I couldn't take it anymore; when I went home for Chinese New Year, the family genealogy book ha

(Parallel overhead)

Chapter One

"Hold!"

Jiang Chen sat up in bed, his head throbbing as if it were about to split open from the hangover and lack of sleep.

A smell of cheap instant noodles mixed with damp mold wafted into his nostrils from the corner of the room, making him feel nauseous.

He looked around.

This is Shanghai, a city known as a magical metropolis where gold is said to be everywhere.

He lived in this rented room, less than ten square meters in size, where even the window faced directly onto someone else's kitchen exhaust pipe. Large patches of plaster had peeled off the walls, revealing the gray-black cement underneath, and electrical wires hung from the ceiling like a tangled spider web.

This is where he worked hard for three years.

"What a fucking failure."

Jiang Chen chuckled self-deprecatingly and grabbed his phone, its screen cracked into a spiderweb pattern, from beside his pillow.

Two o'clock in the afternoon.

Yesterday, that idiot supervisor dragged him along to drink with clients until midnight again. In the end, they didn't close the deal and he even got a scolding.

On his phone, the 99+ red dots in the work group chat were glaringly obvious. He didn't even have the urge to click on them.

It's the end of the year, and with the company's poor performance, rumors of layoffs are spreading like a virus in the office, leaving everyone in a state of panic. He, the bottom-performing salesperson, is probably among the first to be let go.

What's even more frustrating is that I haven't received my salary for this month yet.

Jiang Chen's hands trembled as he opened the bank app. When he saw the number, he felt his heart skip a beat.

Available balance: 213.5 yuan

Two hundred and thirteen yuan and fifty cents.

This is all his net worth in the international metropolis of Shanghai.

I can't even afford the cheapest red-eye flight ticket home for Chinese New Year.

He scratched his head hard, a deep sense of powerlessness and despair washing over him like icy seawater. Was he really going to have to spend over thirty hours on a slow, green-skinned train, sitting in a hard seat, to go home for Chinese New Year this year?

Thinking of his parents' expectant eyes, Jiang Chen felt a tightness in his chest.

Just then, the phone screen lit up and a WeChat message popped up.

It's my younger sister, Jiang Ling.

[Ling'er]: Brother, are you there?

Jiang Chen felt a warmth in his heart; this was one of the few comforts he found in this cold city. His younger sister was a senior in high school this year, studying exceptionally hard, and was the hope of the whole family.

[Jiang Chen]: I'm here, little girl. What's wrong? Are you missing your brother again?

After sending the message, it took a full five minutes for a reply to come back with just one line, which seemed very cautious.

[Ling'er]: Brother... did you get paid this month? Are you free on cash?

Jiang Chen's heart sank.

He knew that his sister would never have asked him for help unless she had absolutely no other choice.

[Jiang Chen]: Convenient, what's wrong? Did something happen at home?

[Ling'er]: No, nothing's wrong at home! It's just... I want to buy a set of review materials, the "Five Years of College Entrance Examination and Three Years of Simulation" recommended by our teacher, who said it's really useful.

Seeing this, Jiang Chen breathed a sigh of relief; thankfully, it wasn't anything serious. He replied immediately.

[Jiang Chen]: What's the big deal? It's no big deal. How much money do you need? I'll transfer it to you.

There was silence on the other end again.

After a long while, a shorter message came, carrying a heartbreaking sense of humility.

[Ling'er]: I asked my classmates, and they said that buying it on a second-hand book website would cost about... about fifty yuan.

Fifty dollars.

Jiang Chen's eyes instantly turned red.

He knew about his family's situation. His father worked odd jobs on construction sites, and his mother worked as a dishwasher in a restaurant. Their combined wages were barely enough to cover the family's expenses. Some time ago, his grandfather in the countryside fell seriously ill, and his parents had almost emptied their savings and borrowed a lot of money from relatives.

Fifty yuan is already a considerable expense for this family.

That's why his sensible younger sister only dared to buy a second-hand set of review materials that someone else had used. That's why she didn't dare to ask her parents, but instead cautiously came to ask her brother, who was "doing very well" in Shanghai.

"Doing very well?"

Jiang Chen looked at the 213.5 yuan in his balance and felt a burning sensation on his face, as if he had been slapped hard.

He took a deep breath, suppressing all his frustration and dejection.

I can live on dirt and starve, but I absolutely cannot let my younger sister suffer! She is the hope of the whole family, and her future is more important than anything else!

Instead of replying to the WeChat message immediately, he opened the book-buying app on his phone and searched for "Five-Year College Entrance Examination, Three-Year Simulation".

A bunch of options popped up on the screen.

There is a standard version, priced at 68 yuan.

A version with exam point analysis is available for 98 yuan.

There's another type, adorned with a gleaming "Recommended" label—the "Master Teacher's Complete Collection," which includes the latest question types and exclusive video explanations for all subjects.

Price: 198 yuan.

Jiang Chen did not hesitate for a moment.

Buy it! Buy the most expensive and best one!

Other people's sisters use secondhand items, but my sister, Jiang Chen's sister, must use brand new ones! Top-of-the-line ones!

He decisively added the set of books to his shopping cart, skillfully filled in his hometown address as the shipping address, and the recipient was his younger sister, Jiang Ling.

Then, he clicked the payment button.

The moment he entered his payment password, he could even feel his fingertips trembling slightly.

【payment successful】

These four words popped up on the phone screen.

Immediately afterwards, a text message from the bank arrived.

[Your debit card ending in xxxx has made a purchase of 198.00 yuan, leaving a balance of 15.50 yuan.]

The balance is 15.5 yuan.

Looking at the number, Jiang Chen didn't panic at all. Instead, he let out a long sigh of relief and felt completely relaxed.

This money was well spent!

At worst, I'll just eat steamed buns and pickled vegetables every day for the next month!

He switched back to WeChat, ready to tell his sister the good news.

But just as his finger was about to touch the screen—

【Ding! 】

A mechanical voice, devoid of emotion and sounding like it came from a science fiction movie, exploded in his mind without warning!

Jiang Chen shuddered and almost threw his phone away.

"Who? Who's speaking?"

He looked around his empty rented room in horror, a cold sweat instantly breaking out on his back.

Are you hallucinating? Or are you experiencing hallucinations due to excessive stress?

However, the next second, a semi-transparent panel emitting a pale blue light appeared out of thin air in front of him!

On the panel, lines of technologically advanced text are scrolling rapidly.

[A strong desire for the prosperity of the host's family has been detected...]

[Host altruistic behavior detected...]

[System binding in progress... 10%... 50%... 100%!]

[Ding! Congratulations, host! The Family Prosperity Rebate System has officially awakened!]

Jiang Chen's mouth opened wider and wider, his eyes widened like saucers, and his mind went completely blank.

System...?

Those overused cheat codes from online novels? They actually...actually exist?

He pinched his thigh hard, and the intense pain told him that this was not a dream!

The text on the panel changed again.

[System Description: This system aims to help the host achieve family prosperity. For any altruistic consumption or gifts made by the host to any direct blood relatives (parents, children, spouse, siblings) or collateral blood relatives within three generations (uncles, aunts, uncles, cousins, nephews, nieces, etc.), the system will provide a random multiplier of cash rebates based on the "sincerity" and "benefits."]

[New Player Bonus: Receive a special critical hit bonus upon triggering the rebate for the first time!]

Before Jiang Chen could fully process this information, the panel suddenly flashed with light.

[Detected that the host is a direct blood relative (sister), resulting in an altruistic expenditure of 198 yuan!]

[Consumer Behavior Analysis: With only 213.5 yuan left, the host resolutely spent 198 yuan to purchase the most valuable item in order to fulfill his younger sister's wish to study...]

[Sincerity Rating: 100%!]

[Benefitability Assessment: Extremely High!]

[Trigger Newcomer Benefits - 10x Bonus!]

[Rebate calculation in progress... 198 yuan x 10 = 1980 yuan!]

[Rebates are being distributed...]

"Buzz—"

Before Jiang Chen could recover from the string of calculations, his old phone suddenly started vibrating wildly.

A new text message popped up, sent from the bank customer service number he had always dreamed of seeing.

【尊敬的客户，您的尾号xxxx帐户于11月25日14:15存入人民币1980.00元，当前帐户余额1998.50元。】

"Holy shit!"

Jiang Chen stared at the string of numbers on his phone screen, his whole body trembling with excitement.

He repeatedly exited the text message, then opened it again, then exited again, then opened it again... The string of numbers remained clearly displayed there, neither disappearing nor changing!

it is true!

All this is true!

No missions! No penalties!

The system gives me a refund as long as I spend money on my family? And it's a tenfold refund?!

A tremendous surge of ecstasy, like a volcanic eruption, burst forth from his chest, instantly shattering all his previous despondency and despair!

What layoffs! What poverty! What idiot manager!

In front of Lao Tzu's system, they're all utter bullshit!

Just then, my younger sister Jiang Ling sent another WeChat message, this time a voice message.

Jiang Chen clicked the button with trembling hands, and his sister's clear voice, tinged with a sob, came out.

"Brother... thank you! I saw the book, it's the most expensive set! You've been wasting money again! Don't worry, I'll study hard, get into a good university, and make a lot of money to repay you in the future!"

Hearing his sister's sincere words, Jiang Chen's eyes welled up with tears once again.

But this time, it wasn't heartache, but rather a surge of emotion and pride.

repay?

Silly girl, from now on, I'll take care of you! I'll take care of our whole family!

A bold idea arose in his mind.

Is this system really that amazing?

Should we try again?

Looking at the 1980 yuan that had just arrived in his account, Jiang Chen's breathing became rapid.