Chapter 2: The First Small Stone
The ceiling fan creaked in slow, lazy circles.
Lee Feng lay on his bed, staring at the water-stained ceiling. His palm had been bandaged—Chen Wei had insisted, pulling out a first-aid kit from somewhere and wrapping the cut with practiced efficiency.
"You should get a tetanus shot," Chen Wei had said.
"I'll be fine."
"You don't know that."
But Lee Feng knew. The system hadn't mentioned healing, but he felt different. Stronger. The cut on his palm had stopped throbbing an hour after he left the restaurant. By the time he reached the hostel, the bleeding had stopped completely.
He didn't mention that to his roommates.
Some things were better kept hidden.
---
Morning light filtered through the dusty window.
Lee Feng checked his phone.
Available Balance: 11,000,023.50 CNY
Still there.
He had dreamed about the number. Eleven million. In his dream, the digits had turned into snakes and crawled up his arms. He had woken up gasping, half-expecting the money to be gone.
But it wasn't.
The system panel materialized as soon as he sat up.
[SYSTEM STATUS]
Host: Lee Feng
Current Balance: 11,000,023.50 CNY
Active Boasts Absorbed: 1
Passive Listening: Active
"Good morning, Host,"the cold robotic voice announced. "No new boasts detected during sleep cycle. Recommend you position yourself in environments where wealthy individuals congregate."
Lee Feng rubbed his eyes.
"You want me to go hunting for boasts?"
"I do not 'want.' I am a system. I provide optimal strategies. Current strategy: Maximize exposure to boast-prone individuals."
"And where am I supposed to find those? I'm a broke college student. I don't exactly run in rich circles."
"Correction. You were a broke college student. You now have eleven million yuan. You can run in any circle you choose."
Lee Feng stared at the panel.
The system had a point.
But he wasn't ready to start spending. Not yet. The money felt unreal—like it might disappear if he touched it. He needed to understand how this worked before he changed his life.
"One clarification," the system added. "The assets you receive are not taken from the boaster. They are generated from parallel financial streams. The boaster loses nothing. Their wealth remains intact. You simply... receive a copy. A duplicate. Created from nothing."
Lee Feng's eyes widened.
"So no one gets hurt?"
"Correct. No one loses anything. The system creates new wealth based on the blueprint of the boast. The boaster's original assets remain untouched."
"Then where does the money come from?"
"From nowhere. From everywhere. From parallel streams that exist outside normal financial systems. The question is irrelevant. What matters is this : The money is real. Legal. Untraceable. And no investigation—now or ever—will find a single link back to you."
Lee Feng processed this.
No one got hurt.
The boasters kept their money.
He just... got more.
"Passive listening remains active," the system continued. "You do not need to seek boasts. They will come to you. Humans cannot resist boasting about their wealth. It is their nature."
Lee Feng almost smiled.
Their nature.
He wondered what Zhao Xia was doing right now. Probably still sleeping in Wei Chen's penthouse. Probably dreaming about her ten million.
She had no idea.
---
The hostel common room smelled like instant noodles and old socks.
Lee Feng sat in the corner, nursing a cup of black tea. His roommates were still asleep—Wang Tao's snoring could be heard through the walls. He had woken up early. He couldn't sleep anymore. Every time he closed his eyes, he saw the blue panel.
The common room TV was on. Some morning news show. A woman in a red blazer was talking about the stock market.
Lee Feng wasn't watching.
He was thinking.
Eleven million.
It was enough to pay off his college fees. Enough to move out of this hostel. Enough to never work another shift at Jade Pavilion.
But he needed to be careful.
If Zhao Xia found out—if anyone found out—questions would be asked. But the system had said: No investigation will find a single link.
He needed to test that.
"Testing is unnecessary," the system said, appearing unbidden. "The system does not make errors. The money is untraceable. The legal documentation is flawless. You are safe."
I'll believe it when I see it.
"You will see it. Soon."
---
The first boast of the day came at 11:47 AM.
Lee Feng was walking back from the university library, a stack of textbooks in his arms. The path cut through the main courtyard—a wide concrete square surrounded by administrative buildings. Students sat on benches, scrolling through phones, eating cheap lunches from the canteen.
He almost didn't hear it.
"—I'm not kidding, the transaction was done in ten minutes. Ten minutes. His father has connections everywhere."
Lee Feng's head turned.
A group of students sat on a bench near the fountain. Three of them. He recognized two immediately.
Su Meng—Zhao Xia's best friend. The one who had called him a dog at the restaurant. She was wearing designer sunglasses and a white blouse that probably cost more than his monthly rent.
Han Jun—the trust fund kid. Lean, dangerous smile. He had told Lee Feng to "fetch" more water.
And a third person. A boy Lee Feng didn't recognize. Expensive sneakers. A watch that glittered in the morning sun.
Su Meng was talking. Her voice was loud, deliberately loud, like she wanted everyone in the courtyard to hear.
"Ten million. Just like that. Wei Chen's father transferred it as a giftw. Can you believe it? Some people are born lucky."
Han Jun laughed. "Lucky? Wei Chen's family owns half the real estate in this city. Ten million is pocket is just a change to them."
The third boy whistled. "Must be nice. My father gave me five million for my birthday last year. I blew it all on a car."
Su Meng waved her hand. "Five million? That's nothing. Zhao Xia's new bag cost eight hundred thousand. Eight hundred thousand. For a bag."
Lee Feng stopped walking.
He stood twenty meters away, hidden partially behind a pillar. The textbooks felt heavy in his arms.
Eight hundred thousand for a bag.
He thought about his own bag—a torn backpack he had bought second-hand three years ago. The zipper was broken. He held it together with safety pins.
"Boast detected," the cold voice whispered in his skull.
What?
"Multiple boasts detected. Su Meng: 'Eight hundred thousand for a bag.' Han Jun: 'Ten million is pocket change.' Unknown male: 'Five million for my birthday.' Processing..."
Lee Feng's heart rate spiked.
Wait. Can you absorb multiple at once?
"Affirmative. All boasts within hearing range are eligible. No limit on simultaneous absorptions. The assets are generated from parallel financial streams. No one loses anything. The boasters will not even notice."
The panel flickered.
[SYSTEM NOTIFICATION]
Multiple Boasts Detected.
Boast 1 (Su Meng): "Eight hundred thousand for a bag."
Classification: Indirect monetary boast (item value).
Generating 880,000 CNY (800,000 + 10%) from parallel streams...
*ransfer Complete.
Boast 2 (Han Jun): "Ten million is pocket change."
Classification: Indirect monetary boast (relative value).
Generating 11,000,000 CNY (10,000,000 + 10%) from parallel streams...
Transfer Complete.
Boast 3 (Unknown Male): "Five million for my birthday."
Classification: Direct monetary boast.
Generating 5,500,000 CNY (5,000,000 + 10%) from parallel streams...
Transfer Complete.
New Total Balance: 28,380,023.50 CNY
---
Lee Feng's knees went weak.
He leaned against the pillar, textbooks sliding from his arms. Pages scattered across the concrete floor. He didn't pick them up.
He just stared at the blue panel.
Twenty-eight million.
From three careless sentences.
And the system had said: Generated from parallel streams. No one loses anything.
He checked his phone.
Available Balance: 28,380,023.50 CNY
He refreshed.
Same number.
He refreshed again.
Same.
"The money is real," the system said. "It will not disappear. No bank will question it. No investigator will trace it. The system has already generated legal documentation for all three transfers. Taxes have been auto-paid. The source is listed as overseas holding accounts with decades of established history."
Decades of history?
"Correct. The system does not create fake documents. It creates real documents. The holding accounts have existed in financial systems for twenty to thirty years. They have paid taxes. They have filed reports. They are, for all practical purposes, completely legitimate."
Lee Feng's mind raced.
So if someone investigates...
"They will find a clean trail leading to legitimate overseas accounts. The trail will end there. No further links. No connection to you. The system has done this countless times. There has never been a single successful investigation."
Lee Feng let out a breath he didn't know he was holding.
He was safe.
The money was safe.
And Su Meng, Han Jun, and the unknown boy were still sitting on the bench, laughing, completely unaware that their boasts had just made him richer.
Su Meng was still talking. "—and then Zhao Xia said, 'If you can't afford it, don't look.' I almost died laughing."
Han Jun grinned. "She's ruthless. That's why I like her."
The third boy nodded. "Too bad about her ex, though. The waiter guy. What was his name?"
"Lee Feng," Su Meng said, her voice dripping with contempt. "Total loser. Followed her around like a puppy for two years. Can you believe he actually thought she loved him?"
They laughed.
Lee Feng listened.
He didn't feel angry anymore. The anger had been replaced by something colder. Something sharper.
They were laughing at him. Spending money that wasn't theirs. Boasting about wealth they had inherited, not earned.
And every word they spoke made him richer.
He picked up his textbooks. Dusted them off. Walked past the bench without looking at them.
Su Meng didn't even notice him.
None of them did.
---
Back at the hostel, Lee Feng sat on his bed and opened his laptop.
He needed to test something.
He logged into his online banking and navigated to the transaction history.
Deposit: 880,000 CNY – Source: Golden Horizon Holdings, Singapore. Account open since 1998.
Deposit: 11,000,000 CNY – Source: Pacific Crest Investments, Cayman Islands. Account open since 2002.
Deposit: 5,500,000 CNY – Source: Silver Moon Trust, Switzerland. Account open since 1995.
Each deposit had a reference number. A tax deduction certificate. A complete paper trail.
Lee Feng stared at the screen.
These look completely real.
"They are real," the system said. "The system does not deal in fakes. The accounts exist. The transfers happened. The money is yours."
And no one can trace it back to me?
"No one. The trail ends at the overseas accounts. Those accounts have no connection to you. You are simply... a recipient. A random recipient. There is no pattern. No reason to investigate. And even if someone did investigate, they would find nothing."
Lee Feng closed the laptop.
He believed it.
Not because he was naive. Because the evidence was right there on the screen. Decades-old accounts. Perfect documentation. Untraceable transfers.
He was safe.
---
That evening, Lee Feng's roommates gathered in their room.
Wang Tao was doing push-ups on the floor. Liu Yang was scrolling through his phone. Chen Wei was reading something on his laptop.
"Feng," Chen Wei said without looking up. "Did you hear about the business department students?"
Lee Feng's heart rate ticked up. "Which ones?"
"Su Meng, Han Jun, and Ruan Dong." Chen Wei turned his laptop around. "Apparently, they all reported missing money this morning. Su Meng says eight hundred thousand vanished. Han Jun claims eleven million. Ruan Dong says five million."
Liu Yang whistled. "That's like seventeen million total. How does that even happen?"
"Bank glitch," Wang Tao grunted, still doing push-ups. "Happens all the time."
Chen Wei shook his head. "Three separate people? On the same morning? That's not a glitch. That's something else."
Lee Feng kept his face neutral.
"Maybe they're lying," he said. "Rich kids lie about money all the time. Attention seekers."
Chen Wei looked at him.
Lee Feng looked back.
Something passed between them—a question that wasn't asked, an answer that wasn't given.
Then Chen Wei looked away.
"Maybe," he said. "But the university is investigating. Someone from the business department said the bank confirmed the transactions. The money is really gone."
Gone?
Lee Feng frowned internally.
System. You said no one loses anything.
"The boasters do not lose anything. Their original assets remain intact. However, the system does not control how they perceive their finances. If they check their accounts and see a discrepancy, they may believe money is missing. But no actual wealth has been taken from them. The system simply... generated new wealth for you. Their accounts are unaffected. Any 'missing money' is a psychological issue, not a financial one."
Lee Feng almost laughed.
So Su Meng, Han Jun, and Ruan Dong were panicking over nothing. Their money was still there. They just didn't know it.
Serves them right.
"That is not a system-approved sentiment. But the system does not judge."
---
Later that night, after the others had gone to sleep, Lee Feng lay on his bed and stared at the ceiling.
The system panel materialized.
[SYSTEM STATUS]
Host: Lee Feng
Current Balance: 28,380,023.50 CNY
Active Boasts Absorbed: 4
Next Boast Detection: Active
"You have done well today," the cold voice said. "Three boasts absorbed. Nearly eighteen million generated. The legal trail is flawless. No one will ever trace the money to you."
Lee Feng closed his eyes.
"System," he said quietly. "Can anyone ever find out?"
"No."
"Ever?"
"Ever. The system has existed for a very long time. It has never failed. It will not fail now. Your wealth is yours. Your secret is safe. Sleep well, Host."
The panel disappeared.
Lee Feng lay in the darkness, listening to his roommates breathe.
Twenty-eight million yuan.
And no one would ever know.
[End of Chapter 2]