[Central Plaza — September 15, 5:08 PM]
Lin Feng finally stood from the bench.
His legs were still unsteady. His mind was still spinning from everything that had happened in the past hour. Xiao Yue's voice echoed in his head, her words branding themselves into his memory.
"You're mine, Lin Feng. Mine alone."
He shook his head and started walking toward the campus exit. Less than an hour until dinner. He needed to get home, shower, change, and meet Weiwei at La Maison by six.
What did she mean about tonight? Does she know something about Weiwei?
The questions circled uselessly in his skull, but he forced them aside. There was no time for analysis right now. Lin Weiwei is the main priority now.
I'll figure out what to do with Xiao Yue later.
Lin Feng's steps quickened as he cut through Central Plaza, taking the shortest route to the main gate.
The campus was quieter now, the frenetic energy of daytime giving way to the slower rhythm of evening. Most students were heading to dinner or their dorms, leaving the pathways less crowded than before.
Lin Feng wasn't fully watching where he was going. His mind kept circling back to those dark eyes, that possessive grip, that declaration that left no room for negotiation.
He wasn't paying attention to who else was on the path.
-------------------------------
Long Tian walked with a spring in his step.
He was still smiling. Still replaying the afternoon in his head like a favorite song on repeat. Zhang Yuting's laugh. Her hand in his. The almost-kiss under that willow tree before that stupid frisbee ruined everything.
"It's a date then."
A date. Tomorrow. With a girl who actually liked him.
He headed toward the bus stop on the east side of campus. Thirty minutes on a crowded bus awaited him—cramped seats, stale air, strangers pressing in from all sides.
Yet nothing mattered except this feeling.
For once, the world didn't feel hostile. For once, I felt like I belonged somewhere.
He cut through Central Plaza, lost in thought, not watching where he was going, not paying attention to who else was on the path.
-------------------------------
The two paths began to converge.
Central Plaza sat at the heart of campus—a wide open space surrounded by academic buildings on all sides. A fountain burbled softly at its center, its water catching the fading sunset light, while benches sat scattered around the perimeter.
The area was nearly deserted at this hour. Only a few students crossed through, heading to dinner or their dorms, each lost in their own world.
Lin Feng approached from the west as Long Tian approached from the east. Neither was looking up, and both were lost in thought as the distance between them closed.
Fifty meters became thirty.
Then twenty.
Fifteen.
Ten!
Then Lin Feng looked up.
He saw golden hair, handsome features, athletic build—cheap clothes that somehow didn't diminish the overall effect. The kind of face people instinctively wanted to help. The kind of presence that made strangers step aside without knowing why.
His stomach dropped straight through the pavement.
That face…
I know that face.
I've read about that face for ten thousand chapters.
The protagonist. The enemy. The fated one. The man who had conquered three thousand heroines in the original timeline—and the man who will one day kill him.
It's him.
-------------------------------
Long Tian looked up.
Silver hair caught the last of the evening light, framing sharp features that seemed carved rather than born. The man's clothes looked simple at first, but something about them made Long Tian pause. The fabric sat too well, and nothing bunched or pulled when he moved.
Long Tian's steps slowed without him meaning to.
The man wasn't looking around or checking his surroundings. His gaze stayed forward, steady, like the path ahead had already been cleared for him.
Long Tian glanced down at his hands and found them clenched. He loosened them slowly and forced his shoulders to drop.
When their eyes met, it was brief—almost careless—but the look stayed with him.
Long Tian looked away first.
He shifted to the side of the path, making room that hadn't been there before. It took him a second to realize what he'd done.
For now. I'll let you off just for now, whoever you are.
His jaw tightened—and then the system flickered into view.
-------------------------------
[Lin Feng — Minor Villain — Threat Level: Low]
[Role: Background Character/Stepping Stone]
[Recommendation: Easy target for face-slapping]
-------------------------------
Long Tian stopped.
The words floated in front of him, clean and sure.
He looked up again. The man hadn't slowed. Hadn't looked over. Hadn't reacted at all.
Long Tian found the man's eyes. Calm. Unhurried. Like Long Tian wasn't even worth noticing.
A breath slipped through his nose.
So this is you...
-------------------------------
They stopped.
Ten meters apart, eyes locked, neither willing to look away first.
The fountain burbled softly between them, its water catching the fading light. The sunset painted everything in shades of red—the buildings, the pathways, their faces.
Neither moved. Neither spoke.
Other students walked past without a second glance, lost in their own conversations, their own lives. They didn't notice the two young men standing motionless on the path. Didn't feel the silence pressing between them like something solid.
But Lin Feng felt it. And so did Long Tian.
Two strangers who had never met—yet somehow already knew exactly what the other was.
-------------------------------
Lin Feng's mind raced through assessment protocols drilled into him through years of intelligence training.
This is Long Tian.
I must avoid engaging him without complete intel. I don't know his system's capabilities, nor do I know how he or the system behaves outside what the novel described.
There are simply too many things I don't know about him.
Provoking him now would be suicide. Plot armor protects him. The narrative shields the protagonist from an early defeat.
For now, I must suppress him from afar. Cut off his roots. Starve him out slowly. And avoid confronting him directly.
His decision crystallized like ice forming on still water.
Lin Feng looked away, casual, disinterested—careful not to draw too much of the man's attention.
-------------------------------
The late afternoon air had turned cool, but Long Tian barely noticed.
Ten meters apart. The fountain burbling softly between them. The sunset bleeding red across everything.
Lin Feng's gaze held steady, calm and unhurried, like Long Tian wasn't even worth the effort of a reaction.
Lin Feng. Lin family. One of the four great families of Jiangcheng.
Long Tian's hands curled slowly at his sides.
I stepped aside for you. Like it was the most natural thing in the world. And you're not even looking at me.
You're not even acknowledging my existence. You're just standing there. Waiting for me to move again. To give you more room.
Is that it?
The taste of it sat heavy on his tongue—familiar and bitter, like every other time the world had reminded him of his place.
Fine!
This is how it's always been.
People like you walk forward. People like me step aside.
Somewhere in the distance, students laughed at something he couldn't hear. The red in the sky was fading now, bleeding into something darker.
Long Tian held the man's gaze.
You're dangerous. I know you are. But dangerous isn't the same as untouchable.
I have a system now. I am the protagonist of my own story.
You were just born luckier than me, that's all.
His jaw loosened. His breathing steadied.
But I'll get stronger. Richer. I'll climb so high that you'll have to crane your neck just to see where I'm standing.
And when that day comes—
—it'll be your turn to make room for me.
-------------------------------
Both began moving again.
They walked toward each other, each step measured and unhurried. The fountain burbled softly to their left. The last of the sunset bled across the plaza, casting long shadows behind them.
Long Tian was looking at Lin Feng.
Lin Feng was looking away as if Long Tian was nothing to him.
The distance closed—ten meters, five, three—until they passed within arm's length of each other. Close enough to hear the soft exhale of breath. Close enough to see the set of each other's jaws.
Their voices broke the silence simultaneously.
"Lin Feng."
"Long Tian."
Just the names. No greetings. No hostility. Just two syllables each, dropped into the silence like stones into still water.
Lin Feng's expression didn't change. Long Tian's shoulders stayed loose, his chin level.
They kept walking, opposite directions, and neither looked back.
But Lin Feng's ears tracked the footsteps behind him until they faded into the evening noise. And Long Tian's hands didn't unclench until the silver hair disappeared from his peripheral vision.
Lin Feng's phone buzzed in his pocket. He pulled it out and glanced at the screen.
[Weiwei: "Gege, don't forget! 6:00 PM at La Maison. Dinner and cinema after. I'm already getting ready! ❤️"]
The corner of his mouth lifted. He typed a quick reply.
"On my way."
He slipped the phone back into his pocket and kept walking. The plaza was quiet behind him now, the confrontation already fading like the last light of day.
The game has begun.
-------------------------------
Long Tian reached the edge of the plaza. His shoulders dropped, and a slow breath slipped out through his nose.
The bus stop was just ahead. Thirty minutes of crowded transit back to his bedspacer, crammed between strangers.
He started walking.
Lin Feng.
The name sat heavy in his mind, refusing to fade. The system called him a stepping stone. His gut called him something else entirely.
I'll remember this. I'll remember you.
The evening crowd swallowed him as he joined the flow of students heading off campus. Just another face. Just another nobody.
For now.
-------------------------------
[Female Dormitory Building — 5:22 PM]
The crack in the ceiling hadn't changed in the past hour.
Zhang Tingting knew this because she'd traced it at least a hundred times—from the light fixture to the window, branching twice, disappearing behind the curtain rod. She could draw it from memory now.
She was still in her chef uniform. The smell of oil and flour clung to her skin, mixed with something faintly burnt from this morning's shift. She should shower. She should change. She should do something other than lie here like a corpse waiting for her phone to buzz.
It didn't buzz.
Zhang Yuting still hadn't replied to her message from hours ago.
Where are you?
The afternoon light had shifted from gold to amber to something dimmer. The muffled bass from down the hall had stopped, replaced by the distant clatter of students heading to dinner.
Zhang Tingting's mind kept circling back to the same questions.
What happened to Lin Feng?
Why did he change overnight?
And why did Qingxue react like that—blank and calm, like nothing mattered to her anymore?
She'd seen her best friend get publicly torn apart in front of hundreds of people. She'd watched Su Qingxue scroll through the videos afterward with the expression of someone reading a weather report.
"I never loved him, Tingting. I never did."
The words still echoed in her head. Calm. Certain.
And wrong.
Something isn't right. Something hasn't been right all day.
The door swung open.
Zhang Tingting sat up so fast her vision blurred.
Zhang Yuting floated into the room, her cheeks flushed and her smile so wide it looked almost painful.
"Tingting! You're still here?" She was practically bouncing. "Sorry I took so long!"
Tingting blinked at her, still processing the shift from silence to this sudden burst of energy.
"Where have you BEEN? I've been waiting for hours!"
Then she noticed Zhang Yuting's expression. Really looked at it.
"...What happened to you? You look like you won the lottery."
-------------------------------
"I had the most AMAZING afternoon!"
Yuting dropped onto her bed beside Tingting, practically bouncing. "There's this guy I met in the library earlier..."
She launched into the story without waiting for a response—the garden walk under the osmanthus trees, the café conversation where he'd opened up about being an orphan, the lake path where they'd held hands like it was the most natural thing in the world.
"He's different from other guys, Tingting." Zhang Yuting's voice grew more intense. More defensive. "He's actually genuine. He's not like those rich kids who just want connections or status."
Tingting noticed the shift in her cousin's tone—the way she was already defending him before anyone had attacked.
Where have I seen this energy before?
"And..." Yuting's smile grew even wider, which Tingting hadn't thought was physically possible. "I have a date with him tomorrow! Cloud Nine Café. 2 PM."
Happiness radiated from her, warm and bright. But underneath it, Zhang Tingting could see something else—an edge of possessiveness, a fierce protectiveness over someone she'd only just met.
"This guy sounds great," Zhang Tingting said carefully. "What's his name?"
"Long Tian."
Zhang Tingting's stomach dropped.
-------------------------------
Long Tian.
THE Long Tian.
The same name. The SAME GUY.
Her mind flashed back to Su Qingxue this afternoon. The instant transformation. The flood of clichés. The creepy smile.
"Maybe you'll like him too!"
And now here was Zhang Yuting, doing the exact same thing.
Same intensity. Same defensiveness. Same "he's different from other guys" speech. Same protective energy over someone she'd just met hours ago.
What the HELL is happening?
"Long Tian?" Zhang Tingting fought to keep her voice casual.
"Yes, Long Tian! You know him?"
"Uhm..." Zhang Tingting paused, thinking of how to reply. "No... So... who is this Long Tian? What does he look like?"
"Golden hair, really handsome, kind eyes..." Yuting was still smiling that too-wide smile. "He's got this warmth about him, you know? Like he actually cares."
"Uh-huh..."
"He's in the economics department, same as me. First-year too." Yuting hugged her pillow to her chest. "And he came from nothing, Tingting. No family, no money, no connections. Just himself. But he's not bitter about it—he's just... real."
Golden hair. Economics. Poor background.
It's the same guy. It's the same fucking guy.
Tingting forced herself to keep her expression neutral. "He sounds... nice."
Oh god. Oh god oh god oh god!!!
-------------------------------
Zhang Yuting suddenly brightened even more, which shouldn't have been possible.
"You know what Tingting… I think you should come with me tomorrow!"
The words hit Zhang Tingting like a punch to the stomach.
"To Cloud Nine Café! I think you'd really like him too!"
The EXACT same words. The EXACT same tone. The EXACT same eager, recruiting energy that Su Qingxue had used just hours ago.
Tingting's fingers curled into the bedsheets.
No. No. No… Yuting too? And she's recruiting me! Just like Qingxue tried to.
Just what is this guy DOING to the people around me?
How did Yuting and Qingxue end up like this? With the same guy, no less. With the same creepy transformation!
Qingxue went from normal to cult-member in minutes—and now Yuting, my own cousin, is doing the exact same thing.
And Yuting seems even MORE intense than Qingxue was. More defensive. More possessive.
I have to get out of here.
Zhang Tingting stood up abruptly. "Oh! Yuting! I just remembered—I need to go back to my dorm."
Zhang Yuting blinked in confusion. "But you've been waiting for hours?"
"I forgot something important. I still have some homework due tomorrow." Zhang Tingting gathered her things, her hands not quite steady. "I'll text you later, okay?"
She couldn't bring herself to say "have fun on your date." The words would have choked her.
She forced a smile that didn't reach her eyes and left before Yuting could question her further.
-------------------------------
Zhang Yuting watched her cousin rush out the door with a puzzled expression, her head tilted slightly.
Huh… Well, Tingting's always been a bit scattered...
She shrugged and returned to her happy thoughts, her mind already planning tomorrow's outfit. Something cute but not trying too hard—maybe that blue dress that made her eyes look brighter.
She hummed to herself as she rifled through her closet, Zhang Tingting's strange exit already at the back of her mind.
-------------------------------
Zhang Tingting did NOT go back to her dorm.
She walked quickly across campus, weaving through students heading to dinner, her mind still spinning from what she'd just witnessed.
What is happening to the people around me?
Her feet carried her toward the east gate on autopilot. The familiar shops and food stalls blurred past her—the bubble tea place, the convenience store, the little bookshop that was always empty.
I should go home. Tell Mom and Dad.
But the thought made her stomach clench.
And say what? "Hey Mom, my best friend and my cousin both went crazy over the same guy on the same day"?
She'd think I was the one who lost my mind.
She slowed her pace, finally taking stock of herself. The chef uniform was wrinkled and stained, flour still clinging to her sleeves. She'd been wearing this thing for almost ten hours now.
I can't go home like this. Mom will take one look at me and she will start asking questions I don't have answers to.
Okay. One step at a time.
Well, there's a motel near the east gate. I'll stay there for tonight. Then I will go home tomorrow.
But first—new clothes. I smell like a kitchen exploded on me.
She checked her wallet. There were plenty of 100 Yuan bills in it—mostly from the three years of working for Lin Feng.
She turned toward the shopping district, her mind still churning.
Lin Feng.
The name surfaced from the depths of her mind.
Lin Feng isn't the same person he was yesterday. Qingxue lost her mind over some guy she just met. And now Yuting is acting exactly like her.
Something is very, very wrong.
Maybe I should contact him tomorrow. Ask him what's going on. He's the only person who might actually know something.
-------------------------------
[Long Tian's Bedspacer — 6:47 PM]
The bus ride took exactly thirty-two minutes.
Long Tian spent every one of them replaying the afternoon. Zhang Yuting's laugh. Her hand in his. The way she'd looked at him under that willow tree, like he was someone worth looking at.
"It's a date then."
The smile wouldn't leave his face. Along the way, he grinned like an idiot on a crowded evening bus.
He didn't care.
A real date. With a beautiful girl who actually sees me. This is how it should have always been.
The bus deposited him at his stop in the eastern district. He climbed off and walked the familiar route to his building—narrow streets lined with crowded tenements, the smell of cooking oil and garbage and too many people living too close together.
His bedspacer was on the third floor. Shared bathroom down the hall. Thin walls that let him hear his neighbors arguing about money every night. A mattress that was probably older than he was.
He unlocked the flimsy door and stepped inside.
The room was tiny—a single bed, a single desk, a bare lightbulb hanging from the ceiling. The walls were stained and hadn't been painted in years. The window looked out onto an air shaft that never saw sunlight.
Usually, walking into this place made his jaw tighten. A constant reminder of everything the world had denied him. Everything he should have had but didn't.
Tonight? It didn't matter.
He sat down on the bed, and the cheap springs creaked under his weight. He looked up at the stained ceiling, but he didn't see the water damage or the cracks.
He saw her face instead.
She looked at me like I was someone worth knowing.
She's right. I am.
The rest of the world will figure that out eventually. And when they do, I'll remember who believed in me before I had anything to offer.
This is only the beginning.
-------------------------------
For one moment, Long Tian allowed himself to imagine it.
A normal life.
Dating Zhang Yuting. Walking her to class. Watching her organize her notes with those color-coded highlighters she loves so much. Making her laugh. Making her happy.
The images kept coming, and he didn't stop them.
Then we graduate together. Then we find a decent job. Nothing that would make anyone jealous, but enough. A small apartment somewhere. For me and her. Cooking dinner together. Arguing about whose turn it is to do the dishes.
Then we get married. Then I save up months of my salary to buy her a ring. Then she wears the ring anyway, even though it's cheap. Because it's from me.
Then… Kids…
The word sat heavy in his chest.
Maybe we will have a son. A daughter. Maybe both. Then I will teach them things no one has ever taught to me. From their first steps to their wedding day.
I'll be there…
I'll be the father I never had.
His throat tightened.
I'd never let them feel like the world didn't want them. Never let them go hungry. Never let them wonder why they weren't good enough.
I'd just... love them. I'd love Yuting too. That's all. Just love them and be there and make sure they knew—every single day—that they mattered.
He stared at the cracked ceiling, and the old bitterness stirred somewhere deep.
The world owes me this.
After everything it took from me. After every door that was slammed in my face. Every opportunity denied. Every time I was told I wasn't good enough, wasn't rich enough, wasn't wanted.
I deserve this. I've earned it.
But even as the familiar resentment flickered, something softer rose alongside it.
Or maybe... maybe I don't need to earn it. Maybe I can just... have it.
Not because the world owes me. Not because I fought for it or schemed for it or took it from someone else.
Just because she looked at me and saw someone. Not the orphan. Not the nobody. Just... someone worth her time.
Someone who is valued.
He closed his eyes.
I've spent so long being angry. So long dreaming of the day everyone who looked down on me would regret it.
But what if I just... stopped?
What if I let it go?
What if I chose this instead—this small, ordinary, unremarkable life—and just... let myself be happy?
The thought was terrifying. Foreign. Like speaking a language he'd forgotten he knew.
The system wants me to conquer. To rise. To take everything I was denied.
But what if I don't want that anymore?
What if all I want is her?
He lay there in the dark, in his tiny room that smelled of mold and loneliness, and felt something crack open inside him.
Not the ambition. Not the resentment. Those were still there, coiled and waiting.
But underneath them—buried so deep he'd almost forgotten it existed—was something else.
I just want to be happy.
That's all. That's all I've ever really wanted.
And maybe... just maybe... I finally can be.
Happy...
The hope settled into his chest like the first warm day after a long winter—fragile and uncertain, but real.
-------------------------------
[⚠️ EMERGENCY PENALTY MISSION ⚠️]
[FORCEFUL SYSTEM INTERVENTION]
-------------------------------
The notification slammed into his vision like a physical blow.
Red warning lights flashed across his interface. Harsh alarm sounds pierced through his skull. The pleasant evening shattered into a thousand jagged pieces.
Long Tian's eyes went wide.
No.
The mission details materialized before him, unavoidable and absolute.
-------------------------------
[PENALTY MISSION: DUAL DATING!]
[NOTICE: Due to neglect of primary target Su Qingxue (Affection unstable), system requires corrective action from the host.]
[REQUIREMENTS:] ├─ Meet Su Qingxue tomorrow ├─ Meet Zhang Yuting tomorrow ├─ Date both for minimum 2 hours each ├─ Maintain Zhang Yuting above 59 └─ Raise Su Qingxue to 70+
-------------------------------
[TIME LIMIT: 23:59:59]
-------------------------------
[REWARDS:] ├─ Multitasking Skill (Legendary) ├─ 10,000 Yuan └─ 1,000 Conquest Points
-------------------------------
[FAILURE PENALTY:] ├─ Su Qingxue affection -50 ├─ Zhang Yuting affection -80 ├─ System privileges suspended 120 hrs └─ All abilities locked 120 hrs
[Accept]
[Yes] [Yes]
-------------------------------
No no no no NO!
Long Tian stared at the interface in horror. His hands were shaking. His breath came in short, sharp gasps.
There was no reject button. No decline option. No way to negotiate or delay.
Just [Yes] and [Yes].
Two buttons. Same answer. As if the system was mocking him.
I just wanted to be NORMAL for once!
I wanted to choose HER. Just her!
Why won't you let me CHOOSE?
His eyes dropped to the failure penalties again.
Zhang Yuting affection -80.
His stomach turned to ice.
Eighty points. She's at 72 right now. If I fail this mission...
I'll lose her.
I'll lose everything we built today.
The café. The garden. The almost-kiss under the willow tree. All of it—gone.
His jaw tightened.
This isn't fair.
I finally get something good—ONE good thing—and now the system wants to take it away from me?
Just like everyone else. Just like the world has always done.
Taking and taking and never letting me keep anything.
He stared at the screen, his hands curling into fists.
There's no "No" button. There never is. Not for people like me.
The world doesn't give people like me choices. It just gives us orders and expects us to obey.
Fine. FINE!
If this is what it takes to keep Yuting, then I'll do it.
One date with Su Qingxue. That's all. Just play the game for one more day.
I'm not betraying Yuting. I'm PROTECTING her. Protecting us.
This is the system's fault. Not mine.
His finger hovered over the first [Yes].
I didn't ask for this. I was FORCED into this.
Whatever happens tomorrow... I'm the victim here. Not them.
I'm just doing what I have to do to survive.
Long Tian pressed [Yes].
Then [Yes] again.
[MISSION CONFIRMED]
[TIMER STARTED: 23:59:58... 23:59:57... 23:59:56...]
A new notification appeared.
-------------------------------
[DAILY SETTLEMENT — SEPTEMBER 15]
-------------------------------
[CONQUEST PROGRESS]
Zhang Yuting (★☆☆☆☆☆☆)
├─ Affection: 61 → 72 (+11)
├─ CP Earned: +1,100
└─ Cash Earned: +¥15,000
Su Qingxue (★★☆☆☆☆☆)
├─ Affection: 61 → 65 (+4)
├─ CP Earned: +400
└─ Cash Earned: +¥4,000
-------------------------------
[ACHIEVEMENTS]
"First Step on the Path to Harem King!"
├─ Bonus CP: +500
└─ Bonus Cash: +¥1,000
-------------------------------
[DAILY TOTAL]
[CP Earned: 2,000]
[Cash Earned: ¥20,000]
[New Balance: 2,000 CP | ¥20,000]
[Funds deposited to linked account]
-------------------------------
Twenty thousand yuan. In one day.
That was more than he'd normally make in months of part-time work.
And most of it came from Zhang Yuting. From being genuine with her. From just... being himself.
This is for her. All of this.
The mission doesn't change anything. Tomorrow, I'll meet Su Qingxue, do what the system wants, keep her affection from crashing.
But it's only so I don't lose Yuting. This is all to protect us.
That's all. That's the only reason.
He repeated it to himself like a prayer.
For Yuting. Everything is for Yuting.
But even as the words echoed in his mind, another thought crept in beside them.
But still, 20,000 Yuan, just by being myself...
And if this is what I earn just by being genuine... imagine what I could have if I actually tried.
The cramped room felt smaller than usual. The cheap bed creaked beneath him. The stained ceiling stared back at him like it always did.
I'm meant for more than this.
The system sees it. Yuting sees it.
Soon, everyone will.
He closed his eyes, and the future unfolded before him like a map.
When I'm successful—when I'm powerful—Yuting won't have to worry about anything ever again. She won't have to be the "useful girl" everyone pushes around. She won't have to work twice as hard just to prove she belongs.
I'll give her everything she deserves. A life she never dared to dream of.
And not just her.
Everyone who believes in me. Everyone who stands by my side when I have nothing. I'll remember every single one of them.
When I have power, I'll share it. When I have wealth, I'll lift others up. I won't forget them. I won't abandon them the way the world abandoned me.
That's what separates me from people like Lin Feng.
His jaw tightened at the thought.
People like him are born with everything. They've never had to fight for a single thing in their lives. They look down on people like me—like we're insects, like we don't even exist.
They're the reason the world is broken. The ones who hoard everything and give nothing back. The ones who keep people like me in these cramped rooms and cheap beds while they live in mansions they didn't earn.
That's the real injustice.
He opened his eyes and stared at the cracked ceiling with something new burning in his chest.
I'm not doing this for revenge. I'm not doing this out of hatred.
I'm doing this because it's right.
Someone has to rise up and change things. Someone has to take power from those who don't deserve it and give it to those who do.
Why not me?
I'll become strong. Rich. Powerful. And when I do, I'll lift up everyone who believed in me.
That's my goal. That's always been my goal.
The mission timer ticked quietly in the corner of his vision.
23:52:16... 23:52:15... 23:52:14...
Long Tian smiled in the darkness.
I used to dream of a small life. A normal life. Happiness.
How small I was thinking.
I just wanted to be happy. Now I'll be so much more.
The world tried to keep me down. It failed.
Tomorrow, everything changes. Tomorrow, I start building something bigger.
For Yuting. For everyone who believed in me.
And against everyone who didn't.
-------------------------------
[End of Chapter 16]