At 8:10 in the morning.
Inside the large lecture hall of the Broadcasting Department at Media University.
He Jing was listening attentively to the lecture when her phone suddenly vibrated with a buzz in her pocket.
In this day and age, aside from receiving verification codes for logging into certain apps, hardly anyone used text messaging anymore.
Unless it was one of those scam texts with suspicious links.
At first, He Jing didn't pay much attention and couldn't be bothered to take her phone out of her pocket.
It wasn't until the class ended that she finally pulled out her phone to check.
[Hello, He Jing…]
Seeing that the sender knew her name, He Jing frowned slightly.
After reading the entire message, her expression turned grim.
She replied, asking who the sender was, but received no response.
Her gaze swept around the room, wondering if someone was playing a prank.
The landlord installed a camera in her room??
How could Grandpa Wu, that kind-looking man older than her own grandfather, possibly…
He Jing's hand trembled slightly as she held her phone.
Her heart refused to believe the claims in the text, yet she was terrified that they might be true.
At the same time, she felt fortunate that she had stayed at her cousin's place last night and hadn't returned to her apartment.
Matters concerning personal privacy and safety couldn't be taken lightly.
Better to believe it's true than to dismiss it as false!
After school today, it would be necessary to have someone check her place!
Just in case…
Once the seed of doubt was planted, it would take root and sprout in her mind.
He Jing's mood was thrown into chaos, and she could no longer focus on the lecture.
She was well-liked in her class, and until today, no one had ever played such a prank on her.
Though she was skeptical about the sender's identity, their words were filled with concern for her.
He Jing's intuition told her that the person who sent the message genuinely cared for her and was trustworthy.
Perhaps it was her roommate?
Maybe they sent an anonymous text to avoid offending the landlord?
"Forget it, the lease is about to expire anyway. Time to move!"
After much thought, He Jing didn't even have the courage to verify the situation and decided to move out directly.
…
At 8:48 in the morning.
Jiang Tao didn't rush to drive off after heading downstairs.
He first walked over to the BAIC EU5 he had bought for his dad.
In his field of vision, a deep blue virtual screen the size of a computer monitor hovered above the car's roof.
The screen displayed a pile of gold coins, with a collectible amount of 10,000 yuan shown.
Jiang Tao directly chose to collect it.
*Buzz~*
His phone received a notification of a 10,000-yuan deposit.
The [Money-Making Toad] and this [BAIC EU5] were like Jiang Tao's two little cash cows.
A guaranteed income of 20,000 yuan a day.
Without doing anything, he could earn 600,000 yuan a month—absolutely delightful!
Without the system, who knows whose golden finger these two cash cows would belong to.
After collecting the money, Jiang Tao hummed a tune as he walked toward his Mercedes GLS.
He got in the car and drove out of the neighborhood in a flash.
In 15 minutes, the Mercedes GLS stopped near Building 26 of Longze Garden.
Jiang Tao got out, carrying a bag of steamed buns and soy milk he had bought from a breakfast shop outside the neighborhood, and entered the building.
He took the elevator to the 12th floor and stopped at the door of Apartment 1203, knocking.
It took about three minutes for the door to open.
Jiang Bing, with messy hair and wearing loose pajamas, appeared at the door.
"Tch, tch, tch…"
"Third Sis, I'm not saying this to be mean, but with your sloppy look, it'd be a miracle if you found a boyfriend."
"Don't care. Who needs one anyway?"
Jiang Bing scratched her head, looking completely unbothered.
"Hurry up, go wash your face. After breakfast, I'll take you to check out the goods."
Jiang Tao closed the door after stepping inside.
"Oh."
Though reluctant, Jiang Bing quickly went to the bathroom to wash her face and brush her teeth.
She never wore makeup, which saved a lot of time, and she was done in less than 10 minutes.
Sitting on the living room sofa, she devoured the entire tray of steamed buns and a cup of soy milk Jiang Tao had brought.
After eating and drinking their fill, the siblings went downstairs together.
Jiang Tao drove his third sister toward Cui Village.
At 9:38 in the morning.
The Mercedes GLS stopped outside a greenhouse that Jiang Tao had leased from Xu Xinlei.
The surrounding greenhouses were all equipped with surveillance cameras.
Even if no one was guarding them at night, there was no need to worry about theft.
Jiang Tao took out a key from his pocket, unlocked a small door on the greenhouse, and led Jiang Bing inside.
"Wow… so many blueberry trees, so many blueberries!"
"I've never seen so many blueberries before!"
As soon as they entered the greenhouse, Jiang Bing was stunned by the sight before her.
As far as the eye could see, there were green branches and countless small and large blue fruits.
A hundred thousand blueberry potted plants gathered together—it was indeed a bit overwhelming!
Jiang Bing couldn't help but pull out her phone, snapping photos and recording several videos.
"…"
Looking at the dense sea of a hundred thousand blueberry potted plants, Jiang Tao wasn't thrilled at all!
Although the system would mark the four genetically mutated blueberry plants, finding them among a hundred thousand was no easy task!
Making money was never that simple!
No other way—time to search!
Jiang Tao said a few words to his third sister and began a carpet-style search, weaving through the ocean of blueberry plants like searching for a needle in a haystack.
Hard work pays off. After about an hour, Jiang Tao finally found the first genetically mutated blueberry plant and set it aside separately.
"Second Bro, what are you looking for? Why did you take this one out?"
Jiang Bing looked at the blueberry plant Jiang Tao had singled out, puzzled.
This plant was still in its flowering stage, not yet bearing fruit. To Jiang Bing, it didn't seem any different from the others.
Jiang Tao didn't bother explaining in detail to his third sister, saying, "You wouldn't understand even if I told you. Just mark this one for me and keep it separate later. Make absolutely sure no one takes it—it's very important."
"Oh, got it."
Seeing how serious her second brother was, Jiang Bing didn't ask further and nodded obediently.
The morning passed quickly.
By noon, Jiang Tao finally found the second genetically mutated blueberry plant.
According to the system's information, each plant was worth 200,000 yuan.
His morning's work had already earned him 400,000 yuan—quite an achievement!
Jiang Bing had also listed the blueberry plants for sale on her eight online stores.
Each pot was priced at 24 yuan.
In the morning, a few orders came in across her stores, totaling nine orders for 12 pots.
At noon, Jiang Tao took Jiang Bing to a clean-looking restaurant in Cui Village.
They ordered four dishes and each had a big bowl of rice, digging in!
"Second Bro, with a hundred thousand pots, can we sell them all? The sales don't seem great so far!"
While eating, Jiang Bing voiced her concerns.
They had only sold 12 pots all morning. Even if they sold 40 pots in a day, that was decent.
At this rate, it would take forever to sell a hundred thousand pots.
"No rush. The timing isn't right yet. When the time comes, daily sales could increase by hundreds or thousands of times!"
Jiang Tao picked up a slice of boiled pork with his chopsticks, a confident smile on his face.
Seeing her second brother's confident demeanor, Jiang Bing recalled their previous collaborations.
She didn't know why her second brother's predictions were always so accurate.
But the truth was, his grasp of the market and eye for products were razor-sharp!
So, despite her concerns, she chose to believe her second brother would succeed again this time!
They chatted casually and soon finished lunch. Jiang Tao paid 130 yuan at the counter.
It was a bit pricey, but the food was decent and didn't disappoint.
After lunch, the siblings returned to the greenhouse.
Jiang Bing set up her laptop in the greenhouse, entering work mode to respond to customer inquiries on her stores' backends.
Jiang Tao continued searching for the remaining two genetically mutated blueberry plants.
The afternoon passed quickly.
Hard work paid off again, and Jiang Tao finally found all four system-marked blueberry plants among the hundred thousand.
He labeled the four pots and placed them in a small office near the greenhouse entrance, not daring to move them rashly.
Jiang Tao had never grown these plants and didn't know their habits.
So, better to leave them in the greenhouse for now!
He couldn't let the 800,000 yuan in his grasp slip away!
At 6:00 p.m., Jiang Tao and his third sister left the greenhouse and drove home!
On the way, Jiang Bing chattered nonstop, mostly about food, drinks, and fun.
When they got home, their parents were already back from work, and Jiang Xue had returned from school.
That morning, Jiang Bing had mentioned to Xu Li that she wanted hotpot.
Xu Li had already bought various hotpot ingredients in advance.
Freshly sliced lamb and beef rolls, vegetables, and meatballs.
The whole family ate hotpot and chatted, creating a lively atmosphere.
After dinner, it was still early, just past 8:00 p.m.
Jiang Bing suggested going to Vientiane Mall to watch a movie, and Xu Li and Jiang Xue agreed.
Their parents didn't want to join the youngsters' activities and went to visit Old Sun's family instead.
With no other choice, Jiang Tao became the driver, taking them to the Wanda Cinema at Vientiane Mall.
There weren't any particularly hyped new movies recently.
Xu Li and Jiang Bing bought three big buckets of popcorn and three large milk teas, taking Jiang Xue to watch *Snow White*.
Jiang Tao, meanwhile, bought a ticket for *A Chinese Ghost Story*, holding a milk tea as he entered Screening Room 4.
Vientiane Mall was a bustling commercial area with many large residential complexes nearby, so the cinema had a good attendance rate.
Even for a remastered old movie like *A Chinese Ghost Story*, there were plenty of middle-aged fans like Jiang Tao coming to support it, reminiscing about Leslie Cheung.
Back when he first watched this movie, his family's TV was still a black-and-white CRT.
Watching it on a big cinema screen felt like a world of difference.
Though the lights in the screening room were dim, Jiang Tao easily found his seat.
"Excuse me, miss, could you let me pass?"
Jiang Tao's gaze fell on the pair of long legs in shark pants blocking his path, politely greeting their owner.
The woman wore a black baseball cap and a mask, her head lowered as she fiddled with her phone.
From Jiang Tao's angle, he could only see that her face was small, her features unclear.
"Huh, Jiang, Jiang Tao."
Jiang Yi, seated in Row 5, Seat 18, looked up and was slightly surprised to see Jiang Tao.
"Teacher Jiang, what are you doing here? Are you with friends?"
Recognizing her voice and the narrow, beautiful eyes peeking out from the mask, Jiang Tao smiled and greeted her.
"No, the school gave me a ticket, and I had nothing to do tonight, so I came to check it out. Sorry for blocking your way."
Jiang Yi moved her legs to let Jiang Tao pass, curiously asking, "Are you alone? Where are Xiao Xue and her mom?"
"They're watching *Snow White* with my little sister. I came to watch Leslie Cheung by myself."
As he spoke, Jiang Tao stepped past her and plopped down in the empty seat to her right.
"Oh, you're a fan of Leslie too…"
Seeing Jiang Tao sit next to her and thinking about his wife and daughter watching a movie in another room, Jiang Yi suddenly felt a bit awkward.
Though she hadn't done anything and only felt gratitude toward Jiang Tao, with no other intentions, it just felt a little… off.
"What a coincidence, we're sitting next to each other."
Jiang Tao showed her his ticket stub, marveling at the serendipity.
"Yeah, quite a coincidence…"
Jiang Yi gave a shy smile. She wasn't vain enough to think Jiang Tao had orchestrated this "chance" encounter.
"How's your niece doing?"
Sensing her slight awkwardness, Jiang Tao smoothly changed the topic.
"The surgery was very successful. Thanks to you, my brother and An An want to thank you in person."
When it came to her niece Jiang An An's surgery, Jiang Yi's gaze toward Jiang Tao lost its unease, filled only with gratitude.
150,000 yuan was no small sum for her family.
They couldn't borrow that much from friends or relatives.
Yet Jiang Tao had proactively lent it to them.
This kindness was something Jiang Yi would remember for a lifetime.
Jiang Tao smiled, "We can talk about thanks later. Focus on her recovery. If you need more money, just let me know."
"No, no, we're fine. There's still over 40,000 left after the surgery. That should cover her rehabilitation."
"I'll pay you back as soon as possible."
"No rush, take your time."
Jiang Tao almost said she didn't need to repay him, but he held back, worried she might misunderstand.
Ever since meeting Jiang Yi by chance at Eddie Kindergarten, he had triggered three pieces of information related to her.
From those, he sold a Patek Philippe Nautilus for over 2 million yuan.
He also got a free, system-approved, upgraded recipe for eight-treasure pickles.
And then there was the incredibly high return-on-investment tip about her niece, Jiang An An.
Compared to the value of those three pieces of information, the 150,000 yuan medical loan was negligible.
They chatted quietly for a bit. As the movie started playing, the noisy chatter in the theater quieted down.
Once the film began, Jiang Tao and Jiang Yi stopped talking, turning their attention to the big screen.
However, Jiang Yi found it hard to focus on the movie.
Her gaze kept drifting to Jiang Tao sitting beside her.
Her mind was filled with a whirlwind of thoughts.
Though nothing had happened between them, and everything was innocent, the thought of walking out of the screening room together after the movie and running into Xu Li and Jiang Xue…
Awkward. Capital-A awkward. Awkward enough to make her scalp tingle!
This was no place to linger!
"Um, Jiang Tao, I have something to do, so I'm leaving. Enjoy the movie."
After watching for about an hour, barely taking anything in, Jiang Yi felt it was time to go. She said goodbye to Jiang Tao and prepared to leave.
"Oh, take care, Teacher Jiang."
Jiang Tao responded softly, nodding with a smile, understanding she was leaving to avoid any misunderstanding.
"Bye."
Jiang Yi smiled, picked up her small bag from the seat, and left.
Jiang Tao watched her figure disappear at the screening room's exit.
Just as he was about to turn back to the movie, he noticed Jiang Yi hurrying back.
"Huh?"
Seeing her return, Jiang Tao was slightly surprised.
"Teacher Jiang, Teacher Jiang…"
Then he saw a burly man with a shaved head, wearing a thick, shiny gold chain around his neck, chasing after her.
Jiang Tao realized what was happening.
"Jiang Tao… can you help me, please?"
Before he could react, Jiang Yi was standing in front of him.
Her beautiful eyes looked at him pleadingly, like a helpless, vulnerable creature.
[*Ding! Congratulations, you've triggered the special mission [Hero Saves the Beauty]. Would you like to accept it immediately?*]
As Jiang Tao was stunned, a system prompt sounded in his mind.
The next second, a deep blue screen appeared.
It displayed the full details of the special mission.
[**Mission Name**]: Hero Saves the Beauty
[**Mission Objective**]: Help Jiang Yi escape her pursuer's harassment.
[**Mission Rewards**]: Charm +1, Constitution +1, Jiang Yi's Favorability +10, Money +188,888!
Jiang Tao quickly scanned the mission details and rewards.
Of course, his focus was always on the rewards!
He didn't know what Charm and Constitution did, but they were definitely beneficial.
Jiang Yi's Favorability +10… skipped!
He was far more interested in the final reward: money!
188,888!
Earning over 180,000—nearly 190,000—just for watching a movie!
Money delivered to his doorstep—why not take it?
Teacher Jiang was truly his "lucky star," bringing him wealth again!
"Accept the mission!"
With a thought, Jiang Tao accepted the mission and stood up from his seat.
"Sit in my seat."
He reached out, grabbed Jiang Yi's hand, and guided her to his seat.
The moment their hands touched, it was as if an electric current shot from her palm through her entire body, making her scalp tingle.
It was the first time Jiang Yi had felt this sensation. Her heart raced, pounding like a drum.
Her gaze lingered on Jiang Tao's broad, upright back, and for some reason, she felt a sudden sense of calm.
The fear and unease in her heart subsided significantly.
As Jiang Tao and Jiang Yi switched places, the bald man chasing her caught up but was blocked by Jiang Tao.
The two stood face-to-face in the aisle. The bald man was about three centimeters shorter than Jiang Tao.
But his burly frame made it seem like he could fit Jiang Tao inside him like a nesting doll.
Neither said a word, but the surrounding audience could sense the thick tension in the air, like gunpowder ready to ignite.
Even those in the back rows, whose view was blocked, didn't complain. They all wore expressions of eager spectators ready to watch the drama unfold.
An old movie couldn't compare to two men fighting over a woman!
The crowd loved a good show and secretly hoped for a fight.
"Who are you? Get out of the way!"
Gao Meng, the bald man, glared at Jiang Tao, clearly annoyed.
He had seen Jiang Tao and Jiang Yi's brief physical contact clearly.
He had been relentlessly pursuing Jiang Yi for months without so much as touching her finger.
Yet this guy comes along and gets handsy with his "Teacher Jiang."
Gao Meng felt as if he'd been publicly cuckolded!
Of course, this was just his one-sided delusion.
"I'm Jiang Yi's boyfriend. I should be asking who *you* are! Why are you chasing her?"
Back in school, Jiang Tao wasn't one to back down. When it was time to stand his ground, he never flinched.
Though the bald man was bulkier, Jiang Tao wasn't intimidated and fired back confidently.
"You're Teacher Jiang's boyfriend?"
Gao Meng didn't believe a word of it.
Before pursuing Jiang Yi, he had asked other teachers in his son's class, and Jiang Yi was single!
Over the three months he'd been pestering her, she had used the "boyfriend" excuse to brush him off, but he ignored it.
In those three months, he had never seen this so-called boyfriend, so the lie fell apart.
"Gao Xingxing's dad, please stop bothering me. I've told you many times I have a boyfriend."
Jiang Yi stood up from her seat, possessively linking her arm with Jiang Tao's, firmly rejecting Gao Meng's pursuit once again.
"He's been harassing you often?"
Jiang Tao turned to Jiang Yi, looking angry.
His acting was so convincing it seemed genuine.
Jiang Yi quietly explained, "Not often, don't get the wrong idea. Mr. Gao is one of my student's parents. We just happened to run into each other."
Gao Meng watched their intimate behavior and the fact that they were watching a movie together.
It didn't look like Jiang Yi had just grabbed a random stranger to act as a shield.
At this moment, he couldn't help but wonder.
Could Teacher Jiang really have a boyfriend?
The surrounding crowd, overhearing their conversation, roughly pieced together the situation.
They stopped watching the movie, whispering among themselves about the trio's relationship.
At this moment, the most embarrassed was naturally Gao Meng, the "third party" trying to interfere in a relationship.
Rubbing his bald head, Gao Meng didn't even say goodbye and strode toward the screening room's exit.
He couldn't stay long anyway—his daughter was still watching *Snow White* in the next room.