"Lin, pick up the pace."
"Yes, sir…"
A man in his twenties—Lin Kai—hurriedly gathered the plates from the table, carrying them back to the kitchen counter. Without missing a beat, he grabbed a cloth and wiped the surface clean, the motion quick but precise.
Two new customers slid into the seats almost immediately, the small restaurant bustling with more people than its limited staff could easily handle. The air was filled with the clatter of dishes, the hum of chatter, and the savory scent of fried noodles and broth.
"Good work… Haha!"
The owner's laugh echoed through the cramped space as the final dinner rush came to an end. Lin Kai sighed quietly—his shift was over. Without lingering, he slipped into the staff quarters to change into his casual clothes.
When he emerged, the owner handed him a small envelope. "Here! Nice working with you, kid."
Lin Kai accepted it with a polite nod. The pay was decent—two thousand in cash for his last day. The job had been only six hours a day, but the restaurant had a strange policy: hire people for just three months, then swap them out for "fresh, energetic" replacements.
"Thanks," Lin Kai said, pocketing the money before asking for the remaining eighteen thousand to be transferred to his account.
He stepped outside into the evening air, unwrapped a burger, and took a large bite—only for his phone to ring.
"Hello…" he mumbled through a mouthful of food, the words coming out muffled and strange.
On the other end, his mother chuckled knowingly. "Still eating after work, huh? I'll let you finish chewing before I talk."
Lin Kai swallowed, washed the bite down with a sip of cola, and asked, "So? What's up? You don't usually call me out of the blue."
Her tone was direct as always. "Do you have plans for tonight?"
"I'm free… Why?" he asked, already suspicious.
"I arranged a blind date for you."
Cough! Cough!
The sudden statement made him choke. He grabbed his drink again, gulping down another mouthful of soda to clear his throat. "What was that? Did you just say… a blind date?"
"Yes," she replied simply.
Lin Kai blinked, almost convinced she was joking. In all his life, his mother had never tried to set him up with anyone. "Mom, this is so sudden…"
"What's the big deal? It's just a date, not a marriage proposal," she said, her tone light, almost teasing.
He sighed. "It's not that… It's just—" He stopped himself. Back in college, he'd tried dating a few times, but he'd learned quickly that romance was a luxury for people with money, not something a guy from an ordinary background like him could really afford.
"Stop overthinking," she said warmly. "Go. Have a nice time."
Lin Kai could already tell there was no point arguing. "…Fine. I'll go," he muttered, massaging his temple before ending the call.
[Loading complete.]
[Host has acquired 999 Trillion Credits in System Account.]
[Balance refreshes every year.]
[Credits may only be spent on women with a beauty rating of 7 or above.]
[Raise their favorability to 90%, and all expenses during the courtship will be reimbursed in full.]
[Additional rewards will be granted based on the effort invested.]
"What the hell is going on today…?"
Out of nowhere, a translucent blue screen flickered into existence right in front of Lin Kai's eyes.
[Host has acquired 999 Trillion Credits in System Account.]
Lines of glowing text scrolled down like an animated interface, laying out all the rules and conditions of this so-called "system account." The information poured directly into his mind in a neat, organized stream—restrictions, functions, limitations—all at once.
With his pulse racing, Lin Kai's hand instinctively moved to his left pocket, where he felt something hard and smooth pressing against the fabric. "Hiss… it's there."
He pulled it out.
It was a sleek black card, the edges trimmed in subtle gold plating. Just holding it made him feel like a VIP in some exclusive billionaire's club.
He took a deep breath, forcing himself to calm down.
After all, he wasn't just some ordinary guy. He was a reincarnator. For over a decade since arriving in this life, he had been waiting—hoping—for a golden finger, a cheat system, anything. And now, finally, it was here.
He hadn't expected it to come in this form, though. And as his excitement steadied, reality set in: this system wasn't without chains.
The credits could only be spent on impressing women—specifically, women with a beauty rating of 7 or higher. He would only get reimbursed if he raised their favorability to 90% or above, and even then, there was no guarantee how long it would take for someone to like him that much.
It was, essentially, a high-risk investment game with human emotions as the stock market.
Sure, the system encouraged him to pursue multiple women to maximize returns, but that came with its own… moral flavor.
Not that he was personally against it—he wasn't blind to the fact that people with money often had multiple partners. Whether the law banned polygamy here or not, rich men always found loopholes.
Even his former boss, who had just paid him earlier today, was a prime example—he'd seen the man sneaking into motels with different women like it was a hobby.
Meanwhile, Lin Kai still had his V-card firmly in place. That was partly by choice—he was picky. But seeing others so active while he remained untouched… it stung just a bit.
"Haah… forget it."
With a wry smile, he shoved the thoughts aside. This was an opportunity—an outrageous one at that. He wasn't about to waste it worrying about "ethics" when a literal golden chance had landed in his lap. And since there was still time before the blind date his mother had arranged, he decided to head home and change into something sharper.
Sector 4, Xian Road, Old Building 5.
His apartment sat in a half-residential, half-commercial district—always noisy, always bustling. The rent was cheap for a reason. Between the thin walls and the constant street chatter, getting proper rest was a rare luxury.
The biggest culprit, however, wasn't the traffic. It was his next-door neighbors.
Thanks to the paper-thin walls, he had the "privilege" of hearing nightly symphonies of moans and bedframe creaks—free adult entertainment, whether he wanted it or not. Sometimes he genuinely wanted to knock on their door and tell them to keep it down.
That was, until he actually met the woman.
One accidental encounter in the hallway was enough to explain everything. She was the kind of woman who could make even a monk have second thoughts—glamorous, confident, and effortlessly seductive.
Since then, he hadn't complained once.
Walking back toward his apartment, his thoughts drifted to her. And then—like fate had answered—he saw a familiar silhouette by his building.
She stood outside, leaning casually against the doorway, a cigarette between her fingers.
His brain practically shouted, It's destiny!
That is—until a broad-shouldered, muscular man walked up and wrapped his arms around her from behind.
The music of fate cut off instantly.
Like a record scratch in his mind, reality returned.
"…Figures."
They disappeared into her apartment, the door clicking shut behind them.
Lin Kai trudged toward his own unit, his jaw set. As he changed into fresh clothes, he swore to himself that one day he'd have women in his arms just like that broad-shouldered guy—women who clung to him without hesitation, who made other men feel the sting of envy.
Of course, a nagging thought crept into his mind: Could I even attract a woman like her?
After a moment, he pushed the doubt aside. He didn't want to believe that all women could be swayed by wealth alone—surely some were more complicated, more guarded. At least, that's what he told himself to keep his ego intact.
"Let's just focus on the blind date, buddy," he muttered under his breath, convincing himself that the couple next door weren't already doing something far more intimate inside. The way they'd embraced on the balcony… it was a safe bet.
Later that evening.
Lin Kai arrived at the meeting spot with time to spare. He had already scouted the restaurant he planned to bring his blind date to—not to check if it was nice or affordable, but to make sure it screamed wealth.
The place was deliberately extravagant: crystal chandeliers, polished marble floors, and prices so high they made ordinary diners break into a cold sweat.
His reasoning was simple. If he could find a woman who wouldn't hesitate to spend her boyfriend's money—who treated lavish gifts and expensive meals as her due—it would actually work to his advantage.
After all, every dollar he spent to raise her favorability would be refunded by the system later. The more she indulged, the faster he could hit that 90% mark… and the bigger his eventual payout.
The money wasn't his in the first place, so why not?
In fact, the more she spent, the better.