Beginner’s Quest: Earn One Hundred Thousand a Month!

Late at night, Chen Ling curled up in an empty house, feeling as though his life had reached an utter dead end.

In just a few short years, he had lost his job, failed at several attempts to start his own business, fallen into debt, defaulted on his mortgage, gotten divorced, and watched as the home his parents bought with their life savings was seized by the courts.

The notice of compulsory enforcement from the court had arrived long ago. According to the timeline, the bailiffs would come tomorrow to evict him.

He glanced around the barren room—everything that could be sold was long gone. The only thing left to evict, it seemed, was himself.

Rather than being thrown out at the hands of strangers, wouldn’t it be better to take the initiative and leave on his own? To leave… utterly and completely.

With this in mind, he rose silently, walked to the window, and took a deep breath, overwhelmed by despair.

He stepped onto the windowsill, and just as he was about to jump, his phone suddenly chimed.

At this point, nothing could possibly matter anymore, and yet, as if possessed, Chen Ling took out his phone and glanced at the screen: “Congratulations! You have received the trial qualification for the ‘Life Turnaround Game.’ Here, you can restart your life, make up for past regrets, and reshape everything! Complete system tasks to claim multiple rewards!”

“Click OK to enter the game!”

“Heh~” Obviously just another trashy browser game ad. The algorithms were way off—did he look like someone who played games? He was the one being played by the game of life!

With a self-mocking laugh, Chen Ling no longer hesitated. He tapped “OK” at random, then leapt: “If there’s a next life, I hope I’ll never be defeated by money again!”

“System auto-scanning…”

“Scan complete! Beginning auto-template adaptation…”

“Intelligence template: Genius level.”

“Constitution template: Robust level.”

“Perception template: Sensitive level.”

…

When he woke again, Chen Ling was first surprised, then stunned to find himself lying on the bed in his college dormitory.

As he slowly regained his senses, morning sunlight slanted through the gap in the curtains and fell across his face, brightening his mood.

Of course, if not for the chorus of snores and the faint, lingering odor of feet that surrounded him, he might have felt even better.

“Since I’m awake, there’s nothing to doubt—the system must be real.” So thinking, Chen Ling accepted the reality with equanimity.

Sure enough, as his thoughts called out, a screen appeared before his eyes:

“Welcome to the ‘Life Turnaround Game’! The system has automatically matched attribute templates. Time set: September 2, 2008.”

“Would you like to start the system tasks?”

He didn’t rush to accept the mission, instead choosing to check the “Attributes” interface.

It was best to first confirm his own abilities—plan before action.

The screen shifted, listing his current attributes. In addition to intelligence, constitution, and perception, two more appeared:

“Wealth template: Basic sustenance.”

“Expression template: Eloquent.”

“Complete system tasks to upgrade templates!”

“Complete system tasks to unlock more templates!”

Examining his attributes, Chen Ling was somewhat surprised. “The system templates must reflect my current condition, but I wasn’t outstanding in college—if anything, I was a bit dull. So why do my templates look so good?”

“Ah, of course. I’ve come back from more than a decade in the future. I’ve witnessed the era’s changes, lived a richer life, and brought all that knowledge and experience with me. Even so, I’m only at ‘genius’ level—hardly a high rating.”

“It seems that, even in this restarted turnaround game, success won’t be simple.”

“The system tasks and templates must complement each other—completing tasks upgrades templates, and higher-level templates help complete more tasks.”

With his situation roughly analyzed, Chen Ling chose the task interface without hesitation…

“Would you like to start the system tasks?”

“Yes!”

“Task adaptation in progress…”

“Adaptation complete!”

“In the initial phase of the game, the system will provide three novice tasks to help you get familiar with the game and enhance your experience!”

“Novice Task 1: You are a third-year college student from a disadvantaged family. About to step into society, you understand deeply that economic foundations determine social status. Without money, you’re insignificant, ignored, and struggle at every step; with money, you command respect, attract attention, and accomplish twice as much with half the effort. So what you need most right now is a sum of money to increase your social weight!”

“Task objective: Obtain 100,000 yuan in disposable funds! This can include, but is not limited to, profits earned, investments from others, various rewards, etc…”

“Task time limit: 30 days!”

“Task hint: Make use of every available resource!”

“Rewards will be given upon task completion! Surpassing the target may trigger hidden rewards—the more you exceed, the greater the rewards!”

Reading the task details, Chen Ling blinked… 30 days, 100,000?

This system task… really does understand me!!!

Money!

It was money that had driven Chen Ling to the edge in his past life. The feeling of being cast aside like trash was seared into his bones. So…

Money was the obsession that burned most fiercely in his heart as he fell from that great height!

Now, he had a chance to fulfill that obsession…

He would make money—lots and lots and lots of money!

…

But dreams are bold, while reality is conservative.

Earning a hundred thousand a month—few people in his past life could have done it!

And it was 2008! What did 100,000 yuan mean then? That was two or three, even three or four years’ salary for an ordinary person!

Wait… that’s right! This is 2008!

With that thought, Chen Ling’s confidence began to swell. First, the system wouldn’t assign an impossible task; otherwise, the task would lose its purpose. And as a novice task, it couldn’t be too difficult—the key must be something he hadn’t spotted yet.

Second, his mind was bursting with clever tricks! These schemes had long lost their edge in the future; their golden age had passed, and now they were just fodder for short video clickbait.

But here, in 2008, the era for those clever tricks hadn’t yet arrived.

That meant his hands were full of nuclear options!

His spirits began to soar at the thought…

Just then, his lower bunkmate’s phone alarm sounded:

“The sky’s mist drifts in carelessly, the river flows still as an oil painting~”

“Peaceful doves walk lazily to the rhythm, the heart quietly clears~”

It was Jolin Tsai’s “Sun Will Never Set,” a song that swept the nation upon release and was a staple at school radio stations everywhere.

As the song reached the line “Love’s bus always comes and goes,” the others in the dorm began to stir, and the room grew lively.

“Bao, where’s your Bawang shampoo? I finished mine and forgot to buy more—let me use yours!” Zhang Peng, sporting dyed blond hair, called out to Bao Zhenhai.

Bao Zhenhai teased, “Sure, sure, but I never see you return it. Aren’t you a second-generation rich kid? Why not be generous for once? And you even buy it in bags.”

“You don’t get it. Save where you can, spend where you must. You’ve smoked enough of my premium cigarettes, haven’t you? Cut the nonsense.”

“Fine, fine, call me ungrateful. By the way, have you found an internship yet?”

“Internship? Please. There’s a whole city out there for me to explore—I haven’t even finished seeing the sights. Who has time to work? What about you? Want me to hook you up somewhere?”

“Heh, thanks! I found one myself, actually—they even pay 800 a month!”

“Impressive, Bao!”

“Not as much as you—you spend my monthly allowance in one night out drinking! Peng, when are you going to show me the world again?”

“No problem—let’s go this weekend!”

As the two bantered, Yuan Hui walked by, tossing in, “That’s why people say, there’s nothing like a good father! Young Master Zhang’s life is something us commoners can only dream of!”

“Ugh, my teeth ache just hearing that!” Bao retorted, exchanging a look with Zhang Peng. Neither paid Yuan Hui any more mind—one headed to the bathroom, the other to the balcony, each to wash up.

Yuan Hui muttered under his breath, “So what if he was born with a silver spoon? What’s there to show off? Once you’re out in the world, even a mountain of gold runs dry if you just sit on it. Right, Chen?”

In his past life, Chen Ling might have agreed. Born to a modest family, it was hard not to envy and resent Zhang Peng’s flashy lifestyle, so he’d always kept his distance—neither currying favor nor making enemies.

Bao Zhenhai, however, was different. His parents ran a small supermarket back home, and the constant bustle had taught him a thing or two about pragmatism and social climbing. Once he learned Zhang Peng was a rich kid, he made it a point to stay close.

Yuan Hui was another case—his parents were both teachers, with more traditional, conservative values, so he looked down on Zhang Peng’s playboy ways. Still, aside from the occasional verbal jab, there were no major conflicts. Otherwise, they wouldn’t have managed to live together for two years.

In his previous life, Zhang Peng had chosen to “lie flat” after graduation—moving back home, marrying, having kids, and inheriting the family business. Bao Zhenhai, through Zhang Peng’s introduction, joined the family’s city branch, became a department manager within a few years, bought a house, married, and welcomed twins—living the good life.

As for Yuan Hui, though he passed the civil service exam, the lack of connections and his stubborn nature left him with little room for advancement. He stayed in the same post for over a decade, eventually settling into a stable, uneventful life waiting for retirement.

Looking back, Chen Ling felt a pang of mixed emotions. He’d once despised Bao’s sycophancy and envied Yuan Hui’s scholarly background, but in the end, neither compared to the carefree life of someone with a powerful father like Zhang Peng.

But was Zhang Peng really just a worthless playboy?

Once, Chen Ling hadn’t known. Now, after all these years, he understood. Zhang Peng was from Oushi City in Qujiang Province, where his family ran a business empire.

Within just a few years of returning home after graduation, Zhang Peng had skillfully managed the older generation in the company, smoothly becoming deputy general manager and holding firm control—just waiting to take over when his father retired.

No doubt his father’s support was crucial, but that kind of ability and temperament was rare.

With such understanding, Chen Ling had his own plans for dealing with Zhang Peng, so he ignored Yuan Hui’s words and got dressed in silence.

Yuan Hui didn’t notice the slight change in him and said, “Oh, Chen, about the suit you wanted to borrow yesterday… I was going to lend it, but I just got a text—I have an interview at my internship today, so I’m really sorry, but I can’t help you.”

“No worries, I’m not going to the interview after all—they just sent another message saying they don’t want me,” Chen Ling lied casually. He hadn’t expected this to set off another round of Yuan Hui’s complaints—about how companies were disrespectful to interns, how someone with connections must have taken his spot, and so on.

Chen Ling just nodded and didn’t join in. Now that he saw things differently, Yuan Hui’s constant griping seemed narrow-minded.

Real men never complain—they just roll up their sleeves and get to work!

After a while, Yuan Hui went off to wash up, and Bao Zhenhai left, awkward in Zhang Peng’s Armani suit. Soon, only Zhang Peng and Chen Ling remained in the dorm.

Zhang Peng finished drying his hair, styled it with gel, and started watching a movie on his computer—the banned film “Lost in Beijing,” starring Tong, Fan, and Liang. He watched with great interest.

Many watched this film just for the titillation, but its real subject was human nature—the boss’s sudden passion, the husband’s rage, the boss’s wife’s desperate revenge, a woman’s maternal instincts, the issue of a child’s paternity, the tangled ethics of two families…

Chen Ling shook his head and set those thoughts aside. Right now, he needed to figure out how to make that 100,000 yuan. He decided to go out, reacquainting himself with this era—familiar, yet now strange.

After all, over a decade had passed. Aside from two major events—a disaster and a grand celebration—his memories of 2008 were hazy, and many details needed to be checked.

Zhang Peng, engrossed in his film, noticed Chen Ling getting ready to leave. He turned, as if wanting to say something, but hesitated and said nothing.

Chen Ling was watching him as well. With the system’s hint to “use every available resource,” Zhang Peng—his greatest resource nearby—was not to be missed.

Seeing Zhang Peng stay silent, Chen Ling smiled and took the initiative. “Zhang, I’m heading out for a bit. If you need anything, let me know and I’ll bring it back.”

“Hmm?” Zhang Peng was a bit surprised, then grinned. “Since you’re going out, could you top up my phone credit?” He handed Chen Ling 200 yuan. “Don’t use the shop downstairs—go to the service center. There’s a promotion: deposit 200 and get a 200-yuan supermarket card. You can use the card at the Century Lianhua at the school gate. Snacks, instant noodles, drinks—get whatever you like; we’ll stock up together.”

“Deposit 200 and get a 200-yuan supermarket card?” At that, inspiration struck Chen Ling like lightning.

There was his way to 100,000!

“Zhang, how about this,” Chen Ling said, “You give me 200 yuan, I’ll get you 400 yuan of phone credit, but the supermarket card is mine. Deal?”

Zhang Peng, eyes on the screen, paused the movie and turned to look at Chen Ling, puzzled…