"It's about military training," he whispered.
The others leaned in as well, curiosity piqued.
"Since we're going to have military training for two weeks, we'll be heavily restricted, right? Can't leave the training grounds, limited breaks. That's where we come in." His eyes gleamed. "We buy water, sports drinks, snacks - things people will desperately need - and sell them during the short breaks."
Lin Feng frowned. "Isn't that really risky?"
The others nodded in agreement.
"That's the thing - we don't have to worry about that." Chen Ming grinned. "I did my research. Our group is actually being led by one of the senior students, not a trainee or an actual instructor. I already talked to him, and as long as we give him a cut, he'll look the other way when we're doing sales."
Lin Feng considered it. The logic sounded reasonable, but Chen Ming's plans always had a way of failing spectacularly. "What if he scams you? Takes the money and reports you anyway?"
"I thought of that too," Chen Ming said quickly. "We agreed I only pay him after I make a profit. He gets his cut from the earnings, not upfront. No profit, no payment."
"And how do we split it?" Li Jun asked.
"I'll distribute the profit based on percentage of investment, after taking out the senior's cut." Chen Ming looked around the table. "So what do you guys think? I'm personally going to invest 100 yuan. Are you interested?"
After a moment of thought, Li Jun shrugged. "Sure. I'll match your 100."
Lin Feng fell into deep thought. He felt that something was definitely wrong here. Even though the idea itself sounded reasonable, he couldn't shake the feeling that something was bound to go wrong. After all, it was Chen Ming's plan.
He ran through it again in his head, checking for flaws. The logic was sound. The senior had incentive to cooperate. The demand would definitely be there.
But still...
He sighed internally. He'd decided to be more proactive this time, hadn't he? Yet here he was, doing the same thing - hesitating, finding reasons not to act.
"Fine. I'll invest 50 yuan then," he said.
Since he had decided not to miss chances in this life, he decided to invest. Still, not missing chances didn't mean he should be reckless. Chen Ming wasn't known for his great success in these sorts of things so he decided to just play it safe and give the amount he could afford to lose.
Zhang Wei seemed hesitant, his fingers drumming on the table. Finally, he nodded slowly. "I'll also invest 50 yuan."
"Great!" Chen Ming's face lit up. "Don't worry about anything - I'll handle the marketing and distribution. As for you guys, I just need you to help me keep watch when I'm making a sale. See, while we only have a normal group leader, there's an instructor overseeing our entire freshman year. He might randomly come to inspect how the groups are performing. If he shows up, I need someone to give me a signal so I can pack up quick."
The others nodded. It made sense.
At that moment, the boss came over with the check. Lin Feng reached for it immediately.
"Since I suggested this dinner, I'll pay," he said. "Think of it as my treat. You guys can treat me next time."
"Are you sure?" Chen Ming asked, though he didn't protest too hard.
"Yeah, no problem."
Lin Feng looked at the system window floating before him.
[Pay ¥60]
This thing was really connected to his bank.
He selected the option with a thought but still pretended to fiddle with his phone for appearances. A moment later, his phone vibrated with a confirmation message.
It really worked.
Since it could connect to his bank, then what really was it? How could an "Infinite Money System" just be tracking his own money?
He looked at the other account balances:
[Total System Balance: 0.00]
[Available System Balance: 0.00]
It definitely had something to do with these accounts. But how could he put money into the system balance? He didn't see any option for transferring from his personal account to the system.
He sighed internally. Well, he'd figure it out eventually.
…
After returning to the dorm, Lin Feng grabbed his toiletries and headed to the showers.
The hot water ran over him, steam filling the small bathroom stall. He closed his eyes and let himself think - really think - for the first time since waking up on that train.
He'd died. He was certain of that. The hospital, the flatline, the feeling of everything slipping away - that had been real.
And now he was here. Twenty years in the past. First day of college. Again.
The water continued to pour down as he tried to make sense of it all. Was this real? Was he actually living in 2020, or was it just some elaborate dying dream?
He opened his eyes and looked at his hands - young, smooth, unburdened by years of failure.
It felt real. His mother's voice had felt real. The food had tasted real. Everything felt real, felt solid, tangible.
And if it wasn't real? If this was really just his last moments stretched into an eternity?
Then he'd live them anyway.
If it really was a dream. Then he'd make the perfect dream he could never live out.
No more hesitation. No more "I'll do it tomorrow." No more watching others succeed while he stood paralyzed by fear.
Lin Feng turned off the water and reached for his towel.
Whatever came next, he'd deal with it.
One step at a time.