Chapter 1: The System Awakens
The dim glow of a phone screen lit up the cramped ten-square-meter room. The walls were yellowed from years of cigarette smoke left behind by past tenants, the window frame cracked, and the single wooden desk wobbled with every nudge.
On the creaky bed sat Lin Hao, hunched over with his legs crossed, scrolling mindlessly through short videos. The cheap blanket under him smelled faintly of dampness; the summer humidity in Shanghai made everything stick together.
His eyes looked hollow, yet restless. Anyone glancing at him would immediately know—this was a young man on the verge of collapse.
Just a week ago, Lin Hao had been full of dreams. He had graduated from the Shanghai University of Finance and Economics, a top university, and one of the brightest names in his class. With his tall figure, sharp features, and a clean, handsome smile, he had been the "finance department heartthrob." Professors praised him, girls admired him, and even his friends envied him.
But none of that mattered anymore.
Because a week ago, his girlfriend had left him.
Not for another classmate, but for a greasy, balding middle-aged man who drove a BMW 5 Series. The image of her slipping into that man's car replayed endlessly in his head.
And the words she left him with still burned like acid in his chest.
"Lin Hao, in today's world, you can't survive without money. Handsome? That won't pay rent. You can't give me the life I want, so let's break up."
That was her farewell. Cruel, dismissive, final.
Lin Hao had tried to laugh it off at first, convincing himself that he would get a good job, prove her wrong, and make her regret her choice. But the truth hit him fast and merciless.
The job market was flooded with graduates. Even with a finance degree from a top university, what was he without connections, without a family name, without money? Nothing but another disposable, broke young man.
And worse, he had no family to fall back on. His parents had passed away when he was still a child, leaving him to be raised by his uncle. He had no powerful relatives, no wealth, no background. Only himself.
Now, sitting in his tiny rental, staring at his empty bank account and the cold leftovers on his desk, Lin Hao's chest tightened.
"Is this… really all there is to my life?" he muttered bitterly.
As if mocking his despair, his phone suddenly froze mid-scroll, the screen flickering with static.
"What now…" Lin Hao frowned and tapped it. But before he could curse his second-hand phone, a line of text appeared, glowing in unnatural light.
[System detected: Host is suffering from extreme financial distress.]
[Initializing binding process…]
Lin Hao blinked. "Huh? What the hell is this?"
A loading bar flashed across his vision. 20%… 50%… 80%…
[100%. Ding! Godly Rich System successfully bound.]
His mouth dropped open.
"…What?"
He rubbed his eyes, but the text didn't disappear. Instead, a panel appeared, crisp and glowing, floating before his vision.
[Today's Flash Sale Items]
A luxury apartment at Guan International, Dongcheng District (worth 100 million RMB).
A Lamborghini Veneno (worth 30 million RMB).
1% of Lamborghini's original shares (worth 300 million USD).
[Please choose one item. The daily refresh has ended.]
For several seconds, Lin Hao sat frozen. His brain simply refused to process what he was seeing.
A system? Like the ones in webnovels? He had read plenty of those late at night in the dorms. But this? This was real, wasn't it?
His throat went dry.
"Holy… is this for real?"
His voice cracked, echoing in the tiny room. His heart hammered like a war drum in his chest, blood rushing to his head.
On the list before him were choices that could only exist in dreams.
A mansion. A supercar. And… Lamborghini shares.
Lin Hao's breath came fast and shallow. His hands trembled as he reached forward, almost afraid the options would vanish if he hesitated too long.
Then his instincts screamed the answer.
"Option three! Definitely three!"
His voice rang loud, shaking with disbelief and excitement.
Three hundred million US dollars. Almost two billion RMB. With one choice, he had leapt from a broke graduate to a billionaire.
[Selection confirmed. The Lamborghini equity transfer documents will arrive at your residence within one hour.]
Lin Hao's whole body shook violently.
"It's real… this is real…"
He stumbled to his feet, pacing in circles like a madman. The air felt thin, his chest too tight to hold all the emotions tearing through him—shock, joy, fear, and a thrill so powerful it nearly drove him crazy.
Unable to sit still, he burst out of his room, rushed down the stairs of his rental building, and scanned the nearest shared bike. His legs pumped like pistons as he pedaled aimlessly through the streets, the cool night air whipping across his face.
He didn't care where he was going. He just needed to move.
Ten minutes later, out of breath, he returned to his shabby building, dragging the bike up to the stand with shaking arms.
Back inside, he collapsed against the door, gasping.
"Two billion RMB… I'll never spend it all in my lifetime…"
But his euphoria faltered when his eyes landed on the small bouquet lying by the door.
He knew those flowers. They were the last ones he had bought for his ex, a final desperate gesture to save their relationship. She hadn't even accepted them. Instead, she had tossed them back to him like garbage.
Lin Hao bent down slowly, picked up the wilted stems, and stared at them for a long time.
His hands clenched. His jaw tightened until it ached.
"You… you'll regret it."
He wasn't sure if he meant his ex, or himself for ever believing in her. But the bitterness in his chest transformed into a burning fire.
Now, he had a way forward.
Just as that thought took root, a sharp knock rang out from his door.
Bang. Bang. Bang.
Lin Hao jumped. His pulse spiked again. Could it be—already?
He rushed to open the door.
Standing outside was a courier in a faded uniform, holding a slim leather document bag.
"Hello, are you Mr. Lin Hao? Please sign for your delivery."
Lin Hao's lips parted, but no sound came out. His vision tunneled onto the bag.
It was real. It wasn't a dream.
The courier cleared his throat. "Sir?"
Lin Hao snapped out of it, snatching the pen from the man's hand and scribbling his name with trembling strokes.
"Thank you," the courier said with a nod. "Have a good day." Without waiting for a reply, he turned and left.
Lin Hao closed the door behind him with shaking hands, his knees almost giving out.
He tore the bag open.
And there it was.
Lamborghini Equity Transfer Agreement
Eight bold characters across the top of the page. Stamped with official seals. Detailed, binding clauses. And a line awaiting his signature.
His throat tightened. His vision blurred.
"It's real…"
For someone who had studied finance, it only took him a few minutes to skim through the contract. Everything was airtight, flawless, undeniable.
He pressed the pen down with such force the ink almost tore the paper.
Lin Hao.
The moment his name appeared on the document, his status changed forever.
He wasn't just Lin Hao, broke graduate, dumped by his girlfriend.
He was Lin Hao—shareholder of Lamborghini. Billionaire.
His body shook with exhilaration. His eyes burned with something fierce and new.
"Am I really… a billionaire now?" he whispered.
[Yes, Host.]
The system's cold, mechanical voice echoed in his mind.
For a moment, the world was silent.
Then Lin Hao let out a laugh—loud, raw, and filled with disbelief. It burst out of him uncontrollably, bouncing off the cracked walls of his rental.
From that night onward, Lin Hao's life would never be the same.