Chapter Six: The Grand Plan to Make Money

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In the real world, Zhou Chen was just an ordinary office worker, living in a small city with limited social circles—about as ordinary as one could be. The ways he could think of to make money were truly few and far between.

Though he had read numerous novels, watched many TV shows and movies, the methods of making money depicted there were mostly for entertainment; in reality, they were difficult to achieve, at least for an average person.

If he were to consider the simplest way to make money without breaking the law, the first thing that came to mind was buying property.

Indeed, given the situation in our country, real estate speculation was undoubtedly the safest and easiest way to earn money.

Even though this world was already in 2019, housing prices were still expected to rise steadily over the next few years. Buying property was virtually a guaranteed profit.

But knowing this was one thing; having the capital to do it was another. Most families had to scrape together every penny just to buy one house—where would the extra money for a second property come from?

Their family savings were modest, still far from enough to buy a house. Besides, making a profit from property speculation was no simple feat.

Purchasing was easy, but selling was restricted by a rule requiring a two-year wait before resale.

And two years was a lifetime in such a volatile market. So, Zhou Chen immediately discarded that idea.

After getting a grasp of this world, he realized that although many aspects differed from the real world, most things remained the same—for example, the result he had just researched.

Bitcoin!

He had just looked into Bitcoin. In his original world, he had heard of it but never studied it in depth until recently, amid its rapid surge.

He checked online and found that Bitcoin existed here as well, with trends mirroring those in his original reality.

Zhou Chen knew clearly that in this year, though Bitcoin’s growth wasn’t as explosive as the years to come, it would still rise dramatically in the first half of the year. Buying now and selling by the end of June could at least quadruple the investment.

A 200% return in a few months—such gains were astonishing. There was no reason not to buy.

But after the initial excitement, Zhou Chen calmed down. Their savings were limited, and even if they invested everything, the profits wouldn’t be substantial.

“Slap!” Zhou Chen gave himself a sharp slap. Damn, how could over a million yuan be considered limited?

But on reflection, in a city like this, for a family like theirs, just over a million wasn’t much at all.

More importantly, the savings weren’t his alone; they were shared between him and his wife, Nan Li. If he wanted to invest, he had to win her approval.

Though Nan Li was a senior executive with a broad vision, she would never agree to invest all their assets into something as volatile as Bitcoin.

After all, he had memories of the future and knew Bitcoin would rise, but Nan Li did not. Given what he knew of her, the chances of success were slim.

“This is such a headache.”

Zhou Chen felt a surge of frustration. Marriage brought its own troubles. It wasn’t like when he was alone, free to do whatever he pleased and spend his own money. Now he had to consider not only himself but also a family.

This wasn’t a game world; it was another parallel reality, real in every sense—real people and real events.

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“Honey, dinner’s ready.”

As Zhou Chen pondered how to accumulate investment capital, Nan Li called loudly from the living room.

“Okay, coming.”

Zhou Chen walked to the living room where the dishes were already laid out neatly. The tableware was arranged with care, reflecting Nan Li’s meticulous and proper nature, even in household chores.

Huan Huan and Chao Chao held hands as they came over, first washing their hands before the four of them sat down at the table.

Dinner was simple. Nan Li had made porridge and three home-style dishes.

“Dad, Mom, our school is having a singing competition next month. You have to come!” Huan Huan said excitedly halfway through the meal.

Nan Li looked surprised. “The competition is next month? Our Huan Huan is amazing—I’m sure you’ll win first place!”

Since the start of the year, Huan Huan had been preparing for this contest. The arrival of this moment filled Nan Li with pride for her daughter.

“A singing competition?”

Zhou Chen paused upon hearing this.

He recalled that the TV drama "Little Farewell" began with Huan Huan winning a singing competition, followed by a family dinner at Nan Li’s father’s house...

Is the story about to start?

When he arrived here today, he learned from Xia Junshan’s memories that the plot had not yet begun. Judging by the timing of Huan Huan’s competition, the story would likely commence in about a month.

With the plot imminent, Zhou Chen felt the pressure mount. His grand plan to make money must start soon.

After dinner, Huan Huan went to do her homework, while Nan Li sat on the sofa with Chao Chao to read fairy tales. Zhou Chen politely began clearing the dishes.

He hadn’t yet mastered cooking, but washing dishes was something he picked up instinctively.

When everything was done, Zhou Chen naturally sat down on the sofa and habitually took out his phone to scroll through.

Browsing the internet for a while, he found many familiar news items, though some were new. Comparing these with his memories, Zhou Chen was sure that this world was largely the same as his own, but with subtle differences.

Overall, the general trend was unchanged, though minor details varied.

After a while, he grew bored with short videos and started searching for online novel sites.

He discovered that the novel industry here was similar to the real world, except the familiar websites did not exist. Instead, there were unfamiliar platforms, the largest being "Qi Yue Chinese Network."

Glancing through the site, he found many titles he had never seen before. Yet, the content was much like the novels from his original world.

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Engrossed, Zhou Chen read until around nine o’clock. Huan Huan finished her homework, and Nan Li had coaxed Chao Chao to sleep. The siblings went to bed.

Watching Nan Li, freshly washed and dressed in pajamas, pacing in front of him, Zhou Chen’s heart suddenly tightened.

After finishing her chores, Nan Li saw Zhou Chen still sitting on the sofa, scrolling on his phone. She urged him, “Honey, I put your pajamas in the bathroom. Go take a shower quickly and then come to bed.”

“Oh, okay.”

Sleep? That was a big issue.

Zhou Chen entered the bathroom thoughtfully, took a quick shower, and soon emerged in his pajamas.

Huan Huan and Chao Chao were already asleep, and the house was quiet. After a moment’s hesitation, Zhou Chen entered the master bedroom.

Nan Li was still awake, leaning against the bed scrolling on her phone. Zhou Chen lingered before slipping under the covers beside her.

“Smack!”

Just as Zhou Chen was settling down, trying to calm his nerves to sleep, he felt a sharp tap on his shoulder, startling him into turning to look at Nan Li.

She said, “Why are you turning your back to me? Honey, I noticed you’re acting strange today—you even avoided looking at me. Have you done something behind my back?”

“No way!”

Zhou Chen’s voice shot up instantly, innocence shining on his face. “Li Li, don’t say that. How could I ever do anything to hurt you?”

Seeing his panicked expression, Nan Li burst out laughing. “I know you wouldn’t, but you really seem distracted and off today. Honey, what’s wrong? Trouble at work?”

Touched by her concern, Zhou Chen smiled inwardly.

“Nothing, don’t overthink it. I’m just a little tired today.”

“Really?”

Just as Zhou Chen was about to reply, goosebumps rose on his skin. Nan Li reached out her finger, lightly tracing circles on his chest through the thin fabric of his pajamas.

“Li Li, you’re playing with fire.”

“You said you’re tired—where’s this fire coming from?”

If this could be tolerated, he might as well not be a man.

………