Chapter 28: 28: First Business Cycle. [2]
As evening slowly approached, Benny found it increasingly difficult to hide his excitement.
Every few minutes, he would glance at the system interface floating in the corner of his vision.
Ten hours, then eight and then six.
The countdown seemed to move slower the more he watched it.
Across the table, Selena naturally noticed his unusually good mood.
After all, Benny had been smiling to himself all afternoon.
From Selena’s perspective, there was only one reasonable explanation.
The World Cup that was finally starting today.
It was scheduled to air later that night, and the entire country seemed to be talking about it.
After they finished grading the last stack of papers, Selena stretched her arms and stood up.
"Alright."
She gathered the papers into a neat pile.
"Let’s eat first."
Then she smiled.
"After that, we can watch the World Cup together."
Benny blinked.
World Cup?
For a brief second, he was confused then his eyes suddenly widened.
Wait, wait a second, yes! The World Cup!
He was a time traveler.
A time traveler from twenty years in the future.
Maybe he couldn’t remember every match or every scoreline from history.
But World Cup winners?
Those were exactly the kind of things people talked about for decades afterward.
Benny nearly slapped his own forehead.
How had he forgotten something this important?
Knowledge!
Knowledge was money!
The system was incredible, but his future memories were also a cheat code.
If he knew which team was going to be the winner... couldn’t he place a bet?
After all, it was all free money!
Selena looked at him suspiciously.
"...Why are you suddenly grinning like that?"
"Nothing."
Benny immediately shook his head.
"I just really love football."
Selena gave him a look that clearly said she didn’t believe him, not even a little.
Still, she didn’t press further.
"Go cook, then."
She pointed toward the kitchen.
"If you’re so happy, you can make dinner tonight."
Benny stood up immediately.
"No problem."
His voice was unusually energetic.
As he walked toward the kitchen, his excitement only continued growing.
Tonight was destined to be a perfect night.
In a few hours, he would receive his first settlement from the system.
And after that...
He would start making money using his future knowledge as well.
Thinking about the bright future ahead of him, Benny hummed happily while taking ingredients out of the refrigerator.
Even chopping vegetables seemed more enjoyable than usual.
Meanwhile, Selena watched from the living room and shook her head.
Whatever had gotten into her little brother today...
It had certainly put him in an exceptionally good mood.
Five hours passed in the blink of an eye.
And before Benny knew it, only thirty minutes remained before the end of the first business cycle.
The countdown on the system interface seemed brighter than ever.
[ First Business Cycle Remaining: 00:30:00 ]
Benny could barely sit still.
Fortunately, dinner helped distract him somewhat.
The meal went smoothly, and after eating, he cleaned the dishes while Selena settled onto the sofa.
Since the World Cup opening ceremony would begin in exactly thirty minutes, she decided to watch the evening news first.
The television flickered to life.
Benny was still carrying the last plate from the kitchen when the anchor’s voice suddenly echoed through the living room.
"Breaking news. Authorities have successfully dismantled a major illegal lending operation operating within the city."
Benny didn’t pay much attention at first.
"The suspected leader, Zhang Qiang, was arrested earlier this afternoon alongside multiple associates."
The plate slipped from Benny’s hands.
Crash!
The porcelain shattered across the floor.
"Benny!"
Selena immediately jumped to her feet as she hurried over.
"Did it cut you?"
"Benny?"
"Are your hands okay?"
Benny remained completely motionless, his eyes were fixed on the television.
His face had gone pale.
Selena’s heart immediately skipped a beat.
"Benny!"
She grabbed his arm.
"Say something!"
Still he gave no response, genuinely worried, she guided him toward the sofa and practically pushed him into a seat.
"Stay there.I’m getting the first aid kit."
Only after making sure he was sitting down did she rush toward the bedroom.
Meanwhile, the news broadcast continued.
"The investigation revealed that Zhang Qiang’s organization conducted unauthorized lending activities and is suspected of involvement in multiple fraud schemes."
"Police have frozen a significant amount of assets related to the case."
"Authorities are encouraging victims to come forward and assist with the ongoing investigation."
The camera displayed images of several men being escorted into police vehicles.
Among them was a familiar face.
Zhang Qiang in handcuffs surrounded by officers.
Benny stared blankly at the screen.
His thoughts were in complete chaos.
Zhang Qiang was captured.
The word repeated endlessly inside his head.
If Zhang Qiang was arrested...
Then who exactly was going to collect the one hundred thousand yuan loan?
His breathing became shallow.
The glorious twelve percent compound interest debt. The debt that was supposed to grow larger and larger every month.
It was gone, just like that.
Benny felt as though someone had stabbed him directly in the heart.
And even worse, if he remembered correctly, frozen assets and recovered funds would eventually be returned through legal proceedings.
Meaning the money borrowed from Zhang Qiang might no longer count as an outstanding liability.
It might simply become company funds.
Company funds.
The two most terrifying words in Benny’s vocabulary.
Because company funds meant profits.
His eyes slowly drifted toward the countdown.
[ First Business Cycle Remaining: 00:20:17 ]
Benny suddenly felt cold all over.
Please don’t tell me... please.
Please don’t tell me the system is about to count that one hundred thousand yuan as company profit.
Meanwhile, Selena returned carrying the first aid kit.
Then she looked at the television and frowned.
"...You know this guy?"
Benny stared at the screen with hollow eyes, after a long silence, he finally answered.
"...Unfortunately. In a way, you could even say he was my biggest business partner."
Selena blinked, she had absolutely no idea what that was supposed to mean.
