The fan in my room rattled like it had smoked its last cigarette. Sweat was trickling down my spine, my stomach was drumming like a war call, and my phone screen… well, it showed the kind of number that makes grown men reevaluate life choices:
Bank Balance: $10.12
I, Luo Tian, nineteen years old, was now officially rare enough to be declared a protected species.
Rent? Overdue.
Fridge? Emptier than my love life.
Best friend? A fat kitchen cockroach I'd named Brother Zhang.
"Luo Tian!" My landlord's voice blasted up the stairwell like a foghorn. "Rent! Today!"
I groaned, dragging my thin blanket over my face. If avoiding problems was a competitive sport, I'd have a gold medal and a Nike sponsorship.
Then—
Ding!
Not my phone. This one was inside my head. Like a cosmic push notification had just slid into my mental DMs.
> [Money-Earning System Activated!]
Congratulations, Host! You have been chosen for the Money-Earning System's Beta Test. Complete daily tasks to earn money.
First Task: "Slap the butt of the girl in the blue yoga pants jogging past your building."
Reward: $10.
I froze mid-breath. "…What?"
Ding! again.
> Failure to complete a task may result in punishment.
Possible punishments include: Bankruptcy, Public Humiliation, Explosive Diarrhea.
"…Bro, what?" My voice cracked. "The first thing you want me to do… is that?"
I shuffled over to the window.
Sure enough, there she was — a toned beauty in electric-blue yoga pants, high ponytail swishing as she jogged. She looked like she'd stepped out of a fitness ad. The curve of her— ahem. Anyway, I'm a healthy young man, my eyes work.
Ten bucks for one slap.
Morally questionable? Absolutely.
Was my conscience shaking its head at me? A little.
Then my landlord's voice thundered again: "I'm coming up!"
Suddenly, my morals packed their bags and booked a flight out of town.
---
One minute later
I was at the building entrance, pretending to scroll my phone. My heart was hammering like a trapped rat.
"You got this, Luo Tian," I whispered. "For rent. For instant noodles. For survival."
She approached, jogging right past me— I spun, hand out— smack!
She gasped, stopping dead. Eyes wide, face flushed. My brain yelled run! but before I could move, a glowing notification appeared in my vision.
> [Task Complete!]
Reward Deposited: $10
Current Balance: $20.12
Next Task: "Confess loudly to the waitress at the café down the street."
Reward: $50.
I blurted, "Miss, I—uh—there was a mosquito!"
She muttered something about perverts and stomped off. Which… yeah, fair.
---
I ducked into an alley, staring at the floating text. Fifty bucks for a public love confession? Now that I could do.
The café was two blocks away. I'd been there before — the waitress was a tall, sharp-tongued beauty with legs so long they deserved their own ZIP code.
---
Five minutes later
The café was buzzing. There she was, in that fitted skirt that should honestly be a crime, balancing a tray of drinks like it was nothing.
I stepped inside, heart pounding. The task notification hovered in my peripheral vision.
When she glanced over, I sucked in a deep breath and yelled:
"MISS! I'VE LOVED YOU SINCE THE MOMENT I SAW YOUR LEGS—UH, YOUR SMILE!"
The café went silent.
Someone dropped a spoon. A guy at the counter snorted coffee through his nose.
The waitress froze, eyes wide. Then her lips twitched. "Sir… we've met once."
"That was enough!" I said, hand over my heart like I was reading love poetry to her soul.
Ding! Victory.
> [Task Complete!]
Reward Deposited: $50
Current Balance: $70.12
Next Task: "Kiss a girl in public."
Reward: $100.
My face burned. Public kissing on day one? This system wasn't just trying to make me rich — it was trying to turn me into a street legend… or get me slapped into another dimension.
Either way, I was in.
Because for the first time in my broke, miserable life… I had a way up.