Han Lie was reminiscing and daydreaming with great pleasure.
As time gradually elapsed, new troubles quietly emerged.
The future might be bright, but there was a big problem at present...
Where to scrounge up Consumption Value?
He had a total of 20,000 in cash. Of this, 14,000 was for tuition fees, and 2,000 was for dormitory and miscellaneous fees. The rest was for living expenses for the term.
According to the system rules, paying tuition and dormitory fees was considered "investment consumption," eligible for earning experience points.
But even if he spent the entire 20,000, it would only yield a meager 20,000 experience points. Adding the existing 12,588, he could increase his attributes by three points.
What's that good for?!
So, the crux of the problem might not be how to spend money, but how to make money. Earn money, then consume it, turn it into experience, strengthen one's abilities, and then make even more money... until forming a perfect positive feedback loop.
Han Lie gradually realized that this was a system that could make him better, but it required full use of his initiative and effort to develop; he couldn't just lie flat. It was completely different from those trash systems that gave money just for breathing.
Hmph! Damn the censors! I am irreconcilably opposed to the gold-digging philosophy of getting something for nothing! OK, oath complete. If you ban me again, you'll be the one in the wrong.
After making a quip, Han Lie started to think about how to make money again.
The overall societal environment of 2013 had dimmed in Han Lie's memory. It seemed there were no major events, nor any great opportunities. Everything appeared ordinary. In any case, throughout his whole four years of university, Han Lie only remembered the love and hate within the school and the romantic escapades in games. It was only after starting work that he began to gain a broad and profound understanding of society.
Uh, aren't most contemporary college students similar? Or am I an exception?
Han Lie wasn't sure, but he really couldn't recall any good opportunities. The truly suitable projects for a poor student to start from scratch generally fell into two categories: either highly technical or highly speculative. And he wasn't skilled at either of those.
Ah, wait... speculative?
Han Lie suddenly remembered, wasn't there a big bull market coming up next year?
That could be a play!
Han Lie's major in college was finance. Although his grades were nothing to write home about, he was quite familiar with the domestic financial market. As for relying on stock trading skills to support a family, 'Leek' Han Lie knew he didn't have that kind of ability. However, given another chance, with advance knowledge of a bull market, even without specific memory of individual stocks, he was confident he could make a killing.
The leeks get harvested in turns, and soon it's my turn. Nice!
So, should he just wait for next year's bull market?
After much thought, Han Lie felt that wasn't quite right. People should have grand aspirations, but they also need tangible short-term goals. He couldn't do nothing and just wait for pie to fall from the sky. If one is idle for too long, they're bound to become slack. And too much fooling around will surely take its toll. So at the very least, he should find a way to boost his attributes, practice his skills, and save up some capital on the side.
But to save money meant not to consume, not consuming meant no experience, and no experience meant no addition to attributes and skills...
Isn't this a goddamn paradox? Ah, so annoying!
Essentially, this was a matter of making choices after setting goals, but Han Lie wasn't particularly clever or decisive. Therefore, this round of thinking led to no conclusion. It only made the problem clearer.
Uh, is that a small gain?
Whatever, Han Lie didn't want to dwell on this any longer. He decided to take a break and clear his head. So he closed the panel and truly focused on the magazine in his hands.
Upon closer inspection, he was slightly surprised.
Wow! You've got guts, young man! Reading this kind of thing on a long-distance train?
It wasn't a magazine, but an original edition of "Qin Emperor." Its author was well-known but chose to remain unnamed, and its content was highly delicate and mysterious, great for de-stressing.
After recalling again and again, Han Lie finally remembered. He had bought the book on impulse while waiting for his train, intending to kill time, yet it had stirred him up. Largely thanks to it, he had overstepped his bounds to strike up a conversation with Chen Yanfei.
Damn it, what a deceptive piece of crap!
Han Lie flipped through the pages with disdain and loathing, but accidentally stumbled upon a rather impressive plot point and quickly became engrossed.
If you want to clear your head, you have to read this kind of book. If all the blood is drawn away, won't the brain become empty? It's great to be young. Heh heh!
The express train from Dream City to Magic Capital took a full ten hours. Since Dream City wasn't the departure station and it was currently the peak of the back-to-school season, it was impossible to book a sleeper ticket no matter how early one tried. Therefore, Han Lie could only suffer in the hard-seat carriage.
Actually, it wasn't that painful, as he was no longer the pampered high school student. Reading books, taking a nap, and then planning for the future—six hours passed by quickly.
Feeling incredibly hungry, Han Lie bought a container of Master Kang Spicy Beef Noodles from the attendant for lunch. After getting hot water, he brought his noodles back to the small fold-down table. He also took out two tea eggs, a sausage, a bag of pickled mustard greens, a Xiangbala braised chicken leg, and an apple from his bag. He peeled the eggs methodically, then added the sausage, eggs, chicken leg, and pickled vegetables—his Hermes Royal Instant Noodles were ready.
Pan Shaohang, sitting diagonally opposite, pursed his lips again.
"Yanfei, are you hungry? I'll treat you to a meal in the dining car!"
"No need," Chen Yanfei shook her head. "I'll just get a bowl of instant noodles myself."
As she spoke, she sneakily glanced at Han Lie's Hermes noodles, her gaze filled with hidden desire.
"How can you do that? That stuff is so unhealthy!" Pan Shaohang also looked at Han Lie's noodles, his entire being exuding disdain. Then, as if possessed by a domineering CEO, he looked deeply at Chen Yanfei, "Besides, when we left, Auntie didn't approve of me letting you eat this kind of junk food."
Do you think you're being funny?
Han Lie was a bit annoyed by this guy. He used to find him somewhat tolerable when he was in a good mood, but now, with new grudges and old grievances resurfacing, only irritation remained. This guy, who knew what kind of family education he'd received, acted like a little fighting cock—extremely aggressive, yet utterly clueless, making him particularly detestable.
Dream City, as a resource-rich city bursting with nouveau riche, indeed had many arrogant second-generation rich kids. However, people like Pan Shaohang, who wanted to squeeze every drop out of anyone they perceived as a pushover, were still in the minority. In his previous life, Han Lie had merely tried to chat up Chen Yanfei, and this guy immediately rushed out, showering him with mockery, belittlement, and provocation.
However, the reborn Han Lie really couldn't be bothered with brats.
Isn't it better to enjoy hot noodles?
He straightened his fork and lifted the lid. The aroma immediately wafted up. Han Lie first took a couple of loud, satisfying slurps of the hot soup. The emptiness in his stomach was instantly comforted, making him sigh in contentment.
Chen Yanfei's long, slender, pale neck moved slightly. Han Lie happened to notice and couldn't help but freeze.
Is this... her swallowing saliva? Little beauty, there's something off about you!
"You don't need to worry about what I eat." Chen Yanfei suddenly lowered her head to rifle through her wallet, her long hair cascading down, revealing only a glimpse of her slightly pursed lips. "You are you, I am me, and my mom is my mom. Get what I'm saying?"
Pan Shaohang's face flushed crimson from the retort.
And Han Lie belatedly realized that the real Chen Yanfei was not as he had imagined.
She seemed... more interesting.
Han Lie silently ate his noodles, trying hard to remember. This scene hadn't happened in his previous life. Because over an hour ago, Han Lie had started aggressively hitting on her. The whole process was extremely awkward and tedious. Then, he was harshly humiliated by Pan Shaohang, and ultimately, Chen Yanfei went to the dining car accompanied by Little Pan.
So, was it actually my utterly failed fawning that ended up assisting Little Pan?
Having figured this out, Han Lie chuckled to himself. He suddenly recalled a piece of relationship advice he'd seen on TikTok:
"Every untimely attempt at fawning is just assisting your rival. In a head-to-head comparison, the consequences of losing points are even more severe. Therefore, even in failure, you must maintain your dignity. It's not about feigning indifference to save face; it's about not letting anyone see your weakness. Always remember: Only the strong have a chance to win."
Han Lie suddenly felt as if he'd had an epiphany.
If it could be shown with data, it would definitely be flirting experience +1+1+1...
He glanced at Little Pan. The brat's face was ashen as he glared spitefully at his own bowl of noodles.
So Han Lie's mood improved even more, and he enjoyed his meal with greater relish.
Last lifetime you mocked me, and I even assisted you. This lifetime, I've collected the interest with just a bowl of noodles. What's this called? This is called 'Thirty years east of the river, thirty years west; the wheel of fortune always turns!'