"Ding!"
"Congratulations, Host. Newbie mission completed. Reward: 10 experience points. Level upgraded from 'Pauper' to 'Poor.' 20 Tycoon Points awarded. Temporary Strength Boost Pill stored in your inventory. Convert Tycoon Points to cash?"
Lin Fan froze mid-step. Convert! He mentally shouted.
The Armani salesgirl tilted her head. "Sir, did you say something?"
"Ah, nothing!" Lin Fan waved her off, checking his phone. A new notification flashed: +200,000 yuan.
Mom's surgery is secured! Relief flooded him, though he grimaced at the system's brutal ranking—200,000 yuan still labeled him "Poor."
"System, where's my 'inventory'?" He thought instead of speaking aloud.
"Visualize accessing it mentally."
Concentrating, a chocolate-like pill materialized in his palm. So the 'Temporary Strength Boost Pill' looks like a movie prop? He smirked. "No wonder those dramas use candy as miracle drugs—"
"Sir?" The salesgirl raised an eyebrow.
"Nothing! Thanks for your help." Lin Fan hurried out, clutching his shopping bags.
"Lin Fan! Wait!"
Li Qinqin rushed from the Chanel store, her earlier scorn replaced by frantic sweetness. "That jacket you liked earlier… Would you like to try it now?"
Lin Fan side-eyed her. "Wouldn't want to dirty your clothes. After all, I'm poor." He strode away, ignoring her choked gasp.
Li Qinqin's nails dug into her palms. Ten. Thousand. Yuan. Commission. Gone. Behind her, the manager's voice turned icy: "Your rudeness cost this store a six-figure sale. Say goodbye to your monthly bonus."
At the hospital, Lin Fan handed over 200,000 yuan under the doctor's stunned gaze. "Schedule Mom's surgery for tomorrow," he said firmly.
In the ward, his mother Liu Xiufang fretted about the cost. "I… won a lottery," Lin Fan lied, hugging her.
His phone buzzed—a call from his girlfriend, Lyu Lingyu. "Meet me at Lakeheart Park. Now."
Lin Fan's heart leapt. Perfect timing. He grabbed the 16,000-yuan Armani clutch from his bag—a gift she'd always dreamed of.
Lakeheart Park – Lanfang Pavilion
The scene froze him: Lyu Lingyu held hands with Yang Ziming, the playboy heir to a real estate empire.
"Lingyu… What is this?" Lin Fan's voice cracked.
She sneered. "We're done. You're a penniless loser. Yang Shao buys me Dior, while you couldn't even afford Dabao cream!"
Yang Ziming shoved Lin Fan to the ground. "Pathetic pauper. Know your place."
A cool voice cut through the tension: "Are you okay?"
Yu Yang—the icy beauty from his class—helped him up. Her touch startled him; she'd never spoken three words to him before.
"Yu Yang, stay out of this!" Lyu Lingyu scoffed. "You want this trash? Take him!"
Yu Yang's grip tightened on Lin Fan's arm. "I've liked him for years. From today, I'm his girlfriend." She glared at the stunned pair. "And he's worth ten of your 'Yang Shao'."