After my divorce at thirty, I developed an intelligence network.

On the day the project in the High-tech Zone passed acceptance, Gong Yuelong had an extra 80,000 yuan in his bank account.

He was packing his things in the prefab house of the project department when the SMS notification sounded that the money had been deposited into his account.

He swiped his finger across the screen, looked at the number, paused for a few seconds, and then continued tidying up.

As I stepped out of the prefab house, the sun was setting perfectly.

Mr. Sun stood by the parking lot and nodded to him: "Has the payment been settled?"

"It's settled." Gong Yuelong nodded. "Thank you for your help, Engineer Sun."

"You did a good job." It was rare for Engineer Sun to say more. "The safety bonus is going through the process at head office, and it should arrive around next month. The amount... shouldn't be small."

"Thank you for your trouble, Mr. Sun."

"I'll call you again next time I need work."

After a brief conversation, they each got into their respective cars.

Gong Yuelong started the second-hand pickup truck and drove out of the High-tech Zone.

While waiting at a red light, he glanced at his phone again.

After deducting all costs, the net profit was a little over 60,000.

If the safety bonus comes through, I could get another 20,000 to 30,000 yuan.

A small project worth 400,000 yuan can ultimately yield a net worth of around 100,000 yuan.

This was something I never dared to dream of when I was looking for work at the labor market.

It's different now.

When the car arrived at the courtyard where the characters for "demolition" were being dismantled, it was just getting dark.

Old Niu was squatting at the gate shelling peanuts when he saw him get out of the car. He grinned and said, "Hey, Boss Gong's back! The project's finished?"

"It's over." Gong Yuelong took two packs of cigarettes out of the car and tossed one to Lao Niu. "Uncle Niu, I've troubled you a lot by looking after the yard these past few days."

"Oh dear, this won't do..." Old Niu said, but his hand had already taken it.

"Of course." Gong Yuelong then pulled out a bag of fruit. "Is Sister Qin here?"

"They're cooking inside!"

Gong Yuelong walked to Widow Qin's door and knocked. The door opened, and Widow Qin, wearing an apron and holding a spatula, appeared.

"Sister Qin," he said, handing over the fruit, "the project is finished, so I brought you some fruit."

Widow Qin wiped her hands on her apron and accepted it, saying, "You're too kind... Have you eaten? It's cooking in the pot, just need an extra pair of chopsticks."

"No need, Sister Qin, I've already eaten." Gong Yuelong smiled. "I just wanted to let you know that the project is going smoothly and the payment has been settled. Thank you for taking care of me during this time."

"We're just neighbors, talking about these things," Widow Qin said, looking at him gently. "You've lost weight; you must be tired from the project."

"It's alright, we made it through."

"Then you go ahead with your work, I'll go back to my room first."

I went back to my little room, turned on the light, and closed the door.

The room was still the same as before—a bed, a table, a wardrobe, simple to the point of being rudimentary.

He pulled a thick brown paper envelope from his bag.

He took out 30,000 yuan. Stacks of them were laid out, the red hundred-yuan bills looking quite impressive.

It wasn't much money, but every penny was clean.

Down-to-earth.

Gong Yuelong sat on the edge of the bed, lit a cigarette, and slowly smoked it.

The blue light flashed in my mind, but it wasn't a warning of danger; instead, a line of text appeared:

[Interim Goal Achieved: First Independent Project Completed and Settled]

Current asset valuation: approximately 15 yuan (including vehicles, tools, and cash)

[Industry Credit Accumulation: Newtech Polymer (High-Quality Client)]

He stared at the words "premium customer" and smiled.

Halfway through my cigarette, my phone vibrated. It was a voice message from Cao Dayong: "Brother Long, the brothers want to get together to celebrate the project's success. What do you think..."

Gong Yuelong pressed the voice button: "A get-together, we absolutely have to. Tomorrow night, same place, my treat. Everyone come, no one should be left out."

After sending the voice message, he leaned against the headboard and continued smoking.

He knew exactly how to divide the 80,000 yuan:

As the team leader, Cao Dayong should get a larger share, five thousand.

Several core members, two thousand each.

Other workers received between five hundred and one thousand yuan each, depending on their effort.

The remainder will be kept as working capital for the company.

You can't keep this money to yourself. If you do, no one will work hard for you next time.

Just as he was pondering this, "Brother Gong, are you asleep yet?" It was Widow Qin's voice.

Gong Yuelong got up and opened the door.

Widow Qin stood outside the door with a steaming bowl of noodles, topped with two poached eggs and sprinkled with chopped green onions.

"Knowing you probably haven't eaten, I cooked you a bowl of noodles." Widow Qin handed over the bowl. "Eat it while it's hot."

Gong Yuelong took the bowl and said, "Thank you, Sister Qin."

Widow Qin smiled and said, "Eat quickly, the noodles are soggy."

She turned and went back to her room.

Gong Yuelong sat back down at the table.

He picked up his chopsticks, scooped up a pinch of noodles, and put it in his mouth.

good smell.

It tastes better than the boxed lunches in the construction site canteen, and even better than the banquets that cost hundreds of yuan per table in restaurants.

After finishing his noodles, he washed the bowl, dried it, and placed it by the door so he could return it the next day.

Then I sat back down at the table, opened my mobile banking app, and started transferring money.

Each item was clearly marked with notes: "Project Bonus", "Hardship Fee", and "Thank You for Your Contribution".

After the last transaction, there was 40,000 left.

He glanced at the time; it was 9:30 PM.

After turning the screen, he threw his phone on the bed and lay down on his back.

Tired, really tired.

But the exhaustion felt worthwhile.

The 80,000 yuan has been distributed, transferred, and everyone who was due has been given out. There's still 40,000 yuan left, enough to keep the company running for a while and to cover the initial investment for the next project.

enough.

He flicked his cigarette ash, and suddenly, on a whim, gave the system a joking command:

Hey, my luck with money is pretty good today. Let me ask again, are there any other possibilities for income today?

He was just in a good mood and asked casually. It's like someone who's won a small prize might happily buy another lottery ticket to try their luck, without expecting to actually win.

The blue light flickered a few times.

The answer came quickly and decisively:

【Have. 】

Gong Yuelong was taken aback.

He looked out the car window—it was already dark, the streetlights were on, and the construction machinery had stopped. It was almost eight o'clock; what could possibly come of it?

Supplier rebates? Those are settled at the end of the month. Additional bonuses from the client? Safety bonuses will have to wait until the project is completed.

Money can't just fall from the sky, can it?

He shook his head, thinking he was overthinking it.

But still, as if possessed, I got up and walked out of the courtyard where the characters were being dismantled.

Just outside the courtyard, there was a person standing under the streetlight at the gate.

She wore a cream-colored long dress and her hair was loosely tied up.

Yu Yue.

She heard the car and turned around.

The light shone on her face from the side, making her skin appear very white.

She saw Gong Yuelong get out of the car, her lips twitched, and she forced a smile.

"Yuelong," she said softly, "I...have been waiting for you for a while."

I thought of the word in the system.

So that's where they were waiting.

He walked over, smiling, and asked, "What's up?"

Yu Yue smiled, then took a small spray bottle and sprayed it twice onto her bare, fair legs.

A minty scent of mosquito repellent wafted through the air, mixed with the heat of the summer night, and it was a bit pungent.

"It's so itchy!" she complained first, but her tone was very light. "These mosquitoes are really vicious. The bites I got last time took several days to heal."

As she spoke, she shook the spray bottle in her hand again: "This time I learned my lesson and sprayed myself all over before going out."

Gong Yuelong didn't reply; he just stood there watching her.

Yu Yue didn't mind, stuffed the spray bottle back into her handbag, and her smile faded slightly:

"Yuelong, I heard you... urgently need money for your project?"