320,000 yuan. Even if Li Yan reached a high salary of 20,000 per month, he'd need to save every penny for a year and a half to accumulate that much.
And by then, Li Yan would already be 26 years old—28 by Chinese reckoning.
Would he still be thinking about luxury goods and sports cars at that age? Those unrealistic dreams?
No way.
By then, Li Yan would only be thinking about working a few more years, then heading back to his small county town in eastern Shandong to put a down payment on a house, buy a cheap domestic electric car, find a girl to marry, and call it good.
But now, with 320,000 in hand, the next milestone would be 640,000, then 1.28 million, 2.56 million, and 5.12 million.
Just four more tasks, and Li Yan could take a taxi straight to the Ferrari dealership in Hangzhou to pick out a car!
And pay cash for it!
Li Yan could barely imagine what his face would look like when he drove a bright red Ferrari sports car back to his county town in Shandong—he wouldn't be able to stop grinning!
That would probably be the only Ferrari in the entire county!
Li Yan was already fantasizing about it—driving his favorite classic red Ferrari through the streets of his hometown.
Yeah, Li Yan had recently shifted his sights from Porsche to Ferrari.
Wealth that doesn't return home is like wearing fine clothes in the dark.
What's the point of having money if you don't show it off?
He wasn't ready for that whole "returning to simplicity" mentality yet. Didn't want to be, either.
Right now, Li Yan's head was full of what he personally thought was one of Ferrari's most beautiful and impressive models—the Ferrari 488 Pista.
Though that didn't mean he'd definitely buy that particular one, but hey, a guy could dream, right?
His fantasies only stopped when his stomach started growling.
Li Yan walked toward the living room while checking his mental task completion and new mission details, hoping to see if his "breakfast delivery service" roommate had brought back food.
The living room was a bit messy, but there were steamed buns and snacks on the dining table. Li Yan eagerly sat down, eating breakfast while reviewing his mental tasks.
[Task completed, reward: 160,000 yuan]
[Reading doesn't need to be given such profound meaning—it only relates to how curious you are about the world]
He skipped past that, continuing down.
[Video call with parents for over 30 minutes, reward: 320,000 yuan]
[How long has it been since you've had a proper conversation with your parents? Do you know they're thinking about you all the time?]
Li Yan's chewing slowed, though he didn't stop eating the steamed buns.
The message wasn't exactly a direct hit to his heart, but it did make him pause for a moment, his task-obsessed mind clearing briefly.
The topic of parents could be discussed for days and nights.
Li Yan didn't want to explore that topic deeply, but the moment this task appeared, he remembered how his video calls with his parents usually lasted only two or three minutes before he'd hang up to get back to his own business.
Was he busy? Not really.
It was just that they didn't have much to talk about—the usual stuff like "have you eaten," "you look thinner," "is work tiring," "how about we introduce you to someone nice."
Li Yan also remembered that during Chinese New Year this year, because of some trivial matters and boredom in the county town, he'd left home on the third day of the new year to return to Hangzhou—a city he found much more interesting.
Hangzhou had girls, livelier bars, better food with more variety, and even more delivery options than his county town.
Now, with this task appearing in his mind, Li Yan fell silent for a moment, glancing at his phone. It was already 7:30 AM.
He immediately video-called his mom.
The phone rang for quite a while before being answered. When Li Yan saw his mother's face appear on screen—wrinkled, gray-haired, but lit up with surprise and joy—he felt a strange stinging in the corners of his eyes.
"Why are you up so early today! Your dad and I haven't even had breakfast yet!"
"Yeah, I've been getting up early lately. Also planning to come home for a visit next month."
"Ah, the sausages you like—I already had your dad make them. They'll be ready to eat in a few days."
Li Yan looked at his mother's smiling face, and when he heard his father's voice in the background, for the first time he didn't think about the task duration. Instead, he genuinely chatted with his mother and father about everyday family matters.
Including his plan to quit his job, and how he'd made good money recently from stocks and investments.
They chatted about how the chickens at home were doing, how mischievous the dog they'd just brought home was, how the vegetables in their garden were growing...
It wasn't until his phone started getting warm that Li Yan, still eating, noticed they'd been talking for an hour. Only then did he hang up when his father said goodbye to go to work.
Li Yan then transferred 20,000 yuan to his dad through Alipay, telling him to buy something good to eat. After wiping what might have been food crumbs or some other liquid from the corner of his mouth, he sat in his chair, lost in thought.
He only transferred 20,000—not because he didn't want to send more.
But more would be pointless.
Li Yan knew clearly that his parents wouldn't spend it; they'd immediately save it. No amount of persuasion would change that.
Li Yan planned to handle things personally when he went home next month. That way he could actually change something.
Looking at his account balance of 628,000 yuan, thinking about his parents' aging faces, Li Yan seriously considered the system's daily message for the first time.
[Task completed, reward: 320,000 yuan]
[Parents, blood ties, family love, life—the cycle continues. When you become a parent yourself, you'll experience the strongest bond in this world]
...
[Don't use entertainment apps for 24 consecutive hours, reward: 640,000 yuan]
[Entertainment isn't bad, but don't get addicted to it—that will make you feel hollow inside.]
Li Yan rubbed his full stomach. Well-fed, he also gained a deeper understanding of the system and his own lifestyle.
Li Yan thought this was pretty good. At least he probably wouldn't become a slave to money. That was enough.
Looking at the time—only 8 AM—Li Yan suddenly didn't know what to do after his massage.
He wasn't sleepy at all right now, though he wasn't sure about this afternoon.
But as Li Yan changed clothes and took a taxi to the massage parlor, he found himself wondering where to go afterward.
...
"Uh... hello sir, you're here quite early... we just opened."