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1: Deceptive options
[Brain storage area, please pay conscientiously and store in an orderly manner]
[Slow-paced, fun story, multiple female leads, not a hardcore fighting novel]
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Long Country, Liaoning Province, Shengtian, Tiexi District, Jianshe Road, Baogong Street—
“Families of Misawa Yū! Everyone! Good morning!”
At 6:30 AM, in front of a dilapidated storefront, more than twenty riders in khaki uniforms stood in a row, chanting slogans sporadically:
“Good! Very good! Excellent!”
Station Master Wang Dali stepped on a delivery box, raising his hand spiritedly:
“Our slogan is!”
“Running east and west, Misawa is the best! Speed first, no worries for Misawa!”
“Alright! Today it’s Jiang Ye’s turn to lead the dance, right? Come on, everyone give a round of applause! Welcome, Little Jiang!”
“Clap clap clap clap!”
In the crowd, Jiang Ye’s mouth couldn’t help but twitch.
He somewhat didn’t understand.
It was almost 2026, so why was there still something as embarrassing as the “Money-Grabbing Dance”?
It was one thing for those who sold houses and cars or did telemarketing to dance it, but for just delivering food, was it really necessary?
Did leaders in every company, no matter how small, enjoy watching their employees collectively make fools of themselves?
Even if it was just a small Station Master?
Jiang Ye sighed helplessly, shuffling to the front of the line.
Wang Dali glanced at him, not minding his attitude, and pressed a button. The station’s broken speaker immediately blared a deafening rhythm:
“Say Yeah~~Yeah~~One, Two...”
Jiang Ye closed his eyes and swayed his body with the music, making the smallest movements, trying to convey the attitude of “I’m only doing this for the Station Master’s sake,” to avoid being mocked by colleagues later for “dancing quite enthusiastically.”
But even so, the immense awkwardness was still hard to bear, so he could only frantically scroll through his mind, comforting himself:
One more day, just one last day... By this time tomorrow, this damned, meaningless morning meeting, this silly Money-Grabbing Dance, will all be none of my business!
Hang in there, Jiang Ye, you’re destined to become the King of Mineral Water!
...Jiang Ye, 22 years old this year.
An ordinary appearance—the kind that vanishes instantly in a crowd.
An ordinary education—a senior at a third-tier university, currently in his pre-graduation internship.
If there was anything extraordinary about him, it was probably that a year ago, like many web novel protagonists, he obtained a System.
Yes, a System.
The standard configuration for protagonists in urban power fantasy novels, the indispensable ultimate cheat in harem stallion novels—a System.
As for why a chosen one, a System owner, would end up delivering takeout in the cold wind in Shengtian... *cough*, that story goes back to that life-changing afternoon last year, and the three tempting choices that appeared before him when the System first arrived—
[Ding! The "Destiny Choice System" has been activated. host, please confirm your talent ability for the next year:]
[Option One: Singing and Dancing Mastery. You will gain proficient singing and dancing skills, and your stage charisma will greatly increase.]
[Option Two: Source of Wealth (Mineral Water Edition). Automatically generates a 500ml bottle of pure mineral water in your exclusive space every second.]
[Option Three: Future Glimpse (Single Event Edition). Select a specific event and glimpse its exact outcome one day later.]
Let’s not mention Jiang Ye’s half-hour of dumbfounded disbelief after hearing the System prompt in his head, followed by his inner ecstasy, laughing wildly and rolling around on his dorm bed.
Nor the trivial matters of him rushing to the next room to punch that show-off jock, and then sending a WeChat message to the class beauty saying, “Dream Fate Hotel tonight, see you there.”
Just facing these three options, Jiang Ye at the time believed he had given them deep thought.
The first, Singing and Dancing Mastery.
It sounded decent, but without “rap” or “basketball,” the appeal was immediately halved.
Besides, with his unremarkable face, even “Master-level,” let alone “Proficient-level,” would probably only get a laugh from the boss at the company annual party.
Want to make a living with this? Difficult!
What's more, this was just a one-year trial version. When the skill disappeared after a year, wouldn't he immediately reveal his true colors?
Pass!
The second, one bottle of mineral water per second... Jiang Ye looked at this option and remained silent for a long time.
If this talent were in a post-apocalyptic novel or a sci-fi novel about water scarcity, it would definitely be a super cheat comparable to a miracle, enough to make him a coveted prize for various factions.
But the problem was, this was an urban god-level harem stallion novel... *hmm*... it just felt inexplicably out of place, like being on the wrong set.
Pass!
As for the third one... “Future Glimpse,” it sounded the most impressive, its prestige rivaling Marvel’s Ancient One.
But the restrictions were a bit much: only one day later, and the specific event had to be chosen now.
From the perspective of an ordinary college student's daily life, there was nothing worth foreknowing, so it felt quite useless and should logically be Passed.
However, in the end, Jiang Ye still chose the third option without hesitation—the clever him had thought of the “correct” way to use this ability!
Jiang Ye still clearly remembers how, a year ago, after selecting the third talent, he trembled with excitement, almost shouting as he locked the “event” to be glimpsed as—the welfare lottery “Double Color Ball”!
That was something that drew three times a week, with first prizes often worth several million!
He only needed to use his ability to peek at the winning numbers the day before the draw, then buy the lottery ticket accordingly. Wouldn’t that be a sure way to defy fate and achieve financial freedom in no time?
Internships, job hunting, postgraduate exams, all of them could go to hell!
Jiang Ye had even planned out his follow-up strategy:
Don’t be too greedy; let the money flow steadily. Every one or two months, choose a draw with a generous prize pool and quietly empty it!
Perfect! It was an absolutely flawless plan!
So, on that bright sunny afternoon, Jiang Ye, filled with the excitement of soon conquering rich beauties, cute lolis, and mature older sisters, used his glimpse ability.
After a string of numbers appeared in his mind, he jogged to the lottery station near the school, bought 10 tickets with the same numbers, then carefully hid the ticket on his person, and began the agonizing wait.
On the night of the draw, Jiang Ye watched in front of his computer early, his eyes glued to the screen.
Then... then there was no then.
None of the seven numbers drawn in the live broadcast matched the numbers on his lottery ticket.
The first prize was not for him, and he didn’t even win a five-yuan consolation prize.
Again, setting aside his disbelief, self-doubt, and half-hour of unanswered “customer complaints” to the System at the time... In the following days, the persistent Jiang Ye tried ten more times.
No miracle occurred.
Every time he glimpsed the “future winning numbers,” they were completely different from the actual ones drawn. At most, he matched three red balls and one blue ball once, earning ten yuan.
After a month of repeated experiments, data recording, and late-night philosophical contemplation, Jiang Ye finally understood.
It wasn’t that the System was ineffective, but rather... *cough*... anyway, the dream of defying fate with lottery tickets was completely shattered.
With the predicted event already fixed and unchangeable, he fell into a year-long “sage mode” of waiting for the System's ability... waiting for the new options to refresh in the second year.
And when choosing an internship position in the first half of the year, Jiang Ye politely declined his roommate's invitation to team up, ignored his advisor's persuasion about “future prospects,” and decisively chose “independent internship,” returning to Shengtian to deliver takeout.
The reason was simple: peace and freedom, flexible hours, enough to support himself through the next six months without troubling his family—that was enough.
Career planning, future development, all that was utter nonsense.
What kind of development and planning could a business administration undergraduate have by waiting tables at a hotel during an internship?
What's more, he was a man with a System as his fallback!
Even if... by some chance... the next options the System refreshed were still those three blood-pressure-raising pitfalls, it wouldn't matter!
Jiang Ye was no longer the naive and foolish college student he was a year ago!
He had a brand new, more mature plan!
This time!
He must choose option two!
Then immediately, without delay! Go rent the cheapest small warehouse and hang up a sign that says “Brother Ye’s Mineral Water Wholesale”!
Relying on the endless, zero-cost mineral water from the System space, he would quickly open up sales channels at a price lower than the market wholesale price, starting with small shops and restaurants, and gradually expanding!
Wouldn't that directly monopolize the local market and lead him to the pinnacle of life?!
Perfect!
It was simply a stroke of genius!
...Just as Jiang Ye’s thoughts soared through the beautiful blueprint of being the “King of Mineral Water,” the addictive “Money-Grabbing Dance” finally stopped.