Chapter 1: The Beginning of the Story

"I've always had an idea."
In an elegant Western restaurant, a boy with an unremarkable face and ordinary attire spoke animatedly to the girl seated across from him.
"I hope that by this time next year, I'll officially enter the real estate business."
"My plan is to buy a few deserted islands on the Songjiang River and build riverside villas."
"Then I'll set up some golf courses and helipads, exclusively for wealthy clients."
"They can arrive at the golf course by helicopter in the morning,"
"and return to their riverside villas by helicopter in the evening."
"We'll provide professional pilots for these trips, handling all the transportation."
The boy was bold, always eager to share his ideas with others.
A faint smile played at his lips, his eyes alive with longing and excitement as he spoke passionately.
Perhaps swept up in his own enthusiasm, he failed to notice the look of weariness and helplessness in the girl's eyes opposite him.
"Um... May I interrupt?"
The girl, seemingly at the end of her patience, finally couldn't bear it any longer and cut him off.
She took a determined sip of her juice, tamping down her rising annoyance, trying to appear less irritable.
"Your name is Chang Yu, right? Let's not talk about your ideas anymore."
"Compared to your plans, I'm more interested in what kind of job you have now, and how much you make each month."
As she spoke, a hint of inquiry appeared on her delicate features.
She was genuinely curious about what kind of confidence allowed Chang Yu, a seemingly ordinary boy, to speak so grandly.
She had already sized him up: he looked average, the kind of face you could lose in a crowd.
He wore a clean but outdated suit, and even his shoes were several years out of fashion.
The girl prided herself on having seen the world and possessing a discerning eye for character.
Yet no matter how she looked at him, Chang Yu seemed like someone struggling financially.
She wondered if perhaps she'd misjudged him—maybe he was actually from a wealthy family?
After all, who but the privileged could dream of spending vast sums to buy islands in Songjiang within a year?
It wasn't impossible; nowadays, rich heirs liked to play at being poor, acting destitute for the sake of 'experiencing life.'
So she couldn't quite make sense of this boy's background.
"Actually..." Chang Yu, who had just been lost in his dreams, now looked a bit shy.
He didn't want to talk about his job or income, not wanting to end the evening so soon.
From experience, whenever a girl asked about his work and salary, it meant another failed blind date.
"I'm a security guard, responsible for managing the company's entrance barrier and letting vehicles in and out."
"As for my income... it's not much, really. My monthly salary is only two thousand."

As he said this, a bitter smile appeared at the corners of Chang Yu's mouth, making him seem awkward.
His words drained him of confidence; his already ordinary face grew even duller.
"Uh..."
The girl furrowed her finely groomed brows, and an unconscious contempt crept into her gaze.
So he was a gatekeeper—now that's unusual.
Few young people these days are willing to take up such work.
But low earnings didn't matter as much; what was important was whether his family had money.
"Let me try another question! What do your parents do?" she asked, clutching her last hope.
"I'm sorry, I'm an orphan." Chang Yu's knife and fork paused, his grip tightening unconsciously.
"I've never met my parents; I don't even know what they look like."
Faced with her relentless questions, Chang Yu didn't hide anything.
He was an honest young man, always straightforward.
"I see." The girl finally breathed a sigh of relief.
Her beautiful face was now devoid of the warmth from earlier, replaced by harsh ridicule.
"I thought I'd met some remarkable match!"
Her sharp voice rang out, grating and unpleasant, instantly shattering the good impression Chang Yu had built.
"All that boasting, but you're just a three-nothing—no car, no house, no savings!"
"To tell you the truth, if it weren't for Uncle Wang's introduction, I wouldn't even have come to this date."
Her scornful, disdainful gaze was like knives, shredding Chang Yu's fragile dignity.
Her voice was loud enough for everyone in the restaurant to hear.
In an instant, all eyes were on Chang Yu.
Some mocked, some sneered, some were disdainful—and some, of course, were sympathetic.
"Only two thousand a month and he's out here trying to pick up girls? Shameless," someone remarked.
"See? That's what happens when you don't study—grow up and you can't even get a decent job, barely scrape by, can't even marry," said a nearby diner, using Chang Yu as a cautionary tale for their child.
"Wife, look—that kid only makes two thousand a month. I make six thousand, that's not nothing. Can you stop complaining about my salary?" said a man in the midst of a midlife crisis, pleading with his wife.
The constant barrage of insults made Chang Yu's teeth chatter with anger.
He felt a surge of blood rising, flooding his head, making his face flush red.
But the girl continued to mock him: "Ideas? With your two thousand a month, you think you're entitled to ideas? Save them for your next life!"
She was full of arrogance, her gaze dripping with disdain, her words delivered with righteous certainty.
"You can't even support yourself—how will you buy islands, build riverside villas and golf courses?"
"You want to build helipads, buy helicopters, hire professional pilots? You're dreaming!"
"Hahaha..."

The girl's laughter was unrestrained; her sharp voice made her seem utterly mean, a stark contrast to her earlier elegance.
"A girl as beautiful as me—someone as poor as you could never hope to pursue me!"
"Your salary doesn't even cover my monthly cosmetics budget!"
"I spend three thousand a month on cosmetics, another two thousand on food, and three thousand for lodging."
"So, to support me, you'd have to give me eight thousand a month!"
"Frankly, we aren't suitable for each other, and we never will be!"
"Don't blame me for being realistic—because the world is nothing but realistic!"
"Enough!" Chang Yu slammed the table, his face full of sorrow and rage, rising to his feet as if deeply humiliated.
"What... what's wrong?" The girl was suddenly nervous, worried Chang Yu might snap after being bombarded by her words.
"Though it may be rude to interrupt your monologue, I must say..."
"When did I ever say I wanted to support you?" Chang Yu looked down at her, his tone filled with haughty pride.
"You shameless narcissist! Gold-digger!"
"You look down on me? Well, I look down on you!"
"If you want money, earn it yourself. What good is it to keep asking men for money?"
"Let me tell you—do you know why so many men nowadays would rather stay single than get married?"
"It's because they're scared off by women like you, so scared they don't even dare to date!"
"Eight thousand a month to support you? Have you looked in the mirror lately? Are you even worth eight thousand?"
"You!" The girl was so angry her face turned purple. She pointed at Chang Yu, trembling. "How dare you speak to me like that?"
"Not only dare I speak to you like this, I dare to do even worse!" Chang Yu spoke with righteous conviction.
"Don't you dare do anything crazy!" The girl was genuinely frightened now, instinctively clutching her collar, appearing pitiful—like an innocent girl facing a predator on a bus.
"You say I'm poor? You say you spend eight thousand a month?"
"Fine, you're rich—so you pay!"
"I have other things to do, so I'll be leaving now."
With that, Chang Yu gave the girl a sly smile.
He turned, picked up speed, and dashed out of the restaurant like the wind, vanishing in an instant.
The girl sat alone in the restaurant, staring blankly at his departing figure, lost for words.
"He... skipped out on the bill?!"
"So that's what he meant by 'worse'?"
Only after a long while did the girl realize what had happened, her mind in complete turmoil.