The sun dipped low in the sky, casting long shadows across the school courtyard. Students flooded out of classrooms, their laughter and chatter mixing into the warm summer air.
Bai Chen stood nervously near the old stone bench under the camphor tree, gripping a small, carefully wrapped gift box in his trembling hands.
His palms were sweaty.
He had skipped lunch for weeks. Sold his old bicycle. Took on every odd job he could find.
All of that, just to afford this necklace — a silver piece shaped like a blooming lily. It wasn't expensive by rich standards, but for him, it was everything.
Today was her birthday.
Liu Yuxi — the school flower. His girlfriend of one year.
At least… that's what he thought she still was.
"Yuxi… I got this for you," Bai Chen said softly, holding the box forward like it weighed a thousand pounds.
She stood a few feet away, surrounded by her friends, her phone in hand, a bored expression on her beautiful face.
Her long lashes fluttered as she glanced at the gift.
Then, she laughed.
It wasn't shy or gentle. It was cold, mocking, and venomously loud.
"Seriously, Bai Chen? This is your big surprise?" she said, lips curled with disdain. "You spent three months working like a dog… just to buy me a cheap trinket like this?"
Her friends burst into giggles, their voices crueler than daggers.
"Oh my god, is that even real silver?"
"He probably bought it off a street vendor!"
"Trash gift from a trash boyfriend."
Bai Chen's face turned pale. The sting of their words cut deeper than any wound. But Liu Yuxi wasn't done.
She stepped forward, lifted the box, and tossed it onto the ground.
Clink!
The necklace shattered on the pavement.
"I'm done pretending. We're over, Bai Chen," she said coldly. "You can't give me the life I want. You're just a broke loser who'll never succeed."
Gasps erupted around them. Other students had stopped to watch. Phones were out. Cameras recording.
A public breakup.
A humiliation.
"You're worthless," she said with finality, brushing past him.
And then—arm in arm—she walked away with Zhao Ming, the arrogant rich heir from Class 1-A.
Bai Chen stood frozen, fists clenched, his heart torn open.
Something inside him snapped.
He turned, running blindly into the sunset, the sound of laughter echoing behind him.
[SYSTEM INITIALIZING…]
DING!
[Congratulations, Host!]
[You have met the conditions for the Shenhao System to activate!]
[Trigger: Humiliation, Heartbreak, Betrayal]
[System Binding… Completed.]
"W-What…?" Bai Chen stumbled to a stop in the alley behind the school, blinking.
[Welcome, Bai Chen, to the Shenhao Life Advancement System.]
[Your rise begins now.]
A glowing golden screen hovered before his eyes, like something from a sci-fi movie.
[Daily Login Reward: ¥10,000 received.]
[First Task: Make ¥10,000 in 10 minutes. Bonus: Luxury item unlocked.]
"Is this… real?" he whispered.
His phone buzzed.
Balance: ¥10,000 credited.
Bai Chen stared in disbelief.
For the first time in his life… he wasn't powerless anymore.
A storm was brewing.
And he would no longer bow to anyone.