score the Host's outfit and hairstyle out of 100, reimbursing an equivalent percentage of expenses. Triggering the Lucky Number will grant additional rewards.
Action Round Timer: 6 hours
Zhou Wang froze, then erupted with joy.
So that's what an "Action Round" meant!
He had initially planned to get a cheap buzz cut at the infamous "Devil's Dread" barbershop behind the school for 15 yuan, thinking he was still in the early stages of saving money.
But the System's intervention was like rain after a drought.
It seemed the System's evaluation extended beyond hairstyles to include Zhou Wang's entire outfit.
The crucial point was that if Zhou Wang could satisfy the System, he would receive a partial reimbursement. A score of 70 would earn him a 70% reimbursement, 80 would earn 80%, and so on. Even if he didn't achieve a perfect score, his expenses would be minimized.
Though he couldn't dip too deeply into his savings, a few thousand yuan wouldn't make much of a dent.
Zhou Wang quickly finished his morning routine, changed into a simple casual outfit, and slipped on the black Converse classics he'd bought at a discount store. He dashed out of the school gates in one swift motion.
Six hours seemed like ample time, but the scoring mechanism meant Zhou Wang had to make optimal choices, which tightened the schedule considerably.
Without even stopping for breakfast, he reluctantly pulled out his seldom-used ride-hailing app and set his destination to Mingcheng Henglong Plaza.
It was the summer solstice—a clear breeze and azure sky. Leaning against the car window, Zhou Wang couldn't help humming along to the Bluetooth music playing in the ride-hailing vehicle:
"Cigarette after cigarette I lit, glass after glass I downed..."
The song was called "The Prodigal Son Returns," and Zhou Wang had been quite fond of it for a while.
That was right after his first startup had failed. Every day, he worked part-time to make ends meet. After covering his basic needs, he contributed one-third of his earnings to national defense and spent another third at a small bar near his university.
His life back then mirrored the song's lyrics exactly—a relentless cycle of smoking and drinking. Ironically, plenty of kind-hearted girls had wanted to support him through that dark time, but Zhou Wang, in no mood for romance, stubbornly rejected them all.
By the time he regretted his choices, he was already a senior. The girls had lost their naivety, and his mere good looks no longer held any allure.
He tried to turn things around, but his studies had long been neglected. It was simply too late.
The prodigal son returns... He'd practically sunk to the bottom of the Mariana Trench. There was no swimming back now!
But even though life couldn't be reset, at least he could always choose a different way to live.