Chapter 1 – Rebirth in the Year of Opportunity
1994, Zhonghai City – South District
The sky was still gray with early morning mist as the streets of Zhonghai slowly stirred to life. Tired vendors pulled up rolling shutters, and the air buzzed faintly with the energy of another day in a city caught between poverty and potential.
Inside a cramped 80-square-meter storefront on a back alley lined with other mom-and-pop electronics retailers, Chen Rui stood behind the dusty glass counter of Xingguang Electronics—his family's struggling shop. CRT televisions buzzed in standby mode, a few cassette players sat untouched for months, and boxes of unsold radios and electric fans lined the walls.
But unlike the worn fatigue of his 18-year-old body, Chen Rui's eyes gleamed with an intensity born of another lifetime.
Because this was his second chance.
In his last life, this store—his father's pride—collapsed under the weight of growing competition and supplier monopolies. One by one, larger chain stores opened nearby, squeezing them out with lower prices and flashy promotions. His father died of illness shortly after bankruptcy, and Chen Rui spent the rest of his life hustling for jobs, scraping by as a repairman.
Until he died in an accident at 42—and woke up in his teenage body.
Back to 1994.
Back before the failure.
Back when the store still had a fighting chance.
But unlike most reborn protagonists, Chen Rui had no plans of becoming a legend overnight.
No, he had something far more dangerous: a system that rewards him for losing money.
[System Binding Complete – "Destiny Reversal System" Initialized]
Main Directive: Lose Money to Accumulate Destiny Points.
For every 100 RMB lost, +1 Destiny Point
Reach key thresholds to unlock skills, upgrades, and industry-specific modules
Warning: Profiting will reduce Destiny Points
Chen Rui closed the floating screen with a calm nod.
"Time to burn money smartly," he muttered.
He wasn't stupid. In his last life, he watched companies rise and fall, saw how reckless spending could ruin even the most well-funded ventures. But with this system, the rules flipped.
He had knowledge of the next two decades. He knew what technologies would boom, which brands would fail, which industries would rise—and he would weaponize that knowledge not to win, but to fail spectacularly.
Or so he thought.
Still, for now, he had to keep a low profile.
No crazy ideas yet.
No billion-dollar schemes.
Just… start bleeding money.
He looked around the store.
Step 1: Turn this modest electronics shop into a chain.
He would expand recklessly, overspend on renovations, underprice high-end products, offer outrageous return policies, and market like a madman.
Everyone would think he was a naïve idiot.
Perfect.
Because the world only laughed… until it stopped.