We agreed not to date, so why are you crying now that I've become the richest man?

Chen Xiulan and Ye Jianguo stood under a camphor tree.

Chen Xiulan held a palm-leaf fan in her hand and stood on tiptoe to look towards the school gate.

Ye Jianguo had a cigarette between his fingers, his brows furrowed tightly.

He looked even more nervous than Ye Chen, the examinee.

"Dad, Mom."

Ye Chen walked over.

Chen Xiulan spotted him immediately and quickly came to greet him, fanning him with a palm-leaf fan.

"Are you exhausted? Are you hungry? What would you like to eat? Mom will make it for you when we get back."

Ye Jianguo stubbed out his cigarette.

He wanted to ask how the exam went, but he was afraid of putting pressure on his son, so after holding it in for a long time, he could only manage to utter one sentence.

"It's all good now that the exam is over."

Ye Chen smiled.

"You did very well on the exam."

In short, Ye Jianguo's tense shoulders visibly relaxed.

"That's good enough, just perform as you normally would be fine."

He said that, but the wrinkles on his face were barely concealed.

back home.

Dinner was very plentiful.

Braised fish, stir-fried vegetables, and a plate of sweet and sour pork, Ye Chen's favorite dish when he was a child.

Chen Xiulan kept putting food on his plate.

Ye Jianguo didn't say much, he just turned the TV volume down very low, and didn't even smoke in the room.

After finishing his meal, Ye Chen returned to his room and closed the door.

He opened the drawer and took out all his belongings.

Five hundred and forty-two yuan and fifty cents.

Ye Chen counted it once, then counted it again.

It's still too little.

The opening match of the South Africa World Cup will be held on June 11.

That means there are three days left.

In 2010, the mobile internet was just emerging.

Smartphones are not yet fully widespread.

Bitcoin is as cheap as a pebble that nobody wants on the street.

Those opportunities that later made countless people regret their choices are now quietly sitting in the corners of time.

But the problem is...

Even the greatest opportunity requires initial capital.

Five hundred yuan, buy a few bets on the score, even if you multiply it dozens of times, that's only twenty or thirty thousand.

What can you do with 20,000 or 30,000?

In the future, even a decent toilet in a good location in Shanghai will be unaffordable.

Ye Chen leaned back in his chair, his fingers tapping lightly on the table.

He needs more leverage.

Online lending had not yet taken off.

Black market usury is too risky.

Borrowing money from classmates is even less realistic.

High school students are usually penniless; even if they did manage to borrow money, they wouldn't be able to explain it away.

Ye Chen's gaze swept over the calendar on the wall.

June 9th.

The first day after the college entrance examination ended.

A flawless excuse to make money instantly formed in my mind.

Taking a driving test.

In 2010, private cars were flooding into ordinary families.

For prospective college students, getting a tan at driving school during summer vacation is practically a standard practice.

The market price for a regular C1 driver's license is between three thousand and three thousand five.

The reason is perfect, and the amount is just right.

Ye Chen took a pen and paper and crossed out the previous draft.

Rewrite the three words: Take a driving test.

The next morning.

The morning news was playing in the living room.

Ye Chen pushed open the door, and there were fried dough sticks, steamed buns, and hot soy milk on the dining table.

The father, Ye Jianguo, was wearing a blue overall outfit and was eating breakfast with his head down.

Mother Chen Xiulan was busy in the kitchen, deliberately keeping the sound of the spatula down.

As soon as the college entrance exam was over, the pressure cooker at home was finally put to rest.

Even Comrade Lao Ye's movements when picking up food were much smoother than a few days ago.

Ye Chen pulled out a chair and sat down, casually picking up a fried dough stick.

"Good morning, Dad and Mom."

Ye Jianguo looked up: "Why didn't you sleep a little longer? The exams are all over, you don't need to get up so early."

"My biological clock is completely set, I can't sleep."

Ye Chen took a bite of the fried dough stick, smiled brightly, and spoke in a natural tone as if he were chatting casually.

"Dad, there's something I want to discuss with you."

Chen Xiulan wiped her hands and came out of the kitchen: "What's up? Want to go on a trip with your classmates? If you want to go, go ahead, Mom will give you the money."

"It's not a vacation."

Ye Chen took a sip of soy milk and grinned.

"I want to take advantage of the three-month summer vacation to get my driver's license."

Ye Jianguo paused, then asked, "Taking a driving test?"

"right."

Ye Chen nodded, "Zhao Peng and the others are all planning to enroll in classes now. They have the most time now. It won't be so convenient if they wait until they go to university to take the exam."

Upon hearing this, Comrade Ye clearly took it to heart.

He put down his chopsticks, agreeing wholeheartedly: "Chenchen is right."

He turned to look at Chen Xiulan.

"In today's society, being able to drive is a valuable skill. Those college graduates in the factory can't even get the good opportunities to go on business trips because they don't have driver's licenses."

Chen Xiulan was even more direct, getting straight to the point: "How much is the tuition?"

"Three thousand five."

Ye Chen announced the prices he had inquired about last night: "These are basically the prices for summer student classes."

"OK."

Without saying a word, Chen Xiulan turned around and went into the bedroom.

Within two minutes, she came out carrying an old red silk bag.

Upon opening it, I found a stack of banknotes tightly bound together with rubber bands.

The edges are slightly curled and look somewhat worn.

This is all hard-earned money, painstakingly saved by parents working on the assembly line, penny by penny.

Chen Xiulan counted out four thousand yuan and slapped it on the table.

"Pay 3,500 for tuition, and keep the remaining 500 for spending money."

She pushed the money towards Ye Chen.

"You must have been cooped up for three years of high school, so buy whatever you want to eat and don't skimp on it."

Looking at the stack of money, Ye Chen's throat tightened slightly.

In his past life, he also took this money.

I honestly spent two months at a driving school grilling meat, but after getting my license, I didn't even touch a steering wheel for several years.

But it's different now.

This four thousand dollars will be the first seed for him to leverage his position and turn the tide against all odds.

"What are you standing there for? Take it."

Ye Jianguo urged, "It's never a bad thing for a boy to learn to drive early."

Ye Chen reached into his pocket and put the money in, smiling broadly.

"Thank you, Mom and Dad. When your son becomes rich, I'll treat you to all the good life!"

Chen Xiulan was amused: "What are you saying, child?"

She put another steamed bun on Ye Chen's plate, saying, "After the exam, relax and have fun. Don't be too stressed."

After breakfast, my parents went to work.

Once the door was closed, the room became completely quiet.

Ye Chen returned to his room and put the four thousand yuan together with the five hundred and forty-two yuan and fifty cents he had saved.

Four thousand five hundred and forty-two yuan and fifty cents.

The ammunition for the first pot of gold has been gathered.

June 10th.

Ye Chen opened the wardrobe and put on a black baseball cap.

I found an old backpack, divided the money into more than a dozen portions, and stuffed them into various compartments.

In 2010, the sports lottery's football betting option had just been launched.

Win/Draw/Lose, Score, Half-Time/Full-Time.

The gameplay is simple and straightforward, but the odds are incredibly attractive.

Ye Chen had a high-definition, uncensored schedule of the South Africa World Cup in his mind.

He could recite by heart which matches resulted in major upsets, which ended in draws, and which had bizarre scores, even with his eyes closed.

But he wasn't foolish enough to go all in on the underdog score at one store.

If you win a big prize, your boss will definitely keep a close eye on you.

To make money, you must be ruthless; to be a good person, you must be steady.

He's just a prospective college student right now; playing it safe and developing his skills is the best strategy.