Super Rich: Starting the game by going back ten years to buy Bitcoin

"Let's do something different this year. We have to go all out, after all, this is our group's first annual meeting."

Li Yichen's smile faded, and his knuckles tapped the mahogany table, producing a crisp sound. "Yanran, how many employees does our group have in total?"

Ji Yanran opened her tablet, her fingertips swiping rapidly across the screen to bring up the latest personnel report. "The total number of employees, including the future new energy battery plant, the aerospace base, the two super factories, and all administrative staff at headquarters, officially surpassed the 50,000 mark this morning."

"Fifty thousand?" Li Yichen leaned back in his chair, taking a deep breath. Just over half a year ago, he was delivering food on a beat-up electric scooter, braving wind and rain to earn a meager living. Now, he was working for five people who were equivalent to a full division commander.

Good luck tricks people.

"Everyone has worked so hard to achieve these results, so the annual party absolutely cannot be shabby." Li Yichen spoke casually, as if discussing what to eat for dinner that night. "As for the budget... let's set aside 10 billion to organize it."

pat.

The Montblanc pen in Feng Yue's hand fell directly onto the carpet.

Ji Yanran's eyes widened, and her voice rose an octave. "Ten billion?! Boss, are you going to turn the annual meeting into the opening ceremony of the Olympics? That amount of money could easily buy out a large listed company on NASDAQ! Even if you invested it, you could build ten top-notch R&D centers!"

"If we divide it among 50,000 people, and each person gets a little bit, we'll be broke." Li Yichen waved his hand, completely unconcerned. "Spend it as you're told, don't try to save money for me. Money in the account is just a string of numbers; spending it on employees is real productivity."

Ji Yanran rubbed her temples, forcing herself to accept this outrageously extravagant consumerism. "Okay, how do we choose a venue? The largest indoor stadium in Shanghai can only hold 20,000 to 30,000 people. Gathering 50,000 people together would be a huge security problem."

"Rent a top-notch open-air stadium. Book the whole thing." Li Yichen tapped his wrist lightly with his knuckles. "Ling'er, 50,000 people is too many. A traditional lottery box won't work. You write a lottery app to guarantee absolute fairness, and no one can pull any tricks."

A holographic figure popped out of the dial, patting its chest and guaranteeing, "Leave it to me! I'll use quantum encryption algorithms in the backend; even a hacker would be helpless. Bro, want me to secretly write a backdoor so your chosen person can win the grand prize?"

"Stop with these underhanded tactics," Li Yichen said lightly. "I said it would be absolutely fair, and it really is. Who wins is entirely based on luck."

Ling'er stuck out her tongue and crawled back to the watch face to type in code.

Li Yichen sat up straight and began to plan the specific distribution of this huge sum of money. "We'll set six tiers. The fifth prize will be a universal benefit, with everyone receiving 10,000 yuan in cash. Everyone will get a share."

Feng Yue had just picked up her pen when she heard this, and the ink drew a long black line on the paper. Fifty thousand people, ten thousand each—that's five hundred million spent on the universal benefit award alone!

"The fourth prize is 50,000, and the third prize is 100,000." Li Yichen continued to raise the stakes, "The second prize has 100 slots, and each person will receive a luxury car worth 500,000. The first prize has 10 slots, and each person will receive a property worth 2 million."

Ji Yanran picked up her pen to take notes, her wrist trembling uncontrollably. If this prize were posted online, every working person on the internet would probably go crazy with envy. Other companies would post about winning the latest iPhone on social media for ages, but her boss was giving away houses and cars.

"The grand prize..." Li Yichen stroked his chin and pondered for a moment, "...will be a single winner, and the prize will be a ten million yuan detached villa in Shanghai. Fully furnished and ready to move in."

Feng Yue swallowed hard and weakly raised her right hand. "Mr. Li, is it too late for me to resign and go to the workshop to tighten screws? I'd like to participate in the lucky draw as a junior employee."

Li Yichen chuckled and teased her, pointing at her. "You earn five million a year and you're still thinking about this little prize? Get back to work and stop daydreaming. Hurry up and finish the plan and send it to everyone via email."

Ji Yanran grabbed the tablet and strode out in her high heels. She was determined to spend that 10 billion in a way that would make everyone envious, showing all the other bosses in the industry what true wealth and power really meant.

The office is quiet again.

Li Yichen stretched out his arms, his knuckles cracking. He'd been working on space-based weapons and busy with the factory opening for days; his nerves were stretched too thin, and he needed to relax.

Xue Shanshan's image flashed through his mind. She'd been discharged from the hospital for a while, and he hadn't visited her yet. He should also check if her parents had gone back to their hometown, so they wouldn't feel uncomfortable living in Shanghai.

He grabbed his car keys and left the office.

The dark-colored U8 drove out of the building's underground parking garage and merged into the bustling streets of Pudong. Passing a high-end boutique fruit shop, he pulled over, opened the door, and went inside.

The store is luxuriously decorated, and the shelves are filled with rare fruits flown in from all over the world.

A female shop assistant approached, her gaze sweeping over Li Yichen's casual attire, her smile somewhat perfunctory. "Sir, what would you like to look at? Our fruit prices are a bit high, so please pay attention to the price tags when you choose."

Li Yichen didn't bother arguing and pointed to the beautifully packaged giant fruit basket on the top shelf. "Take three of your most expensive fruit baskets. They're all filled with top-quality imported goods."

A nouveau riche man with a beer belly walked over with a heavily made-up woman, pointing at the same row of fruit baskets and shouting, "Waiter, I want all of these fruit baskets. Wrap them up and give them away!"

The shop assistant looked hesitant. "Boss, this gentleman chose it first."

The nouveau riche glanced at Li Yichen and sneered repeatedly. "Can he afford to buy this cheap outfit? This fruit basket costs three thousand eight hundred, three of them would be over ten thousand. Kid, don't try to act rich."

Li Yichen didn't even glance at the nouveau riche, and directly pulled out his black card and slammed it on the cashier's counter. "Swipe the card. The PIN is six eights."

Upon seeing the black card logo, the clerk's attitude completely changed, bowing at a 90-degree angle. "Okay, boss! I'll pack it for you right away! I guarantee it's all the freshest air-freighted goods!"

Upon seeing the black card that represented the pinnacle of wealth, the nouveau riche turned pale and then ashen, and he and his female companion slunk out of the store.

Ten minutes later, three giant fruit baskets were stuffed into the trunk. Li Yichen gripped the steering wheel with one hand and drove towards Xue Shanshan's shared apartment. Recalling Xue's mother's interrogation, which felt like a census check, he shook his head and smiled wryly, pressing the accelerator with his right foot.

With a roar of the engine, the car came to a stop outside the old residential area. Li Yichen, carrying two fruit baskets, walked into the alley.

Arriving at Xue Shanshan's shared apartment, he raised his hand and knocked on the door.

The sound of slippers walking could be heard from inside. The security door opened, and Xue Shanshan appeared behind it, wearing a printed apron and holding a plastic spatula.

Upon seeing who it was, her cheeks flushed crimson, and she quickly stepped back to make way. "Brother Li! What brings you here!"

Li Yichen stepped into the house and placed the fruit basket on the dining table. "I was just passing by and thought I'd drop by to see how your recovery is going. Where are your aunt and uncle?"

"They bought tickets and went back to their hometown the day before yesterday." Xue Shanshan took off her apron and stood awkwardly. "I'm all alone at home. My roommate went to work."

Li Yichen looked around. The room was very tidy, and the aroma of pork rib soup filled the air. "Looks like he's recovering well; he can even cook for himself now."

Xue Shanshan poured a glass of warm water and handed it to him. "The doctor said as long as I don't do heavy work, it'll be fine. Brother Li, why don't you stay for dinner? I'm stewing some ribs."

Li Yichen took the water glass and took a sip. "Okay, try your cooking."

The two sat on the fabric sofa chatting. Xue Shanshan twisted the hem of her clothes with both hands, occasionally stealing glances at his profile, her ears turning bright red.

"You must be very busy at work lately?" she asked, trying to break the awkward silence.

"Not bad, we just finalized the annual meeting plan." Li Yichen leaned back on the sofa. "When you come back to work after your leave, you'll be there in time for the lucky draw. The grand prize is a villa worth tens of millions, so try to get some of the good luck."

Xue Shanshan exclaimed in surprise. "A villa worth tens of millions?! A villa as a prize at the company's annual party?"

"Yes, a budget of 10 billion, everyone gets a share." Li Yichen said casually.

Xue Shanshan covered her mouth, completely shocked by the company's outrageously extravagant spending.

The clay pot in the kitchen was bubbling. Xue Shanshan snapped out of her daze and hurriedly got up. "The soup's ready! I'll go get the dishes!"

She hurriedly fled to the kitchen, her retreating figure revealing a hint of panic.

Li Yichen held his water glass, his gaze falling on a family photo on the coffee table. In the photo, Xue Shanshan smiled radiantly, while her parents stood on either side, their faces full of love.

Before long, three dishes and a soup were served. Sweet and sour pork ribs, stir-fried seasonal vegetables, scrambled eggs with tomatoes, and a pot of rich corn and pork rib soup.

Li Yichen washed his hands, sat down, picked up a piece of sweet and sour pork ribs, and put it in his mouth. The sweet and sour flavor was just right, and the meat was tender and soft.

"The cooking is pretty good," he commented. "It tastes better than what you get at restaurants."

Xue Shanshan held her rice bowl, her cheeks flushed even more, and shoveled small bites of white rice into her mouth. "Brother Li, eat more if you like. You're usually busy with work and must often have to drink alcohol, so drink some pork rib soup to soothe your stomach."

She ladled out a bowl of hot soup and handed it to her.

Li Yichen took the soup bowl, his fingertips inadvertently brushing against the back of her hand. Xue Shanshan recoiled as if electrocuted, burying her head almost in the bowl.

"You silly girl." Li Yichen scooped up a spoonful of hot soup. "Are you happy working in the company's administration department? If you're finding it tiring, I'll use my connections to get you a different position."

"No need, no need!" Xue Shanshan hurriedly waved her hand. "The administration department is great, and my colleagues take good care of me. Although President Ji seems strict, he's a very nice person in private and has taught me a lot."

Li Yichen nodded. "That's good. Feel free to contact me anytime if you encounter any difficulties."

After the meal, Li Yichen offered to clear the dishes. Xue Shanshan, however, refused and insisted on taking the dishes into the kitchen.

"You're a guest, how can you expect a guest to wash the dishes?" She tied on her apron and turned on the tap.

Li Yichen leaned against the kitchen door frame, watching her busy figure. "Your injury has just healed, don't touch cold water."

"I'm wearing gloves." Xue Shanshan raised her hands, which were covered in rubber gloves, and shook them, the water droplets glistening under the light.

Night deepened. Li Yichen checked his watch; the hour hand pointed to nine o'clock.

"It's getting late, I should go back." He stood up and straightened his clothes.

Xue Shanshan stood up and saw him to the door. "Brother Li, take care. Thank you for the fruit basket."

"Get some rest and try to get back to the team as soon as possible." Li Yichen waved goodbye and walked into the stairwell.

Under the deep darkness of night, Li Yichen looked up and saw the U8 engine roaring again. He lowered the car window halfway down, and the night breeze rushed into the cabin, dispelling some of his fatigue.

The watch face flashed, and Ling'er's holographic figure appeared. "Brother, your mood is really high today. Your dopamine level is 15 percent higher than usual."

"What do you know about feelings, you AI?" Li Yichen said, steering the car with one hand. "This is called experiencing life."

"Tch, I may not have a physical body, but I know how to analyze data." Ling'er curled her lip. "Xue Shanshan's heart rate spiked to 120 when you got close, a typical hormonal surge."

Li Yichen flicked his index finger lightly on the watch face. "Shut up. Get back to work. Is the annual party raffle program finished yet?"

"It's already finished! I even added a special effect to make the lottery event a huge success!" Ling'er rubbed her head, which had been flicked, and scurried back into the watch face with a pitiful expression.

As the vehicle drove onto the overpass, the neon lights of the city on both sides flashed by like streaks of light.