Rebirth 08: A Happy Life Begins in Elementary School

"If my parents see this, they'll blame me for catching a cold from going out."

Li Zhao muttered to himself, chuckled softly, and walked into the room.

Before Li Changlin and Zhou Xiaoyun got home, he wanted to figure out the bank card issue.

I've been curious all morning, and I'm so impatient!

This system is like a switch in his brain; it can only be activated when he focuses on serious thinking.

[Current happiness level: 25 points. Rewards are available for redemption. Would you like to redeem?]

【Yes】

In reality, Li Zhao couldn't help but nod.

【Please select redemption item: Acceptable bank card; 10000 yuan】

It looks just like a game interface...

[Available bank cards for redemption]

A bank card with a red background and a gray stripe down the middle came to mind, along with an explanation.

Huaxia Bank has the card number and password, but the account holder is a shadowy figure who doesn't exist in the world.

But this shadow figure has all the information, so it can be said to be a unique cyber life form.

All the information proves that he exists, but you just can't find him.

After the exchange, Li Zhao will be the only person in the world who can use this bank card.

Li Zhao felt his breathing become heavier.

If rebirth and systems can both exist, creating a shadow person shouldn't be a difficult problem at all.

So why can't the "usable stock account" also be linked to this shadow person?

So, with a stock account and a bank card, you can operate freely without worrying about being a minor...

With the information advantage Li Zhao possesses, isn't financial freedom just around the corner?

Oh, no... it needs time to ferment.

However, Li Zhao can secure a future of financial freedom through his own actions.

[Confirm redemption?]

【Yes】

The system's presence disappeared from my mind.

It seems all 25 happiness points have been spent, leaving no possibility of exchanging them for other options.

Li Zhao subconsciously reached into his pocket, and a plastic card with the China Merchants Bank logo appeared out of thin air.

He nervously tried to write down the card number, then locked it in his desk drawer.

Changing a bank card costs 25 points, how many points would it cost to change a stock account...?

Thinking of this, Li Zhao suddenly paused.

Why... did he assume the system would provide a stock account?

Why does this system's redemption options include a bank card?

Could it be... that this thing is essentially a wish-granting machine?

The sound of his parents opening the door interrupted Li Zhao's thoughts. He opened his bedroom door at the same time and began to look at the books he had bought from the bookstore.

I was originally thinking of looking for some economics-related books, but print media always has the weakness of being time-sensitive.

Li Zhao wasn't trying to study economic theory; he simply wanted to acquire information.

We still have to rely on internet cafe computers.

"Hmm?" Li Changlin asked, entering Li Zhao's room. "You bought this book...?"

"right."

"Where did you get the money?"

"Chen Nian bought it for me."

Let's not talk about He Shuyao anymore.

"What other books did you buy?"

Except for the English book, Li Zhao showed all the other books to his father.

"...Can you understand these books?"

"I'm somewhat interested. It's actually not hard to understand. Why don't you take a look, Dad? We can discuss it later."

This was laying the groundwork for buying the shop, but Li Changlin refused to take the bait.

"Why should I look at this? If you want to look, then look."

After saying that, Li Changlin turned to leave, but then paused, pulled a hundred-yuan note from his pocket, placed it on the table, and said:

"If you need to buy books at the bookstore in the future, just let me know and I'll give you the money. You can return this hundred to Chen Nian."

Li Zhao initially thought that Li Changlin felt it was a loss of face to let others pay for it, so he simply agreed.

Unexpectedly, Li Changlin gently patted his shoulder and said, "Dad isn't stingy, I'm just worried you'll waste money buying these books. I fully support you in doing so."

[Father proactively changes his approach, Happiness +1, Total 1]

Li Zhao smiled and nodded.

In the afternoon, Li Changlin and Zhou Xiaoyun took a short nap before heading to the wholesale market. Li Zhao then called Chen Nian directly.

"Feed?"

"What's wrong, Ah Zhao?"

"Old Jiu, when is your cousin coming?"

"...Are you addicted to the internet?"

"right."

Chen Nian hesitated for a moment, "Let me ask and see if I can get him to come next week..."

"Do you have time tomorrow?"

"Are you that addicted to the internet?!"

"I have something urgent to attend to."

"I know you're in a hurry to play games." Chen Nian hung up the phone and went off to do something else. He didn't answer for a while before saying, "No, my mom said my aunt and uncle won't be back in New Taipei City until next week, and my cousin won't be able to come over until then."

"Alright. Next Saturday, I'll try to get your cousin to take you to the internet cafe during the day. If it really has to be at night, I'll say we're going to your house to play together, and I'll cover for you."

"...Okay, okay." Chen Nian unconsciously swallowed. "Ah Zhao, well, although games are fun, studying is still very important... Don't let this affect you."

"rest assured."

After hanging up the phone, Li Zhao felt a sense of comfort and peace throughout his body.

The path to financial freedom through information asymmetry is feasible.

You can have a bank card, and naturally you can have a stock account. With a quick check of the computer information, you can even set the timing of various operations.

Short-term, medium-term, and long-term investments; small but quick cash injections; huge investments that require waiting... Under his management, wealth will grow rapidly and systematically.

This is a bug in the world, and only he can exploit it.

Li Zhao sat on the living room sofa and couldn't help but laugh.

They laughed and laughed, then fell silent.

and then?

In my past life, I gave up everything else for money and "success," so God gave me a second chance.

If making money can be accomplished soon, if financial freedom only requires time to develop... then what else is there to do in this part of his life?

With financial freedom in the future, he wouldn't need to work, nor would he want to be a capitalist who manipulates money. His seemingly short life suddenly felt very long.

Like this weekend when time seems to slow down.

Why did I choose urban and rural planning as my major in college in my previous life?

Aside from practical factors like being one of the few options in a prestigious university's top-tier programs that one can realistically qualify for, he still hopes to change the city he lives in through his planning and design.

However, he later became a manager responsible for attracting projects, and his eloquence, drinking capacity, and the maintenance and operation of his network gradually became more important than his professional skills.

After a difficult period of cooling down in the construction industry, China has entered a period of explosive growth in urban renewal and upgrading.

They spout planning ideas that they themselves may not even agree with, talking eloquently, and then dumping the same old "results" on their subordinates' designers.

Li Zhao looked at the five books laid out on the table.

Were these really bought just to write editorials?

He took a deep breath and opened the book.

On Monday, in addition to textbooks and homework, Li Zhao's schoolbag contained an extra handwritten manuscript in an envelope—

Do Cities Make Life Better? — Some Questions About "Livability"

Signed: Four Knives.

"Chen Nian, do you know where there's a mailbox nearby?"

"There's one on the other side of the bus stop. What's up, do you need to mail a letter?"

"right."

"I'll take you after school." After saying that, Chen Nian slumped onto the table, no longer reading aloud.

What's wrong with you?

"I was just about to ask you that... The results are going to be announced today, why aren't you nervous at all?"

Li Zhao returned the look with a clear gaze.

Chen Nian clearly understood the meaning of "Do we need to be nervous?"

So Chen Nian reasonably thought of the fact that Li Zhao finished both the math and English papers very quickly.

"No way?"

Monday morning's first period is a class meeting, which is usually the class teacher He Lin's free time. However, when it's time to announce exam results, it turns into a results analysis meeting.

Also known as the "Outstanding Students Show Off Competition".

He Lin walked into the classroom wearing her signature black-rimmed glasses, holding a thin report card in her hand.

The whole class fell silent instantly, their eyes fixed on the projection screen with unanimous attention.

The projector was still fixed to the podium. He Lin placed the report cards on the projector while speaking:

"Li Zhao performed exceptionally well in this exam. Except for losing 2 points on the Chinese composition, he achieved full marks in math and English, scoring 298 points, ranking first in the class and second in the grade."

The others weren't particularly surprised; a few students just exclaimed "Wow!"

In elementary school exams, it's common for excellent students to get full marks in math. The main areas where points are deducted are the Chinese and English compositions. One or two points in Chinese and one point in English. As long as you're not careless, the difference is only reflected in these areas.

Li Zhao had never been able to get first place in the class because he always lost two points on his essays, while Ma Yingying lost one point.

Given his occasional carelessness or poor performance on challenging problems, he hovered around second or third place, so it's not too surprising that he came in first.

Apart from aged ones.

He knew how long it took Li Zhao to finish writing the math in English.

So seeing everyone's attitude that "it's normal for Li Zhao to get first place" made him feel incredibly frustrated.

"However, Li Zhao completed both of his perfect score papers in just twenty minutes."

Fifty-nine gazes shot towards them simultaneously, without exception.