4: Chapter 4 New Business Opportunities
The last rays of the setting sun skimmed over the roof of the Jiangcheng University teaching building before gradually sinking into the distant skyline. Twilight, like a thin veil, slowly enveloped the entire campus.
Jiang Chen held his phone in his hand, the screen still showing the mobile banking balance interface—7,342.70 yuan.
Seven thousand of that belonged to his good buddy Wang Hao. Although he had spent most of what he earned today, Jiang Chen was already looking forward to tomorrow's intelligence.
daily wealth intelligence.
It should refresh every day at midnight.
His mother had also sent a message today, saying that she had already paid for his father's examination fees. The doctor said that as long as he received treatment on time, his condition could temporarily stabilize.
Thinking of this, the corners of Jiang Chen's mouth couldn't help but curl up slightly, and his gaze grew more determined.
Everything was moving in a positive direction.
He took out his phone and sent a message to Wang Hao in a lighthearted tone: "Haozi, finished with your work? I'm treating you to breakfast tomorrow with an extra chicken leg. I mean it."
Not long after, Wang Hao replied with a grinning emoji and a message: "Deal! Chenzi, you're really about to take off, aren't you? Remember to add an extra meat bun for me!"
Looking at the message, Jiang Chen couldn't help but laugh.
"No problem!"
As the night grew darker, the streetlights on campus lit up one after another, casting a warm yellow glow on the paths.
Students walked in small groups, talking about classes, games, or future plans, their laughter scattering in the evening breeze.
Jiang Chen stood up, patted the grass clippings off his clothes, and walked leisurely toward his rented room. His steps were no longer as hurried as they had been in the morning; they were now more composed.
When he passed the breakfast stall in the back street, the owner was packing up. Seeing Jiang Chen, he greeted him with a smile: "Young man, you didn't go out to deliver food today? You look so happy, did something good happen?"
Jiang Chen stopped and replied with a smile: "Uncle, I was busy with something else today. Thanks for the kind words, something good did indeed happen."
The owner smiled and waved his hand: "That's good. As long as young people are willing to work hard, there's always a day they'll make it."
A simple sentence, yet it warmed Jiang Chen's heart.
Back at his rented room, Jiang Chen first boiled a pot of hot water and drank a full cup. His dry throat finally felt much relieved.
He sat at his dilapidated desk, looking at the crumpled textbooks on the table, feeling a sense of nostalgia.
Before, his mind was filled with part-time jobs and earning money, leaving him no time even to attend classes properly. Now, he could finally spare some time to catch up on the lessons he had missed.
For the next while, Jiang Chen frantically studied to make up for the knowledge he had missed before; he didn't want to fail his finals.
Two hours passed quickly.
He glanced at the time on his phone; it was 11:40 PM. Twenty minutes left until midnight.
He was no longer in the mood to read, so he simply leaned back in his chair, his gaze falling on the old phone on the desk. He felt both expectant and a little nervous.
He expected that if there were a new business opportunity, he could quickly accumulate more money to give his father better treatment and pay back Wang Hao faster.
He was nervous because he didn't know if this intelligence would always exist or if it was just a one-time stroke of luck. If the intelligence disappeared, how would he support his family?
Time ticked away. The rented room was very quiet, with only the ticking of the old wall clock sounding particularly clear.
Jiang Chen picked up his phone and scrolled through the campus second-hand group, seeing that people were still asking about his phones.
He secretly felt lucky that he had acted fast enough, and also lucky that Boss Li's phones were all genuine, so no disputes had arisen.
He opened his mobile banking again, looking at the balance and calculating in his mind.
If there was another business opportunity, he would invest all his remaining money, striving to earn more as quickly as possible to help his parents out of their predicament sooner.
He even began to imagine that once his father's condition stabilized, he would bring his parents to Jiangcheng so they wouldn't have to work hard or worry about money anymore.
Unconsciously, the wall clock pointed to 11:59 PM.
Jiang Chen gripped his phone tightly, his heart rate gradually accelerating. His eyes were fixed on the screen, and even his breathing became cautious.
11:59:59 PM. Midnight sharp.
Just like last night, the old phone in his pocket suddenly vibrated violently. Even though the battery was full, the screen still lit up instantly.
Without any advertisements or pop-ups, a line of clean golden text abruptly appeared in the center of the screen again, glowing with a faint light, clear and striking.
[Ding! daily wealth intelligence has been updated]
[Today's Intelligence: Old Zhous Scrap Yard in the back street will receive a batch of old appliances tomorrow morning at 6:20 AM. Among them is a silver-gray Mudan 14-inch old television with a crack in the bottom right corner. Inside the machine is hidden a 100-gram pure gold bar. The scrap recovery price is 30 yuan. You can go to a regular gold shop in Jiangcheng to cash it out at the real-time gold price on the same day. It can be cashed out for approximately 75,000 yuan. Risk-free.]
"Holy crap! A Golden Legendary!"
Jiang Chen suddenly sat up straight, surprise and shock instantly exploding in his eyes. Every detail was precise to the extreme.
The specific scrap yard, the precise time, the clear physical characteristics of the item, the exact weight and purity of the gold—even the recovery price and the profit from cashing it out were written clearly. It was so real it didn't seem like some illusory prompt.
In the past, the idea of a gold bar hidden in a discarded television would have been nothing more than a fairy tale to him.
But yesterday's precise business opportunity had already verified the reliability of this intelligence. At this moment, all doubts vanished into thin air.
"The second piece of intelligence already hit the jackpot. I'm going to make a fortune this time."
Yesterday, he had run himself ragged and worked all afternoon just to earn over four thousand.
But this opportunity only required getting up half an hour early and spending 30 yuan in cost to make a steady seventy-five thousand in a single day.
This was insane!
Today's intelligence was way, way, way too damn powerful!
It was enough for his father's medication costs and enough for him to completely escape his current financial distress!
The intelligence even clearly marked the television's appearance, the location of the crack, and the location where the gold was stored.
There was absolutely no need to worry about finding the wrong one or missing anything. There was no pressure from holding inventory, no sales process, and no risk whatsoever.
Find it, buy it, take it apart, cash it out—all in one go, with the money safely in his pocket the same day.
Jiang Chen's heart pounded wildly. All his previous anxiety vanished at this moment.
Just then, his phone suddenly rang. It was a call from his mother.
Jiang Chen quickly answered, his tone light: "Mom, why aren't you asleep yet? Did Dad's test results come out?"
On the other end of the line, his mother's voice carried obvious relief and a hint of a sob.
"Xiao Chen, the test results are out. The doctor said the situation is better than expected. As long as he's treated and takes his medicine on time, his condition will stabilize. Don't worry too much. Also, thank you, son. If it weren't for you, I really wouldn't know what to do..."
"Mom, don't worry. This is what I should do."
Jiang Chen's voice was also a bit choked up, yet still firm.
"Rest assured, I will work hard to earn money and never let you and Dad suffer again. Once Dad's condition stabilizes, I'll bring you both to Jiangcheng."
"Good, good. Mom believes in you."
His mother's voice was full of hope.
"Take good care of yourself out there too. Don't work too hard, eat on time, and don't be afraid to spend money on yourself."
"I know, Mom. You also take care of yourself and Dad. Get some rest early."
After hanging up the phone, Jiang Chen's eyes were slightly red.
He also knew that money was his source of confidence.
He immediately took out his phone and set an alarm for 5:50 AM the next morning, then carefully noted all the details from the intelligence in his memo app.
Old Zhous Scrap Yard, 6:20 AM delivery, silver-gray Mudan 14-inch TV, 3cm crack in the bottom right corner, gold bar hidden next to the high-voltage pack...
He didn't miss a single word, for fear of missing any key information.
He even quickly mapped out the entire process.
Wake up and head out at 6:00, arrive at the scrap yard by 6:15 to wait, wear an old jacket and a hat, pretend to be an ordinary student looking for old items, and quietly find the target television.
After buying it for 30 yuan, go to a safe place without surveillance to take apart the casing and remove the gold bar, remaining inconspicuous throughout.
Then, after the gold shop opens at 8:00 AM, go directly to the recovery counter at the Jiangcheng Department Store to cash it out. The funds would be deposited into his bank card immediately, kept completely private.
Smooth!
This plan was just too smooth!