Tenfold cashback: How I manipulated my ex-girlfriend on the plane

As the system read out the information in his mind, Chen Mo's eyes lit up instantly.

Favorability rating, emotion perception, charm boost, time management...

Every function is like a "cheat device" tailor-made for him.

Especially that "Charm Boost"—if it could stack with the rewards from side quests, would that be a bonus of over 30%? Or would it just take the maximum value?

His heart skipped a beat.

But he quickly suppressed the burning sensation.

All of that is for later. Right now, the most important thing is to complete the system's "assets exceeding 100 million" task.

He took out his phone, opened the files on the USB drive that Shen Jiayi had given him, and began browsing the complete plan for Jiangcheng International Fashion Week.

The plan was very professionally prepared. The budget details, revenue forecasts, and risk assessments were all clearly outlined. Shen Jiayi is indeed reliable; she's not just a show-off who only knows how to drink and socialize.

The total investment is 30 million, with the government contributing 20 million and requiring an additional 10 million in private capital. The payback period is approximately one year, with an expected return of 15% to 20%.

This rate of return isn't high in the investment world, but it's stable, backed by the government, and has low risk.

But Chen Mo wasn't thinking about how much money he could make from those ten million.

His thought was: spend 10 million, and the system will return 100 million.

One billion.

Once he invests this money, his total assets will exceed 100 million, the main quest will be completed, and the system shop will be unlocked.

Whether or not this 10 million can make money, and how much it can make, is secondary.

After all, with a system at your fingertips, there are plenty of ways to make money.

Chen Mo closed the file, leaned back in his chair, and made a decision.

I will give Shen Jiayi an answer tomorrow.

Ten million, invested.

---

The taxi stopped in front of the Riverside Mansion.

Chen Mo paid the fare, walked into the lobby, swiped his card, and pressed the button for the 28th floor.

When the elevator doors opened, he saw that his own door was slightly ajar, and warm yellow light leaked out from the crack, spreading a warm strip of light across the hallway floor.

He pushed the door open and went in.

In the living room, the television was still on, playing a late-night art film at a very low volume. On the screen was a man and woman kissing in the rain, the lighting ambiguous, accompanied by tender music.

On the sofa, Lin Shiyu was curled up in the corner, with a thin blanket draped over her, as if she had already fallen asleep.

Two empty wine bottles and a wine glass sat on the coffee table, wine stains leaving a dark red ring on the solid wood surface. A few unfinished chocolates lay scattered nearby, their wrappers crumpled into a ball, like the mood of being carelessly discarded.

Chen Mo frowned.

He walked over, bent down, and collected the bottles and glasses, preparing to take them to the kitchen.

Just as he picked up his wine glass, a soft hand suddenly grasped his wrist.

"Don't go..."

Lin Shiyu's voice was hoarse and indistinct, heavily intoxicated. Her eyes were half-open, her pupils somewhat unfocused, clearly indicating she had drunk quite a bit. An unnatural flush spread across her face from her cheeks to her ears, making her resemble a flower blooming wildly in the alcohol.

"You've had too much to drink." Chen Mo tried to pull his hand away.

Lin Shiyu gripped her hand tightly, her knuckles turning white, as if she were clutching something she absolutely could not lose. She propped herself up on the sofa, the thin blanket slipping down to reveal her black dress. The dress was slightly disheveled from sleeping, the neckline askew to one side.

"I didn't drink too much..." Her voice was slurred, but her tone was stubborn. "I only drank a little bit... really just a little bit..."

The two empty wine bottles on the coffee table silently contradicted her words.

Chen Mo sighed, sat down beside her, and asked with a hint of helplessness, "Why did you have to drink?"

Lin Shiyu did not answer.

She lowered her head, her long hair falling down, obscuring half her face. After a long while, she finally spoke, her voice so soft it was as if she were talking to herself: "Because... I feel sad."

"What's bothering you?" Chen Mo turned to look at her.

"It's upsetting that you were with that woman tonight."

Lin Shiyu raised her head, her hazy eyes staring straight at him, her eyes slightly red.

Chen Mo was taken aback: "Shen Jiayi?"

"It's her." Lin Shiyu nodded, her movements a little awkward, as if something was pressing down on her neck. "She's really beautiful. That aura, it's not something you can fake. Standing there in that red dress, she's like a moving flame, no one can take their eyes off her."

As soon as she finished speaking, she paused, a self-deprecating smile tugging at the corners of her lips.

"Do you know what I was thinking when I saw her?"

"What?"

"If I were a man, I'd choose her too." Lin Shiyu's voice lowered. "Mature, charming, successful... And me? A bar hostess, drowning in debt, with nowhere to even go. A complete and utter failure."

The last three words were enunciated with extreme force, as if they were carved out from between the bones.

Chen Mo was silent for a few seconds, then said in a steady voice, "You're not a loser, you're just unlucky."

"Bad luck..." Lin Shiyu murmured, repeating herself, then suddenly laughed, a laugh full of bitterness. "In college, everyone said I was lucky. I was pretty, a good dancer, and people lined up to pursue me. But you know what? I never felt lucky. Because the people I liked never liked me back."

She paused for a moment, as if gathering her courage.

"But Chen Mo, do you know that?"

I had a crush on you when I was in college.

Chen Mo's brow twitched slightly.

"I never told you when you were with Guan Yao." Lin Shiyu lowered her head, her fingers unconsciously drawing circles on the sofa. "Later you broke up, and I wanted to find you... but I had already gone somewhere else by then, and then I met that person..."

Her voice began to tremble.

"He said he would promote me, that I had potential, that I was the most beautiful girl he had ever seen... I believed him, I believed everything. I gave him all my money, I even... gave myself to him..."

At this point, Lin Shiyu's voice suddenly choked up.

Tears welled up uncontrollably and silently slid down her cheeks.

"And what happened? He was a conman. He swindled all my money, had his fun with me, and then dumped me like trash..."

"When I returned to Jiangcheng, I only had three hundred yuan left. I didn't dare go home, didn't dare see my parents, and didn't dare contact any of my old classmates... I was afraid they would see me like this, afraid they would laugh at me..."

She lifted her tear-streaked face, her voice broken and almost incoherent.

"Chen Mo, do you know that feeling? That feeling... when the whole world has abandoned you, and you even hate yourself?"

Chen Mo looked at her.

He didn't speak.

He simply reached out and gently placed his hand on the top of her head.

The warmth of his palm sent a shiver through Lin Shiyu, causing her body to stiffen for a moment. Then, as if all her strength had been drained, she leaned softly against him, resting her forehead on his broad shoulder.

"Why are you being so nice to me? Do you know... that this is making me..."

He hadn't finished speaking.

But Chen Mo knew what she wanted to say.

It would make her fall hopelessly in love with herself again, thus leaping into an abyss she knew she shouldn't jump into, yet couldn't help but want to drown in.

The living room fell silent, with only the faint sound of dialogue from the television and the intermittent breathing of the two people.

Lin Shiyu's hair brushed against Chen Mo's neck, slightly cool, carrying the faint scent of shampoo, mixed with the subtle aroma of red wine, weaving a web that made one's heart race.