When People Are Speechless, They Really Do Laugh

Talk is talk.

Laughter is laughter.

But living together? Impossible.

Who would be so eager to push for that?

It would look like both Father Cao and Cao Cheng were being taken in as live-in sons-in-law, making them easy targets for ridicule.

Though Father Cao claimed that Aunt Ren was beautiful and kind-hearted—even going so far as to suggest Cao Cheng move in with them, saying they were "family now"—who knew if that was just polite talk?

Words spoken during the honeymoon phase are mostly nonsense.

What if their relationship soured later, and the father-son duo got kicked out? That would be humiliating.

Besides,

Cao Cheng wasn’t the same person he used to be. Setting aside the "system" for now, he had a "century’s worth of experience" under his belt.

With memories spanning two lifetimes, living under someone else’s roof wasn’t ideal.

The future held too many secrets.

So…

Living independently was the better choice.

Naturally, he wouldn’t actually indulge in the fantasy of a "daily life surrounded by beautiful older sisters," even if Aunt Ren’s looks suggested her four daughters were likely stunning.

But…

No rush.

Fine grains should be chewed slowly.

"Give me 100,000 yuan!"

"How much?!"

Just before Father Cao left, Cao Cheng revealed his true intentions.

Father Cao was stunned, losing his composure as he shouted, "Why don’t you just rob me? 100,000 yuan? Do I even look like I’m worth that much?"

[Ding~~ Negative emotions +11]

Hah—

Mention money, and he gets angry?

Definitely his real father.

Cao Cheng laughed—the kind of laugh that comes when you’re at a loss for words.

"I want to start a business," Cao Cheng said.

He wouldn’t explain everything to Father Cao, not when the man was about to remarry into a wealthy family in Zhonghai. If certain memories got out, it could spell trouble.

Right now, if he told people about his "dream," they’d just laugh it off.

But if he turned those dreams into reality later, they wouldn’t be laughing anymore.

Too much risk.

With a stepmother in the picture, even a biological father could turn into a stranger. Better to be cautious.

And the "system"? No way he’d mention that.

Hand it over to Father Cao?

Yeah, right.

"You want to start a business?!"

"What kind of business needs 100,000 yuan? Weren’t you studying computer science? Didn’t you land a job at some tech company with a starting salary of several thousand a month? Why throw that away?" Father Cao didn’t understand any of this. To him, Cao Cheng was just being impulsive.

If he weren’t in such a hurry to leave, he’d have sat Cao Cheng down for a serious talk.

"Don’t worry about the details. Just give me the money," Cao Cheng said.

"I don’t have it."

"Yes, you do."

"……"

For some reason, under Cao Cheng’s calm, unreadable gaze, Father Cao hesitated. The lie he was about to tell died on his lips, and he switched gears: "Did you peek at my savings?"

Cao Cheng smiled without answering.

Father Cao cursed, "Damn you, you little ingrate. That’s my retirement fund—only 180,000 yuan total!"

[Ding~ Negative emotions +3]

"So I left you 80,000."

"Besides, you’re about to get married. If you don’t give this to me now, it’ll become shared marital assets. If you divorce later, she could take half. Sure, she’s rich and might not care, but we’re poor. Isn’t it better to keep some savings?"

Cao Cheng added, "And once I make money, I’ll pay you back with interest. Even if your sugar mommy kicks you out someday, I’ll take care of your retirement."

"Like hell I believe that. I don’t even trust myself!" Father Cao snorted. "Stop jinxing me. I’m not getting divorced."

"Sure, whatever makes you happy."

[Ding~ Negative emotions +3]

Father Cao grumbled, his dignity long gone.

But in the end,

he agreed to hand over the 100,000 yuan.

Call it hush money.

No—

More like a "don’t bother me" fee.

He was genuinely eager to start his new life with his soon-to-be wife.

……

Father Cao left.

Off to Zhonghai to become a live-in son-in-law.

Back in the old apartment in Sanjiang City, Cao Cheng was alone.

Well, not entirely alone.

There was also a newly issued bank card on the coffee table.

With a full 100,000 yuan inside.

In 2006, that was serious money.

It wasn’t enough for Cao Cheng to go all out,

but

there was plenty he could do with it.

The memories from his "dream" were vivid.

Every detail played back in his mind like a high-definition movie—clear, frame by frame.

Anything he’d glimpsed in that dream,

no matter how briefly,

could now be recalled in 1080p, with options to fast-forward, rewind, pause, or zoom in.

The only downside?

In his dream life, he hadn’t paid much attention to stocks. He wasn’t an investor.

So while he knew roughly when bull and bear markets occurred—mostly from news reports in his "past life"—he couldn’t pinpoint specific stocks.

He only remembered some leading stocks, hot sectors, and a few notorious "meme stocks" that made headlines.

But

that was enough.

No need to be greedy.

With a general direction, even a fool could make a fortune.

Take the liquor industry over the next two decades, for example.

Moutai would dominate.

Even someone clueless could buy shares now, hold them for ten years, and become a billionaire.

It was that simple.

Then there were sectors like new energy (in about a decade), real estate, semiconductors…

And according to his memories, this year was basically a free win. Next year would bring a historic bull market—the peak for the next twenty or thirty years.

Also,

gold.

How much was gold per gram this year?

Around 100-something yuan.

Thirty years later? Over a thousand.

And beyond that,

there were even more opportunities.

Like the universal AI system.

That alone could revolutionize industries—healthcare, gaming, transportation, communications, manufacturing, aerospace…

Sitting on the couch, Cao Cheng lit a cigarette.

Slowly, he organized the chaotic thoughts in his mind.

It didn’t take long to sort them out.

They say

those who’ve "died once" care less about money.

Cao Cheng’s response? Bullshit.

If you’ve died once, you know you’ve got to make money early.

Earn soon, enjoy soon.

Ideally, let others earn while you enjoy.

The dream might’ve been a dream, but it felt like a full lifetime. Close enough to "dying once."

So

if his past self struggled to make ends meet, this time around, he’d live lavishly… as a billionaire.

Otherwise, what was the point of that dream?

And that wasn’t even counting the memories.

Just this slapdash-named "system" alone seemed like a golden ticket to success.

Father Cao had contributed 17 points of emotional energy.

Pathetic.

If Father Cao weren’t lovestruck, today’s haul could’ve hit at least 50 points.

According to the system, a single draw cost 100 points.

The possible rewards? Just four words: "Anything and everything."

Sounded too good to be true.

But Cao Cheng wasn’t skeptical.

In 2006, web novels were rare on Earth.

But in his dream, they exploded in popularity—especially two decades later, when they started influencing global pop culture.

Was there any web novel trope he hadn’t seen?

Plenty got adapted into TV shows. You’d have to live under a rock to miss them.

So instead of doubting, he was curious.

Maybe this system really could deliver.