Reborn as a high school freshman with an awakened system, a fat boy transforms into a male god.

After finishing their noodles, they rode their electric bikes back home.

When they arrived home, it was a little after one in the afternoon. Lin Bei parked the car and went upstairs with Su Wantang.

She went into 502, and he went into 501.

After changing his shoes and putting down his schoolbag, Lin Bei sat down at his desk.

He stared blankly for a while, his mind still filled with the image of those dusty houses in the old town. Then he slumped onto the table, burying his face in his arms.

They know the policies but don't have the money to invest.

The sentence swirled in his mind, each swirling like a muffled punch.

He suddenly remembered something.

The envelope Shen Qingzhi gave me is still tucked away at the bottom of my backpack. Inside is a card with a PIN of six eights.

He knew there was a "thank you gift" in his card, but he never checked the exact amount. It wasn't that he wasn't curious, but subconsciously he felt that "it's only a few hundred dollars, it doesn't matter whether I check or not."

But a few hundred dollars is a drop in the ocean compared to a house worth hundreds of thousands.

Lin Bei sighed, unzipped the inner compartment of his backpack, and took out the white envelope.

The card was silver, a very ordinary debit card, with the bank's name and card number printed on it. He turned it over and glanced at the back; the signature strip was blank, and there was no signature.

Go take a look. Even a few hundred yuan is still money.

Lin Bei put the card in his pocket, put on his shoes, and went out the door.

There's a bank right at the entrance of the residential complex. The ATM is on the left side of the entrance, inside the glass door. He pushed the door open, went in, and inserted his card into the machine.

The screen popped up.

Please enter your password.

He lost six 8s.

The machine beeped and entered the main interface. He glanced at the small drop-down arrow in the upper right corner of the screen, hesitated for a moment, and did not click "Check Balance".

Just refund the card. It's only a few hundred yuan, why bother investigating?

But his hands wouldn't obey him.

He clicked "Check Balance".

The screen flickered.

Then a line of numbers popped up.

Lin Bei stared at the line of numbers, his eyes unblinking.

His brain went through three stages in that instant:

The first stage involved counting digits: ones, tens, hundreds, thousands, ten thousands, hundred thousands, and millions. He counted three times, and each time it was a seven-digit number.

The second stage: existential doubt. This is impossible. The machine must be broken, the system must be malfunctioning, or someone must have deposited the wrong amount of money into this card. How could a card worth a few hundred dollars possibly have seven figures?

The third stage is accepting reality. But accepting reality doesn't mean not being shocked.

Three million.

A full three million.

Lin Bei stared at the number on the screen, his mind buzzing. He remembered his past life, how his mother had spent half an hour on the phone with relatives, pleading for a few thousand yuan in medical expenses. He remembered how, after starting work, he never had more than ten thousand yuan in his bank account after paying off rent and online loans each month.

And now, there are three million in this card.

He took a deep breath and ejected the card. The silver card lay in his palm, light as a feather, yet as heavy as a piece of iron.

Lin Bei subconsciously glanced around. He was the only one in the ATM booth, the glass door was closed, and people were coming and going outside. No one noticed that the fat man inside was experiencing the most shocking moment of his life.

Then a new thought popped into his head. What exactly does Shen Qingzhi's family do? A family that can casually pull out three million as a thank-you gift... He shook his head, suppressing the thought for the time being. Now is not the time to think about that.

A few hundred yuan? He thought it was a few hundred yuan.

Shen Qingzhi's father immediately gave away three million.

What does three million mean to a high school student in 2012?

Wow, that's incredibly extravagant!

Lin Bei leaned against the wall next to the ATM, looking up at the ceiling.

The drab houses of the old town suddenly came to mind, and he smiled.

Knowing the policies but lacking the funds to invest?

Now I have money.

But the smile only lasted a few seconds before a new problem arose.

He is not yet an adult.

Sixteen years old is a minor; they cannot independently sign a purchase contract, cannot obtain a loan, and require a guardian to represent them if the property is registered in their name. Furthermore, buying multiple properties, even in different neighborhoods, will attract attention. Where would a high school student get millions?

Lin Bei put the card back in his pocket and rode his electric bike home.

He kept thinking about this problem the whole way.

After arriving home, he went into his bedroom, closed the door, and sat down at his desk.

It must be purchased in an adult's name.

Whose name is it?

His parents.

This is the simplest solution.

But how can I tell my parents?

Lin Bei spent a long time organizing his thoughts.

You can't say you "know" the old town is going to be demolished. That's too strange. How could a sixteen-year-old high school student know about government plans?

You can't say you "predict" house prices will rise, or your mother will ask, "What makes you think you can predict that?"

A reasonable and unquestionable reason is needed.

Lin Bei thought of someone.

Shen Qingzhi's father.

Although Lin Bei had never met him, anyone who could casually produce a three million yuan thank-you fee must be extraordinary. Moreover, Shen Qingzhi's family had a chauffeur; Zhou Ziheng had mentioned before that her father seemed to have considerable influence in Jiangcheng. In his parents' eyes, such a person naturally carried the aura of a "successful person." If Lin Bei said, "Shen Qingzhi said her father suggested buying property as an investment," his parents would think, "Oh, that just shows he's experienced and has foresight."

As for whether this investment is a simple "wait for appreciation" or a "wait for demolition compensation," Lin Bei doesn't need to tell his parents everything.

He only needs to tell part of the truth.

Furthermore, her parents wouldn't ask Shen Qingzhi's father for confirmation. They'd never even met him, so how could they ask?

My father is still driving a truck on the road, so I'll go talk to my mother first.

Lin Bei placed the bank card on the dining table and pushed it in front of Wang Xiulan.

"Mom, I have something to tell you."

Wang Xiulan was clearing the dishes when she glanced at the card, then at Lin Bei: "What?"

"Shen Qingzhi... is the classmate whose grandfather I saved... her father gave me some money."

"How much?"

Three million.

Wang Xiulan nearly dropped the bowl in her hand. She quickly placed it on the table, stared at Lin Bei for several seconds, and then her lips moved slightly: "...How much?"

Three million.

The kitchen fell silent. The tap wasn't turned off completely, and water dripped into the sink, drop by drop, drip, drip.

Wang Xiulan slowly sat down in the chair, as if her legs had suddenly gone weak.

"You saved her grandfather's life, and her family gave you three million?"

"Um."

"What does her family do?"

"I'm not entirely sure," Lin Bei said, "but someone who can casually take out three million as a thank-you gift must be extraordinary."

Wang Xiulan fell silent. Her expression was complex, a mixture of shock and bewilderment.

"Mom, I don't want to take this money for nothing," Lin Bei said. "I want to use it to make some investments."

"Investment? What do you, a kid, know about investment?"

"I don't understand, but some people do." Lin Bei's tone was very calm. "Shen Qingzhi told me that her father thinks that houses in the old city of Jiangcheng are cheap now, so they can buy a few and wait for them to appreciate in value."

Wang Xiulan frowned slightly: "Her father said that?"

"Yes. She told me."

Wang Xiulan fell silent again. She was processing this information. Someone who could casually pull out three million yuan and suggest investing in real estate probably wasn't just spouting nonsense.

"How do you plan to buy it?" she finally asked.

"Tomorrow, you'll come with me to the old town," Lin Bei said. "Dad should know some real estate agents; we can have one show us around."

Wang Xiulan thought for a moment, "You need to talk to your dad about this."

"I know," Lin Bei said. "You should call him now."

Wang Xiulan picked up her phone and dialed Lin Jianhua's number.

The phone rang several times before I answered, and I could hear the roar of an engine and the whooshing of the wind on the other end.

"Feed? Xiulan? What's wrong?" Lin Jianhua's voice was hoarse from driving for a long time.

"Jianhua, I have something to tell you, but don't get agitated."