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

Li Yichen took out his phone, turned on the flashlight, and followed the wall to the location of the electrical box.

He lifted the metal cover, revealing a row of circuit breakers neatly arranged inside. He held the flashlight closer to examine them—next to the third circuit breaker, there was a clearly visible blackened scorch mark around the wire.

I ran my fingers along the wires and stopped at the wall socket in the corner of the living room.

The plastic panel felt slightly deformed to the touch, and its temperature was significantly higher than that of the surrounding walls.

"Found it."

He returned to the distribution box, disconnected the third circuit separately, and pushed the main switch up with his right hand.

Snapped.

The lights came on.

The radiator hissed, and the water in the pipes began to flow.

Xue Shan stood two steps behind him, clutching the edge of the blanket with both hands, looking up at the light bulb on the ceiling. The warm yellow light shone on her face, making her eyes appear watery.

"Brother Li, you're amazing! How can you do everything..."

Li Yichen put the metal cover of the distribution box back on and patted the dust off his hands.

"It's a minor issue. The wall socket in the living room was leaking electricity, so I disconnected the circuit. I'll have the property management come and replace it with a new one tomorrow. It won't affect the electricity in the other rooms."

He turned around and his gaze swept over Xue Shanshan's face.

Her lips are a bit pale.

Have you had dinner yet?

Xue Shanshan lowered her eyes and shook her head. Her voice was muffled.

"I was planning to cook instant noodles, but the circuit breaker tripped as soon as the water boiled... and then there was no power for a while, so I didn't feel like cooking in the dark."

Li Yichen didn't say anything and walked straight past her into the kitchen.

Open the refrigerator door.

Three eggs, two tomatoes, half a cabbage, and a small piece of ginger.

enough.

He rolled up his shirt sleeves and turned on the stove. He heated the pan, poured in oil, cracked the eggs into a bowl and beat them. He chopped the tomatoes into small pieces and separated and washed the cabbage.

The range hood started spinning with a hum.

The sound of the spatula hitting the bottom of the pot echoed in the small kitchen, carrying a hint of home cooking.

Xue Shanshan had somehow moved a small stool and was sitting at the kitchen doorway. She rested her chin on her hands, her head tilted slightly.

She watched Li Yichen's retreating figure.

His shirt was rolled up above his elbows, revealing the defined muscles of his forearms under the light. His movements as he flipped the pan were swift and decisive, without any hesitation. The warm yellow light clearly outlined his jawline in profile.

She just watched.

I've been watching.

The corners of my mouth turned up without me even noticing.

"Dinner's ready."

Li Yichen turned around carrying two plates of food and almost tripped over her as she sat by the door. The plates wobbled.

Why are you squatting like that? You almost fell.

Xue Shanshan snapped back to reality, jumping up from the bench. Her face was burning red.

"No, no! I just—did you need any help?"

She frantically reached for the bowls in the cupboard, dropping a chopstick in the process. When she bent down to pick it up, she almost bumped her head on the cupboard door.

Seeing her in such a state of chaos, Li Yichen didn't say anything.

Set the dishes on the small table: scrambled eggs with tomatoes, stir-fried cabbage, and a bowl of egg drop soup.

"Make do with this; that's all you have in your fridge. Remember to stock up on food later; don't live on instant noodles if you live alone."

Xue Shan obediently sat down opposite him and picked up a piece of scrambled eggs with tomatoes.

The eggs were so tender they melted in your mouth, the tomatoes had just the right amount of sweet and sour flavor, and the salt was used sparingly but not blandly.

She swallowed the bite of food.

Then he raised his head.

My eyes suddenly welled up with tears.

Li Yichen's chopsticks were suspended in mid-air.

"What's wrong? Is it too salty?"

"No." Xue Shanshan quickly lowered her head, burying her face behind the bowl, her voice muffled. "I just think it tastes good."

She shoveled down two mouthfuls of rice, trying not to look up again.

I'm afraid that if I look up, tears will fall.

No one has cooked for her in a long time.

After dinner, the two sat on the old sofa in the living room. The radiators were fully heated, making the room warm and cozy. Xue Shanshan folded the blanket and placed it on the armrest, then returned Li Yichen's cotton-padded coat to him.

"How is your recovery going?" Li Yichen asked.

"I'm mostly better now. I can walk and do daily work without any problems, but I can't lift anything too heavy." Xue Shanshan clenched her fingers. "The doctor said I'll be fully recovered in another half month."

"That's good." Li Yichen leaned back on the sofa. "Are you going to the company's annual party the day after tomorrow?"

Xue Shanshan's eyes lit up instantly. She sat up straight.

"Go! We have to go!"

She started counting on her fingers.

"I heard from my colleagues in the administration department that everyone gets a 10,000 yuan cash prize for fifth place! 50,000 yuan for fourth place! 100,000 yuan for third place! And there are also prizes like cars and houses—good heavens, Brother Li, a 10 million yuan villa! I've never even touched a million in my life!"

Li Yichen couldn't help but laugh when he saw her eyes practically turning into gold ingots.

"You haven't even gone yet, and you're already counting zeros for the money."

"Ten thousand yuan is still money!" Xue Shanshan slapped the sofa cushion confidently. "My rent is three thousand five hundred a month, ten thousand yuan is enough to pay for almost three months! You don't need that money, but for me it's a lifesaver!"

Li Yichen was amused by the precision of her little ledger and shook his head.

"Okay, since you're healthy, go ahead," he said casually. "Wear something nice."

"Why do you have to wear nice clothes?" Xue Shanshan tilted her head.

"...The company's annual party isn't a market. How can you be on camera if you don't dress formally? The whole company will be watching it live."

"Oh." Xue Shanshan nodded, her mind already rummaging through her pitiful wardrobe.

The two chatted about random things—work at the company, gossip about colleagues in the administration department, and the TV series she was currently watching. The conversation was fragmented and lacked a clear theme, but the atmosphere was relaxed.

Half past ten.

Li Yichen glanced at the time on his phone.

"Alright, it's getting late. The power's back on, so you should get some rest. Remember to call the property management to replace that socket tomorrow, and don't touch it yourself."

He stood up.

He picked up the cotton coat from the sofa, one arm already tucked into the sleeve.

"Brother Li."

The voice came from behind.

It was light, but every word was very clear.

He turned around.

Xue Shanshan sat on the sofa, motionless. Her hands were twisting the hem of her pajamas, her knuckles white from gripping them so tightly. Her cheeks were burning red, the color spreading from her neck all the way to her ears.

She looked up.

There was tension and apprehension in his eyes.

There's also a kind of gritted teeth and reckless determination.

"I...I like you."

Her voice was trembling.

But he pronounced each word very heavily.

"Will you...be my boyfriend?"

The living room fell silent.

The sound of hot water flowing through the pipes in the radiator suddenly became very loud.

Li Yichen stood frozen in place. He was only wearing one sleeve of his cotton-padded coat, the other half hanging down.

Something was racing through my mind.

Xiao Yuqing's face flickered.

Liu Xiaoyu's face also flickered.

Then everything was covered by the bright red face in front of me.

This girl is gentle, quiet, and speaks in a soft voice. Her eyes well up with tears when I make her scrambled eggs with tomatoes.

He couldn't lie to himself and say that he wasn't affected at all.

But he didn't say anything.

One second. Two seconds. Three seconds. Four seconds. Five seconds.

Xue Shanshan's eyelashes began to tremble.

Tears welled up in her eyes, threatening to spill over. She bit her lower lip hard, desperately trying to keep them from falling.

His lips were pressed into a thin line.

"I'm sorry..." her voice was hoarse, "I was being presumptuous... please don't take it to heart—"

He hadn't finished speaking.

A pair of arms reached out from in front of her.

The cotton-padded jacket slipped off her shoulders and fell to the floor with a dull thud.

His warm breath brushed against her ear.

Then, their lips met.

Xue Shanshan's mind went completely blank.

She couldn't hold back her tears, which fell in a steady stream onto his shirt collar. But she didn't care anymore.

Her hands froze in mid-air for several seconds before she tremblingly grasped the fabric of his shirt.

The bedroom light went out.

The door closed gently behind me.