"Give it to your mother, stepfather, your two sisters, your cousins, your uncles…" Lin Chen said slowly.
Martin nodded thoughtfully. Those people still seemed worth giving to.
Lin Chen continued, "Your friends, neighbors, coworkers, classmates, your classmates' neighbors, your elementary school teacher, the teacher's son, and even distant relatives you barely know…"
His throat went dry halfway through, and he took a long sip of tea.
Martin stood there, completely dumbfounded. He suddenly realized just how many people existed in his social circle.
"Master," he muttered, "I used to know so many people… but not many of them ever wanted to talk to me."
The viewers in the chat were already laughing.
"The Taoist priest is too cute — even said he was thirsty halfway!""As expected, the more money you have, the more friends you suddenly get!""I've got plenty of money but barely any friends," typed Black Bat."You hold parties, though — you should have plenty," Nini replied."That's true," Black Bat admitted. "Every time I host one, everyone acts like they've known me forever.""You two, can you not flex so hard?""This is peak social niubi — catching two natural braggarts live!""Nini, where are you? I want to pay you a visit," Catwoman teased."Congratulations, Nini, you've been marked by a thief!" someone joked."Little stray cat, stealing is wrong! Be careful or you'll get caught," Black Widow warned."Widow, mind your own business and go find yourself a man first," Catwoman shot back with a sneer."Catwoman, I'll remember that," Black Widow said coldly."I'll beat you ten times over," Catwoman boasted, her recent training in Xia Country's kung fu making her cocky."I'll be looking forward to it," Black Widow replied, her tone sharp.
The tension between the two was palpable — sparks flew even through the screen.
Lin Chen laughed lightly. "You two seem quite spirited. Who knows, maybe you'll end up friends one day."
Martin smiled awkwardly. "The two sisters are already arguing, Master. I'm so confused. I'm not good at refusing people."
Lin Chen nodded with understanding. Martin had dropped out before finishing elementary school; he wasn't the sharpest tool in the shed. Suddenly inheriting such a large fortune was bound to throw his life into chaos.
He sighed. "Martin, wealth and beauty can both bring disaster when one lacks the wisdom or blessing to handle them."
"From now on," Lin Chen advised, "you must learn to say no."
Martin nodded firmly, then frowned. "But, Daoist, I really don't know who's sincere and who's fake."
Lin Chen thought for a moment. "It's simple. Pretend you're in trouble. Say you need money urgently — then see who's actually willing to help."
Martin took a deep breath and began making calls.
"Mike, can you lend me some money? I got into a car accident and hit someone."
"What?"
"I said, can you lend me some money?"
"What was that last part?"
"Urgent?"
"Oh — I'm not Mike. Bye!" The line went dead.
Martin stared blankly at his phone. "I lent him a thousand dollars once. I thought he was my best friend…"
Lin Chen couldn't resist adding salt to the wound. "That Mike borrowed a total of 1.5 million from you — and never paid a cent back."
Martin silently blocked the number.
Next, he called his eldest sister.
"Big sis, I got into an accident and hit someone. I need some money."
"Oh, little brother, how could you be so careless? How much do you need?"
Martin sighed in relief — at least she hadn't rejected him.
"About two hundred thousand dollars. Otherwise, I'll have to go to jail."
His sister hesitated, then said, "Your brother-in-law just bought a car, so we're tight on cash. I can give you a hundred."
Then she hung up.
Lin Chen commented dryly, "Your eldest sister owes you over a million — and still hasn't paid it back."
Martin fell silent.
After some hesitation, he didn't dare call his mother. Instead, he dialed his stepfather.
Before he could even speak, his stepfather said, "Martin, got any money? Lend me some."
This man was a chronic gambler, buried in debt.
Martin still tried, "Doffer, I hit someone with my car. I need two hundred thousand dollars, or I'll go to jail."
"Martin," his stepfather said casually, "honestly, jail might do you some good. You could learn a trade there."
"Hello? Hello? The signal's bad?" Martin asked, but the line had already gone dead.
He tried calling again — the phone was switched off.
"Fake! I send him money every year!" Martin shouted angrily.
Lin Chen calmly poured more salt into the wound. "Later, you even helped him pay off two million in gambling debts — all for nothing."
Martin's expression twisted in pain.
He called a few more friends. Only one girl responded — a quiet, introverted friend who transferred him two hundred dollars.
From what Martin knew, that was everything she had.
His second sister also gave him what she could — a meager eight hundred.
Martin looked at the screen with a bitter smile. "Master, it seems only these two are truly kind to me. I didn't even ask my mother, but I'll still give her a pension."
Lin Chen nodded. "Martin, this is human nature. It's an important lesson — I hope you take it to heart."
Martin said firmly, "I understand now. I'll choose the ten-year payment option. I'll study during that time — I still want to fulfill my dream of going to university."
Lin Chen smiled. "Good. Grow stronger — from the inside out."
The chat lit up again:
"See? When you stop talking about money, life's a lot more peaceful!""Master, even I learned something today.""I started laughing but ended up crying.""That's society — all about money.""True friends are so rare.""Everyone, don't overthink it," Nini advised."This is why I keep my circle small," Black Bat wrote."Easy for you to say — your family owns half the city!""Little Taoist finally did a good deed," commented the girl from Paradise Island."I liked how he sprinkled salt on Martin's wounds — poetic justice!" added the little wild cat, remembering the glass-smashing incident with faint amusement.
Just as Martin was about to go offline, Lin Chen stopped him.
"That girl who gave you everything she had," he said softly, "might be your true soulmate. Cherish her."
Martin bowed slightly. "Thank you, Taoist priest." He ended the call, beginning a new chapter of his life.
Ding! The host has saved Martin's life. Gained 15 merit points.
Lin Chen smiled. "Alright, everyone — may good fortune follow you all."
"Thank you, Daoist Lin!""Master, I just won a prize too! I'll protect you — tell my fortune every day!""Upstairs, your ambitions are too small — dream bigger!""Alright, let's continue! Drop a '1' if you want your fortune read next!"
Lin Chen scanned the screen and selected a new viewer — the username caught his eye.
"Poison Ivy."
He froze. "Poison Ivy? Isn't that girl locked up in Arkham Asylum?"
-----------------------
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(End of Chapter)