9: unattainable

Yang City was over 400 kilometers from Shanghai. Along the way, the father and son were both a little excited; one because he was about to see his wife, and the other because he was about to become a millionaire.

It took nearly six hours of driving before the two arrived.

"Dad, let's rest today, and we'll pick up Mom tomorrow."

"Why don't you rest, and I'll take the subway to your mother's place."

Since his son had been driving for so long, Old Shen naturally didn't want to make the child drive anymore; it was too tiring after all.

"How about this, I'll drop you off at a hotel first, and then I'll find a designated driver to go with me to pick up Mom."

Old Shen hesitated slightly. His son's plan was fine, but he was still reluctant to spend the money.

Not only Shen Qian but also he had been terrified of poverty for the past few years, wishing he could stretch every penny.

But when the car stopped, he was stunned.

The Oriental Pearl Tower, the big hand, and a whole row of office buildings.

He used to work in Shanghai before he got sick, so how could he not know where this was?

"Son, why did you drive here?"

Shen Qian pointed to the tall building nearby.

"The hotel is here."

"Here! You can't just say that. How much does it cost to stay one night here!"

"Only a few thousand."

"Thousands!!!"

"Son, you can't spend money like this. Earning money isn't easy for you..."

"I booked for a week. A week is only a few thousand, which isn't that expensive. It's just that I felt bad seeing you and Mom living poorly and staying poorly in Shanghai for so many years. Your son felt for you both."

"Besides, we can't cancel it now."

The last sentence Shen Qian added sealed the deal.

"Don't worry, this is just a one-time thing. I definitely won't be so extravagant later."

"You, sigh, how am I supposed to sleep now!"

Parents are like this; they are frugal their whole lives and dare not enjoy anything. If Shen Qian didn't have money, he would have come alone and endured hardship, but since he had money, he naturally wanted his parents to enjoy life too.

He was also a little relieved that he had only said a few thousand just now, not tens of thousands, otherwise his dad would have skinned him alive.

Passing the red crystal Shikumen, a scene of magnificence stunned the father and son. Compared to the surrounding architecture, they looked exceptionally conspicuous. As they walked along the colonnade, the view became increasingly open.

"Hello, sirs, how may I assist you?"

The attendant was courteous, possessing an indescribable air of gentlemanliness.

"We need to check in; where should we go?"

"Welcome to J Hotel, please follow me."

The attendant led the two to the elevator.

"The lobby for check-in is on the 101st floor."

"The 101st floor?"

Old Shen couldn't help but mutter. Although he had worked in Shanghai for many years, he usually worked in residential buildings as a carpenter. This was the first time he had been to such a high place.

Shen Qian couldn't help but feel wistful. His father had worked in Shanghai for over a decade, but the prosperity of Shanghai had nothing to do with him. This was the division between the rich and the poor.

If he didn't have the system, he might have been busy his whole life too, never being able to touch this level of luxury.

Even if he had strong willpower, it might not have been useful. Just like how the lobby here was on the 101st floor, books would never tell him what kind of life rich people actually lived.

When the elevator doors opened, the two stepped out and stared silently at the world outside the glass for a long time.

The entire city of Shanghai seemed to be beneath their feet; it was an unparalleled shock.

"It feels like I've lived in vain all these years."

Shen Qian didn't know if his father felt the same way, but when he witnessed all of this, that was his exact feeling.

A barbecue stall boy covered in salt crystals just over a month ago, now standing in a super luxurious hotel—this reversal was unimaginable.

"Dad, let's go check in."

The staff member provided very detailed explanations. Shen Qian had booked two rooms, one for each for a week. After the introduction, Shen Qian took his father to check in.

As the door opened, soft lighting greeted their eyes. To the left was a dressing room, and to the right was a shower room.

"Good heavens, there's even a dressing room inside the hotel."

Walking further in was the entirety of the room. Shen Qian couldn't name the items here, but he knew they weren't cheap. He had specifically arranged for his father's room to have a view of the Oriental Pearl Tower.

After settling his father in, Shen Qian took a taxi to his mother's workplace. When it came to driving in Shanghai, the local drivers were definitely faster. Along the way, he asked the driver where he could buy things of a higher standard.

"There are plenty of places! IFC, Henglong, Qiantan Taikoo Li, Global Mall, and Global Harbor. All those places are pretty good.

It's just that the stuff there is a bit expensive."

Shen Qian wasn't afraid of expense now. Even the most expensive clothes were only around twenty or thirty thousand, and he now had a reimbursement card and a cashback card, allowing him to spend freely up to five hundred thousand.

Just then, he figured it out: his parents had worked so hard for so many years and never owned a nice piece of clothing. Now that they had money, if he couldn't let them eat well, dress well, and live well, what was the point of him earning money while sacrificing his reputation and dignity?

The places the driver mentioned sounded great, and there should be many foreign goods. He could just inflate the price a bit when reporting expenses, and that would fool them.

The car drove for nearly an hour before stopping at a villa area. Shen Qian's mother cooked meals in someone else's house.

His mother looked familiar, only her wrinkles were deeper, she had more white hair, and she was still wearing clothes that looked like they were from many years ago over her slightly heavier figure.

Seeing his mother like this, Shen Qian felt an inexplicable pang of sadness and self-reproach. He had been rich for over a month, and even if his mother wouldn't accept it, he should have brought her back sooner.

"Where is your dad?"

Mother Shen looked around, not seeing any sign of Old Shen.

"I dropped Dad off at the hotel to rest first. Let's go."

When Mother Shen walked into the hotel and knocked on the room door, she was completely dumbfounded.

That evening, Shen Qian booked a restaurant on the 120th floor. The family of three went to eat happily. The moment he saw the prices, Shen Qian quietly moved the menu further away from his parents.

A single Coke costing 68 yuan—if his parents knew the price, they would explode on the spot.

"Xiao Qian, how much did this meal cost?"

"700."

"That's not too bad. Eating in a place like this usually costs seven or eight hundred minimum. It's a rare treat, a show of filial piety from our son."

Father wanted to say something more, but since his wife had already said that, if he continued to be calculating, it would ruin the atmosphere.

"Their mindsets need to change gradually. There's still time."

Shen Qian thought, silently taking out his phone to send loving messages to several girls.

[Expressing insincere affection when you do not truly love, your behavior conforms to the scumbag standard. Reward is being issued...]

...Eighty thousand yuan arrived in his account, making Shen Qian feel much better.

That night, he took a picture of the Huangpu River night view facing the floor-to-ceiling window. He still didn't add a caption, but any discerning person could tell where the picture was taken.

"Old Shen, where are you staying? So high up."

Lu Jiawang was a very qualified friend. If he asked this, Shen Qian had to answer, and once he answered, regardless of whether Lu Jiawang was added as a friend, everyone would see his reply.

But showing off like that was too obvious.

He only replied with two words:

"In the sky."