Holy sh*t?!
This system… actually has a hidden achievement mechanism?
Shen Miaomiao was stunned!
Was this some kind of compensation for her two failed rebate attempts?
Wait—no.
After rereading the system prompt, Shen Miaomiao understood.
Actually, the Investment Rebate System was designed to encourage successful investments.
The system’s main function was to safeguard her investments, to make sure that even if she failed, she wouldn’t completely crash and burn.
In other words, this system was basically a safety net.
But so what?!
Shen Miaomiao shrugged and curled her lip, wearing an expression that screamed: “Yeah, I’m shameless. You got a problem with that?”
She’d already had two successful investments—yet both combined hadn’t earned her as much as one single failed investment with a rebate.
You only live once, right?
Go big or go home! Bet small, win small! Bet wild, get a freakin' Land Rover!
Riding a loss into profit—that’s the real hustle!
With that in mind, Shen Miaomiao pulled up the [Settlement Time Reduction Card] in her mind.
On the card, it read:
[Description: Upon use, this card will randomly reduce settlement time.]
The instructions were simple.
But the tiny line of fine print beneath it caught her attention:
[(Note: If settlement is successful, it may affect the achievement determination process. Use with caution.)]
She reread it a couple more times, then nodded to herself.
If her guess was right, achievement rewards from the system were all tied to successful investments.
One successful investment unlocked “First Pot of Gold.”
Two unlocked another milestone… and from there: ten, twenty, a hundred… progressing step by step.
But the moment she failed and triggered a rebate, the achievement counter probably reset.
Which meant—
her earlier hunch had been spot-on.
The system’s original intent was to encourage successful investing—not throwing in the towel! Not going full flop-mode!
Tch.
Shen Miaomiao snorted disdainfully.
Seriously, this system totally underestimated the determination of a true couch potato.
You really think I’d ignore the big fat payouts from failing just to scrape together some petty success cash?
Success? My a*!
I’m a full-on gambling gremlin!!!
With that thought—
Shen Miaomiao used the Time Reduction Card without a second of hesitation.
In an instant—
the card turned to golden light and vanished in her consciousness.
Then—ding!
A crisp chime rang out in her mind:
[Ding! You have successfully used the Settlement Time Reduction Card!]
[Random reduction complete. Your next investment settlement time has been shortened by—]
[15 days, 22 hours, and 59 minutes!]
WHAT THE FK?!**
Shen Miaomiao gasped.
A whole 15 days shaved off?!
No wait—technically 15 days and 23 hours!
That means she could greenlight a project, lose money immediately, and get her rebate on the spot?!
Just thinking about it got her hyped.
She grabbed her phone, ready to call Gu Sheng and tell him to launch a project—any project—and just dump a few hundred thousand into it.
That way, her account would instantly balloon by millions!
However—
The system, sensing her little scheme, promptly issued another warning:
[(Note: The reduced time must be less than the estimated rebate settlement period for the project. Otherwise, it may cause errors and system failure.)]
Shen Miaomiao: “…”
Figures money wouldn’t be that easy to lose.
She grimaced awkwardly and scratched her head, then began rethinking how best to use those 15 days and 23 hours.
At this point, the smartest move seemed to be taking part in the YiYou Mini Game Development Festival that Chu Qingzhou had just mentioned.
According to the system’s projection, if their project was entered into the festival, the rebate settlement time would be 30 days.
And if she used her Time Reduction Card—
that would chop off exactly 15 days and 23 hours.
Plus, the platform would provide a 14-day free trial period for all new entries…
That left a final duration of: 1 hour.
Oh hell yes.
Shen Miaomiao’s eyebrows shot up.
That meant the actual settlement time for the project would only be one hour.
Let’s go, baby!!!
After running the numbers, Shen Miaomiao was absolutely thrilled.
She practically jumped off the bed with excitement!
One hour to burn through cash?!
No matter how good Gu Sheng’s game was—even with streamers hyping it up—there was no way they’d break even in just one hour.
This one right here—
This move’s a straight-up jackpot!!!
With her mind made up, Shen Miaomiao immediately called Chu Qingzhou back and confirmed on the spot:
“Chuchu-jie! Call YiYou Platform right now!”
Shen Miaomiao was practically glowing with confidence—no longer moping like some tragic figure.
She was like an electrified warrior holding a pitchfork under moonlight—eyes blazing.
“Just tell them we’re honored to receive the invite, and we’ll definitely be participating in the game festival!”
Meanwhile—
As Shen Miaomiao was riding high and ready to roll,
in the Vice President’s Office of Xingmang Games, a voice was thundering just as loudly—
“You’re bringing this trash report to me?!”
SMACK—!!
A printed sales report landed hard on the desk, the sharp sound making the man across from it flinch.
Behind the desk sat a chubby, balding middle-aged man, nostrils flaring in fury.
“Fantasy Conquest! That’s one hell of an IP! It dominated YiYou’s best-seller chart for three whole months!”
“And this sequel is this much of a disaster?!”
“You got your a** handed to you by a glitched-out garbage game by fifteen freakin’ grand?!”
“Jiang Yun, a lot of people told me you’d lost your edge. I didn’t believe them.”
“I gave this IP back to you, trusted you to carry it forward—”
“And this is how you repay me?!”
A full-on tongue-lashing.
The man named Jiang Yun opened his mouth to speak—but then thought better of it.
He had nothing to say.
Yes, the original Fantasy Conquest that once took the platform by storm was his brainchild.
And it was that game that made his name—earning him a place among the top game designers in Huaxia.
But Jiang Yun wasn’t one to coast on past glory.
After his success, he’d tried to shift gears—wanted to develop a new action-adventure title.
But the company had shot him down cold.
Their reasoning?
Why waste time on risky new projects when they could just milk the sequel cash cow?
And that wasn’t the worst of it.
Vice President Chen Hang—greedy to his core—had doubled down.
He gutted the original design:
Characters that were originally earned through combat? Now locked behind a gacha system.
Maps that were once unlocked by exploration? Now only available via a first-time purchase.
Flashy awakening skills? Stripped out and sold separately as “premium effects.”
The failure of Fantasy Conquest 2?
Jiang Yun had seen it coming a mile away.
So now—he had nothing to argue.
He could only sigh and nod.
“I didn’t do well enough. I’m sorry, President Chen.”
Just like always,
Jiang Yun chose to swallow his pride.
Because the truth was—
he didn’t want to leave, and he couldn’t leave Xingmang.