It had been five days since Lin Wei bought the penthouse.
Five days of soft bedsheets, room service on command, and air so clean it felt unnatural. Five days of silence broken only by the occasional delivery or the hum of the elevator carrying him up to his palace in the clouds.
But the card burned a hole in his pocket. Not physically—it was always cool, perfectly smooth. But in his mind, it loomed like a question without an answer.
He had everything.And yet, he had no one.
On the sixth day, Lin Wei did something he hadn't done in months: he visited his parents.
They lived in an old, six-floor walk-up on the edge of Fengtai District. The building smelled of cabbage and dust, and the stairwell lights flickered like they were afraid to be useful. Lin Wei climbed the stairs slowly, each creak of the concrete reminding him of how far he'd come—and how far away he'd drifted.
His mother, Liu Fang, opened the door with a shocked gasp. "A-Wei?!"
Lin Wei smiled awkwardly. "Hi, Mom."
She pulled him into a hug so tight he nearly dropped the fruit basket he'd bought downstairs. "I haven't seen you in months! You never call!"
"I've been busy," he said. "Working. And… figuring things out."
His father, Lin Zhong, was seated at the kitchen table reading a newspaper that looked older than Lin Wei's university degree. He looked up, nodded. "Still fixing cars?"
"Not anymore," Lin Wei replied.
They made tea. Sat down. Talked. Or rather, his mother talked. About the neighbor's noisy grandchildren. About Aunt Meilan's hip surgery. About how rent had gone up again and how their landlord never fixed the leaky window.
Lin Wei listened, hands wrapped around the warm teacup. When the conversation paused, he finally said, "What if you two moved to a new place?"
His mother blinked. "What?"
"A new apartment. Elevator. Heating. No leaks."
His father chuckled. "You're going to buy us a place? With what? You working at BMW now?"
"I'm serious," Lin Wei said quietly. "I can afford it."
They looked at him, really looked. His clean clothes. His new watch. His clear eyes.
Then came the disbelief.
"Did you win the lottery?" his mother whispered.
"No."
"Are you in trouble?"
"No."
"Then how?" his father asked.
Lin Wei hesitated. What could he say? "I came into money. Legally. Unexpectedly."
They didn't understand. But eventually, they agreed. Carefully. Cautiously.
And two days later, they were standing in the living room of a brand-new, two-bedroom apartment in Haidian, overlooking a small park with cherry trees just starting to bloom. The kitchen was modern. The bathrooms sparkled. The building had a gym and a library.
Liu Fang cried. Lin Zhong just stood by the window, staring out as if unsure he was awake.
That night, Lin Wei received another message:
"Gifts speak louder than power.Your generosity has been acknowledged."
He exhaled slowly. Maybe this wasn't a curse after all.
But not everything would be so simple.
On the seventh day, he ran into Chen Peng.
It was a chance encounter. Lin Wei had just finished buying a limited-edition drone—one that could film in 12K—and decided to stop at his favorite childhood noodle shop in Xicheng. He hadn't been there in years.
He was waiting for his food when a familiar voice called out, "Wei-ge?"
Lin Wei turned. Chen Peng stood there, holding a plastic bag of takeout, eyes wide.
"Pengzi?" Lin Wei said, surprised.
Chen Peng had been his roommate during university. Loud, reckless, always broke but always smiling. They'd drifted apart after graduation.
Chen Peng looked rough. His hoodie was threadbare, and his shoes had holes. "I almost didn't recognize you, bro. You look... expensive."
Lin Wei laughed. "I've had a lucky month."
They caught up quickly. Chen Peng had lost his job six months ago. Couldn't find another. Parents were sick. Rent overdue. Life, in short, was kicking him in the ribs.
Lin Wei listened. Then did what felt natural.
"How much do you owe?"
Chen Peng blinked. "Huh?"
"Your rent. Your bills. Everything."
Chen Peng hesitated. "Around eighty thousand yuan."
Lin Wei took out the card. "Let's fix that."
His friend stared as Lin Wei walked to the nearest ATM, inserted the card, and transferred the money to his bank account in under two minutes. No questions asked. No hesitation.
Chen Peng was speechless. "I… Wei-ge… you didn't have to…"
"I wanted to," Lin Wei said simply. "We all need help sometimes."
That night, another message came:
"You have used the card to uplift others.The energy returns to you threefold.Chapter Four complete."
But along with it came something new—an alert on his phone. An app he hadn't installed appeared, titled Balance of Impact. It showed a simple interface: a glowing sphere that pulsed softly in the center.
Beneath it, three words:
Karma: PositiveLevel: 1Ripples Created: 5
He tapped for more info. The app displayed a series of ripples, like drops in water. One listed his parents' move. Another listed Chen Peng's debt relief. Others were less clear—"Courier Inspired to Start Business," "Noodle Vendor Upgraded Kitchen."
He stared at the screen.
The card didn't just spend.It influenced.
Every act created consequences—seen and unseen.
And the app was tracking it all.
Lin Wei stood on the balcony of his penthouse again, wind tugging at his hair. The skyline blinked with lights and possibility.
This wasn't just wealth. It was leverage.A way to tilt the world.
But that meant he could also push it in the wrong direction.
The power he held wasn't in what he could buy.
It was in what he could change.
And change was coming.
Faster than he was ready for.