"How much???"
Zhu Min's voice shot up several decibels, startling Qi Zhizhong, who had been fast asleep in the other room.
"What's all the racket?"
Qi Zhizhong stumbled groggily out of the bedroom. Seeing the look of utter disbelief on his wife's face in the living room, his sleepiness began to fade.
"Old Qi, your son has really done it now. He went and bought a 12,999 yuan phone on a whim—three of them, in fact."
Zhu Min was furious. 'This kid is such a spendthrift.'
Forget a 12,999 yuan phone—she wouldn't even bring herself to buy a 1,299 yuan one.
Her phone wasn't broken, so why waste money like that?
"How much???"
Qi Zhizhong was stunned too, staring in disbelief at the phone in his wife's hand.
"12,999. This one's yours, Dad."
Qi Sheng handed the unopened, jet-black phone to his father, inviting him to experience the joy of unboxing it himself.
"Ahem, Son, you didn't put this on a credit card, did you?"
Qi Zhizhong was in no mood to unbox a new phone, worried that Qi Sheng had gone down the wrong path.
"Relax, I earned this money myself. I speculated on Bitcoin in college. I bought about 20,000 yuan worth over time, then sold it all at its peak and made over two million."
Qi Sheng was just spouting nonsense; it didn't matter to him whether they believed it or not.
The money in his account was real, and that couldn't be faked.
"Over two million?"
Zhu Min and Qi Zhizhong were both dumbfounded, and it was hard to tell how much of the story they actually believed.
"I'm not lying. This is the money after I cashed out—2.4 million in total. I spent 1.3 million on a car and over 30,000 on phones, so I have about 1.06 million left."
Before coming home, Qi Sheng had already withdrawn all his remaining income for the year in advance.
It was a starter bonus; it would be a waste not to use it.
"You spent 1.3 million on a car?"
Zhu Min and Qi Zhizhong were dumbstruck.
"You're so extravagant! Why would you buy such an expensive car?"
"Heh heh, it was a windfall, so I just spent it."
"I plan to use one million to start a business. Once I make it big, you two can just wait to travel the world and enjoy life."
Qi Sheng didn't plan to hand the money over to his parents; instead, he would use the one million as startup capital.
That way, when he made money, he'd have a good explanation for it.
"How could that work? You're so young. What if you lose it all?"
Zhu Min was the first to object. Their family only ran a small business.
When it wasn't making money, it was truly agonizing.
Qi Sheng had just graduated. What if someone scammed him?
"Don't worry. The money came easily anyway. If I lose it, I'll just consider it tuition fees. And who knows, I might actually make a profit."
Even without the system, Qi Sheng wasn't the least bit worried about not being able to make money.
It would just mean a slower start, but achieving financial freedom wouldn't be much of a problem.
He had a decent idea of the money-making opportunities that would arise in the next few years.
With capital, making money naturally wouldn't be difficult.
The simplest way would be to just go all-in on Moutai stock.
"You…"
Zhu Min couldn't dissuade him, so she thought, 'Fine, let my son go out and make his way in the world.'
'If he loses it, we'll just pretend he never earned it in the first place.'
Their family wasn't fabulously wealthy, but they never had to worry about food or clothing.
'I can't just stop my son from starting his own business, can I?'
"Alright, then. Your dad and I support you. Whether you succeed or fail, we'll always be your strong backing."
Zhu Min was the one who called the shots in the family.
Comrade Old Qi chimed in with a nod, expressing his full support for his son's entrepreneurial venture.
"That's great. Dad, let me transfer your data so you can experience the joy of a top-tier Huawei flagship too."
Qi Sheng said with a smile, then helped his dad get the software downloads sorted on the new phone.
Seeing the old couple playing with their new phones, unable to put them down, Qi Sheng breathed a sigh of relief.
He had to admit, his parents were pretty open-minded.
The thing Qi Sheng hated most was parents from those rebirth novels who would insist on controlling the protagonist's money at every turn.
And the protagonist would be too timid to even admit they'd made money, completely failing at showing off.
...
He slept well at home, not waking up until almost eight-thirty.
"You're awake?"
Qi Sheng walked out of the secondary bedroom and saw his mom sitting on the sofa, playing with her phone.
She wasn't even paying attention to the TV shows she usually watched, which made him chuckle.
"Yep. Is there anything to eat?"
"Here, I made some congee and there are some pickled vegetables. It's just a little something to tide you over."
Zhu Min went to the small kitchen and brought out the breakfast.
It was called a kitchen, but it was really just some cabinets set up on the balcony.
The space was so cramped it could only fit his mother.
'We have to get a new place!'
Qi Sheng thought to himself, but his wallet was feeling a little light.
With only 1.06 million left, he couldn't buy a very nice house in Qi City.
He couldn't just buy a house and not renovate it, could he?
1.06 million really wasn't enough.
The top priority was to win over Tan Hua.
Once that was done, his system authority would level up, and he'd start getting one million a month.
Buying a big house for his parents in Qi City would be a piece of cake then.
Speaking of Tan Hua, Qi Sheng slapped his forehead.
He'd gotten back so late last night and was busy setting up his parents' new phones that he'd completely forgotten to check in with her.
A girl in the "ambiguous" phase of a relationship is naturally insecure.
And sure enough, as soon as Qi Sheng opened WeChat, he saw that Tan Hua had already sent over a dozen messages.
Tan Hua: "I've arrived. Are you home yet?"
Tan Hua: "My dad came to pick me up, not anyone else, okay?"
Tan Hua: "You must still be driving. Please drive carefully."
...
Tan Hua: "Why haven't you replied? I'm so sleepy. I'm going to bed first."
A slight smile touched Qi Sheng's lips. Being cared for like this by an absolute bombshell didn't feel half bad.
"Sorry, sorry. I got back too late last night. My parents and I talked for a long time, and I fell asleep as soon as I got tired. Glad you arrived safely."
Qi Sheng didn't say when he was going to Chengdu, wanting to give Tan Hua a surprise.
Moving from the ambiguous phase to the dating phase required an opportune moment.
Tan Hua: "Hmph. I can't be bothered with you."
Clearly, Tan Hua was still mad that Qi Sheng had gone straight to bed after getting home.
She had waited for his reply until after two in the morning before finally falling asleep.
Qi Sheng coaxed her with a few more words, and soon the two were chatting enthusiastically.
They continued until after four in the afternoon, when his mom finally interrupted them.
"Stop playing on your phone. We're going to pick up your dad, then your grandma, and go out for dinner."
Qi Sheng glanced at his mom and did a double take.
His mom, who usually didn't bother to dress up, was all decked out today.
Clearly, today's dinner was no ordinary occasion.
"Ahem… Mom booked a restaurant. Your aunt and the others will be there too."
Zhu Min seemed a little embarrassed, but she didn't hide it from her son.
"I get it."
Qi Sheng pulled his most presentable Jack & Jones outfit from the closet.
A white T-shirt, black denim shorts, and a pair of Nike mesh sneakers.
He'd bought it the year he graduated high school, and the whole outfit had cost him nearly two thousand yuan back then.
Later, after he'd put on some weight, it didn't look as good on him.
"That's my son, so handsome!"
Zhu Min looked at Qi Sheng with satisfaction, feeling a wave of emotion.
In the blink of an eye, she was almost fifty years old.
"Let's go, then."
Qi Sheng went downstairs and led his mom to where he had parked the A8.
"Goodness, it really is a 1.3 million yuan luxury car. It has a completely different presence."
Zhu Min ran her hand over the Florett Silver paint, clucking her tongue in wonder.
"When I come back for the New Year, you can have this car."
Seeing how much his mom liked the A8, Qi Sheng decided to give the car to her.
"No, no. You need the car to keep up appearances for your business. I don't need it at home. Besides, the maintenance and gas are so expensive."
Zhu Min waved her hand dismissively. It wasn't like she didn't have a car to drive.
It was only a Buick Excelle, but at least it got her around, right?
Qi Sheng just smiled and didn't say anything more.
'By the New Year, I'll definitely have won over Tan Hua.'
'With a million yuan coming in every month, getting another car would be child's play.'