Chapter 4: I bet you'll lose! Just wait until you become my lover!

"Little Uncle! It wasn't a fraudulent transaction..." Chang Lu explained while walking out of the computer lab.

"Yes! It was borrowed by a classmate of mine."

"He traded two pizzas for ten thousand Bitcoins."

"Little Uncle, didn't you just graduate from UPenn's business school..."

"And aren't you currently using the money the eldest uncle gave you to search the world for investment projects?"

"Why don't you take a look at this Bitcoin thing?"

"Bitcoin? Never heard of it. Lulu, let me tell you! The internet is too developed these days, and there are many scammers online."

"I think this classmate of yours must have been deceived. Fortunately, it wasn't much money, but next time you must be careful not to let people use your credit card so easily."

Across the ocean, Zhao Qitian spoke to Chang Lu with great seriousness.

"Zhao! What's wrong? Is there some trouble? Was the credit card you got for your niece really stolen?"

Beside Zhao Qitian, his classmate and partner, Jack, asked with concern.

"No! Her classmate borrowed it. It’s funny—he traded two pizzas for ten thousand Bitcoins. The moment I heard that concept, I knew it was a bubble scam, much like the tulip mania."

Zhao Qitian recounted it to Jack as if it were a joke.

"Bitcoin? What is that? Let me search for it. It sounds quite interesting; I think there’s a lot of room for imagination. Perhaps it’s a good investment target."

At this time, even in the United States—a country supposedly "free, open, and inclusive"—few people knew about or understood Bitcoin. Especially the "old money" on Wall Street, who worked in traditional financial investment; they were naturally skeptical, wary, and resistant toward internet finance and innovation.

But Jack was different. He had majored in computer science at MIT for his undergraduate degree before attending UPenn for business school. After a brief search and some understanding, Jack’s eyes lit up, and he let out a cheer.

"Wow! Zhao, this is absolutely incredible. The design of this Bitcoin—Satoshi Nakamoto must be a genius. And your niece's classmate, he definitely has visionary foresight and excellent luck. I’m certain that the pizza transaction he made today will go down in history and become a sensational event."

Amidst Jack’s excitement, Zhao Qitian immediately sat up straight and used his computer to look up the relevant information.

A few minutes later, he asked, half-doubting: "Jack, if that’s the case, Bitcoin shouldn't be a scam. Could we try including Bitcoin as part of our new company's investment portfolio?"

"Of course! And not just a part. I think we should continue to pay close attention to this decentralized cryptocurrency. It’s just too cool!"

...

Because she hadn't hung up the phone, Chang Lu heard all of this, her expression one of disbelief. She hadn't expected Huo Qitai’s vision to be so advanced—could Bitcoin really be that valuable? After all, even her little uncle’s partner, who hadn't noticed Bitcoin before, was now optimistic about its prospects upon learning of it, acknowledging Huo Qitai’s foresight.

...

Meanwhile, in a girls' dormitory at Tsinghua University in Beijing, Lan Youyou, a Yao girl from a village in Xiangxi, was using her roommate Ling Tianyue’s laptop. She was checking the question she had posted on "Baidu Zhidao" two days ago: "How should a college student manage three thousand yuan?" After all, the later-famous "Zhihu" hadn't even begun its internal testing yet. The most common Q&A platform for netizens was still "Baidu Zhidao."

"Huh? Buy Bitcoin? What is this?" Lan Youyou blinked her bright, watery eyes, a hint of confusion flashing beneath her long lashes. She turned to ask Ling Tianyue, who had just rushed back from outside, "Yueyue, do you know about Bitcoin? Someone online is teaching me to invest three thousand yuan in Bitcoin, saying I can make a fortune later."

"Never heard of it. There are many scammers online; don't believe it, don't get tricked. Move aside, the novel I'm following, *I Can Report Everything*, has updated. Let me finish reading it first, then you can use it..."

No one would imagine that these two beauties from the 2009 class of Tsinghua's School of Humanities, who acted as cold, unapproachable campus goddesses to the outside world, were quite different inside the dorm... One was a bit silly and adorable, while the other was as fiery and passionate as a flame.

However, when Ling Tianyue clicked on the novel page, eager to see the latest chapter, she froze completely. A moment later, Ling Tianyue slammed the keyboard in a rage: "You damn author! I'm going to kill you!"

"Yueyue, what's wrong? Isn't this the novel you like most? It updated, why are you so angry?" Lan Youyou curiously leaned in to look, only to see the latest chapter on the screen read:

*Grand Finale*

*To deal with the upcoming crisis, Xu Yan woke up early today to prepare. When he saw his incredibly handsome reflection in the bronze mirror... he was completely shocked by his own appearance, and then felt a strong sense of suffocation. In the end, he stopped breathing; Xu Yan was rendered dead by how handsome he was in the mirror.*

*[End of Book]*

"This..." After reading it, Lan Youyou parted her thin lips slightly, speechless to the point of shock. "That's the ending?"

"No! I can't swallow this! Even if I have to fly to the heavens or burrow into the earth, I will find this damn author and kill him!!!!"

Driven mad with anger, Ling Tianyue no longer looked like a brilliant Tsinghua campus goddess or an ice queen. She clenched her tiny pink fists, her high chest heaving with fury. Squinting, she stared at the author's name, "Bi Huo," grinding her teeth in frustration.

...

Back at the Jian'an No. 1 High School computer lab, Chang Lu, after finishing her call, saw Xue Xiaoshan pointing at the computer screen in front of Huo Qitai, laughing until he was doubled over.

"Quick... Lulu! Come look! It turns out Brother Tai has been hiding from us, writing novels on the internet as a great author!" Xue Xiaoshan laughed, clutching his stomach. "He just wrote the finale for that novel, *I Can Report Everything*. The protagonist wakes up, looks in the mirror, and dies from his own handsomeness. It’s absurd to the point of insanity! Hahahaha..."

"Pfft! You can end a story like that? Won't the readers go crazy?" Chang Lu laughed, too.

Huo Qitai, however, just shrugged with a smile and said, "I only wrote a few novels before to make money for rent. Now that I'm done writing, I had to give my dear readers some closure, right?"

"You're really done? Brother Tai, haven't you always had a literary dream, aspiring to be a great writer since you were a kid?" Xue Xiaoshan asked.

"Done! I have more important things to do." Waving his hand, Huo Qitai turned off the computer and stood up. He thought to himself: *Now that I've been reborn, who would be stupid enough to write novels!* Not to mention anything else, just the ten thousand Bitcoins he had just bought—Huo Qitai could do nothing, and by the end of 2024, when Bitcoin hits one hundred thousand dollars, he would be worth a cool billion dollars. Even the most profitable and hardworking author, making an average of one hundred million a year, would take eighty or ninety years to earn a billion dollars. Writing books and typing away for money is just too miserable!

Speaking of Bitcoin, Chang Lu said excitedly, "Qitai, my little uncle hadn't heard of Bitcoin either and thought it was a scam. But his partner, a very brilliant financial genius, said your vision is excellent and that Bitcoin will definitely be very valuable in the future."

"Holy cow, really? Brother Tai, that’s amazing! Your vision is better than American financial experts!" Xue Xiaoshan was also stunned. He knew Chang Lu’s uncle was a UPenn business school graduate—a top-tier finance student—and that he surrounded himself with geniuses from the American financial world. It seemed Brother Tai’s purchase of Bitcoin was truly based on foresight, not just a joke.

"Any disruptive new thing is not accepted or understood by ordinary people when it is first born. Only a few geniuses can capture and discover such opportunities. Qitai, I believe you are such a genius. Don't be hindered by the difficulties in front of you; your future is absolutely limitless." Chang Lu’s eyes shone with adoration as she looked at Huo Qitai.

"Right! Brother Tai, you know me; I’ve believed in you since we were kids. I’m sticking with you—take us to the top later." Xue Xiaoshan patted his chest and said with a grin.

"Lulu, Shanzi, I am very fortunate and very grateful to have you both by my side. I also believe that our future is promising; it will be good, very good." Huo Qitai nodded, and the three of them walked outside together. Huo Qitai and Xue Xiaoshan had been classmates since kindergarten, their bond unbreakable. Chang Lu joined them in middle school, forming a very stable "iron triangle."

...

"I'm dying of laughter! Mengmeng, that Huo Qitai is really trying hard, starting to think about making money now. Helping foreigners order pizza online and earning the difference or a tip? It’s pathetic that he thinks he can become a billionaire like this. Besides, everything online is virtual, and he's helping people order pizza with real money. He better not get scammed while counting the money for others! I don't know where he gets the confidence to tell you to meet at Peking University. I just heard someone say he filled out his application for fun. He only applied for Peking University; he's determined to repeat his final year of high school."

On the other side, Zhang Ting, following Liu Ruyu down the stairs, chattered on about Huo Qitai. Seeing that Liu Ruyu was a bit distracted, she fawned, "Mengmeng, I also applied for Capital Normal University, so we can see each other often in Beijing."

Liu Ruyu, who was currently playing the role of her sister, quickened her pace. She was truly annoyed by Zhang Ting, that chirping little sparrow. However, her sister’s personality was cold and detached, and to maintain this persona, she had to keep a straight face and endure it. If it were her original self, she would have kicked Zhang Ting into the lake nearby.

However, hearing that Huo Qitai was really messing with his applications and preparing to repeat his year to aim for Peking University, she bit her lip and frowned slightly: "No wonder Huo Qitai doesn't look sad; he hasn't really given up on Mengmeng in his heart? Is he really turning grief into motivation? Does he really think he can fulfill that 'lover's agreement'? Why is he so stubborn? He seemed to have performed exceptionally well in this year's college entrance exam. If he really ends up repeating because of this agreement and doesn't do well next year, Mengmeng might blame me."

Thinking of this, Liu Ruyu shook off Zhang Ting and hurried to catch up with Huo Qitai and the others.

"Wait... a moment, Huo Qitai!" Just as she shouted "Wait," Liu Ruyu quickly softened her voice. Her cold sister wouldn't shout like that on the street.

"Brother Tai, it's the class monitor! Could she be regretting the breakup and want to reconcile with you at light speed?" Xue Xiaoshan tactfully pushed Huo Qitai and pulled Chang Lu aside, leaving space for the two.

"Do you have something else to say?" Squinting, Huo Qitai scanned Liu Ruyu from head to toe with a look that seemed to see through everything. Such an unscrupulous gaze made Liu Ruyu very uncomfortable. But she had to pretend to be shy and coy. Slightly softening her voice, she spoke to Huo Qitai in a tone that even gave her goosebumps: "Don't be stubborn, okay? Huo Qitai, wasting a year repeating for me isn't worth it."

"Who said I'm repeating for you?"

"Even if you get into Peking University next year, we... there's no possibility." Liu Ruyu said cruelly again.

"We've already broken up. Now, how I fill out my applications, whether I repeat or not, and what university I end up at—that shouldn't have anything to do with you anymore, right?" Staring tightly into Liu Ruyu’s eyes, Huo Qitai’s mind drifted back to the night before his rebirth, on the campus of Peking University, where his heart had died and he had left in disgrace.

"It has nothing to do with me, but you..." Liu Ruyu pretended to be weak on the surface, but her little fists were clenched tightly. She wanted nothing more than to punch Huo Qitai in the face, knock him down, and stomp on him for being such a good actor.

"As long as it has nothing to do with you! Goodbye! Ex-girlfriend." Turning around with a carefree wave, Huo Qitai seemed to be bidding farewell to his own green and beautiful youth.

*Damn it, he's so good at acting! He must be heartbroken inside, yet he pretends to be so indifferent. How could Mengmeng fall for such a jerk...* Faced with a Huo Qitai who didn't play by the rules, all the arguments Liu Ruyu had prepared in her heart became useless.

"Oh! Right!" Just as Liu Ruyu was feeling annoyed, Huo Qitai turned back and pressed forward. His stern profile made Liu Ruyu feel as if a sharp blade was coming at her.

"Ah? What are you doing again?" Before today, Liu Ruyu had never been this close to a man... Her heartbeat quickened again, her breathing became rapid, and a blush crept onto her face. This feeling was truly annoying; Liu Ruyu’s legs tightened involuntarily, her hands gripped the corner of her skirt so hard that thin beads of sweat appeared on her palms.

*Ahhh... why is my heart beating so fast again! No! It can't beat this hard, Mengmeng will sense it. What if it triggers Mengmeng's illness again?*

She bit her lips hard, forcing herself to be calm, trying to slow down her breathing and the rapid beating of her heart. Her large, watery eyes blinked rapidly as she looked at Huo Qitai, terrified of being kissed again.

But Huo Qitai only leaned into her ear and said confidently: "We have broken up, ex-girlfriend! But I bet you will lose. Just wait to be my lover!"

After saying this, ignoring Liu Ruyu—who was left standing there feeling both "disappointed" and angry—he walked away stylishly back to Xue Xiaoshan and Chang Lu.