C3 Isn't It Just Money?

Zhang Yang remained motionless, his gaze fixed on Zhao Yu as he helped Xiaoxuan into the car and drove away into the distance until they were out of sight. His world seemed to crumble in an instant, leaving his heart hollow and heavy with sorrow, yet the tears wouldn't come.

Time passed before he finally stirred, wandering aimlessly down the street, lost in memories of his time with Xiaoxuan. He came to a stark realization: throughout their relationship, he had behaved like a dog, endlessly seeking her approval, all for the fleeting joy of her playful affection. He felt like an abandoned dog.

"Is it all about money?" he muttered to himself with a bitter chuckle, sounding almost deranged.

Then, the Peach Blossom Wealth app flashed in his mind. He hastily retrieved his phone and scrolled to the item redeemable for five Achievement Points. To his surprise, he noticed an additional Achievement Point had been added for walking over five kilometers, leaving him just one point shy of claiming the ten-thousand-yuan red packet.

After a brief hesitation, Zhang Yang pocketed his phone and broke into a run. Roughly thirty minutes later, his phone chimed. He stopped, gasping for breath, and checked his phone—his Achievement Points had reached five.

True to its promise, running five kilometers earned him another point. Swallowing hard, he tapped the red packet and confirmed the exchange, uncertain of how it would manifest.

"Ding!"

A message soon arrived: ten thousand yuan had been deposited into his bank account. A surge of excitement overtook him, and he nearly leapt for joy, clutching his phone. Five kilometers for one point—twenty-five kilometers would net him ten thousand yuan!

"Ding!"

In the midst of his elation, an alert from the app appeared: "Bounty mission: Confess to ten girls with boyfriends at your school within six hours and earn fifty Achievement Points! Do you accept?"

Could this be a joke? The thought crossed Zhang Yang's mind as he read the message, but he quickly dismissed it. The app had been peculiar from the start, rewarding real items for simply cycling or running and accumulating Achievement Points.

This mission couldn't possibly be a hoax.

Yet, the task was undeniably odd. If he went through with it, he'd surely be hunted down by the boyfriends of those ten girls.

"Damn, 50 Achievement Points can be cashed in for 100,000 yuan! For that kind of money, taking a beating is worth it!"

Zhang Yang clenched his jaw and hit 'accept'.

Upon acceptance, his phone abruptly switched to a timer app, initiating a six-hour countdown.

He splurged this time, hailing a ride back to school. If he'd walked, more than half the allotted time would've slipped away.

By the time Zhang Yang reached the school, it was already evening.

At the school's entrance, he instantly spotted several couples who had just come back from their outings. Some strolled arm in arm, others giggled together, and a few were too shy to even exchange glances.

Zhang Yang's heart raced. He had never done anything like this before. Fear mingled with a strange sense of excitement.

After an internal battle, he swallowed hard and took a step forward, approaching one of the couples.

...

"Hey, check this out, haha, a heartbroken guy goes nuts at midnight, doing something crazy to someone else's girlfriend."

"Isn't that Zhang Yang?"

"Whoa, this is juicy! That kid's got nerve."

In the boys' dormitory, a bunch of guys piled onto Sunn Pang's bed, each scrambling for a glimpse of the phone to watch the video.

In the footage, Zhang Yang looked like he'd lost his mind, running up to a couple and confessing to the girl, only to be chased down the street by her boyfriend. It took a lengthy sprint for Zhang Yang to finally lose him.

But Zhang Yang was undeterred, continuing his quest with the next couple. The same scenario played out at least four times, culminating in a wild scene where he confessed to two more couples while on the run, ending up chased by three irate boyfriends.

"Haha!"

"Haha!"

"Haha!"

The person filming could barely contain their laughter, and Sunn Pang and his friends laughed without restraint.

Bang!

Just then, the dorm room door swung open, and in walked Zhang Yang, his face bruised and battered.

Sunn Pang and the other roommates stifled their chuckles, trying to remain silent.

After Zhang Yang entered the room, he sat at the desk and took out his phone, remaining completely still.

From Sunn Pang's perspective, all he could see was Zhang Yang's back, which occasionally jerked as if he were crying.

Sunn Pang couldn't help but wonder if the poor guy had actually lost his mind over a breakup.

Considering they were roommates, Sunn Pang excused himself from the others and got up from his bed. He approached Zhang Yang slowly and gently placed his hand on his shoulder.

"Hey, Zhang Yang, I might be sticking my nose where it doesn't belong, but I think there's no need to get this worked up over a breakup..."

Before he could finish, Sunn Pang realized that Zhang Yang was actually laughing.

"Huh? What's going on?"

Zhang Yang turned around and locked his phone screen.

"Um... Dude, you haven't gone off the deep end, have you?"

Sunn Pang hadn't noticed the bank app on Zhang Yang's phone screen, showing a balance of over a hundred thousand. He continued to look at Zhang Yang with concern.

"Who's gone crazy? Can't I just be happy?"

Zhang Yang was on cloud nine. He hadn't expected that completing that task would actually earn him 50 Achievement Points, allowing him to make 100,000 yuan in less than two hours!

With this app, would he ever have to worry about money again?

The thought of Xiaoxuan's face earlier that day made him giddy with anticipation. He couldn't wait to see her expression when he flaunted his wealth in front of her.

With these thoughts, he burst into laughter again, his body shaking with each chuckle.

Sunn Pang, standing nearby, began to question his own sanity, thinking Zhang Yang had truly snapped.

Everyone knew how Zhang Yang had been fawning over his girlfriend, and now, after being abruptly dumped, he was laughing hysterically. Could it be that he had actually lost it?

Moreover, with graduation looming and no job in sight, it was understandable if Zhang Yang was on the verge of a breakdown.

At that moment, the other two roommates also got up from their beds. Sunn Pang exchanged knowing looks with them, and they all nodded in agreement. It was best to give Zhang Yang some space for now.

The three of them climbed into bed without a word, and the once noisy dormitory was embraced by a rare tranquility.

Shortly after his roommates had settled in, Zhang Yang found his way to his bed and quickly succumbed to a deep sleep.

During the night, Zhang Yang, who seldom dreamed, found himself in an exceptionally vivid dream. He was standing in the center of a palace constructed entirely of gold, feeling somewhat bewildered.

As he was about to take a step, a floating panel materialized before him out of nowhere.

"Congratulations, you are the 136,485,724,915th user of the Peach Blossom Wealth System, located on Earth in the solar system at the edge of the Gamma Milky Way. The system has assigned you an advanced mission tailored to your current environment."

"The advanced mission is now set. One star is for 500 Achievement Points or fewer, two stars for over 5,000 Achievement Points, three stars for over 10,000 Achievement Points, four stars for over 30,000 Achievement Points, and five stars for over 50,000 Achievement Points."

"The Peach Blossom Wealth System levels are defined as follows: One star is for the Survival Seeker, two stars for the Life Pursuer, three stars for the Aspirant of Life Control, four stars for the Social Manipulator, and five stars for the Transcendental Civilizer."

"Level privileges include: One star unlocks all survival exchange items, two stars unlock select destiny exchange items, three stars unlock personal destiny exchange items, four stars unlock the destiny exchange items of others, and five stars unlock civilization exchange items."

"You may not remain at any level for more than two years; failure to advance within this timeframe will result in the user being forcibly removed. We wish you a swift journey to the highest level, becoming a harbinger of civilization."

With a whoosh, before Zhang Yang could even process the information, the vision before him vanished into thin air.