The next morning, Li Wei dressed for college and caught the bus. At the campus gates, he spotted his friends waiting. They were mid-conversation when she passed by.
Her.
The so-called campus beauty — his first crush. Her steps slowed, and to his shock, she turned her head.
"Li Wei," she called.
He froze. Their eyes met.
"Meet me after school," she said before walking away.
The group stared at him as if he'd grown a second head.
"No way… She talked to you?" one whispered. The girl's icy demeanor was famous across campus — she rarely spoke to anyone outside her circle.
Li Wei tried to play it off, but his mind was a storm.
Later, during lunch break, he went up to the rooftop. A girl was already there — Chen Yue, a classmate known for her quiet, warm nature. She'd had a crush on Li Wei for a while, though he'd never addressed it.
"Mind if I join?" she asked, holding up her lunch.
They ended up sitting together, chatting as the breeze swept across the rooftop. By the time the bell rang, they'd grown a little closer.
Classes passed in a blur. As promised, Li Wei met the campus beauty after school.
"Go out with me," she said, her tone calm but direct.
Li Wei blinked, stunned. "Sorry… I can't."
Her brows furrowed. "What? Do you even know what you're saying?"
"I'm saying no," he replied simply.
Her expression darkened before she turned and stormed off.
He was about to leave when Chen Yue stepped out from behind a nearby pillar, cheeks red.
"Sorry… I didn't mean to eavesdrop."
"It's fine," Li Wei said.
"But… why didn't you say yes? She's beautiful."
He shrugged. "I didn't actually like her. My friends were just teasing me before."
Something in her eyes softened at that. As he turned to leave, she blurted out, "Wait! Can you add me on Insto?"
Without thinking much, he took out his phone and added her.
They went their separate ways, but Li Wei couldn't shake the feeling of her gaze following him.
The next day, she greeted him at the campus gates. Even in class, Li Wei was multitasking — watching stock prices rise and fall. He dumped a chunk of money into an investment, only to see it crash.
And yet… his account balance grew.
By the time the final lecture ended, he was richer than he'd been that morning.
The system truly had no limits.