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.
close your eyes and open them again, only to find yourself transmigrated into the role of a villainous male supporting character. Readers familiar with urban wish-fulfillment novels know that it is only through the relentless antics of the villainous male supporting character that the plot between the male and female leads can progress. As the villainous male supporting character, Long Aotian not only has to bully the female lead, harass the second female lead, and flirt with the third female lead, but he also has to go all out to antagonize the male lead. In the end, when his body is discovered, he is still clutching half a moldy fried dough stick in his hand. Fully aware of the plot, Long Aotian is determined to change his fate, starting with the female lead! In the beginning, the female lead lacks confidence: "Big brother, I hope I didn't scare you?" In the middle, the female lead treads carefully: "Brother Long, please don't hit me, okay?" Later on, the female lead becomes coquettishly clingy: "Aotian, it's time to pay the 'public grain' tonight." Long Aotian's legs go weak, and he feels like crying: "I taught you to be thick-skinned, not shameless!"
young master of the Shen family—a figure of immense power and wealth beyond measure—and awakened the "Destined Ultimate Villain System"! His starting scenario? Running into his icy fiancée who shows up with a mountain-descending divine doctor to break off their engagement. The divine doctor arrogantly taunts: "What does your Shen family have besides a bit of stinking money? You're not even worthy of tying Qingxue's shoelaces!" Shen Fei just smiled. He completely defied the usual script: "Fine, I agree to break off the engagement. Also, notify the finance department to withdraw all investments from the Su family." Minutes later, with its capital chain severed, the Su Group teetered on the brink of bankruptcy! The once aloof and proud ice queen CEO was thrown into utter panic. That very night, she went to Shen Fei's villa, casting aside all dignity to beg and plead desperately... From then on, in this world teeming with Sons of Destiny, Shen Fei embarked on a path of extreme dimensional suppression! A mountain-descending divine doctor? Peerless medical skills? Shen Fei: "Reporting you for practicing medicine without a license! I'll gladly take your ancient medicinal cauldron and twin sister assassins." The Crooked-Smiling Dragon King? Commanding a hundred thousand soldiers with a single order? Shen Fei: "Illegal assembly and suspected treason! Let a fleet of attack helicopters sanitize the area and teach you what the state apparatus really means!" A reborn tycoon? Knows all the golden opportunities of the next decade? Shen Fei: "A trillion in capital to reverse and pump the stock market, making you blow your margin and jump on the very first day of your rebirth!" What Chosen Ones? What bearers of Heavenly Fortune? In Shen Fei's eyes, they're all just chives (i.e., suckers/marks) waiting to be harvested! Shen Fei: "Sorry, but as the Destined Ultimate Villain, I don't play by the rules of honor. I only play the game of dimensional suppression."
ing gift was a patch of barren land, and disciples were all picked up along the way. He spent fifty years diligently building three "ramshackle little sects," thinking he could finally live a carefree life relying on his disciples. But right at the fifty-year mark, he was suddenly swept away by a spatial rift and exiled to the Chaos Desolation, the Disorderly Ruins. There was no spiritual energy there, only slaughter. Relying on the cultivation feedback from his disciples, Gu Changyuan hacked his way through a sea of blood for eleven hundred years. When the system finally fished him back out, he discovered the ramshackle little sects he'd built back then had developed a rather... unusual style. Hold on... I vanished for a thousand years, so how did my ramshackle little sects become holy lands?!
rowess are unmatched, commanding a million-strong army! Yet, the Emperor wants to depose him for the sake of a false prince? Hold on, are you throwing me into some female-oriented romance plot? How can I tolerate this? With a grand wave of his hand—the Nine Clan Extraction Technique! Slander the Emperor? Very well, all of you shall die! ... The False Prince: "Although I am not the biological son, Father and Mother love me more. The throne should be mine!" The Female Lead: "Qin Xiao, you are the Emperor, and I am a commoner. If you wish to marry me, you must abdicate. Otherwise, you will never have me!" The Empress: "After we divorce, you must give me half the empire!" The Transmigrator Consort: "You worthless Emperor, why should I kneel to you? All men are equal—I advise you to be kind!" The Great General: "The enemy general is my childhood sweetheart. For her sake, I willingly abandon the frontier defenses!" The Retired Emperor: "Although Yu'er was adopted, I prefer him. Qin Xiao, you should abdicate and let him become Emperor!" ... Very well! So this is how you want to play? Facing this twisted world of female-oriented tropes, Qin Xiao grins and raises his hand to unleash—the Nine Clan Extraction Technique! I am the Emperor. Why would I bother reasoning with you? Seal the gates! Leave none alive!
