Rain had a way of finding its way into Wei Chen's life, whether he wanted it or not.
The single-room apartment his family called home had a ceiling that leaked like a broken promise. Every rainy season, and sometimes even on random nights, water would drip through the cracks, forming small puddles on the concrete floor. His mother would place old basins and plastic buckets under the leaks, creating a strange rhythm of plip, plip, plip that had become the soundtrack of their lives.
"Wei Chen, move your books! The water's coming again," his mother would call out, her voice tired but ever-patient.
Despite everything, the leaking roof, the flickering single bulb that barely lit the room, the meals that were more congee than anything substantial, his parents had one dream: to give him the best education they could afford. And sometimes, even what they couldn't afford.
His father worked double shifts at a factory on the outskirts of Beijing, coming home with hands stained with grease and exhaustion etched into every line of his face. His mother assembled electronic components for neighbors, her fingers moving with practiced precision even as her eyes grew weary.
"Study hard," his father would tell him. "This is the only way you don't end up like me." ruffling Wei Chen's hair with a calloused hand.
And Wei Chen did. and he studied hard
Books borrowed from the community library, notes written under dim light, endless nights fueled by cheap jasmine tea and sheer determination, he poured everything into his studies. And it paid off. Against all odds, he got into Qinghua University, one of the most prestigious institutions in the country. Not just that, he got a full scholarship.
For one brief, shining moment, his family celebrated. His mother cried tears of joy, his father bought a whole roasted chicken they couldn't afford, and Wei Chen felt like maybe, just maybe, things were going to be okay.
But Qinghua University was a different world.
It was a playground for the rich, a breeding ground for second-generation heirs who wore designer clothes like uniforms and drove luxury cars that cost more than Wei Chen's entire neighborhood. To them, he was an outsider. A charity case. A joke.
"Hey, scholarship boy! Did you walk here or take the subway?" one of them sneered on his first day.
"Nah, man, he probably rode a shared bike," another laughed.
Wei Chen kept his head down, tried to ignore them. But they didn't make it easy. They'd knock his books out of his hands, "accidentally" spill drinks on him, mock the way he dressed, the way he spoke. He endured it all, telling himself it was temporary. That he just needed to survive long enough to graduate and get a good job.
But today had been different.
Today, they'd gone too far.
It started in the parking lot after classes. Wei Chen was heading to the library when a group of them cornered him. The usual suspects, Li Feng, the ringleader with his designer jacket and expensive watch, and his lackeys.
"Where you going, scholarship boy? Got some studying to do?" Li Feng mocked, stepping in front of him.
"Just let me pass," Wei Chen said quietly, trying to move around him.
"Let you pass? What, you think you're too good for us now?" Li Feng shoved him back.
"I don't want any trouble,"
"Well, trouble found you, b**stard." Li Feng's fist connected with Wei Chen's jaw before he could react.
The world tilted. More punches came from Li Feng, from the others. Wei Chen tried to fight back, but it was five against one. He felt his knees buckle, felt the ground rise up to meet him. Someone kicked him in the ribs, and the pain exploded through his chest.
The last thing he remembered was laughter. Their cruel, echoing laughter as darkness swallowed him whole.
When he lost consciousness, slumped on the cold pavement like discarded trash, they didn't call for help. They didn't take him to the hospital. Instead, Li Feng and his lackeys stood over his motionless body, still laughing, still mocking.
"Look at him. Pathetic," one of them sneered, nudging Wei Chen's side with his shoe.
"Should we call someone?" another asked, though his tone suggested he didn't really care.
"For him? Nah. He'll be fine. Probably just playing dead for sympathy," Li Feng said with a dismissive wave. "Come on, let's go. I'm starving."
And just like that, they left. Their expensive cars roared to life one by one, headlights cutting through the gathering storm as they drove away, leaving Wei Chen alone in the empty parking lot, bleeding and unconscious, as the first drops of rain began to fall.
Plip. Plip. Plip.
The sound of water dripping on his face pulled him back to consciousness. Wei Chen's eyes fluttered open, and for a moment, he didn't know where he was. Everything hurt, his face, his ribs, his head. He tasted blood in his mouth.
He was lying on the ground near the university parking lot. The sky above was dark, heavy with storm clouds. Rain was starting to fall, fat droplets hitting his face, mixing with the blood and dirt.
Thunder rumbled in the distance, deep and ominous.
He needed to get home. Now.
Groaning, Wei Chen pushed himself up, every movement sending fresh waves of pain through his body. The rain was coming down harder now, and the wind was picking up. Lightning flashed across the sky, illuminating the empty parking lot in brief, harsh bursts.
He started walking, stumbling through the rain, toward the main road. His apartment was far, but he had no money for a bus or taxi. He'd have to walk, no matter how much his body protested.
The storm was getting worse. Thunder cracked overhead like the sky was splitting open. Rain poured down in sheets, soaking him to the bone within seconds. The wind howled, bending trees and sending loose debris skittering across the road.
Just get home. Just get home.
Lightning flashed again, closer this time. Too close. Wei Chen's heart pounded in his chest. He needed to find shelter, but there was nothing around,just empty streets and the relentless storm.
And then, the world turned white.
The lightning bolt struck him with the force of a freight train. Every nerve in his body screamed. He felt himself lifted off the ground, suspended for one impossible moment in pure, searing agony, and then nothing.
Darkness.
Ding.
The sound cut through the void like a bell.
Wei Chen's eyes snapped open. He was lying on his back, staring up at... nothing. No sky, no ceiling, just an endless black expanse. His body didn't hurt anymore. In fact, he couldn't feel his body at all.
What... what the hell happened?
Ding.
There it was again. That sound, like a notification from WeChat, but louder, clearer, reverberating inside his skull.
"Hello?" Wei Chen called out, his voice sounding strange and distant. "Is anyone there?"
And then, a voice, calm, mechanical, utterly inhuman, spoke directly into his mind.
"Congratulations on activating the Heavenly Expenditure System"
Wei Chen's breath caught. Or at least, it felt like it should have. "What... what the f**k?"
Before he could process what was happening, something appeared in front of him. A translucent screen, floating in the void, glowing with soft blue light. It looked like something out of a cultivation novel or video game.
At the top, in bold letters, it read:
[ STATUS WINDOW ]
Below that, rows of information displayed themselves:
Name: Wei Chen (魏晨)
Age: 19
Level: 1
Wealth: 500 yuan
Skills: None
Abilities: Heavenly Expenditure System (Active)
Status: Alive (Barely)
Wei Chen stared at the screen, his mind struggling to make sense of it. This couldn't be real. He'd been struck by lightning. He should be dead. Or in a hospital. Or,
The voice spoke again, cutting through his spiraling thoughts.
"The Heavenly Expenditure System has been successfully bound to the Host. You will receive Money from the system, and every amount you spend will be converted into real rewards, growth, and fate-changing opportunities. The more you spend, the more you rise. Your survival now depends on consumption."
"Money? A system… that gives me money? What kind of sick joke is this?"
"This is not a joke. You have been granted a second chance. Make the most of it."
The screen flickered, and a new message appeared:
[ FIRST QUEST ]
Quest Name: Broke No More
Objective: Spend 10,000 yuan within 1 hour
System Funds Provided: 10,000 yuan
Reward:
Cash Return: 20x of expenditure
Failure:
System unbinds Host death probability: 99.9%
Wei Chen's mind went blank. "Spend? You're telling me to spend money? I don't even have enough for a meal! What happens if I fail? What is this system really trying to do to me?!"
But the voice didn't answer. The screen faded, and suddenly, sensation rushed back into his body all at once. Pain, cold, wetness, everything hit him like a tidal wave.
He gasped, his eyes flying open. He was lying on the muddy ground, rain still pouring down around him. His clothes were soaked, his body aching, but he was alive.
In the corner of his vision, faint and translucent, the status window lingered like an afterimage.
Wei Chen lay there for a long moment, staring up at the stormy sky, rain pelting his face.
"What... the f**k... just happened to me?" And Suddenly his broken old phone vibrated, and he take out the mobile to look at it his mind gone lingering sensation of joy. " What… this is real. I actually got money from the system. But I have to spend it in one hour? I've never seen this much money before, this is more than my entire expenses for a whole year. " "And the system wants me to spend it… is this really a joke? With this money, I could pay for my mother's medicine, ease my father's burden, fix the leaking roof—this isn't something I can just throw away." and such Wei Chen Excitedly turn toward the Medical.