"Lin, pick up the pace."
"Yes, sir…"
The command snapped through the air, sharp but familiar.
A man in his twenties—Lin Kai—hurriedly gathered plates from a cluttered table, stacking them with practiced ease before heading to the kitchen counter. He tossed the scraps into the bin, rinsed the plates in one sweep, and returned with a cloth in hand. His movements were quick but precise, like a machine programmed for efficiency.
Two new customers immediately slid into the seats he'd just cleaned. The small restaurant had no time for rest; it was always bursting at the seams. The sizzling of oil, the hiss of stir-fry, and the murmur of voices all clashed together, forming a noisy symphony of dinner rush. The air was heavy with the savory tang of fried noodles and the sharp spice of broth.
"Good work… Haha!"
The owner's booming laugh echoed through the cramped shop. At last, the final table had been cleared, the last bowl washed. Lin Kai exhaled quietly, untying his apron. His shift was finally over.
He disappeared into the staff quarters, changing into his plain t-shirt and jeans. When he came out, the owner pressed a small envelope into his hand.
"Here! Nice working with you, kid."
Lin Kai nodded, offering a polite smile. Inside was two thousand in cash—payment for his last day. It wasn't bad money for a part-time gig, six hours a day, but there was a catch. The restaurant's strange policy was to cycle through employees every three months, always swapping them out for "fresh, energetic" replacements.
In truth, it was just a way to avoid paying benefits.
"Thanks," Lin Kai said, slipping the envelope into his pocket. He asked the owner to transfer the remaining eighteen thousand into his account, then stepped outside.
The cool evening air brushed against his face, carrying away the greasy warmth of the kitchen. He unwrapped a burger he had bought on the way out, biting into it with the hunger of someone who'd been on his feet all day. Grease dripped down the wrapper, salty and satisfying.
Just then, his phone rang.
"Hello…" he mumbled through a mouthful, the words muffled.
On the other end, his mother chuckled knowingly. "Still eating after work, huh? I'll wait while you swallow."
Lin Kai forced down the food with a sip of cola, wiping his mouth with the back of his hand. "So? What's up? You don't usually call me like this."
Her tone was direct. "Do you have plans for tonight?"
"I'm free… Why?" He was already wary.
"I arranged a blind date for you."
Cough! Cough!
The burger lodged in his throat. He grabbed his drink again, gulping down soda in a panic. His eyes watered as he spluttered, "What did you just say? A… blind date?"
"Yes." Her reply was maddeningly simple.
Lin Kai blinked at the streetlight above him, wondering if his mother had lost her mind. In all his twenty-plus years, she had never tried to set him up with anyone.
"Mom, this is so sudden…"
"What's the big deal? It's just a date, not marriage. You meet, you talk, you eat. Simple." Her tone was light, teasing.
Lin Kai sighed, rubbing his temple. "It's not that. It's just…" He stopped himself. Back in college, he'd tried dating, but it had ended badly every time. He'd learned the hard way that romance wasn't free—it required money, time, and status. Things he didn't have.
"Stop overthinking," his mother said warmly. "Just go. Have fun for once."
He knew better than to argue. "...Fine. I'll go," he muttered before hanging up.
But before he could take another step, something impossible happened.
[Loading complete.]
A mechanical voice, cold and detached, echoed in his mind.
[Host has acquired 999 Trillion dollars in the system account.]
[Balance refreshes every year.]
[Credits may only be spent on women with a beauty rating of 7 or above.]
[Raise their favorability to 90%, and all expenses during the courtship will be added to host personal account.]
[Additional rewards will be granted based on the effort invested.]
Lin Kai froze mid-bite, the burger still in his hand. His jaw slackened.
"What the hell is going on…?" he whispered.
Out of nowhere, a translucent blue screen materialized in front of his eyes, glowing faintly. Lines of text scrolled down in an elegant, futuristic font, like some high-tech game interface.
[Host has acquired 999 Trillion Credits in System Account.]
The same information repeated, drilling itself into his brain. Restrictions. Rules. Functions. It all streamed into his mind with clarity, leaving no room for doubt. His pulse spiked. Instinctively, his left hand brushed against his pocket. Something hard and smooth pressed against the fabric.
"Hiss… it's real." He pulled it out.
A sleek black card gleamed in the streetlight, its edges trimmed in subtle gold plating. Even at a glance, it radiated wealth, like it belonged to an exclusive club of the world's richest elites. Just holding it made his fingers tremble.
Forcing himself to breathe, Lin Kai steadied his thoughts. This wasn't random. He wasn't just some unlucky drifter. He was a reincarnator.
For over a decade since his rebirth in this world, he had lived quietly, waiting—hoping—that one day a "golden finger," a cheat system, would arrive. And now, finally, it had.
His lips curled into a rare smile.
But the excitement quickly tempered into caution.
This system wasn't free. It came with chains.
The credits could only be spent on women—specifically those rated 7 or higher in beauty. To recover his investment, he had to raise their favorability to 90%. That alone was no easy feat.
It wasn't just money—it was emotions, trust, attraction. Things that couldn't be bought so easily.
He let out a low laugh. "So it's like playing the stock market… except the stocks are women's hearts."
High-risk. High-reward.
If he failed, the money spent was gone forever.
If he succeeded, not only would he be reimbursed, but there were "additional rewards."
The system encouraged him to pursue multiple women, to diversify his "investments." But that path carried its own weight, its own moral cost.
Lin Kai stared at the card glinting in his hand.
"This… is going to get dangerous."
And yet, his blood boiled with anticipation.
For the first time in years, his dull, drifting life finally felt alive.
"Haah… forget it."
With a wry smile, he shoved the thoughts aside. This was an opportunity—an outrageous one at that. He wasn't about to waste it worrying about "ethics" when a literal golden chance had landed in his lap. And since there was still time before the blind date his mother had arranged, he decided to head home and change into something sharper.