"Haah... finally got rejected."
A guy in his early twenties let out a soft chuckle as he stared blankly at the roadside. Emotions still raw and swirling inside him, Jiang Hai closed his eyes and silently relived the beautiful memories from high school—moments he'd clung to for so long.
'If only I had more wealth... maybe then she would have said yes.'
Jiang Hai wasn't naive. He understood the real reason for her rejection. Her family background, her values—he'd seen it coming.
'She knows too well what it means to live a simple, struggling life. She doesn't want to follow her mother's path. That's why she turned me down.'
Even so, he felt strangely at peace.
'At least now, I can focus on my studies. And maybe… if she's still single when I'm successful, I'll try again.'
With a deep breath and a flicker of hope in his heart, Jiang Hai stood up—
Only to freeze.
A translucent blue screen hovered before his eyes, flickering in and out like a hologram.
"Am I… hallucinating? Did I lose my mind from a breakup?" he muttered in disbelief.
But the screen didn't vanish. Instead, it solidified and finished loading with a loud ding.
[Tycoon & Harem System: Activated]
Host has been granted a starting fund of 99 trillion for the purpose of pursuing his dream girl.
Each day at 12:00 a.m., 10% of the amount spent on girls rated highly by the system will be reimbursed to the host.
"Ehh..."
Jiang Hai stood frozen, dumbfounded, as the glowing blue screen hovered in the air.
Before he could react further, a sleek black credit card materialized out of thin air—right in front of his face—floating ominously like some kind of divine artifact.
His eyes widened.
What the hell is going on?
Then, his phone buzzed twice in quick succession. Two new notifications popped up. He checked instinctively—and nearly dropped the device.
A new credit account had been linked directly to his payment app.
Balance: ¥99,000,000,000,000
The number stretched across the screen like a cheat code. Jiang Hai's mouth hung slightly open, his brain trying—and failing—to process that insane number.
Even his legend-rank, broke-as-hell, dog-like platinum card eyes felt personally offended.
"Is this... some kind of prank? A system glitch? Or did I die from rejection and get isekai'd without warning?"
A whirlwind of questions stormed through Jiang Hai's brain, but he instinctively reached out and grabbed the floating black card. It was oddly warm to the touch.
Glancing around, he realized no one else had noticed a thing. The park bench, the roadside, and the entire area were deserted and wrapped in a strange quiet.
Am I seriously the only one seeing this?
He checked his phone again—his regular bank account still displayed a very real and very depressing balance: ¥200. Nothing more.
"Wow… I really am broke, huh."
The contrast between his laughably empty real account and the 99 trillion yuan "system fund" hit him hard. But then he remembered the system's restriction:
Funds can only be used on women with a high beauty rating.
It was like being handed a god-tier credit card—except only usable under ridiculous, romance-novel conditions.
'So… where do I even find a beauty like that? And even if I do, would she take a guy like me seriously?'
He looked down at his outfit. Neat enough for a confession, sure—but still cheap and clearly from a budget brand.
As he stepped out of the park, still lost in thought, a sharp voice rang out:
"I told you—I have a boyfriend! So piss off, idiot!"
Startled, Jiang Hai turned toward the commotion. A beautiful teenage girl stood by the path—slim figure, graceful curves, and a face that could melt ice. She looked deeply annoyed as she glared at a guy pestering her.
Then her eyes flicked over to Jiang Hai.
She smiled.
Her entire expression changed in an instant.
She jogged over to him—and without warning, slipped her arms around his and pressed her chest firmly against him.
"Seriously, Brother Jiang! Where were you? That guy was about to bother me to death!"
Jiang Hai stiffened. The soft weight of her chest against his arm sent a subtle shiver up his spine—but he held himself steady.
After the system shock he'd just gone through, this sort of surprise was almost tame.
Almost.
"Yanyan, you really know how to make an entrance."
Jiang Hai gave a soft chuckle, playing along with her sudden act.
"That almost surprised the hell out of me..." he added under his breath.
Lin Yanyan's smile brightened even more. They were classmates from a few shared electives, and she vaguely remembered his name thanks to a recent group assignment. Still, she hadn't expected him to play along so smoothly—or even remember her name.
But the moment was quickly soured.
"Huh? This guy is your boyfriend?"
The guy she'd been avoiding sneered, pushing his glasses up with a smug gleam.
"Come on, Yanyan. If you're going to lie, at least make it believable. Look at him—cheap clothes, average looks. Be serious. You're way out of his league."
Jiang Hai's jaw twitched, but before he could speak, Lin Yanyan shot back.
"Just shut up—I can date whoever I want!" she snapped, her voice rising in frustration.
She turned to Jiang Hai briefly—her eyes apologetic, almost guilty for dragging him into this.
"He's not poor. In fact… he's one of the top students in our class!"
There was a beat of silence.
Jiang Hai met the other guy's arrogant gaze—calm, unshaken. The black card in his pocket felt strangely reassuring, like a silent badge of power. He no longer felt like the same guy who got rejected earlier that day.
"Yanyan, let's go. No need to waste time on barking dogs."
Then, casually—without asking—he reached out and gently took her hand.
Lin Yanyan's eyes widened slightly. His palm was warm. Confident.
The unexpected touch—and the calm in his voice—made her heart skip a beat.
"We still have our quiet date, don't we?"
Blushing, she nodded, allowing him to lead her away—leaving the arrogant guy fuming behind them.
"That guy's still following us."
As they picked up their pace, Jiang Hai glanced back. Sure enough, the persistent guy from earlier was tailing them at a distance, his expression smug and stubborn. Lin Yanyan sighed, clearly irritated.
"He's still following… seriously."
Just as she was about to tell Jiang Hai he could leave—spare himself from any more trouble—his voice cut in again, calm and collected.
"Classmate Yan, I've got a plan. If you're up for it, we can make sure he never follows you again."
Lin Yanyan paused, her lips parting slightly in surprise. She'd been seconds away from excusing him from the situation entirely.
"Eh? It's all right… I really don't want to drag you into more trouble, Brother Jiang. Also—call me by my name, like before. Let's be friends, okay?"
Despite herself, she gave him a soft smile. It wasn't much, but it was genuine.
"It's fine," Jiang Hai replied, voice lighter now, "I'm honestly just happy to help. And… if you're willing, I'd still like to try that plan. Trust me, he won't bother you again."
He meant every word. The feeling of her hand in his, the earlier hug, and now this moment—it all felt strangely warm, strangely real.
Lin Yanyan's cheeks flushed. She bit her lower lip but nodded.
"So... where exactly are we going?" she asked, trying to keep her tone casual.
That's when she saw it.
A motel.
Right there, across the street.
Her steps faltered. Wait—he's not taking me THERE, is he? she panicked briefly.
But Jiang Hai confidently passed it by. Instead, he turned toward a large, luxurious boutique—with a shining gold LV logo.
Louis Vuitton.
She blinked.
"He thinks I'm poor…" he muttered just loud enough for her to hear. "Let's show him otherwise. Let's shop for an LV bag—shut him up properly."
There was something new in his voice now—a quiet, magnetic confidence.
"Ehh?! But that's way too much…" Lin Yanyan whispered, flustered.
But before she could resist, she caught a glimpse of the stalker still lurking just outside. Her jaw tightened. She nodded, and the two walked inside.
"Welcome!"
The staff greeted them brightly.
Without missing a beat, Jiang Hai strode in and took a seat.
"Just show something that would suit my girlfriend here."
His voice wasn't loud—but the words landed with weight.
The salesgirl blinked, then nodded with a polite smile.
Lin Yanyan, on the other hand, froze.
She quickly walked up beside him and whispered, "Brother Jiang, I… I can't afford this kind of bag. Let's leave. We can still go somewhere cheaper to fake it, and I'll pay." Her voice trembled with sincerity.
But Jiang Hai didn't budge.
"It's okay," he said gently. "Honestly, I was really happy when you called me your boyfriend earlier. Even if it's just pretend… let me enjoy that moment."
He looked at her directly, his smile calm and steady.
"Let me do this—for my girl."
Lin Yanyan stared at him, lips parting slightly.
She didn't know why, but her heart fluttered.
Jiang Hai, for his part, was quietly praying that the black card would work. He still had no idea if the system's balance was even real—but somehow, he felt a strange, unshakable confidence.
He was gambling everything on this one moment.