The richest man started taking advantage of loopholes after joining Alibaba.

24 hours after the hearing ends.

For China's financial sector, this was a day of profound cognitive collapse.

But for ordinary users, this is just the beginning of the festivities.

20:00 PM.

Hundreds of millions of phones with the Weiguang APP installed vibrated simultaneously.

No GG.

There are no promotions.

Only a brief system update log, with that dark blue swirl icon, was pushed to everyone's screen.

[Weiguang APP version 4.0 is now online]

[New Core Feature: Micro-light Analysis]

[Update Note: Credit is equivalent to privilege.]

……

Four Seasons Hotel, Hangzhou.

The lobby was resplendent in gold.

Mr. Wang, dragging his suitcase, checked in at the front desk.

He was in the foreign trade business and was quite wealthy, holding a black gold card from China Merchants Bank.

"Sir, please show your ID card."

The receptionist politely took the documents. "In addition, you need to swipe a deposit of 5000 yuan."

"deposit?"

Mr. Wang frowned.

Although he was not short of money, the procedure was very complicated.

Checking out requires a room inspection, and the deposit will take three business days to be refunded to your card.

"Can I not swipe my card? I'm a platinum member."

"Sorry, it's the rule." The receptionist maintained a professional fake smile.

Just then.

A college student wearing a hoodie and carrying a backpack walked over.

It looks very ordinary.

It was even a bit shabby.

"Hello, I'm checking in too."

The college student took out his phone, opened the Weiguang APP, and displayed a QR code that was flashing with gold light.

The number above is particularly eye-catching: 768 points.

"Wow!"

The receptionist's eyes lit up instantly. Her professional, fake smile vanished, replaced by genuine respect.

"You are an excellent user with a score of 750 or higher in Weiguang!"

"Sir, you don't need to pay a deposit, and there's no need for a room check."

"Here is your room key. Your breakfast voucher has been used to upgrade you to Executive Lounge access. We wish you a pleasant stay."

drop.

The room key was handed over.

The whole process took less than ten seconds.

Mr. Wang was dumbfounded.

He glanced at the black gold card in his hand, then at the college student's retreating figure.

An unprecedented sense of disparity welled up inside me.

"On what grounds?"

Mr. Wang slammed his hand on the counter. "I have tens of millions in savings, why do I need to pay a deposit? This kid looks like a poor student, why should he be exempt from the deposit?"

The receptionist glanced at him, her eyes filled with pity.

"gentlemen."

"Because the glimmer of light believed in him."

"As for you..."

She pointed to the card reader.

"Although the bank has money, it cannot guarantee that you won't steal our towels."

"Please swipe your card."

……

At the same time.

Weiguang Building, press conference hall.

The spotlights illuminated the stage as if it were daytime.

Lin Che stood in front of the huge LED screen.

On the screen, the blue "micro-light" is slowly rotating.

Below are rows of privileges being unlocked:

[600 points: Deposit-free riding of Hello Bikes and Street Power Banks.]

[650 points: No deposit required for check-in at 2000 budget hotels nationwide.]

[700 points: Fast processing of Singapore and Japan visas (no proof of assets required).]

[750 points: Fast track security at Beijing Capital International Airport, queue-free registration at top-tier hospitals.]

The reporters in the audience frantically pressed their camera shutters.

This is not a coupon.

This is the pass.

It is a digital class system that divides people into different classes.

"Everyone."

Lin Che was holding a remote control in his hand.

The voice was calm, yet carried an unquestionable authority.

"In the past, your credit was locked in a bank vault."

"It's a cold, hard piece of paper that you have to run yourself ragged to prove 'I am who I am'."

"Now."

"I freed it."

Lin Che pointed at the screen.

"Micro-Light Score is your ID card in this digital age."

"Your credit score increases when you make timely repayments."

"You get points for obeying traffic rules."

"You get points for doing charity work."

"This score is worth more than the money in your pocket."

"Because it can buy things that money can't buy."

That is—dignity.

……

The live stream chat was going crazy with comments.

"Holy crap! 750 points is enough for fast track? I only got 620! Do I have to queue to board next time?"

"I need a strategy! How do I increase my score? I just turned off Alipay and am focusing solely on improving my micro-score!"

"That's too harsh... Should we start by stating our score before going on blind dates from now on?"

"Upstairs, you're right. My mom was just asking me how much credit I have, saying she won't accept a son-in-law with less than 650, because she's worried about his character."

Social attitudes are being reshaped.

An invisible anxiety began to spread.

In the past, people compared whose car was better or whose watch was more expensive.

Now, people are comparing who gets the highest score.

A high score indicates that you are a trustworthy, self-disciplined, and "superior" person recognized by big data.

And the score is low.

This means that you will find it difficult to move an inch in this intelligent society.

……

The press conference has ended.

Backstage lounge.

Xie Yu looked at the data in the backend and was in a state of excitement.

"Boss! It's blown up!"

"App daily active users surge by 300%!"

"To improve their scores, 20 million people proactively filled in their educational background and housing provident fund information tonight!"

"Some people even paid off their electricity bills, which they owed two years ago, just to get those 2 'performance points'!"

Xie Yu swallowed hard, looking at Lin Che as if he were looking at a god.

"This is simply...mind control."

"control?"

Lin Che loosened his tie and threw it on the sofa.

I walked up to the liquor cabinet and poured myself a glass of whiskey.

Ice cubes hit the side of the cup.

It makes a crisp sound.

"Xie Yu, this isn't called control."

"This is called... the right to mint coins."

Lin Che swirled his wine glass, the amber liquid reflecting a mesmerizing light under the lamp.

"The right to issue currency?" Xie Yu was taken aback. "But we don't issue currency; we're just a fraction..."

"madness."

Lin Che turned around and took a sip of wine.

The spicy liquid slid down my throat.

What is currency?

"Is paper money currency? Is gold currency?"

"No."

"Consensus is the only currency."

Lin Che pointed to the brightly lit city outside the window.

"When everyone is desperately trying to maintain this score so that they can stay in hotels without a deposit, so that they can save face on blind dates, and so that it is easier to apply for a visa."

"When a mother-in-law considers this score when her daughter gets married."

"That score then has value."

"We can define its rules as we please."

"If I say that riding a bike will earn you points, the shared bikes will be packed."

"I said that buying books would increase my grades, and then there would be a line at the bookstore."

Lin Che's eyes became deep and terrifying.

"That's called pricing power."

"We are issuing a kind of 'currency' that is invisible and intangible, but that drives young people even crazier than the RMB."

"As long as this system doesn't collapse."

"Weiguang is the central bank of this generation."

Xie Yu felt a chill run down his spine.

He finally understood Lin Che's ambition.

This is not about doing business.

This is rewriting the underlying code of society.

The bank is still eyeing that small interest rate difference.

Lin Che has already reached into the most fundamental logic of "trust".

Just then.

There was a knock on the office door.

She is Lin Che's administrative secretary.

A girl who is usually very composed appeared somewhat flustered at this moment.

"President Lin."

The secretary glanced at Xie Yu, then hesitated, as if he wanted to say something but didn't.

"explain."

Lin Che put down his wine glass.

"We have guests downstairs."

The secretary took a deep breath.

"They are the vice president of China Construction Bank, the general manager of the credit card center of Bank of China, and the president of the Greater China region of China Merchants Bank."

"They didn't make an appointment."

"But they were all sitting in the lobby."

"They said... if they don't see you, they won't leave tonight."

"They also said they'd like to treat you to a late-night snack. You can choose the place."

Xie Yu's eyes widened.

China Construction Bank? Bank of China? China Merchants Bank?

These are the colossal creatures that usually stand high above and never even glance at Weiguang.

The person who tried to kill Weiguang at the hearing yesterday.

just now.

They were actually sitting in the lobby waiting for Lin Che, like migrant workers collecting debts.

"This is reality."

Lin Che smiled.

Not at all unexpected.

He walked to the floor-to-ceiling window and looked down at the Audi A6s with special license plates parked below.

"They didn't come here to eat."

"They were sharks that smelled blood."

"But this time."

"They discovered they were not predators."

"Instead, it's the prey."

Lin Che turned around.

I straightened the collar of my shirt.

Although he wasn't wearing a tie.

But his aura had already overshadowed all the financial elites in the city.

"Xie Yu".

"You mean, I'm telling you to let them come up?"

"Should we just tell them to get lost?"

Xie Yu swallowed hard. "Boss, these are some of the major banks, after all. It wouldn't be good to offend them, would it? Our cash reserves are almost depleted..."

"clever."

Lin Che snapped his fingers.

"That's why they came."

"They know I'm short of money, but I have what they want most—users and risk control models."

"This is a deal."

"but……"

Lin Che glanced at the clock on the wall.

22: 30.

"Let them wait."

"Tell the receptionist that I'm attending an important international meeting."

"Leave them out in the cold for an hour."

"Want to collaborate?"

"Then you'll have to learn to speak while kneeling."

Lin Che sat back in the boss's chair and picked up the book he hadn't finished reading, "Antifragile."

He looked relaxed.

It was as if the person sitting downstairs wasn't a big shot who controlled the nation's economic lifeline.

Instead, they were a group of interns waiting for interviews.

"An hour later."

"Take them to that roadside stall."

"Which one?" Xie Yu was stunned.

"It's the barbecue stand we used to frequent when we were starting our business."

Lin Che opened the book.

"I want to see."

"These bank managers are used to eating shark fin and bird's nest."

"To survive."

"Can you swallow that smoky lamb skewer?"