Chapter 4: Keep Dreaming
Chapter 4: Chapter 4: Keep Dreaming
In an upscale restaurant, Cheng Lu contentedly picked up a napkin and wiped her mouth.
Sitting across from her was an ordinary-looking man with an overly eager, fawning expression. "Lulu, are you done eating?" he asked attentively. "Do you want to go sing karaoke to relax a bit later?"
Cheng Lu gave a noncommittal hum. Now that she had achieved her goal, she had no desire to keep going through the motions with him.
While satisfying her appetite, she had also carefully taken a few photos. The main focus was tonight’s lavish meal, but she had perfectly framed the shots to include a glimpse of the man sitting opposite her—without revealing his face.
After this, all she needed to do was post them to her Friends Circle. It would give off the impression that she was being courted and pampered by someone, amplifying Zhang Yan’s sense of crisis.
"It’s about time he sent me an apology text. I’ll just take a look," she thought.
With that in mind, Cheng Lu unlocked her phone. To her disappointment, she hadn’t received any apology from Zhang Yan.
Cheng Lu was the type of person who paid close attention to how the people around her lived, and she was equally enthusiastic about flaunting her own glamorous lifestyle.
Whenever someone bought a new bag, traveled to a new destination, or dined at an expensive restaurant, she simply had to know every detail. Out of habit, she began scrolling through her Friends Circle.
Suddenly, her brows furrowed. "Zhang Yan actually dared to break up with me?! And he even threw shade at me, calling me a blood-sucking mosquito?!"
Noticing a change in his goddess’s expression, Liu Shi quickly asked with concern, "Lulu, are you feeling unwell? If you’re not feeling well, I can just take you straight home later. We can hang out another time..."
Cheng Lu took a few deep breaths to calm herself down. Hearing the fawning concern from the man opposite her, she felt not a single ounce of gratitude. Instead, an urgent thought popped into her head: she needed to find a fall guy to take over as quickly as possible.
The man in front of her was actually quite decent. His family was slightly better off than Zhang Yan’s, and he was completely subservient to her every whim. The only downside was his overly ordinary looks. But right now, he was exactly what she needed.
Unless it was absolutely necessary, she really didn’t want to get an abortion. She had heard it took a huge toll on the body. Besides, all these toxic men nowadays loved to dig into that kind of history. If she were ever exposed, it would directly tank her market value.
"Liu Shi, my boyfriend is apologizing and asking for my forgiveness. Do you think I should forgive him?"
Overjoyed inwardly, Liu Shi put on a serious face and said, "At the end of the day, if he made you angry, it’s definitely his fault. I think you should give him the cold shoulder for a while and punish him."
"You’re right. I’ll ignore him for now. Besides, I’m still mad and want to grab a few drinks to blow off some steam. It’s your treat."
Liu Shi’s face lit up with delight. "It would be my pleasure!"
Early the next morning, Zhang Yan woke up in his room. The very first thing he did was snatch his phone from beside his pillow at lightning speed and open his mobile banking app.
"The money is still there! It wasn’t a dream!"
Even though waking up to the familiar ceiling of his home had pretty much confirmed he hadn’t been dreaming, he couldn’t help but feel uneasy until he laid his eyes on his millions in cold, hard cash.
Zhang Yan lay flat on his back, giggling foolishly in pure satisfaction for a moment before performing a clean kip-up out of bed. "Mom, what’s for breakfast?"
"You’re actually up this early while at home? How impressive. There’s some millet porridge left in the pot, and two steamed buns left from what your dad bought this morning. You’ll just have to make do with that."
After yesterday’s brief "carnival," his parents had reverted back into an ordinary, down-to-earth middle-aged couple. They went about their usual routine, utterly unfazed and refusing to let such a massive lifestyle change immediately mess with their peace of mind. After all, having weathered decades of storms and hardships, they were far more composed than a young guy like him.
"Mom, around nine or ten o’clock later, someone should be coming over to contact you guys. After that, you can head out whenever you want."
"So soon? Your dad and I haven’t even bought the stuff we need for the trip yet."
"They’ve already prepared all the basic daily necessities for you. If you end up needing anything else, there will be plenty of chances to buy it on the road. Our family has money now, so there’s no need to skimp."
Seeing her son getting carried away, Zhang Yan’s mother swatted him on the head. "Even if we have money, we can’t spend it recklessly! You might have gotten lucky and struck a windfall, but money doesn’t grow on trees. There will always be a day when it runs out!"
Zhang Yan’s father eagerly chimed in to help educate his son. "It’s easy to get used to luxury, but hard to give it up! Yan, the temptations of this dazzling world are way out of your depth. You’re in over your head.
"Tell your dad the truth. How much did you actually sell that crypto coin thing for?
"Keep half for yourself to start a business, and deposit the other half with me for safekeeping. Consider it a safety net."
Zhang Yan glanced at his father, who had poured himself a small glass of liquor bright and early in the morning. "Dad, didn’t you always drink Ta’er River? How come you’re drinking Wuliangye now?"
Old Zhang coughed. "You just have sharp eyes! We’re talking about you right now; don’t change the subject."
Zhang Yan chuckled cheerfully as he watched his mother glare at his father before continuing, "Dad, Mom, you can’t make big money just by saving.
"Besides, I haven’t sold all my coins yet. The price is still trending upwards, and there might even be another huge surge in a few months when the United States holds its elections!
"Just relax. I’ll definitely be making money faster than our entire family could possibly spend it!"
After all, Brother Tongzi’s initial activation quest had rewarded him with a full 3 million in enjoyment funds. Zhang Yan firmly believed that as long as he diligently completed his quests, he would obtain a level of wealth that his current self couldn’t even fathom. As long as he didn’t gamble, he’d probably never be able to spend it all in this lifetime.
After earnestly trying his best to somewhat change his parents’ consumption habits, the staff from Dream Realization Customization finally arrived.
The Dream Realization agency had moved very quickly. They had sent Zhang Yan a PDF of the complete itinerary late last night. Zhang Yan casually skimmed through the various itinerary descriptions, finding them extremely satisfactory. The overall journey spanned from north to south and from west to east. It wasn’t restricted to typical tourist traps but rather encompassed every place truly worth a visit. Prioritizing comfort, the travel arrangements seamlessly switched between flights, high-speed rail, and chartered cars when appropriate. Excellent hotels or bed-and-breakfasts had already been booked for every single stop.
Brother Tongzi had provided a 500,000 budget for the trip. In principle, any excess would be refunded and any shortage made up, but his parents’ travel fund was so abundant that he didn’t need to worry about it at all.
Looking at the magnificent rivers and mountains all across the country listed on the itinerary, Zhang Yan couldn’t help but wonder if he should go on a trip himself. However, considering that he was still young and had a long life ahead of him, he shelved the idea for now. His primary goal was completing Brother Tongzi’s quests first. Once he successfully executed his "middle-aged counterattack," he could go anywhere he wanted.
Watching his parents leave in a spacious executive vehicle, guided by a dedicated team of staff, Zhang Yan reluctantly looked away.
He pulled out his phone and flipped through his contacts. Xia Xiqing was, after all, a senior student from a different department. The two of them had never really interacted, and she was famously a "lone wolf." Getting her contact information wouldn’t be an easy feat.
He remembered a senior he had met while playing basketball who seemed to be in the Fine Arts Department as well, so he sent him a message.
"Brother Gan, I remember you study fine arts, right? Do you have Senior Sister Xia’s WeChat? I’d like to get to know her."
This senior was as skinny as a bamboo pole, so on the basketball court, everyone jokingly referred to him as Brother Gan.
Brother Gan apparently wasn’t busy, as he replied very quickly: "Dream on!"