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

After Ji Yanran and her executives finished their meeting, the entire building was a flurry of activity. Li Yichen, however, didn't linger. He grabbed his car keys and left the office. The elevator went straight to the basement, and as he looked up, the U8's engine roared softly before it disappeared into the evening traffic of Pudong.

Back to Tomson Riviera.

He changed into a pair of slippers, went upstairs to the study, and closed the door behind him.

As soon as I sit on the sofa, my mind starts racing.

Energy Shield.

The system's generous gift package included the complete force field technology, which was now etched into my mind. The plasma confinement matrix, the energy frequency modulation equations, and every weld of the force field generator—everything was so clear that I could start building it right away.

But there's a problem.

He mentally reviewed the entire technical solution from beginning to end. He checked the materials list item by item.

Silicon carbide substrate – Yes.

Superconducting magnetic confinement coils—the military region can obtain them.

Miniature plasma generator – the main unit on the 66th floor can process it.

Quantum-level rare-earth excitation crystals —

Li Yichen stopped.

This thing doesn't exist on Earth.

It's not that rare earth elements don't exist. Rather, this specific quantum-level excitation crystal requires a special synthesis process to prepare, operating near absolute zero in a strong magnetic field. The key point is—the synthesis process itself isn't included in the technology package provided by the system.

It only gave the usage instructions, not the method.

It's the same as buying a printer and not getting ink cartridges included.

"System, you really know how to do business," Li Yichen muttered.

He closed his eyes and brought up the system store interface. He entered "quantum-level rare earth excitation crystal" in the search bar.

Ding.

The result popped up.

[Quantum-level rare earth excitation crystal (energy shield core material) ×1] - Price: 1 Tech Point.

A single crystal represents a technological breakthrough.

One technology point is equivalent to 10 billion RMB.

A crystal the size of a thumb, worth 10 billion.

Li Yichen clicked his tongue. This price was tens of thousands of times more expensive than gold. More importantly, each energy shield required a separate purchase. Ten shields would cost ten tech points, a hundred billion.

That's not worth it at all.

Is there a way to synthesize it yourself?

He re-entered keywords into the search bar of the online store, trying several different combinations: "quantum crystal synthesis," "rare earth activation preparation," and "energy shield material formula."

It took almost an hour to flip through.

I've refreshed the online store page hundreds of times. Most of them are finished products for direct sale, with prices starting at one percent.

at last.

He found it in the corner of the search results, around the 300th one.

[Quantum-level rare earth excitation crystal - complete synthesis formula and preparation process] - Price: 1 Tech Point.

Li Yichen stared at the line of text for three seconds.

A finished crystal, a single point.

The synthesis formula is also a point.

But once you buy the formula, it's permanent. You can build as many as you want afterward, just gather the materials yourself.

"System, I'm speechless at your shady pricing strategy." He rubbed his temples. "The finished product and the formula are priced the same; it's clearly forcing people to buy the formula."

However, to be fair, spending one tech point to buy out the recipe is definitely much more cost-effective than spending one point to buy the finished product each time.

The problem is—his current tech points balance is zero.

The system just reached level 20, and the shop only just unlocked. Previous upgrade rewards were all gift packs, with no tech points given. Under the new rules, you only get one tech point for every 10 billion spent to level up.

In other words, once the 200 billion yuan in charity funds is disbursed and the system levels up 20 times, he will have accumulated at least 20 technology points.

The first thing I'll do then is buy this synthesis formula.

Li Yichen made a mental note of this. He then took out his phone and opened the notes app.

Aside from the crystal that was impossible to buy, the other materials for the energy shield weren't difficult to obtain. Most of them were military-grade, and Gu Shounian had the channels to get them.

He listed the materials item by item. Niobium-titanium alloy wire for superconducting coils, high-purity silicon carbide substrates, tungsten electrodes for micro plasma generators... Lin listed more than ten items in total.

I calculated the price.

The material cost of a complete energy shield (excluding the core crystal) is approximately ten million.

It's not expensive. Compared to the billions spent on materials for the armor, it's a drop in the ocean.

Once the list was edited, he sent it directly to Gu Shounian via WeChat.

Shanghai Military Region.

The light in Gu Shounian's office was still on.

A pile of documents lay on the table, and he was marking them with a red pen. His phone screen lit up—a WeChat message notification.

He picked it up and glanced at it.

Li Yichen sent me a picture.

Materials list.

Gu Shounian zoomed in on the image and scanned it from beginning to end. Niobium-titanium alloy wire, high-purity silicon carbide... these things were readily available in the military region's materials warehouse, though in small quantities.

He didn't ask any further questions about its purpose.

Having dealt with Li Yichen for so long, he'd learned his lesson. If this guy wanted something, he always had a reason. And if he wouldn't tell him anyway, it was better to save his breath.

Gu Shounian dialed the internal phone line of the military region's materials office.

"Old Zhou, I'm sending you a list. Have everything ready by tomorrow morning and deliver it to the Future Technology headquarters building before the afternoon. Yes, this is what President Li needs. Okay, use the expedited channel."

After hanging up the phone, he sent Li Yichen a message:

"Deliver it tomorrow afternoon. What are you up to this time?"

Li Yichen replied instantly: "Little thing. I'll treat you to drinks another day."

Gu Shounian stared at the words "little gadget" and his lips twitched.

The last time he mentioned "little gadgets," the thing he conjured up paralyzed an aircraft carrier.

"Alright, whatever makes you happy." Gu Shounian tossed his phone back onto the table and continued reading the documents.

Tomson Riviera.

Li Yichen locked his phone and was about to study the prerequisites for the synthesis formula.

Ta-da.

The sound of tiny feet slapping the ground came from the corridor.

The study door was pushed open a crack from the outside, and Miao's little head peeked in through the gap.

"Brother! Dinner's ready! Uncle Zhou said the soup'll get cold if we don't come soon!"

The little girl wore a light pink fleece sweatshirt today, and her two pigtails were tied crookedly.

Li Yichen closed the system panel in his mind and got up from the sofa. He bent down, scooped up Miaomiao, and tucked her into his waistband.

"Let's go eat."

Miao Miao wrapped her arms around his neck, her little legs dangling in the air.

I went downstairs.

Inside the restaurant, Zhou Dahai's signature dishes were already laid out on the table: braised beef brisket, garlic shrimp, stir-fried kale, and a steaming pot of old duck soup.

Li Nian was standing by the table. When she saw him arrive, she quickly moved her chair back.

"Brother Li, please have a seat."

She took Miaomiao and placed her on the high chair next to her, then tied the bib on the little girl.

"Miaomiao, come down here, it's time for me to eat."

Miaomiao sat obediently, patting the table with her little hands. "I want to eat shrimp too! The big kind!"

Li Yichen pulled out a chair, sat down, picked up a piece of beef brisket, and put it in his mouth.

After chewing a couple of times, his gaze inadvertently fell on Miaomiao.

That light pink sweatshirt.

Thin fleece.

He put down his chopsticks and looked out the window. The sky was dark, and a layer of condensation had formed on the French windows. In December, the temperature in Shanghai had already dropped to single digits.

Then look at Miaomiao. She's wearing just a thin sweatshirt and a pair of pants underneath.

"Nian Nian".

Li Niannian was putting shrimp into Miaomiao's bowl when she heard the sound and looked up. "Hmm?"

"Is this all the clothes Miaomiao has? Don't you have anything warmer?"

Li Nian paused for a moment, then glanced down at Miao Miao's clothes. A hint of embarrassment flashed across her face.

"I have two thick ones... but they were washed last week and they're still not dry. The temperature has dropped so quickly these past few days that I haven't had time to buy new ones."

Her voice grew softer and softer as she spoke.

Li Yichen placed the chopsticks on the rim of the bowl.

"After dinner, let's go shopping."

Miao Miao's ears perked up, and she still had half a shrimp in her mouth. "Going shopping?!"

"Okay. I'll buy you winter clothes."

Miao Miao almost jumped off her chair. "Yay! Shopping! Buying new clothes!" She raised her little hand, almost throwing the shrimp out of her hand.

Li Nian opened her mouth. "Brother Li, no need, I'll buy it myself tomorrow—"

"You should buy some too." Li Yichen picked up his soup bowl and took a sip of duck soup. "Don't refuse, let's eat."

Li Niannian's lips moved twice, but she didn't say anything more. She lowered her head and ate her rice, her ears turning red.

Forty minutes after the meal.

Looking up, the U8 is parked in the underground parking garage of a large shopping mall near Tomson Riviera.

The three of them took the elevator up to the third floor. Children's clothing section.

Miao Miao, like a little sparrow released from its cage, rushed to the front. Her two pigtails swung like helicopter rotors.

"This one's nice! That one's nice too! Bro, I want the one with the bunny on it!"

She pressed her face against the shop window, her small face flattened, leaving a white mark on the tip of her nose.

Li Yichen was dragged into the first store by the little girl.

"I'll take one of these fleece-lined sweatshirts, and that down jacket too, oh yes, the pink one... I want that one too."

The shop assistant watched him gesturing in all directions, already carrying a stack of things in his arms.

"Sir, are you sure you want them all? This down jacket costs three thousand eight—"

"I want both. Also, get two more pairs of fleece-lined pants. And a matching hat, scarf, and gloves."

The shop assistant's eyes lit up, and she rushed into the fitting room with the clothes in her arms.

Miao Miao twirled in front of the dressing mirror. Her white down jacket, puffed up like a little snowball, enveloped her. She gave her reflection a peace sign.

"Bro! Don't I look like a polar bear?"

"It looks like one." Li Yichen squatted down and straightened the pom-pom on her hat. "A polar bear that eats a lot."

"I can't eat it!" Miao Miao puffed out her cheeks and glared at him.

After trying on the children's clothes, I moved on to the women's clothing section.

Li Yichen dragged Li Niannian into a mid-range luxury brand store.

Li Niannian shrank behind him, twisting her clothes with both hands.

"Brother Li, you really don't need to... I have clothes to wear."

"How long have you been wearing that jacket? The cuffs are all pilling." Li Yichen said without turning his head.

Li Niannian glanced down at her cuffs. Indeed, they were covered in small fuzz balls.

She tucked her hands into her sleeves and remained silent.

"Take this long black down jacket, size M," Li Yichen said, pointing to the style on the mannequin.

The shop assistant quickly grabbed one and handed it over.

"I'll get one of these camel coats too. And a scarf... that gray one."

Li Niannian stood to the side, watching the shop assistant carry clothes to the cashier, her expression both embarrassed and awkward.

"Brother Li, that's enough... all of these add up to tens of thousands."

"What's wrong with a few tens of thousands?" Li Yichen took out his black card and handed it to the clerk. "You know my personality, this is nothing. Don't be polite with me."

Li Niannian pursed her lips and didn't say anything more. But when she lowered her head, the corners of her mouth turned up slightly.

Miao Miao sat on the sofa by the shop entrance, swinging her legs back and forth. "Sister, hurry up and try it on! I want to see!"

Li Nian was pushed into the fitting room.

She was wearing that long black down jacket when she came out. The waistline was neatly cinched, making her look tall and slim.

Miao Miao jumped up and clapped. "Sister is so pretty! Just like a celebrity on TV!"

Li Niannian blushed and glanced at herself in the mirror. She muttered, "It's alright," but didn't move towards the fitting room.

Li Yichen also picked out two dark-colored winter outfits: a black hooded down jacket and a navy blue turtleneck sweater.

After paying, the three of them, carrying large and small bags, came out of the women's clothing section.

Li Yichen paused for a moment as he passed a women's clothing store with a more professional style.

Ji Yanran.

That girl wears business attire every day; she can't keep wearing those thin suits from autumn now that winter is here. Last time I saw her in the office, she was hunched over, drinking hot coffee to warm her hands; she was clearly freezing.

He stopped in front of the shop window.

Several well-made winter business suits were hanging inside: cashmere coats and thick suit skirts.

But he didn't know Ji Yanran's exact size.

Li Yichen turned his head and glanced at Li Niannian.

I estimated it to be two seconds.

They're about the same height, between 167 and 168 cm.

The shoulder width is about the same.

Waist and bust... are about the same.

"Nian Nian".

Li Niannian looked up, holding the shopping bags. "Hmm?"

"Go inside and help me try on a few outfits."

Li Nian was stunned. "Huh? Didn't we just buy them?"

"It's not for you." Li Yichen nudged her shoulder, urging her into the store. "It's for Yanran. You're about the same height and build as her, so help her try it on to see if the size fits."

Li Niannian's steps faltered.

She turned and glanced at Li Yichen.

His expression was somewhat complicated.

But it only lasted two seconds. She lowered her head, said "Oh," and went into the store.

Li Yichen followed behind and began rummaging through the shelves.

"This smoky gray cashmere coat is nice, let's try it on."

"This dark red suit dress is also fine; Yanran usually wears this color scheme a lot."

"This one... never mind, it's too plain, it'll make her look older."

The shop assistant stood by, dumbfounded. She wondered who this man was buying clothes for. He had one woman with him, but his mind was on another?

Li Niannian changed out of three different outfits.

Each time he changed into a different outfit, Li Yichen would tilt his head and examine it closely.

"This dress has too high a waistline; Yanran's waist is a bit long. Let's change to the next one."

"This one's alright, the color suits her. I'll buy it."

"This is too tight, isn't it? Yanran isn't as big as you... Never mind, let's get a size bigger."

Li Niannian's face turned bright red as she threw a piece of clothing out from behind the fitting room curtain.

"Brother Li, what are you saying! What do you mean by 'not as... as what'?!"

Li Yichen shut up in time.

Miao Miao sat on the sofa next to her, eating a lollipop and watching the show with a happy smile.

"Is your brother buying clothes for Sister Ji?"

"Um."

"Does your brother like Sister Ji?"

"...Eat your candy."

In the end, I chose four outfits: two cashmere coats and two thick business suits.

Swipe the card. When the clerk announced the total price, his smile almost reached his ears.

When they left the mall, the three of them were carrying bags full of bags. Miao Miao was carrying the smallest paper bag in each hand, and she walked with a swaying gait.

"Brother, I'm so happy! I bought so many nice clothes today!"

"As long as you're happy. Let's go home."

Looking up, I watched the U8 drive out of the garage and merge into the traffic flow in the night.

Miao Miao sat in her back car seat, clutching her newly bought bunny-themed down jacket. She tilted her head to the side and fell asleep in less than three minutes, a sweet smile still playing on her lips.

Li Niannian sat in the passenger seat, several shopping bags spread on her lap. She turned her head to look at her sleeping younger sister in the rearview mirror, then stole a glance at Li Yichen, who was driving.

The streetlights outside the car window flashed by one by one, casting flickering light on his profile.

She looked away and turned her face to the window.

Her own face was reflected in the windowpane. The corners of her mouth, which had been turned up at some point, were still up.