An American knife seller? No, please acknowledge me as your godfather.

[Host] Lynn

[Age] 30

[Height] 183

【Weight】53kg

[Unlocked Emotion] Gratitude LV0 (23/100)

Upon reaching LV1, you can draw a survival skill.

"23 gratitude points, 77 more to go..."

Lynn leaned against the mottled wall in the back alley of the restaurant, smoke billowing from his mouth.

The bright, small characters leaped into view.

Looking down at the empty Marlboro and Winston cigarette pack in his hand, he clicked his tongue and said, "Not bad, the idea is right."

Aside from these homless people, who would feel grateful for a cigarette?

A few cigarettes can earn nearly 20 gratitude points, which is quite good.

If I bring two more packs of cigarettes and a few bottles of strong liquor tomorrow, the gratitude I'll feel will far exceed what I feel today.

As the saying goes, smoking and drinking are inseparable...

At this pace, it should take about three or four days to level up Gratitude to LV1 and unlock the first survival skill.

Thinking about this, he couldn't help but feel a little expectant.

Of course, there is an even faster way.

That means going to neighborhoods with more homeless people to distribute cigarettes and alcohol.

If all goes well, the skill can be unlocked in a maximum of two days.

But he quickly abandoned the idea.

The long hours of continuous labor, coupled with chronic malnutrition, left him weak and unsteady as he walked out of the alley.

Given my current physical condition, going to other lower-class neighborhoods is too dangerous.

If Mexicans can handle donuts, then they must have a rugged face and a sharp jawline.

I wonder if I'll ever run into him.

Thinking of this, Lynn's thoughts began to wander.

Having already encountered the lecturer, it's not impossible for me to run into Wang Weiheng as well.

"We'll continue tomorrow."

After stubbing out his cigarette, Lynn didn't return to Jack Ma's restaurant but went straight back to his rented room to rest.

Work?

Fuck it.

If I keep going like this, I'll really die from overwork!

Although the start was pretty hellish, he didn't want to start over.

……

Night, with dark clouds looming overhead.

Beacon Hill.

呲——

With a sharp, piercing screech of brakes.

A dilapidated Camry stopped right in front of a two-and-a-half-story building made of reddish-brown bricks.

With a click, a slightly tired Lynn opened the car door and got out.

This is his temporary resting place.

To be more precise, it's in the attic of the top floor of this small building.

"Asleep?"

Lynn looked puzzled when he noticed that the lights on the first and second floors were off.

As far as I can remember, the divorced landlady, Mrs. Hill, and her only daughter, Katie, were both night owls.

The current situation is quite unusual.

I quickly stepped forward and pressed the doorbell, but no one answered after it rang for a long time.

A cool breeze carrying moisture blew by, and Lynn shivered, realizing that no one was in the room.

After a moment's hesitation, he took out his phone and called his landlady, Mrs. Hill.

Although Lighthouse Hill is not the most disadvantaged community, it is very dangerous to wander around alone at night.

Yes, loitering around in front of private residences for extended periods is more dangerous.

Mrs. Hill's house was surrounded by white people, and it's well known that white people are the most likely to report others.

If the neighbors see it, they might call 911, and things will get complicated.

While those fat-headed community police officers may not trigger the "empty magazine" passive effect when dealing with Asians, extorting money from Chinese people is commonplace.

Especially when they encounter Asians who are more handsome than them.

Beep beep—

As soon as the call connected, Mrs. Hill exclaimed in surprise:

"Oh, Lin, I'm so sorry, I was in such a hurry I forgot to tell you that my daughter and I are on a holiday trip and we probably won't be back for at least a week. The key is under the doormat, so please come in by yourself."

The sound of a piano and wine glasses clinking could be faintly heard in the background.

"Of course, Mrs. Hill, I hope you have a great time."

Lynn breathed a sigh of relief; at least there was a place to rest.

Just as she was about to hang up, the background noise suddenly stopped, followed by Mrs. Hill's deliberately lowered voice: "Lin, your rent for this month is several days overdue..."

"I'll pay you when I get paid on Monday."

Today is Friday, and there are only two days left until Monday.

"That's not what I meant, Lin. You know I've always admired you..."

"I'm a little tired, see you later." Lynn almost instinctively hung up the phone.

In her memory, Mrs. Hill seemed to have a bit of a desire for the original owner's body.

However, the original owner was constantly exhausted by the huge loan and always avoided Mrs. Hill's hints.

Mrs. Hill is very well-maintained after her divorce, with a head of blonde, wavy hair and a curvaceous figure.

A typical American girl.

Especially her astonishing waist-to-hip ratio, which is comparable to that of Latinos.

It's no exaggeration to say that a crispy skin can be made in three seconds.

To be honest, it's not a bad deal to give in.

"How foolish... If it really doesn't work out, just give in."

After muttering a few words, Lynn found the key, opened the door, and went straight to the attic.

Passing by the second floor, Lynn noticed that the landlord's daughter's room was not closed properly.

It seems they left in a hurry; pink lace panties and lingerie were hanging at the foot of the bed, next to a blue feather ball mask.

Lynn glanced at it briefly before looking away.

He has no interest in any of that; all he wants to do right now is rest.

Hmm, at most a B cup.

Pushing open the attic door, Lynn and the others lay down directly on the cramped, hard wooden bed without even opening the door.

He closed his eyes for a moment and then opened them again.

The attic was so stuffy it felt like a sauna, making it really hard to fall asleep.

After tossing and turning for a moment, as if he had thought of something, Lynn sat up straight and took out his wallet.

The wallet is a Montblanc and is in excellent condition.

This is probably the only thing about him that proves he was once an elite.

Lynn turned her wallet inside out and only managed to take out a crumpled $770.

Not even $800!

"Damn, that's not even enough to pay the rent!"

Looking at his empty wallet, Lynn's face twitched slightly.

Where did all the money go?

Is sacrificing one's looks really the only option?

After calming herself down, Lynn began to recall her income and expenses from the previous month.

I worked two jobs last month.

The hourly rate is $10, and the work week is 35 hours, totaling $350.

The night shift pays $15 per hour, and with 35 hours of work per week, that's $525, totaling $875 per week.

That adds up to $3500 a month.

As for why working hours cannot exceed 35 hours, it's because if the hours exceed 40 hours, the employer is required to purchase insurance for the employee.

Even including the few hours of overtime work on weekends, it doesn't exceed $3700.

The income looks decent, but...

First of all, the rent for the attic below is a full $1500 a month!

Mrs. Hill only gave him a discount because of his good looks.

While Lighthouse Hill isn't a top-tier community, it's at least a mid-range one.

Living here minimizes the risk of unnecessary dangers.

There are communities that offer $500 a month, but those are almost entirely predominantly Black neighborhoods with very poor security.

Not only were there needles scattered all over the ground, but gunfights broke out almost every now and then.

Calling the police is useless; it will take at least an hour for them to arrive at the scene.

This is an expense that absolutely cannot be spared; otherwise, you could suffer from acute metal poisoning throughout your body.

Besides rent, the next expenses are water, electricity, and gas.

He was very frugal in this regard, but his minimum monthly expenditure was still $200.

The remaining costs are fuel, insurance, and fixed maintenance.

This Camry, which has probably been owned by many people, is just too prone to breaking down.

Thanks to a series of questionable actions by the United States in recent years, oil prices have been rising steadily.

Even though he only bought the most basic insurance, the monthly cost of maintaining his car was still around $700.

American public transportation is so bad that it's almost never on time.

Without a private car, you can hardly imagine going out to work.

This is also a fixed expense.

After deducting these, the $3700 is reduced to $1300.

The fixed mobile phone plan and data fee are calculated at $100.

Even if you cut all your spending on food and cigarettes, you still need $20 a day, which adds up to $600 a month.

All things considered, you'll only have about $600 left each month.

This is without paying state tax, union tax, or FIC health insurance.

If you file your taxes normally, you won't get a single penny left!

"That's terrible..."

Lynn's eye twitched as he roughly calculated the numbers.

After working hard for a month, I still couldn't even afford the rent.

With my current net worth, I'll have to wait until I get paid on Monday to scrape together the rent.

Beep beep—

Just as Lynn was lost in thought, her phone started vibrating repeatedly.

Upon reading the message, Lynn's expression suddenly darkened.

[Collection Notice: Your weekly payroll loan is overdue for more than 30 days. The debt has been transferred to Blackstone Collection. Please contact us immediately...]

[Overdue Notice: Your medical bill for this month is more than seven days overdue. Your credit score has decreased, and additional interest will be charged for overdue payments. Please...]

I almost forgot.

I still have over 50,000 yuan in bills to pay.

No, with the interest from the weekly paycheck loan, it's already well over 5 now.

"Blackstone Debt Collection..."

Lynn's expression turned somewhat grim upon seeing the name of the debt collection company.

He chose Zhouxin Loan because he believed it was a legitimate loan.

Unexpectedly, the interest rate was as high as 24%, and as soon as I defaulted, I was transferred to a debt collection company.

Being contacted for debt collection is not a good thing.

"Forget it, I'm not afraid of itching from having too many lice. Let's talk about it later."

Lynn turned off her phone and sighed deeply.

He doesn't have the energy to deal with these things right now.

Just when Lynn thought that was all...

Beep beep—

The text message notification sounded again.

[Mr. Lynn, your H-1B work visa has been extended once, and the final authorized period of residence will expire in six months. Official records show that you have terminated your employment relationship with your designated H-1B employer. If no new qualified employer submits an H-1B application within 60 days, your work visa will be immediately voided...]

"..."

"Ha ha."

Lynn just laughed.

They don't take the program with them.

As expected, things can only get worse.

60 days.

I can't find a formal job within two months.

He will lose his green card and become an illegal immigrant.

Illegal immigrants are undoubtedly at the very bottom of the social ladder in the United States.

Especially undocumented Chinese immigrants.

The most obvious thing is that even the hourly wage for washing dishes is less than that of a normal person!

call--

After a long silence, Lynn calmed himself down and let out a long breath.

The goal of transforming oneself into a superior person is too difficult.

The most urgent task at hand is to resolve the immediate problem.

First, there's Mrs. Hill's $1500 rent.

Secondly, we should try our best to restore bodily functions.

The next step is to find a way to pay off the loan and then get a permanent green card.

"Never mind... I'll go to sleep first."

After shaking his head, Lynn threw away his phone, kicked his legs, and closed his eyes.

These debuffs, when applied to a normal person, offer virtually no hope of recovery.

But he doesn't use it.

He's now a member of the "Hanger Clan"!

He decided to take a nap first.

I'll go out on the street again tomorrow morning to collect gratitude points.

……