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Chu Yuening was astonished.

Indeed, it was hard to imagine Qian Xiuyuan's life in Hong Kong, where a monthly rent of one thousand five hundred was steep.

"I could only afford plain rice congee with pickles for all three meals," Qian Xiuyuan recalled, feeling nauseous at the thought of those half-a-year days. "If I kept eating that, I'd either turn into pickles or congee."

He sighed softly, his spirits dampened. "Even sleeping under a bridge, beggars would come and snatch my blanket in the middle of the night."

God alone knew how devastated he was to wake up shivering in the cold, only to see his cozy quilt draped over a filthy beggar lying next to him.

"I had neither wealth nor fortune," Qian Xiuyuan lamented, his voice brimming with bitterness. "All I had was misery. My boss was harsh, and even people from the opposite company would secretly laugh at me when they saw my pathetic state."

"Master, what does the nickname Laifu say about me?"

"I felt as if my life was filled with darkness, with no end in sight."

The neighbors continued to persuade, hoping to guide this lone, courageous wanderer back on track.

"Living on fifteen hundred is barely surviving in Hong Kong," an elder uncle chimed in with concern. "Even the street cleaners earn more than that. Listen to us, young man, and apologize to your father."

The elderly man continued, "When I was your age, I walked the same path. Ambition and dreams are fine, but you must face reality. Bending your pride to your father's will at least ensures you won't be sleeping on the streets."

"You can still afford plain congee with pickles now, but soon even those might be out of reach."

Recalling his father's resolute stance during their argument, Qian Xiuyuan shook his head fiercely. "I would rather die than bow down to him."

"Online gaming is the future, and I won't be mistaken about that."

Despite his slender frame, he seemed empowered by his conviction.

But just then,

Chu Yuening noticed a faint aura of black mist hovering above Qian Xiuyuan's head. It appeared and vanished intermittently.

He...

They actually resort to suicide?

Thus, she inquired with concern, "The pay is low, but it's a job you enjoy. Did something happen at work again?"

Recalling the mess at work, Qian Xiuyuan couldn't help but shed more tears of frustration.

"I could tolerate the low pay, but... the boss is simply unbearable. There are only five people in the company, and the other employees have no workload. Yet, the boss always assigns tasks solely to me."

"I make tea and pour water."

"I sweep and mop."

"I write programs and debug them."

As Qian Xiuyuan continued, he felt increasingly helpless. "It feels like I'm a horse that can be ridden at will. The boss holds the reins and directs me wherever they please. I want to create games, not just do menial tasks."

"And that's not all. There's also emotional abuse."

Qian Xiuyuan closed his eyes. "There's favoritism. Whenever I enter the office, the other four colleagues, including the boss, immediately stop their conversations. I can never join in, no matter what."

"Aside from instructing me on tasks, the boss doesn't genuinely listen to anything else I have to say."

"And there's more..." Qian Xiuyuan hesitated but still shared, "The people from the company across the street are also very peculiar. Every time I exit the elevator or pass by their entrance, everyone looks at me in unison and whispers among themselves."

Qian Xiuyuan became increasingly sensitive.

He fidgeted with his clothes, feeling uneasy.

"Maybe they think I'm destitute, or perhaps they find it odd that I always come and go alone."

Regardless of the reason,

he began to feel increasingly uncomfortable.

The weight of his work responsibilities, the isolation from his colleagues, the strange gazes from those around him, and unfulfilled dreams – all of it suffocated him.

Qian Xiuyuan looked ahead, seeking hope, "Master, I came here to seek insight into my future. Will I succeed? Or am I destined to live this way for the rest of my life?"

He longed to find a goal, a source of motivation.

Chu Yuening didn't even need to count on her fingers to know that, based on the future popularity of online games, whoever persisted would surely succeed.

But...

Qian Xiuyuan's timing was off, and his vision too forward-looking. Before the internet had reached every household, he had already experienced multiple failures.

Chu Yuening revealed the outcome of the fortune-telling.

Sure enough, Qian Xiuyuan slumped in despair.

"However, life isn't as difficult as you imagine," Chu Yuening said, her fair and slender fingers pinching together before looking at Qian Xiuyuan. "You're destined for wealth; you shouldn't lack money. Besides, your house of blessings is full, indicating that your parents have some financial stability."

"Baa... Baa what?" Qian Xiuyuan was confused. "My parents have financial stability? My family situation is terrible. Both my parents earn a living through hard labor, and we only have a dilapidated house in the countryside. No money, no surplus."

Chu Yuening shook her head. "Your property sector is also abundant, suggesting that your family doesn't lack a home. With money, food, and a house, it means that you actually... are a second-generation wealthy."

With a loud boom, everyone on the street, including Qian Xiuyuan, was stunned.

A young man, who could barely afford pickled vegetables and was so down on his luck that he slept under a bridge, was actually from a wealthy family? How could that be? Some neighbors wondered if Qian Xiuyuan had mistakenly provided the wrong birth chart, perhaps mixing it up with that of a wealthy heir. Qian Xiuyuan himself double-checked and was stunned when he confirmed there was no error. "Master, did you miscalculate? How could my family be wealthy? As far back as I can remember, we've never bought new furniture. My parents only get to enjoy meaty meals during festive seasons after doing manual labor." Nothing about his family's circumstances aligned with that of a prosperous household. "Your family is indeed wealthy," Chu Yuening paused for a moment before counting on her fingers. "In your childhood memories, do you recall your parents mentioning twice that they had to stay behind to help the boss at a restaurant, leaving you in the care of a neighbor, only to be away for half a month?"