The city was drowning in the soft drizzle of rain, but Chen felt none of it. He sat motionless on a bench outside a convenience store, soaked to the bone, heart heavier than ever before. His dreams had been crushed, his name dragged through the mud, and the people he trusted most had tossed him aside like garbage.
His startup? Stolen.
His shares? Manipulated and signed away.
His cousin? Took bribes to testify against him.
His best friend, Liu Hao? The one who stood by him through thick and thin? Partnered with his girlfriend and kicked him out.
And Lin Yuyan—the woman he loved—betrayed him the most.
"I never loved you," she had whispered the night before, while fixing her lipstick after sleeping with Liu Hao. "You were always just... temporary. He has more power. You have nothing."
That night, Chen had collapsed outside in the alley behind their apartment, penniless, homeless, hopeless.
But tonight, the universe answered.
> Ding!
Congratulations to the Host! You have obtained the Super 100-Fold Money Return System!
(All monetary purchases now return ×100 to your system wallet. Certain purchases may unlock bonus features.)
"Huh?" Chen blinked. "A hallucination…?"
But then—
> Ding!
Purchase detected: ¥150 — Crab Yellow Buns
Cashback Activated: ×100 → ¥15,000
Funds deposited to ICBC account ending in 2171.
His phone buzzed.
> [ICBC Notification]
Your card ending in 2171 has been credited with ¥15,000.
Current balance: ¥17,000. Timestamp: 18:30, Sept 27.
Chen stared blankly, then pulled out the receipt. The buns had cost him his last ¥150.
He looked down at the still-warm bamboo basket in his hand.
"Crab buns… turned into fifteen thousand yuan?"
He slowly stood up, heart pounding, body trembling—not from weakness anymore, but from something else.
> System Online.
First-Time Activation Bonus: +1 Stat Point to Vitality
Next Milestone: Spend ¥10,000 → Unlock Life Span Extension
Hidden Feature: ??? (Harem Route - Locked)
Chen's expression changed.
A spark lit in his eyes.
"Then let's spend."
---
— 1 Hour Later —
Chen walked confidently into a tech mall. He headed straight for the flagship store and spoke to the clerk without hesitation.
"I'll take that limited-edition smartphone—¥8,800. And that smartwatch—¥1,000. Total: ¥9,800."
The girl blinked, startled by the sudden big spender, but quickly rang it up.
He paid with the system-bound card.
> ¥9,800 spent. Cashback: ¥980,000 credited.
Vitality +5
New Feature Unlocked: Physical Endurance Boost
His phone buzzed violently. Nearly a million yuan in his account now.
Chen laughed quietly as he stepped outside, umbrella shielding him from the drizzle now.
"They threw me away… now I'll buy back my place on top—at 100 times the speed."
The shadows of the city shifted. Someone had just taken notice of him.
And so it begins…
---