Arc 1: The Wealth Momentum (2016)Part II: The Digital Savior
Chapter 12 — Asking Familiar People What to Do with Money
When a poor man dreams of money, he dreams of freedom.
When a middle-class man dreams of money, he dreams of safety.
And when a confused man suddenly has money…
He asks people he trusts what to do with it.
The problem with having money was not spending it.
It was deciding its purpose.
Vikram realized this on a humid Mumbai afternoon, sitting alone in his room, staring at the blue holographic panel hovering lazily near the ceiling fan.
₹ BALANCE: ₹33,28,944.00
LEVEL: 1
POSITIVE EMOTION: 8.2%
The number meant nothing now.
Not because it was small.
But because it was directionless.
The Engineer's Dilemma
As a mechanical engineer, Vikram had been trained to believe that every system needed:
• Input
• Process
• Output
The Wealth Rebate System had solved input.
Blink. Spend. Receive.
But output?
That was still undefined.
Money without direction was entropy.
And entropy scared engineers.
The Obvious Solution
Ask someone.
But not anyone.
Ask people who would never lie.
People who wouldn't sugarcoat.
People whose dreams were shaped by middle-class survival.
People like—
Gurpreet Singh, a.k.a. Goolu.
And Imtiaaz Shaikh, a.k.a. Eizi.
Setting the Stage
That evening, Vikram called them.
"Tea at my place," he said casually.
"Why?" Goolu asked suspiciously.
"Are you finally joining a startup?" Eizi joked.
"Just come," Vikram replied.
They arrived an hour later.
Plastic chairs.
Cutting chai.
Monsoon breeze.
Same setting.
Different Vikram.
The First Observation
Goolu noticed it instantly.
"You're sitting straight," he said. "What happened to lazy Vikram?"
Eizi squinted. "And where did this confidence come from? Did you attend some motivational seminar?"
Vikram smiled.
"Neither," he said. "Just… thinking."
They exchanged glances.
That was new.
The Question
Vikram leaned forward.
"Let me ask you something," he said.
"Hypothetical," he added quickly.
Goolu grinned. "Every dangerous conversation starts with that."
Eizi nodded. "Go on, Crorepati."
Vikram paused.
"If you suddenly got… one crore rupees," he said carefully,
"What would you do?"
Silence.
Then—
Chaos.
Goolu's Immediate Response
"ARE YOU SERIOUS?" Goolu yelled.
Malini Devi shouted from the kitchen, "Lower your voice!"
Goolu leaned forward, eyes shining.
"One crore?" he repeated. "Bro, I wouldn't sleep for a week."
Eizi laughed. "He's already spending it mentally."
Goolu cracked his knuckles.
"Okay listen. Step one—FD."
Vikram blinked.
"FD?" he repeated.
"Of course FD!" Goolu said passionately.
"Senior citizen rate! Monthly interest! Safe, safe, SAFE!"
He raised a finger.
"No risk. No tension. Interest pays rent. Life set."
Vikram tilted his head.
"That's it?"
Goolu looked offended.
"That's everything."
Eizi's Version of Wealth
Eizi leaned back, smirking.
"FD is for uncles," he said. "I'm smarter."
Goolu scoffed. "Yeah, crypto genius."
Eizi ignored him.
"I'd buy one flat," Eizi said confidently. "Small. In outskirts. Rent it."
Vikram nodded. "Rental income."
"Exactly," Eizi said. "Passive income. No boss. No tension."
Then he added thoughtfully—
"Okay maybe one bike also."
"Of course," Goolu muttered.
The Middle-Class Mindset Unveiled
Vikram listened carefully.
Neither spoke of:
• Building companies
• Scaling businesses
• Influence or power
They spoke of:
• Safety
• Stability
• Escape from pressure
The system flickered faintly.
DATA PATTERN RECOGNIZED:
MIDDLE-CLASS RISK AVERSION
Goolu's Extended Fantasy
Goolu wasn't done.
"After FD," he continued, "I'd resign immediately."
Eizi laughed. "Of course you would."
"No office politics," Goolu said dreamily.
"No boss. No late nights."
"And then?" Vikram asked.
Goolu shrugged.
"Then nothing. Peace."
That word again.
Peace.
The same philosophy Vikram once lived by.
Eizi's Practical Fear
Eizi frowned suddenly.
"But honestly," he said, "I'd be scared."
"Scared of what?" Vikram asked.
"Losing it," Eizi replied simply.
"Money that comes fast goes fast," he added.
"I've seen it."
Goolu nodded reluctantly.
"That's true."
They looked at Vikram.
"Why are you asking?" Goolu asked slowly.
Vikram smiled.
"Just curious."
The blue panel shimmered.
EMOTIONAL RESONANCE: FAMILIARITY
POSITIVE EMOTION: +60
The Engineer's Internal Analysis
Vikram leaned back, absorbing their answers.
FD = Capital preservation.
Flat = Inflation hedge.
Bike = Emotional reward.
Logical.
Safe.
But limited.
None of them thought in systems.
They thought in shelters.
A Subtle Test
Vikram asked casually,
"What if it was ten crores?"
Goolu froze.
Eizi blinked.
"Ten?" Goolu whispered.
"Bro," Eizi said slowly, "why are you doing this?"
Goolu laughed nervously.
"Ten crores… I'd probably panic."
Eizi nodded. "Same."
That answer hit Vikram harder than expected.
Even wealth beyond imagination—
Did not expand their vision.
It only expanded their fear.
The Realization
Vikram finally understood something profound.
Money did not automatically upgrade the mindset.
It amplified whatever mindset already existed.
For Goolu and Eizi—
It amplified caution.
For him—
It had to amplify design.
The Conversation Ends
They finished chai.
Cracked jokes.
Talked about old college memories.
But something had shifted.
When they left—
Vikram remained seated, staring into nothing.
The System Speaks
The blue panel expanded gently.
INSIGHT UNLOCKED:
Money without literacy leads to stagnation.
Wealth must be engineered, not stored.
NEW PATH AVAILABLE:
DIGITAL SAVIOR MODE — ACTIVATION PENDING
Vikram exhaled slowly.
A Quiet Resolve
He wasn't mocking his friends.
He respected them.
Their answers were honest.
But he now knew—
If he followed middle-class logic—
He would remain middle-class forever.
Even with infinite money.
End of Chapter 12
SYSTEM LOG:
External Advice Collected.
Mindset Gap Identified.
User Prepared for Strategic Wealth Deployment.
Tomorrow—
Vikram would stop asking what to do with money.
And start asking—
What should money do for him?