In the teacher's apartment building next to Middle School Number Four, Bai Weixi held her guitar, staring blankly at her computer and phone.
After she rejected Li Yuan's confession, he had suddenly become extremely cold, as if he were a different person, which made her very uncomfortable.
It's already been two days, and he can still hold back from contacting me. Is he really ready to give up? This is just a small test for you; you weren't like this before. This is no way to pursue a girl.
Bai Weixi felt a flicker of anger. She suddenly found she could no longer grasp Li Yuan's character.
Initially, she didn't have much of a favorable impression of Li Yuan. She only saw that his good grades could help her with her studies. In addition, he was willing to spend money on her, was rather handsome, and was very attentive. In such an atmosphere, she had indeed enjoyed being cared for and had come to take his kindness for granted.
However, her feelings for him had not reached the level of romantic love, and she always maintained a certain distance, not letting herself sink too deep.
More than friends, less than lovers.
If she had to choose a boyfriend at this moment, she would still end up choosing Li Yuan. She had rejected Li Yuan's confession because she feared she wouldn't have the future she wanted with him.
She glanced quietly toward the door. Her mother was in the kitchen, secretly wiping away tears again. She didn't have to guess the reason; her parents had argued about money again.
Both her parents were ordinary teachers who didn't take on extra tutoring work so they could focus on her education. Their combined salaries were barely enough to make ends meet, and they argued daily over trivial household expenses.
Her mother had once been a great beauty. Defying her grandparents' firm opposition, she had traveled far to a small county town to marry for what she called love. But love couldn't pay the bills. At barely forty, her mother already had streaks of white in her hair and several new wrinkles on her face...
Though her mother treated her well—buying her a phone, a computer, and a guitar, and teaching her music—Bai Weixi was terrified her future would turn out just like her mother's.
That's not the life I want. I don't want to live every day arguing about money...
She set her QQ status to "Online" and looked at Li Yuan's profile picture. She started to type something, then deleted it... After a moment, she typed a single sentence...
***
In the internet cafe, Li Yuan finally finished writing the opening chapters.
Chapter One: The Fallen Genius
"Fighting Force, Third Stage."
Indeed, he had decided to heavily modify *Fight Break*, deleting some of the more mediocre plots and enriching the content with magical artifacts, elixirs, talismans, and the Different Fire system. He also expanded the romantic subplots with Yunyun and Queen Medusa.
The modified outline now resembled a highly altered *Fight Break* fanfiction. Even Potato himself might not recognize it if he saw it.
Although its success might be somewhat inferior to the original *Fight Break*, at least he had poured his heart and soul into it.
He titled the new book *Battle Starry Sky* and used his pen name from his previous life, "Life Like Summer Flowers." He then uploaded the first three chapters to await the website's review.
Because he didn't have a computer at home, he practically lived in the internet cafe. With his past life's experience of consistently writing ten thousand words a day as a part-time job, he could type 3,000-4,000 words an hour. After more than ten hours in the internet cafe, Li Yuan had churned out over 40,000 words in one go.
His book's content was approved and officially published on Yuandian Web.
He left the internet cafe, returned to his rented room, and slept soundly. When he woke up, it was already noon on June 13th.
Li Yuan quickly checked the score and felt a wave of relief. The Lakers had indeed lost. They hadn't managed to tie the series and were now down 3-1. This was essentially a death sentence for the Lakers.
***
At the lottery shop by the entrance of Middle School Number One, the owner looked at Li Yuan and gave him an excited thumbs-up.
"Young man, your prediction was spot on! The Lakers lost, just as you said. The Celtics have this in the bag now."
The owner was a Garnett fan, so naturally, he was ecstatic about the Celtics' victory.
"The odds were 2.6, so your total return is 16,640 yuan, for a net profit of 10,240 yuan. Since your winnings from a single ticket didn't exceed 10,000, there's no tax. Do you want to bet again?"
Li Yuan nodded with a smile. The tax rate for the regular lottery was high, but the sports lottery was different. A single ticket cost two yuan, and as long as the winnings from it didn't exceed 10,000 yuan, no tax was due.
"I'll bet on the Lakers to win the next game. What are the odds?"
The next game was still a home game for the Lakers, but the bookies seemed to favor the Celtics. The odds for a Lakers win were 1.8.
"In that case, I'll bet 16,600. Give me the remaining 40 in cash."
After Li Yuan left, the owner of the sports lottery shop gritted his teeth and followed Li Yuan's lead, betting 10,000 yuan on the Lakers.
This kid's got something spooky about him.
***
After visiting six sports lottery shops to cash in his winnings and place new bets, Li Yuan mentally calculated how much he would make after the game the day after tomorrow.
Including the principal and profit, it should be 149,400 yuan. Not bad, over 100,000 yuan in just five or six days. But the real moneymaker will be the last game.
Li Yuan was in a good mood. As he rode his bicycle down the street and passed a dilapidated building in the South City district, an idea struck him. He had spotted another business opportunity.
Sometime around this year's winter vacation, the county government will announce plans for a new district in South City. These old houses will all be slated for demolition and relocation. I heard each household will receive handsome compensation, with even the smallest payouts in the millions. Buying one now would probably only cost a little over 200,000 yuan. In just half a year, that's a nearly tenfold profit...
Li Yuan hesitated. The profit was substantial, and it was a much safer bet than the stock market. The world was facing an economic crisis, so entering the stock market meant playing the long game. This development and demolition, however, was a sure-win deal.
He wasn't too concerned about potential disputes. With a notarized contract and property transfer in black and white, there was nothing the original homeowners could do even if they had regrets later.
Fortune favors the bold, and the timid starve. I'll find a real estate agent and see if I can snag a bargain.
At this time, the county town wasn't as full of real estate agents as it would be after the development of the South City New District in 2010.
Li Yuan found a real estate company named "Chengxin Real Estate" near Call Chicken Tower. He remembered this agency was still in business as late as 2023, which usually meant it had a good reputation.
Just as he walked in, a middle-aged woman in a professional-looking skirt came over to greet him.
"Hello there, handsome. Looking at houses by yourself?"
Li Yuan replied, "Yes, I'm just looking around."
"Our county has three new developments: Zhuangzi Community, Golden Home, and Huitong Wealth Plaza," the sales manager began her pitch, speaking without a pause. "They're all in great locations, and the prices are reasonable..."
"For example, Zhuangzi Community is located in the city center. It has a beautiful environment, plenty of green space, and it's right next to the Sixth Middle School District..."
Li Yuan wasn't interested in commercial properties and cut her off. "I'm looking to buy a self-built house near Ba Liyang. It needs to have complete documentation, be transferable, and have no property disputes. Do you have any suitable listings?"
Seeing that Li Yuan was dressed in brand-name sportswear, the sales manager offered a well-intentioned warning, "The environment over in Ba Liyang is quite poor, and it's a few miles from the county seat. What's so good about buying there? You must have heard some rumor that the area is going to be developed, right?"
"That's just a rumor. The county's finances are tight, and the county's top leadership just changed, so there won't be any big projects."
"Besides, the houses there are overpriced. I still recommend you buy a commercial property."
Li Yuan remained impassive. He knew the real story. Although the development of the South City New District wouldn't go smoothly, it would eventually happen.
"Just show me what you have. If something is suitable, I'll buy it."
"Alright then, let me check our listings," the sales manager said, turning to her computer. She quickly found the listings for those areas. "We have two in Ba Liyang, both are detached three-story, three-room houses with courtyards. There's also one in Liu Liwang, a two-story, three-room house with a courtyard. Come take a look at the floor plans."
Li Yuan stepped closer to look. They were all typical rural self-built houses. The layouts, surroundings, and decor were all average. The construction cost for such a house would only be around a hundred thousand yuan.
However, none of that was important.
"How much are they asking for these houses?" Li Yuan asked.
The sales manager replied, "For the two in Ba Liyang, one owner is asking for 380,000 yuan and the other for 360,000. The one in Liu Liwang is only 300,000. They all have complete documentation and are transferable, but the homeowners require payment in full."
Li Yuan had thought the price would be around 200,000 yuan. The asking price was much higher than he had anticipated, significantly reducing the profit margin.
With that much money, I might as well invest in the stock market. Why bother with all this hassle?
"Those prices are far too high," he said. "For that much, I could buy a villa in that Zhuangzi Community you mentioned. If the price can be negotiated down, I might consider buying one."
The sales manager also felt the prices were inflated. It was mainly because the residents had heard the rumors about demolition and were all asking for exorbitant amounts.
"Sir, if you're serious about buying, you can leave your phone number. I'll help you ask about the price again."
Li Yuan nodded. "With the economic crisis this year, housing prices are falling all over the country. If you can negotiate the price down to around 200,000, give me a call. My number is 1835679..."