1: 1. A blessing in disguise

System installation point, please deposit your brain in an orderly manner.

Thirty-three thousand specially returned to explain, this work currently has no female lead, no harem, no simping; the male lead only focuses on his career. Additionally, the male lead's student life and social life are separate, so there's no need to worry about it being a student-focused novel, as university life appears only after chapter one hundred and is merely a embellishment, not a central focus. Some plots in this book may seem exaggerated, but the author has researched news articles to ensure their authenticity. Controversial chapters will be explained in advance, so friends can avoid them. Apologies again, and I hope you enjoy reading!

“Hey! You, kid, yes, I’m talking to you, what are you standing there for? Hurry up and move bricks! Three carts of bricks are waiting for you, and also, carry these bags of cement over!”

“Alright.”

The scorching sun beat down on the earth. In Jiang City, within a dusty construction site, a rough voice rang out.

Not far away, a young man covered in sweat and grime spat out sand from his mouth, gritted his teeth, and hoisted two bags of cement, walking forward. Each step left wet footprints on the ground.

“Tsk tsk tsk… this soft-skinned, tender-fleshed kid also comes to do this kind of work?”

“He looks not much older than my own child, probably in his third year of high school, right? Why isn't he studying and instead comes to move bricks? What a pity…”

Many people around him looked at him with strange expressions, whispering with a mix of mockery and pity. There was no other reason; this young man was truly too young, still looking like a student.

Lu Feng wiped away the sweat blurring his eyes, ignoring their gazes.

He knew that a freshly adult high school student like him coming to a construction site to move bricks would definitely seem out of place, but he couldn't concern himself with that anymore.

He was short on money; he needed a lot, a lot of money!

Thinking of his father, Lu Zezhou, who suffered from uremia and was forced to return to his hometown to endure the suffering of the disease due to the huge surgery and treatment costs, he felt unwilling.

One million!

For an ordinary family, this amount was enough to crush them, and it also made Lu Feng see through human nature.

Previously, his father, Lu Zezhou, ran a small restaurant. Because he was warm-hearted and his cooking skills were good, the restaurant was packed after opening and he earned a lot of money, making him the first among his siblings to become wealthy.

During that time, whenever relatives needed help, he was always the first to arrive. If they wanted to start a business, he would lend them money without hesitation. However, later his health deteriorated, forcing him to close the restaurant and cutting off his source of income.

Yet, this person, who exchanged sincerity for sincerity, couldn't borrow much money after falling seriously ill.

Lu Feng still remembered the faces of these relatives.

On the genuine leather sofa, his aunt, with plum-red nail polish, said, “Xiao Lu, it’s not that auntie won’t lend you, but auntie’s family isn’t wealthy either. Don’t look at our large flat; it’s mortgaged. Plus, your cousin needs to study abroad this year, so the family doesn’t have much money. Take these five thousand yuan, sigh… consider it a small token of auntie’s goodwill…”

In the Mercedes-Benz, his uncle, dressed in a suit, looked troubled and said, “Uncle knows your family’s situation. If you ask me, it’s better not to waste money, and even if the money is in place, the kidney source is still a big problem. I heard that without connections, you can’t get one. Oh, you came this time to ask for the money your dad lent me back… Xiao Lu, uncle’s company is having financial difficulties recently, I really can’t spare any money…”

From behind the closed iron gate, his second uncle’s voice came, “Cough cough cough… Xiao Lu, second uncle has a cold recently, so I won’t open the door and infect you. I know about your dad’s situation, I will explain it clearly to him personally…”

Lu Feng felt helpless and angry that these relatives didn't want to help.

His father, Lu Zezhou, said nothing after learning about it, just silently stared at the ceiling.

From then on, Lu Feng decided to earn money himself to treat his father’s illness.

For this, he had to apply for a leave of absence and came alone to the construction site to move bricks.

At first, he was very unaccustomed to it. After all, as a student, he had never done such heavy labor. Every day was like torture; his palms were already raw, his skin sunburned, and by the end of the day, his bones felt like they were falling apart. But for the sake of money, he gritted his teeth and persevered.

Gradually, Lu Feng’s scholarly air disappeared, and he became composed.

Now, after more than a month, he had already adapted.

While moving bricks, Lu Feng silently calculated in his mind, “Dad should still be short over three thousand for dialysis this month, right…”

As he was thinking, he suddenly heard a conversation between two workers not far away.

“Damn, Manager Zhang that son of a bitch deducted some money from my salary again this month. Damn it, he’s really not a good person.”

“Are you worse off than me? Last week, I took a day off because of a stomach ache, and what happened? He deducted two hundred from me.”

“Damn him, if this keeps up, I’m quitting.”

“The job market isn’t good right now; if you leave here, you might not find work. Just bear with it for now…”

Hearing these words, Lu Feng, who was pulling a cart, froze.

He hadn't received his salary yet. A few days ago, foreman Zhang Biao said it would be paid a few days later. How come… everyone else had received theirs?

This money was too important to him. He couldn't bother with moving bricks anymore, immediately dropped the cart, and walked towards the container office area on one side of the construction site.

Lu Feng knocked on the door, and a low voice came from inside: “Come in.”

Lu Feng pushed the door open. Inside the tin shack, smoke was swirling. Zhang Biao and a man were holding cigarettes, and on the coffee table was a half-empty bottle of Maotai.

Seeing Lu Feng enter, Zhang Biao lifted his eyelids slightly, “Something wrong?”

Lu Feng said directly, “Foreman Zhang, I heard everyone else got paid, why haven’t I received mine yet?”

Zhang Biao took a sip of wine, then slowly began, “Don’t rush?! I was just about to talk to you…”

He got up, went to the desk, opened a drawer, took out an envelope, and handed it to Lu Feng, saying, “The project settlement hasn’t been finalized yet, you only have this much for now, the rest will be discussed in a few days.”

Lu Feng opened it and counted; it was only a thousand?!

He had moved bricks day and night, and according to the agreement, it should have been at least six to seven thousand. Now there were only ten crumpled bills; how could he possibly accept that?!

Zhang Biao noticed his expression was a bit off but didn't care. Instead, he introduced the man next to him, “This is Manager Wang from Tiangong Construction Company, he’s also our superior. If you don’t believe me, just ask him.”

Manager Wang glanced at Lu Feng and waved his hand, saying, “Even if I told you, you wouldn’t understand. This is a project worth hundreds of millions. Your few thousand yuan is nothing; you wouldn’t think we’d even notice it, would you?”

Zhang Biao chuckled, “Don’t worry, we’ll pay you in two more days.”

Lu Feng took a deep breath: “Foreman Zhang, I urgently need this money. Please keep your promise.”

“Got it, don’t worry.”

After Lu Feng left, the two men behind him exchanged glances and chuckled, shaking their heads.

“Did you take the workers’ money to find women again?” Manager Wang said, exasperated.

Zhang Biao, with a cigarette in his mouth, said indifferently, “A fresh new face arrived at the club recently, so naturally, I have to frequent it more. He’s just a broken student, if he got ripped off, he got ripped off. What can he even do…”

Lu Feng didn’t hear these words. He stood on the construction site, looking at the overcast sky above, feeling a bit dazed, and couldn't help but let out a bitter laugh: “This… I guess I’ve seen the harshness of society.”

Suddenly, a strong gust of wind swept through, making the entire construction site rattle and kicking up sand and dust, blinding many people.

Lu Feng was no exception. As he instinctively took a step back, he suddenly heard someone shout from above, “Get out of the way!”

The next moment, a huge force came from above his head, accompanied by the crisp sound of his safety helmet cracking.

Lu Feng fell to the ground instantly, his entire brain feeling heavy and dizzy, everything before his eyes becoming blurred. Warm liquid trickled down his face.

Before losing consciousness, he saw many workers anxiously surrounding him. Zhang Biao pushed people aside, looked at him, and cursed, “What rotten luck!”

He didn’t know what happened after that. Lu Feng’s consciousness became ethereal, feeling as if he was immersed in darkness.

This feeling was ineffable, like being in a dream, his body constantly falling, and the surrounding darkness enveloped him like a tide, giving him a strange sense of… peace.

Without warning, an unfathomable stream of information appeared in his mind. Lu Feng’s eyes widened abruptly in disbelief.

After falling in the darkness for an unknown period, Lu Feng finished receiving all the information and came to his senses. He found that he had stopped, and below him, dozens of translucent bubbles floated.

These bubbles were about two meters in diameter, most of them grayish-white, with only a few dark yellow ones, looking somewhat dreamy.