Everyday Romance After Becoming a Billionaire

Chapter 1: Chapter 1: Life is More Than Just Getting By

It was midsummer in July, and the heat was unbearable.

A heatwave swept across the rice paddies and into the small courtyard of a farmhouse by a pond, rustling the leaves. In a tree, an unnoticed pupa broke from its cocoon, transformed into a butterfly, and soared away on trembling wings.

Su Ran sat in the shade of a tree, looking at the acceptance letter from Ninghai University in his hand.

Ninghai University was a national key university, and Su Ran had been accepted with an excellent score of 688.

However... he had no one to share this joy with.

Su Ran was an orphan. His parents had died in a car accident when he was in the ninth grade, leaving him to drift through the world all alone.

In the three years since, Su Ran had grown accustomed to being alone. His personality had naturally changed; he disliked crowds, preferring peace and quiet, content to live in his own world and do what he believed was right.

His parents had left him nothing but this old house.

Su Ran made his life fulfilling and ’happy’, wanting his parents’ spirits in heaven to be at ease.

In the class group chat, some were celebrating while others were lamenting. Su Ran didn’t say a word. He put down his phone, stood up, and cupped his chin in his hand as he watched a large rooster pecking for bugs beneath a bamboo grove.

Deciding that today was a good day, he planned to treat himself to a nice meal.

CLUCK CLUCK CLUCK...

After a chaotic chase, he boiled water to scald the feathers, then heated oil in a wok.

He lived a self-sufficient life—one that was comfortable, pleasant, and carefree.

As long as you find the life you want, without comparing yourself to others or chasing quick gains, a simple life and a healthy body are a kind of beauty in themselves.

As the sun set, an orange-red dusk spilled across the rice paddies. The villagers, finished with their work, began to trickle home along the field ridges. From the small farmhouse by the pond, a wisp of smoke curled into the air.

Su Ran was born and raised in Linxi Village.

He loved the land that had given him life and raised him.

He loved this kind of life, far from the clamor of the mortal world—a tranquil, pastoral existence he had always yearned for.

He was someone who could endure loneliness. He had no choice. He was just a high school graduate with no connections and no money—only this small farmhouse.

Of course, he envied the rich, but his envy never soured into jealousy. After all, you earn what you can with your own abilities. All that mattered was living the life he thought was right; whether he became rich or not was up to his own hard work.

Clean, simple, and grounded.

’Only those who can endure loneliness can achieve prosperity. Successful people often have to go through a dark period with no support and no help. That time is precisely the crucial stage for self-cultivation. It’s like the darkness before the dawn; once you get through it, the sky will brighten.’

Suddenly, a passionate piece of chicken soup for the soul rang in his ears.

"Who’s there?"

Su Ran, who was in the middle of stir-frying, looked around. The kitchen was empty.

The voice seemed to have come from inside his head.

’Society is a bitch that only wags her tail for the rich.’

’DING! Perfect Divine Wealth System successfully loaded.’

Name: Su Ran

Age: 18

System Wealth: 0

Skills: None

Cards: None

’Life is full of surprises. Divine Rich Cards will appear in your daily life. As long as you are good at finding them, you can receive "Wealth" or "Skill" rewards.’

SNIFF~

Su Ran stood stunned for a long moment before he smelled something burning. He looked down to see that his spicy chicken was burnt. He frantically grabbed a plate and shoveled the chicken onto it. As for the system, since it was already here, it could wait.

A pot of yam and chicken soup, a plate of cold-tossed chicken, a plate of spicy chicken with green peppers, a bottle of beer, and a bowl of rice—this was Su Ran’s dinner for the night.

Under the stars, beside the rice paddies, before the fishpond, within his little fenced courtyard, and beneath a rose trellis, a gentle evening breeze blew. Accompanied by the chirping of cicadas, the croaking of frogs, and the barking of the neighbor’s dog, he ate the meal he had cooked himself, drank his ice-cold beer, and began to carefully study this so-called ’Divine Wealth System’.

To be honest, Su Ran was very grateful for this Divine Wealth System. After all, with it, he could achieve many dreams he never could have before.

Moreover, in this world, no one understood the importance of money better than Su Ran.

As an orphan, he had scraped by, saving every penny. He was frugal with money out of necessity; he’d never had any, so he had to be. But that didn’t mean he didn’t know how to spend it.

However...

Going from a simple life to a complex one, from frugality to luxury... having known hardship, Su Ran didn’t think that once he had money, he would use it to humiliate gold diggers or splurge at bars to be worshiped by others. He wasn’t interested in that sort of thing.

He had a bright and sunny disposition. Otherwise, as an orphan with no one to look after him, if he’d had even the slightest psychological issue, he would have long since become the "Mr. Su" featured on a legal news program.

Aside from his tragic background, he was excellent in all other respects.

Not only were his grades good, but he was also tall and well-built. Standing at six feet tall, with a handsome face and especially clear eyes, his quiet personality gave him a gentle, scholarly air rather than an arrogant one.

He had been very popular with the girls in high school, but he never had a girlfriend. There was no special reason—he just believed in doing the right thing at the right time.

In high school, his sole focus was the college entrance exam.

After finishing dinner and cleaning the dishes, he went to bed.

He had a dreamless night, because his dream had already come true.

The harsh morning sun shone through the window onto Su Ran’s face. Thinking it was a reflection from a motorcycle mirror parked on the field ridge, he rolled over and sat up. He rubbed his eyes and turned to look, only to discover a glittering golden card hovering above the succulent on his windowsill.

There is no greater joy in life than opening your eyes to such a beautiful sight.

Su Ran rolled out of bed, walked over to the succulent, and opened the system to capture it.

’DING! Congratulations, Host, you have obtained a ’Limited-Time Cash-Back Card’. All funds spent within 24 hours will be eligible for the Cash-Back Multiplier Roulette. Use now?’

"Of course!"

’The Limited-Time Cash-Back Card has been activated. Time remaining: 23:59:59.’

The System didn’t restrict the type of spending. Everything depended on his own discretion. He had to walk his own path; as an adult, he knew what he should and shouldn’t do. He didn’t need a system to teach him how to be a person.

After washing up, Su Ran went to the kitchen and used last night’s leftover spicy chicken to make a bowl of noodles. He wasn’t in a rush to spend money within the 24-hour time limit.

Because he didn’t have much money to begin with. He only had 5,219 yuan in his account. 3,000 of it was from the first-prize scholarship grant from his school, and the other 2,000-plus yuan was earned from working as a laborer, helping a carpenter from his village install wooden floors after graduation.

Well, when you have no money, you have to work to eat. Su Ran didn’t care about doing dirty or tiring jobs. He was adaptable and wouldn’t feel ashamed; earning a living with your own two hands is an honor!

After his meal, Su Ran locked the door and prepared to head to the city to spend some money~

As he walked along the rice paddies toward the village entrance, the working villagers greeted him with cheerful smiles, and Su Ran responded politely.

Everyone was quite fond of the young man, Su Ran, and they truly praised his upstanding character.

Moreover, they were all certain of one thing: that kid, Su Ran, would definitely have a bright future. Heaven wouldn’t mistreat any hardworking young person.