The smell of cheap instant noodles filled the tiny, damp room. Lin Feng stared at the screen of his second-hand laptop, the blue light washing over his exhausted face. A spreadsheet was open. The numbers were a cruel joke.
Remaining Funds: 53.40 RMB.
That was it. That was everything. Tuition for the next semester was a mountain he couldn't climb. Rent for this coffin-sized apartment was due in four days. The part-time job at the convenience store paid him just enough to not starve. It wasn't living. It was a slow, quiet suffocation.
A notification popped up on his phone. A group chat from his university class. Pictures of a weekend party at a luxury KTV. There was Zhang Wei, the son of a local factory owner, his arm around the shoulder of Su Xiaoyu. Lin Feng's breath hitched.
Su Xiaoyu. Class monitor. Kind, intelligent, with a smile that felt like the first day of spring. She came from a modest family too, but she carried herself with a grace that made her seem untouchable. In the photo, she was smiling politely, but her eyes… her eyes looked a little distant. A little trapped.
Zhang Wei's text followed the photo: "Had a great time! Xiaoyu loved the Cristal. Nothing but the best for our flower."
Lin Feng's knuckles turned white around his phone. He wasn't jealous of the money. He was jealous of the ability. The ability to make her smile for real, to remove that faint shadow from her eyes. All he could offer was a borrowed pen in class or a silent nod of understanding.
With a groan, he shut the laptop. He needed air that didn't smell of despair. Shoving the fifty-yuan note and three coins into his worn jeans, he headed out.
The night market near the university was a symphony of sizzling oils, shouting vendors, and crowds of students. It was a world of vitality he couldn't afford to join. He walked past stalls of skewers and sweet pancakes, his stomach clenching.
Then he saw her.
At a quiet bubble tea stall at the edge of the market, away from the glitter. Su Xiaoyu. Alone. She was staring at the menu, her brow slightly furrowed. She held her phone, her thumb hovering over the screen as if doing a mental calculation.
Lin Feng's feet moved before his brain could stop them.
"Class Monitor Su?"
She turned, and her eyes widened in recognition before softening. "Lin Feng. Hi."
"Getting a drink?" he asked, the words feeling stupid the moment they left his mouth.
"Just… thinking about it," she said, her smile a little embarrassed. "The mango pomelo sago looks good today."
He saw the hesitation. He knew that look. It was the look of weighing a small luxury against a textbook you needed to buy. It was his look.
A reckless, wild impulse surged through him. It was the last of his money. It was madness. But the thought of her drinking that cheap bubble tea with that relieved smile… it was a better use than another pack of noodles.
"Let me get it for you," he said, his voice surprisingly steady.
"What? No, I couldn't—"
"Please." He met her eyes. "You helped me with the calculus notes last week. This is… thank you." It was a thin excuse. They both knew it.
He stepped up to the counter before she could refuse. "One mango pomelo sago. Large."
"Eighteen yuan," the bored vendor said.
Lin Feng took out the fifty-yuan note. It felt like handing over a piece of his own skin. He paid. He received the change: thirty-two yuan in coins and small notes. His total wealth was now thirty-five yuan and forty fen.
He handed the drink to Su Xiaoyu. Her fingers brushed his. She looked at the cup, then at him, her eyes filled with a complex emotion—gratitude, pity, concern.
"Thank you, Lin Feng." Her voice was soft, warm. A genuine, small smile touched her lips. It wasn't the polite party smile from the photo. It was real. And it was directed at him.
[Host condition met. Life energy signature: 'Despair' detected. Suitable vessel confirmed.]
A cold, mechanical voice spoke directly into his skull. Lin Feng stiffened.
[Infinite Cashback System binding… 10%… 50%… 100%. Binding complete.]
[Welcome, Host. Fundamental Rule Unlocked.]
Text, glowing with a faint blue light only he could see, appeared in the lower corner of his vision.
Transaction Logged.
Target: Su Xiaoyu (Favorability Rating: 65/100 – 'Fond Friend').
Expenditure: 18.00 RMB.
Cashback Multiplier: x10 (Applicable for expenditures on targets with Favorability >60).
Cashback Generated: 180.00 RMB.
Funds Transferring… Complete.
A vibration in his pocket. Dumbfounded, Lin Feng pulled out his old smartphone. A banking app notification flashed.
Account Credit: +180.00 RMB. Current Balance: 215.40 RMB.
He stared. The numbers blinked back at him. He had just spent eighteen yuan. He had gotten one hundred and eighty back. Net profit: one hundred and sixty-two yuan. For buying a girl a drink.
"Lin Feng? Are you okay?" Su Xiaoyu's voice cut through the static in his mind. "You look pale."
"I… I'm fine," he stammered, his heart hammering against his ribs. "Just… a headache."
[Primary Objective: Become the Richest Individual in the Observable Universe.]
[Core Mechanism: Expenditure on designated targets yields Cashback.]
[Rule 1: Expenditure on self yields 1x return (principal only).]
[Rule 2: Expenditure on targets with 'Female' gender marker and Favorability Rating above 60 yields multiplier returns (10x to 100x). Higher Favorability, higher potential multiplier.]
[Rule 3: Expenditure must be 'gift' or 'investment' in target. Direct cash transfers are invalid.]
[Rule 4: Host must maintain emotional connection. Treating targets as mere financial instruments will trigger System penalties, including multiplier reduction or fund lock.]
[Rule 5: System will evaluate and unlock new asset classes (Real Estate, Equities, etc.) based on Host's total capital and understanding.]
The information flooded his mind, cold and precise. This wasn't a dream. The money in his account was real. The System was real.
The richest man in the world? He just wanted to eat three meals a day. But the path to that… was through her.
He looked at Su Xiaoyu, who was sipping her drink, her eyes closing in a moment of simple pleasure. The System's display updated.
Target: Su Xiaoyu. Favorability Rating: 67/100.
It went up. Because of an eighteen-yuan drink.
A wildfire ignited in Lin Feng's chest. It wasn't just hope. It was a terrifying, greedy, all-consuming hunger.
"Xiaoyu," he said, the name feeling foreign and dangerous on his tongue.
She looked at him, curious.
He took a deep breath. The words that came out were calm, measured, and utterly insane. "What's the most expensive thing you've ever wanted? Not needed. Wanted."
She blinked, then laughed lightly. "Lin Feng, what's gotten into you?"
"Humor me," he said, his eyes deadly serious.
She tilted her head, thinking. "There's… there's this limited edition art book from a French illustrator. It's about 500 yuan. I saw it online. It's beautiful, but…" She shook her head. "It's just a book. A silly want."
Five hundred yuan. A fortune to him an hour ago. Now, it was just a number. If her favorability was 67… the multiplier was still x10. Spend 500, get 5000 back. Net profit 4500.
"Give me the link," Lin Feng said, pulling out his phone.
"What? No, I was just—"
"Please. The link."
Bewildered, she took out her phone and found it, showing him the online store page. The book was 499 RMB.
His fingers trembled only slightly as he navigated to the page, selected the item, and entered the shipping address—her dormitory. He used his debit card. The payment processed.
Transaction Logged.
Target: Su Xiaoyu (Favorability Rating: 68/100).
Expenditure: 499.00 RMB.
Cashback Multiplier: x10.
Cashback Generated: 4,990.00 RMB.
Funds Transferring… Complete.
Another vibration. The notification was a beautiful, divine sight.
Account Credit: +4,990.00 RMB. Current Balance: 5,205.40 RMB.
In five minutes, he had turned his last fifty yuan into over five thousand.
Su Xiaoyu's phone dinged with an order confirmation. She stared at it, then at him, her mouth agape. "Lin Feng… you… why?"
He looked at her, the gears in his mind spinning at light speed. The System was his shovel. But women like Su Xiaoyu… they were the gold mine. He needed more. He needed to dig deeper, faster.
He gave her a smile, one that didn't quite reach the storm of calculation in his eyes. "Call it an investment, Class Monitor."
He turned and walked away, leaving a stunned Su Xiaoyu holding her bubble tea. He didn't go home. He walked towards the commercial district, where the neon signs of luxury boutiques and high-end restaurants glowed like distant stars.
He had a new part-time job now. His job was to spend money on women. His job was to become the greatest, most dedicated 'simp' the world had ever seen.
And the banks, the tycoons, the Zhang Weis of the world… they would never see him coming.