C1 Ten Million Yuan Balance.

In Jingzhou City, by the Lover's Lake at Jingzhou University, the grass shimmered emerald, and the water glistened like jade. True to its name, the lake's surroundings were picturesque, with gentle breezes that whispered like the murmurs of sweethearts.

Not far from the water's edge, within a nearby grove of trees:

"I didn't call you here to negotiate; I called to inform you!" Gao Chi was encircled by a group of seven or eight Taekwondo Club members. The ringleader was Huang Shanyang, the vice president of Jingzhou University's Taekwondo Club. He had his arm around a delicate-looking girl, as he menacingly threatened Gao Chi.

Gao Chi barely gave Huang a glance, his gaze fixated on the girl in Huang's embrace. "Shanshan, are you sure you want to end things?"

"Damn it!" Huang Shanyang bristled at being ignored, his anger boiling over as his entourage started to make a move towards Gao Chi.

Instinctively, Gao Chi stepped back. He wasn't scared, but he was well aware that he couldn't take on Huang Shanyang and his crew.

As tensions rose and a fight seemed imminent, the girl hastily interjected, "Yes, it was my decision!"

"Why?" Pain flickered in Gao Chi's eyes, though his expression remained stoic. He needed to know why. He and Lau Shanshan had been a couple since high school, a relationship spanning four years.

He had even turned down a chance to attend the prestigious Eastern Sea University in the sprawling metropolis of Eastern Sea City, opting instead to join Lau Shanshan at the more modest Jingzhou University.

But now, Lau Shanshan had come with Huang Shanyang, intent on breaking up with him.

Gao Chi had always believed he treated Lau Shanshan well.

Lau Shanshan appeared somewhat uncomfortable, yet casting a glance at Huang Shanyang by her side, she admitted, "It's because you're poor. Look at this dress—it cost over eight thousand yuan. Shanyang gave it to me for my birthday."

"And you?" Lau Shanshan continued, pulling a lipstick from her purse and tossing it to the ground with disdain. "A three hundred yuan lipstick. That's your idea of a gift?"

"We're already juniors, and I need to start planning for my future. With you, I just can't see one..."

Gao Chi felt like he'd been hit by a bolt of lightning upon hearing this. Lau Shanshan's subsequent words were lost to him; a single thought echoed in his mind: 'She despises me for being poor...'

In the end, Huang Shanyang strutted around like a cocky rooster, wrapping his arms around Lau Shanshan's waist and arrogantly threatening Gao Chi, "You better steer clear of Shanshan from now on. If you don't, I'll give you a beating every time I catch you bothering her."

After his declaration, Huang Shanyang's eyes shifted slyly, and he released Lau Shanshan. He stepped closer to Gao Chi, a malicious grin spreading across his face, and hissed in Gao Chi's ear, "Who would've guessed this chick was still untouched? She nearly squeezed the life out of me last night. Hehehe..."

"You..." Gao Chi was seething with anger. He and Lau Shanshan had been together for nearly four years without so much as a kiss, as she had insisted on waiting until after graduation, until marriage...

But now!

All this over an eight-thousand-yuan dress...

Hehe!

Gao Chi suddenly felt fortunate to have seen Lau Shanshan's true colors sooner rather than later.

Noticing Lau Shanshan's bewildered look, Gao Chi remembered their four years together and decided to offer a well-meaning warning, "Do you really know who Huang Shanyang is? You should inquire more about him. He's been through more than twenty girlfriends during his three years at university..."

"Don't try to drive a wedge between Shanyang and me!" Lau Shanshan cut him off, "Shanyang has already promised to be good to me from now on..."

"Fine, I wish you both a lifetime of happiness!" Gao Chi sighed, resigned to the futility of his advice. He gathered his composure and prepared to leave.

Truth be told, it hurt to think of their years together, and to claim otherwise would be dishonest. But a love that's forced is never sweet, and Gao Chi wasn't about to grovel. If it was time to part ways, he might as well do it with his head held high.

Just then, Gao Chi's head spun, and a voice echoed from deep within his mind.

"Ding! Godly Rich System successfully bound."

A semi-transparent display materialized before Gao Chi's eyes.

User: Gao Chi

Physique: 7 (Average Person: 10)

Spirit: 6 (Average Person: 10)

Skills: None

Points: 0

Balance: 1 Trillion

Note: For every 1 billion yuan the user spends, they will earn 1 point. Points can be used to upgrade the user’s physique, spirit, and skills. (Donations, gifts, loans, and debts are not considered spending)

The abrupt system left Gao Chi dumbfounded.

"Idiot!!" Huang Shanyang and his cronies, mistaking his shock for distress, gloated even more.

Lau Shanshan cast a brief glance his way. Despite a twinge of guilt, her desire for a better future steadied her resolve. She took Huang Shanyang's arm, her smile sweet, "I'm not being materialistic, it's just that you're too poor!"

The group swaggered off, leaving Gao Chi alone, lost in thought.

It took a while, but Gao Chi finally snapped out of it, smacking his forehead in revelation. "Holy crap! The system..."

Gao Chi's family was modest at best. His parents were regular workers, and he had a younger sister in her senior year of high school.

To ease his family's financial strain, he had worked part-time jobs throughout university to pay for his living expenses and tuition.

That's why the gifts he gave Lau Shanshan were never extravagant, usually just small items costing a few hundred yuan.

Now, with the system in his grasp, he was overwhelmed with excitement.

As he digested the system's requirements, his mind buzzed with possibility.

The 'Godly Rich System' offered no bizarre quests or grandiose prizes.

Its sole feature: spend money to earn points, then use those points to enhance one's physique, spirit, and more.

Brutally straightforward!

The thrill of acquiring the system had utterly eclipsed the heartache of his recent breakup.

Once he had cooled off, Gao Chi realized that Huang Shanyang and his crew had long since departed. Glancing at the clock, he was shocked to see that more than thirty minutes had slipped by.

"Holy crap! It's already midnight..." He groaned in dismay, knowing that the cafeteria would surely be out of any decent dishes by now. "Damn it."

As he was bracing himself to head to an off-campus eatery, two figures emerged from the edge of the woods. "Third Bro, you okay?" Gao Chi recognized them immediately as his dorm mates, Wang Ding and Liu Fei.

What were they getting at?

What did they mean by asking if he was okay?

Despite his name suggesting a burly tough guy, Wang Ding was actually a lanky man with glasses. He looked genuinely concerned as he asked, "We just read on the forum that Lau Shanshan dumped you, is that true?"

"Ahhh!" chimed in Liu Fei, nodding vigorously. "They're saying you were so devastated that you've been out of it ever since..."

What the hell...

Gao Chi was taken aback by their words. Clearly, Huang Shanyang and his buddies had been spreading wild stories on the university forum.

But he wasn't about to let it get to him. Armed with his new system and virtually unlimited funds, Gao Chi wasn't bothered by such laughable gossip.

After all, Huang Shanyang's swagger around Jingzhou University was nothing more than a product of his family's modest wealth.