Bai Jian?
Bai Li's expression cooled slightly.
This cousin of his had quite a reputation.
When they were kids, the adults' favorite topic of conversation was their children's grades.
And this cousin, precisely because his grades couldn't measure up to Bai Li's, had made a habit of picking fights at every turn.
Later, he simply dropped out of school and entered the workforce, using family connections to land small construction contracts and scrape together some money.
From that point on, he considered himself a cut above everyone else — every holiday and family gathering became an opportunity to take veiled and not-so-veiled jabs at Bai Li and his parents.
Never mind the past. Now that he had the System, if he still let this guy walk all over him and mock him to his face, he might as well smash his own balls with a hammer.
"I need to head home," Bai Li said, pocketing his phone and turning to the girls.
"Huh? You're not staying a little longer, big bro?" Chen Tingting's face fell with disappointment.
"Yeah, something came up at home."
"Then go take care of it, big bro. We didn't sleep well on the ride over anyway — we'll catch up on some rest." The moment Chen Tingting heard he had things to handle, she immediately stood up.
"Once you're done, we'll take you out to have some fun!" Li Jiaxin also rose to her feet, ready to see Bai Li off.
"We'll see. You two get some rest." Bai Li gave a nod.
Then he turned and left the room.
Only now did Bai Li have a moment to check the System panel.
[Chen Tingting's Affection Value +20! Current Affection Value: 50 (Trust)]
[Li Jiaxin's Affection Value +20! Current Affection Value: 50 (Trust)]
[Lin Xiaoshuang's Affection Value +25! Current Affection Value: 55 (Trust)]
[Total investment this session: 850 yuan — 10x Critical Cashback triggered!]
[Congratulations, Host! Cashback received: 8,500 yuan!]
His phone screen lit up, and a bank notification arrived right on cue.
[XX Bank: Your savings account ending in 8868 has received a deposit of 8,500.00 yuan. Current balance: 309,950.00 yuan.]
Bai Li stood in the hallway, staring at the deposit notification on his phone, a rush of satisfaction surging through him.
In just a few minutes, he'd turned 850 yuan into 8,500 in cash — plus a massive boost to three girls' Affection Values.
This deal was an absolute steal.
Now THIS was a System. Now THIS was getting something for nothing!
Bai Li was growing more and more appreciative of the wild girls.
He remembered seeing posts online about simps who'd drop over a thousand yuan taking their goddess out for Japanese food, only to get mocked for it afterward — let alone winning any real affection.
But with these love-starved, cash-strapped wild girls in a small county town?
Never mind 850 — even 50 yuan would have them moved to tears, ready to repay the kindness tenfold.
Who said these were society's bottom rung? To him, they were a gold mine.
And Lin Xiaoshuang's Affection Value had already hit 55 — just 5 points away from the 60-point "Adoration" threshold.
He was starting to look forward to what the milestone reward might be.
As for that soul-crushing job back in Modu, grinding away for barely over 30,000 yuan a month?
Don't make your brother laugh. He had the System now — going back to be a corporate pack mule would just be plain stupid.
Bai Li pulled out his phone and opened his chat with his boss.
[Boss, consider yourself unilaterally fired — by me.]
After sending the message, he deleted his boss from his contacts.
With that done, Bai Li took a deep breath and walked out onto the county town streets.
Sunlight fell across his shoulders, and he felt as though he had completely severed ties with who he used to be.
He walked into a large supermarket and picked up two bottles of Feitian Moutai, two cartons of Hé Tiānxià cigarettes, and a premium skincare set for his mother.
Finally, he flagged down a taxi by the roadside and gave the driver his home address.
Bai Li's home was in a fairly old residential complex. His parents were ordinary workers who had spent their whole lives toiling away with quiet diligence.
Standing at the door, Bai Li was struck by a wave of emotion. Three years — he had finally come back.
He hesitated no longer, pushed the door open, and was immediately greeted by the warm, familiar aroma of home-cooked food.
His mother, Wang Xiulian, heard the noise and hurried out of the kitchen, her face breaking into a wide smile.
"Xiao Li's home!"
"Come in, come in — it's cold outside, isn't it?"
The house was as clean and cozy as ever.
Except for the man lounging on the sofa in a mink coat, who took the edge off that warmth considerably.
He sat with his legs crossed, casually flicking cigarette ash onto the floor his mother had just mopped.
Spotting Bai Li, Bai Jian flashed a smile that didn't reach his eyes, and a wave of sarcasm rolled off him:
"Well, well — our great scholar is back? After all that time in Modu, can you still get used to a small place like this?"
Bai Li's brow furrowed. He set the bags of gifts he'd brought down on the table.
"You got ash on the floor."
Bai Jian acted as though he hadn't heard, his gaze locking straight onto the gift bags on the table.
Feitian Moutai. Hé Tiānxià cigarettes. A premium women's skincare set.
His eyes flickered for a moment, but the snide remarks kept coming without missing a beat:
"Oh ho, look at you — struck it rich? How much are you pulling in a month in Modu? Enough to afford all this?"
"Don't tell me you blew through a whole year's savings just to put on a show."
Those words wiped the color right off Wang Xiulian's face as she came out carrying dishes.
Bai Jian picked up the carton of cigarettes, weighed it in his hand, and sneered:
"Cousin, a lot of these are fakes — don't let people rip you off when you're just starting out."
"Besides, Uncle's a working man. He's not used to this kind of thing. Why not let me take them to hand out on my construction rounds?"
The implication was clear: not only had Bai Li bought fakes, but his father wasn't even worthy of smoking them.
With his mother in the room, Bai Li held his tongue for the moment.
Instead, he picked up the skincare set and handed it to his mother.
"Mom, this is for you."
"Oh, you silly child, why are you spending money on something so expensive…" Wang Xiulian scolded him with her mouth, but the delight in her eyes was impossible to hide.
Just then, Bai Li's father, Bai Weiguo, walked out of the bedroom. He did a double take at the cigarettes and liquor on the table.
"Xiao Li's back! And you brought all this good stuff!"
"The company gave them out. I just brought them home," Bai Li said offhandedly.
That excuse, however, was like a match dropped into a powder keg.
"The company gave them out?"
Bai Jian's voice shot up several octaves, as if he'd just heard the funniest joke of his life.
"You're just an employee! The most a company would ever give you is a box of apples! Moutai?!"
"Cousin, you're not doing something shady out there, are you?"
At that, Bai Weiguo froze with his teacup halfway to his lips, and Wang Xiulian clenched her apron in fury.
Oblivious, Bai Jian pulled out a pack of Furong Wang cigarettes and offered them to Bai Weiguo:
"Second Uncle, have one of these! This is what us proper businessmen smoke. What Xiao Li brought is all flash and no substance."
Bai Weiguo refused with a dark expression. Bai Jian then tried to offer one to Bai Li, who also declined.
Losing face, Bai Jian turned his full attention on Bai Li.
"Xiao Li, I'm just being honest with you — what's the point of all that studying?"
He deliberately flashed the Longines watch on his wrist, then fished out his BMW 3 Series key and twirled it between his fingers.
"Look at me — middle school diploma, managing over a dozen guys, pulling in 20,000 yuan a month without breaking a sweat!"
"And you? University degree, killing yourself in Modu — do you even clear 10,000 a month? After rent, what's left?"
"Come on, be realistic. Stop forcing it in Modu!"
Bai Jian spat and gestured grandly, as if he were dispensing wisdom to the masses.
"Why not come work for me? Out of family loyalty, I'll pay you 8,000 a month — beats suffering out there!"
The air in the living room nearly solidified.
Bai Li's parents' faces had gone ashen, but out of respect for family ties, they swallowed their anger in silence.
Bai Li, however, was no pushover. A fire ignited inside him.
Never mind the System — even before he had it, he was making 30,000 a month, more than this guy!
He raised his eyes, and those deep, peach-blossom eyes were laced with barely contained fury.
"I thought you were pulling in a few million a month. Only 20,000?"