Unfortunately, the System was mute and almost never answered any of his questions.
Shaking his head, Xia Liang clenched the four one-Yuan Jade Coins in his hand.
As the Jade Coins disappeared, the crowd snapped out of their dazed state. But when everyone saw Xia Liang habitually shove the coins into his pocket, some people started beating their chests and roaring.
"What a spendthrift! A massive spendthrift! That's four Yuan!"
"If I had a son like that, I'd strangle him!"
"Pfft! As if you're worthy? For him to casually pull out four Yuan without a care in the world, you just know he's some rich second-generation kid."
"Hey handsome! Do you need a wife? I'm twenty-two, a student at Qingyun Music University, and my bride price is only fifty cents! I'm… I'm still a virgin."
"Dream on. Why would a rich kid like him even look twice at you? You think he's short on virgins? He could find an *imported* one if he wanted."
"Exactly, you can tell he's a top-tier rich kid at a glance!"
As soon as these words were spoken, everyone nodded in agreement.
Aside from the man in the suit, everyone else on the bus had only ever seen four Yuan on television. When withdrawing such an amount from the bank, who wouldn't bring several bodyguards and carry the money out in a securely locked briefcase? Even television shows wouldn't dare depict someone like Xia Liang carrying it so casually in his pocket.
At that moment, the man in the suit's complexion had turned a ghastly shade.
Xia Liang didn't just pull out a Jade Coin; he pulled out four of them. I've definitely lost. That means I have to call him 'Dad.' This… But if Xia Liang can really overlook the age difference, it wouldn't be a loss to acknowledge a rich young godfather. Just like the rest of the gawking passengers, I'm sure he's a top-tier rich kid who sneaked away from home. His family must be one of the most powerful in the country. He must live like an emperor every day; that's the only explanation for why he'd think a bus fare costs several Yuan. The moment I imagined becoming his godson, I had to give myself a thumbs-up. Look how naive he seems. He might just give all four of those Yuan to his new godson right here on the spot. As the saying goes, a man's knees hold gold. Isn't this the perfect chance to cash it in?
With an excited heart, he took a deep breath under the gazes of everyone around him.
THUD!
He bent his knees, knelt on the ground, and shouted at Xia Liang.
"Dad! My name is Zhou Gang. You can call me Gang'er."
PFFT!
Xia Liang, who had been lost in thought, almost choked.
I've never seen someone so shameless! He looks like he's in his thirties, right? And I'm at least ten years younger than him! He lost the bet, sure, but kneeling and calling me 'Dad' this damn readily is just too much.
The other passengers on the bus also stared at him in astonishment.
Seeing the man's eyes occasionally sweep over his own pockets, Xia Liang knew exactly what the man calling him "Dad" was scheming. He couldn't help but mock him.
"Pfft, shameless. I don't even have a girlfriend, so how could I possibly have a son this old? Go find some other dad."
Hearing Xia Liang's words, everyone came back to their senses and voiced their wholehearted agreement.
"You shameless bastard! If your mother knew you were acknowledging such a young man as your father, she'd probably beat you to death."
"So shameless! Hurry home and check, your ancestors must be spinning in their graves!"
Under the barrage of verbal attacks, Zhou Gang shot them a fierce glare, then scrambled to his feet and ran off the bus.
With that incident resolved, Xia Liang's headache returned. He still didn't know the specific value of one Yuan. After some thought, he took out a Yuan again and handed it to the driver.
"Excuse me, driver. I really don't have anything smaller. Could you break this for me?"
Seeing Xia Liang's grinning face as he handed over the Yuan, the driver's face turned pale.
"Are you just messing with us for fun, kid?" the driver asked. "This is one Yuan! A ride from here all the way to the final stop at Qingyun Airport only costs 3 mililiter. You're giving me a Yuan, so where am I supposed to find 999,997 mililiter to give you in change?"
From the driver's response, Xia Liang keenly grasped the value of one Yuan.
He'd have to give me 999,997 mililiter back? So 3 mililiter is equivalent to the old three yuan… which means my one Yuan is worth a million of the old yuan! Holy hell! I have 180,000 in my System's savings… that's equivalent to… HOLY SHIT!
Thinking of that staggering number, even the broad-minded Xia Liang had to take a few deep breaths to calm himself.
Stay calm! Just take it easy.
Xia Liang knew he couldn't take this bus today. Casually pocketing the coin, he got off.
Looking at the pocket of Xia Liang's ripped jeans, the driver had a strong urge to snatch it. I wish I could just grab that… There are four Yuan in there! Of course, it was just a fleeting thought.
After getting off the bus, Xia Liang immediately opened Taobao to check prices.
iPhone 11 (Tenfold compensation for fakes).
Shocking Price: one point.
LV Vintage Backpack (Sourced directly from the boutique).
Selling Price: eight points two milliliters.
Rolex PEARLMASTER
Selling Price: one Yuan six jiao two points.
...
Just as I thought. He opened several other shopping apps, and without exception, all the prices had changed.
Still somewhat in disbelief, Xia Liang logged into the official website for the Qingyun City Lishui Community. He clicked on a few houses he had bookmarked. He had browsed these moderately priced listings after getting the System, thinking that with a little hard work, he could save up for a down payment. Then he and Yang Ying could finally have a home of their own.
But looking at the prices now… they're 1.6 points per square meter? A hundred-square-meter apartment costs less than 2 Yuan? And the most expensive villas in Qingyun City? Only one jiao and two points per square meter? That means for just over twenty Yuan, I could buy a massive estate in the most luxurious neighborhood? HOLY SHIT! It seems the System upgrade lowered prices for the entire world, but my own funds stayed the same!
Xia Liang took out the four coins he had on him. They were previously worth about eight lollipops, but now they could buy two hundred-square-meter houses.
This is… just too damn exciting! System, I love you!
After a great effort to calm himself, Xia Liang hailed a taxi.
I don't have any cash, but I still have Alipay. I withdrew 4,000 from the System bank yesterday to buy that model airplane, so I still have over 700 left.
Soon, a taxi stopped in front of him.
"To Qingyun Airport," Xia Liang said as soon as he got in.
"Picking someone up, young man?" the driver asked in a friendly manner, ready for a chat.
"Yeah."
Hearing Xia Liang's short reply, the driver didn't say anything more. After all, not everyone liked to chat.