Chapter 30: Preparing for the Journey Ahead
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The morning dew still clung to the petals in the residential complex when Li Yan completed his five-kilometer run, breathing evenly.
A week of sticking to his morning runs had left his body slightly warm, but not the least bit fatigued.
He stood beside the measuring rail outside the complex and ran his fingers over the mark indicating his height.
Seeing that the mark was just a little higher than before, he smiled faintly.
Sure enough, the reward promised by the system had not been empty talk. After completing the seven-day morning-running challenge, he had grown two centimeters taller.
To an ordinary person, two centimeters was nothing remarkable. To Li Yan, however, it was symbolic.
He had just graduated from high school and successfully been admitted to a prestigious university, where he would study advertising.
With university life about to begin, the increase in height gave him greater confidence in his appearance.
Just as he was returning home to wash up, the system notification sounded in his mind once more:
[New Mission: Prepare for university life and raise your personal standard to the fullest. Purchase items befitting your status. There is no upper limit; the final reward will be a return of one to three times the amount spent.]
Li Yan dried the sweat from his brow with a towel and looked at himself in the mirror. The system’s prompt did not surprise him.
Since his first year of high school, he had occasionally received missions from the Academic Prodigy System. Completing them earned him various rewards, allowing him to quietly accumulate hundreds of thousands—and nearly a million—yuan over the course of three years.
That money now lay safely in his bank account.
Now that the system had evolved into the Tycoon System, of course it came with this function as well.
“This is the perfect opportunity to spend the money and receive a return afterward. It’s practically an exceptional investment.”
He had already made up his mind. University would be a new stage of his life, and as an advertising major, he would often need to interact with people. It was necessary to raise the standard of his clothing and equipment.
Clothes, shoes, luggage, watches, and everyday accessories could not only reflect his personal taste but also give him greater confidence in future social situations and project negotiations.
Since that was the case, he might as well go on a thorough shopping spree.
But where should he go? The city he lived in had limited resources. It would be better to visit Green Island City, a coastal metropolis two hours away by high-speed train.
The city was lined with luxury boutiques and offered an elegant atmosphere. He could even take the opportunity to travel and relax.
After breakfast, Li Yan opened his phone and searched for the finest hotels and car-rental services in Green Island City.
This time, he wanted to experience the pleasure of driving. He had only recently obtained his license and wanted to enjoy the thrill of driving through an unfamiliar city.
Green Island City had several luxury-car rental companies. He chose one with good reviews and took a liking to its daily rental service for a 2023 Porsche 911 sports car.
The price was far from cheap: approximately 2,000 yuan per day, and with the deposit and insurance included, the total payment came to more than 10,000 yuan.
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He placed the order without hesitation. Since he would be reimbursed, there was no need to worry about such a small sum.
After arranging the car rental, he turned his attention to hotels.
The seaside five-star hotels in Green Island City were expensive, so he went straight for one of the finest suites. An ocean-view suite cost 12,000 yuan per night and came with private butler service.
Two nights would cost 24,000 yuan.
He thought that this was only the beginning. The real expense would come from shopping for luxury goods.
Once everything was prepared, he booked a first-class ticket on the high-speed train departing the following morning. At around 700 yuan, the ticket was expensive, but it would provide him with a more comfortable journey.
With more than a million yuan waiting to be spent, he had no reason to care about such minor expenses.
That evening, he said to his parents, “I’m going to Green Island City for two days tomorrow. I’ll buy some things for university while I’m there.”
His parents merely reminded him to stay safe. Knowing that their son was capable of taking care of himself, they did not interfere.
Early the next morning, Li Yan changed into a simple yet refined casual outfit: a beige linen shirt, brown casual trousers, and a clean pair of white sneakers.
There were no ostentatious logos, but the fabric and tailoring already gave him a touch of style.
On the way to the high-speed railway station, he spent thirty yuan on a taxi.
Before boarding, he bought a bottle of mineral water from a convenience store. The timing was perfect.
The first-class carriage was spacious, allowing him to enjoy the quiet beginning of his journey by himself.
Two hours later, he arrived at Green Island City Station.
The moment he stepped outside, a fresh sea breeze greeted him.
Li Yan walked out of the station entrance, pulling a modest luggage bag behind him. An employee from the car-rental company he had booked in advance was already waiting outside.
After paying the deposit and service fee, he received the car keys. A silver-gray 2023 Porsche 911 sat quietly in the parking lot.
Its sleek body gleamed beneath the sunlight, filling him with satisfaction.
He started the engine and set off. The steering wheel felt solid in his hands, while the acceleration was smooth and effortless.
He slowly drove out of the parking lot, confidence welling up inside him. How liberating it was to cruise through a foreign city in a 911.
Li Yan settled into the driver’s seat and gripped the steering wheel, feeling a little excited.
This was the first time he had driven such a high-end sports car.
It was also his first real driving experience.
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Besides, he had always been somewhat interested in Porsche, so naturally he wanted to study the car in greater detail.
After all, he already had the Tycoon System. How could he call himself a tycoon if he did not buy a car upon entering university?
He would head to the hotel and drop off his luggage first.
He set the navigation to the Green Island Bay Peninsula Hotel, said to be one of the most luxurious seaside hotels in the city.
The drive took a little over twenty minutes. With the convertible top down and a breeze carrying what seemed like the scent of the sea, he arrived at the hotel.
The hotel looked like a gigantic white sailboat, while the fountain before the entrance shimmered brilliantly.
A valet opened his door, and a bellhop used a luggage cart to carry his small bag into the lobby.
The receptionist smiled. “Mr. Li, welcome to your ocean-view suite. The total for two nights is 24,000 yuan, at 12,000 yuan per night. The deposit has already been paid. Please confirm.”
Li Yan paid the remaining balance by card, and the check-in process was completed with ease.
His private butler escorted him to the room. It featured a vast living room, a blue bay visible through the floor-to-ceiling windows, and a balcony furnished with wicker chairs and a coffee table. The bedroom was separate from the living room, and the suite also came with a private dressing room and a luxurious bathroom.
A sense of ease and composure arose within him.
Li Yan changed into comfortable shorts and a shirt, brewed himself a cup of the floral tea provided by the hotel, and sat on the terrace, gazing at the sea in silence for a while.
Then he decided to spend the afternoon casually exploring the city instead of rushing into shopping.
He would try a local restaurant that evening and devote the entire next day to shopping, spending all the money in one go.
After retrieving the car from the hotel, he drove the 911 slowly along the coastal boulevard.
The city’s architecture was modern and fashionable, its roadside trees neatly arranged, and its streets lined with cafés, bookstores, and creative handicraft shops.
He parked at a commercial pedestrian street, where underground parking cost 100 yuan for the night. Then he entered a dessert shop and ordered a slice of berry cheesecake and an iced Americano, paying 120 yuan in total.
Compared with the enormous sums he planned to spend, this was pocket change, yet it made life feel more vivid and ordinary.
Sitting by the dessert shop window, he studied the map on his phone and marked the luxury shopping district he planned to visit the next day: the Coast International Luxury Center.
The complex brought together such top brands as Louis Vuitton, Dior, Chanel, Hermes, Rolex, and Rimowa.
After leaving the dessert shop, he stopped by a handicraft store and spent 500 yuan on an exquisite hand-painted porcelain cup to take home as a souvenir for his mother.
Although he intended to buy her a more expensive gift the next day, a small handmade item like this carried a warmer, more personal touch.
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