Bai Li stared at the blue panel floating before him, frozen for a good ten seconds.
He reached out and tried to touch it, but his fingers passed straight through — there was nothing there.
The other passengers around him, including the three wild girls sitting nearby, showed no reaction whatsoever.
It seemed only he could see it.
[Goddess Investment System]
[Function 1: Goddess Radar. Scans and displays the [Name] and [Affection Value] of all females within the Host's field of vision.]
[Function 2: Investment Returns. By investing in any female (money, resources, emotional care, etc.), the System will return a cash reward of 10x–1000x based on the target's Affection Value toward the Host.]
[Affection Value Guide: Below 0 (Hostile); 0–30 (Stranger); 30–60 (Friend); 60–80 (Admirer); 80–99 (Deeply in Love); 100 (Undying Devotion).]
[Affection Value Milestones: When a target's Affection Value reaches a key threshold (60, 80, 100), the System will issue special rewards, including but not limited to cash, appearance enhancement, physical augmentation, and more.]
[Current Restriction: Daily investment cap of 1,000 yuan.]
[Upgrade Mechanic: Each time a target's Affection Value reaches 100, the daily investment cap will increase.]
Just a few short lines of text — yet they sent waves crashing through Bai Li's heart.
As a young man who had spent years immersed in web novels, he understood immediately what this was.
This was a cheat ability! A heaven-sent opportunity capable of changing his entire life!
A worn-out office drone? No car, no house?
Starting today, all of that would become a thing of the past!
Bai Li took a deep breath, forcibly suppressing the wild joy surging inside him, and began to study the System.
With a single thought, he shifted his gaze toward the three girls chatting quietly beside him.
[Name: Chen Tingting]
[Affection Value: 0 (Stranger)]
[Name: Li Jiaxin]
[Affection Value: 0 (Stranger)]
[Name: Lin Xiaoshuang]
[Affection Value: +10 (Slight Goodwill)]
Just as he'd expected!
Because of that bottle of water earlier, Lin Xiaoshuang's Affection Value toward him had already risen from Stranger to 10 points.
Bai Li's eyes lit up with excitement.
These weren't just wild girls — they were three walking cash cows!
Just then, the coach bus slowly pulled into a highway service area.
"Twenty-minute rest stop — anyone who needs the bathroom or food, now's your chance!" the driver bellowed.
Bai Li followed the crowd off the bus, took care of his personal business in the restroom, and came out feeling his stomach growling with hunger. He made his way to the convenience store and bought a cup of Master Kong Braised Beef Noodles and a fresh bottle of mineral water.
He had barely peeled back the lid of the instant noodles when he spotted the three wild girls filing in behind him.
They wandered around the service area, eyes fixed on the food in other people's hands, noses twitching at the aroma of instant noodles, their throats bobbing every now and then.
Clearly, they were hungry — and clearly, their pockets were empty.
Chen Tingting, the boldest of the three, hesitated for a short while before finally leading her two companions over to Bai Li's table.
"Hey, big bro."
The address had changed — from "old man" to "big bro."
Chen Tingting crossed her tattooed arms over her chest and spoke with casual bluntness:
"We're broke and can't afford food. Think you could maybe…"
She didn't finish the sentence, but the meaning was plain enough.
Half an hour ago, Bai Li would have found them nothing but a nuisance — he might even have snapped at them.
But now, something stirred in his heart, and a bold plan for a test took shape in his mind.
He looked at the red-haired girl in front of him — smoky eye makeup, trying hard to look grown-up — and calmly pulled out his phone, opening WeChat's payment QR code.
"How much do you need?"
His voice was perfectly flat, yet it left all three girls stunned.
They had expected to get yelled at and, if they were lucky, beg a few sips of noodle broth — the idea that he might just hand over cash had never crossed their minds.
Chen Tingting and her two companions exchanged glances, then huddled together and whispered for a long moment, as though deliberating over some enormous sum.
At last, Chen Tingting carefully held up one finger.
"T-ten yuan. We can split one pack of instant noodles between us, that's enough."
Ten yuan.
A quiet pang of feeling stirred in Bai Li's chest.
In Modu, that amount wouldn't even buy the cheapest cup of coffee — yet for these girls, it had required such a solemn, careful discussion.
He said nothing more. He simply scanned Chen Tingting's QR code, entered the amount, and tapped transfer.
"WeChat payment received — ten yuan."
The crisp notification chimed. The three girls scrambled to check their phones, and the moment they confirmed the transfer had gone through, the way they looked at Bai Li changed completely.
It was a look of pure shock and gratitude.
Ten yuan, just like that?
At that very same moment, the System's voice rang out again in Bai Li's mind!
[You have invested 10 yuan in "Chen Tingting." Target has experienced a powerful emotional response: moved to tears of gratitude!]
[This investment has triggered a 10x Critical Return!]
[Congratulations, Host — Investment Returns received: 100 yuan!]
Almost simultaneously, his phone buzzed, and a bank notification popped up.
[XX Bank: Your savings account ending in 8868 has received an incoming deposit of 100.00 yuan. Current balance: 300,100.00 yuan.]
Bai Li's heart gave a fierce, thunderous thud.
It was real. All of it was real!
He pulled up the System panel again and saw that Chen Tingting's information had changed.
[Name: Chen Tingting]
[Affection Value: +20 (Grateful)]
Just ten yuan had earned him 100 yuan in Investment Returns and 20 points of Affection Value!
Bai Li understood in an instant.
Perhaps this was the "purity" of wild girls.
Their world was simple — shaped by poverty and a lack of love. Show them one part kindness, and they'd remember you for ten.
If this had been one of those polished, sophisticated city women back in Modu, forget ten yuan —
you could send her a designer handbag worth tens of thousands and her Affection Value might not even budge 5 points. She'd probably call you a simp behind your back.
This investment had been absolutely worth it!
Bai Li watched the three girls clutch their ten yuan and dash off to buy instant noodles as if they'd found a treasure, and the corners of his mouth curved up without him even noticing.
This trip home was starting to look a lot more interesting.