"Congratulations to the host for enjoying the luxury car rental service, with a total expenditure of 133,888. A reward of 1,338,800 is refunded.
The host’s remaining funds total 119,460,000."
Since luxury car rentals require advance payment, once Li Jing signed the contract and completed the transfer, the familiar system prompt appeared in his mind.
Seeing another income of over a million, Li Jing’s lips curled up slightly. He then looked at Bao Tao, who had a respectful smile on his face, and said, "I still need to go to the high-speed rail station to pick someone up this afternoon—when will your car and driver be ready?"
"It’s already been arranged for you. In about half an hour, our professional driver will be arriving with three white Bentleys at the hotel where you are staying."
As he spoke, Bao Tao immediately took out a small card, saying, "This card has the contact information for our drivers, and I’ve marked the three drivers who will be serving you."
Li Jing took the card, just glanced at it casually, and then handed it to An Tong beside him. "You can contact them later."
An Tong quickly took the card and carefully recorded all three drivers’ numbers on her phone.
Seeing this, Zhang Xinxin extended her neck and also wrote down the drivers’ numbers, afraid that An Tong might outshine her in front of Li Jing.
Watching the two beautiful women eagerly helping Li Jing, Bao Tao was both surprised and a bit envious.
After finishing his business, he wisely stood up, respectfully bade farewell to Li Jing, and then left the suite.
Seeing An Tong and Zhang Xinxin both starting to contact the drivers, Li Jing subconsciously glanced at his cousin, finding her sitting on the sofa with a complex expression, no longer her usual lively and carefree self.
Li Jing raised an eyebrow and laughed, "What, just renting a car left you dumbfounded?"
This time, Li Xiaoxiao didn’t retort jokingly like she usually did. Instead, she turned to Li Jing with a complex look in her eyes and said, "Brother, I knew you were making money, but I didn’t think it was this much."
Finding her expression a bit odd, Li Jing asked, "Why? Isn’t having more money good?"
"No... it just feels like there’s such a big gap from my everyday life that it doesn’t seem real."
A trace of bewilderment appeared in Li Xiaoxiao’s eyes. "The money you just spent so casually is equivalent to my family’s annual expenses. That feeling..."
As she spoke, she furrowed her brows and lowered her head. "I just can’t describe it—it’s like realizing the gap between people can be so vast. No matter how hard my parents try, they can’t imagine living a life like yours..."
Seeing her voice grow quieter, Li Jing first watched her quietly, then walked over and ruffled her hair, smiling:
"It’s normal for you to feel this way. You haven’t fully entered society yet, so it might be a bit overwhelming for you."
Li Jing sat down beside her, glanced at the luxury suite he was staying in, and said slowly, "When an ordinary person sees the stark wealth gap between themselves and the rich for the first time, they will experience some psychological fluctuations and changes more or less.
It’s not just you; when I first came to Celestial Sea City, seeing the contrast between here and home also stirred something inside me."
Upon hearing this, Li Xiaoxiao turned to look at Li Jing.
She noticed that he seemed different from before—not just his appearance, but his aura and attitude as well.
Sunlight streamed through the window, casting a gentle glow on Li Jing’s face and leaving Li Xiaoxiao a bit entranced.
"And upon feeling this wealth gap up close, many people feel small and powerless, especially those like you who are ambitious, realizing that no matter how hard you work, you may never reach such a level, potentially questioning the meaning of life."
Li Jing spoke, then turned to look at Li Xiaoxiao’s trembling eyes and smiled, "This is all normal, as this society isn’t completely fair. It’s an objective phenomenon born out of economic development that you can’t control or change."
Seeing her changing expression, Li Jing ruffled her hair, "Perhaps this is your very first lesson before entering society. Once you correctly recognize this gap, you just need to identify your strengths and compare yourself to yourself; there’s no need to think about anything else.
This society is . It’s not about making it adapt to you, but you adapting to society."
After hearing this, Li Xiaoxiao fell silent.
An Tong and Zhang Xinxin, who had finished their calls, also lowered their gazes thoughtfully, as if recalling changes they experienced after entering society.
A moment later, An Tong gradually smiled, walked to Li Xiaoxiao’s side, and comforted her: "Xiaoxiao, don’t worry, it’s most important to determine your goals early and work hard to achieve them. As for how much money those rich people have, it doesn’t actually affect our lives much."
Zhang Xinxin also came forward, nonchalantly saying, "Xiaoxiao, it’s your cousin who’s wealthy, not your arch-enemy. Why are you so worried? If it really doesn’t work out, just figure out how to milk him for some benefits."
With everyone coming to comfort her, Li Xiaoxiao looked up and smiled gratefully. After taking a deep breath, she earnestly said to Li Jing, "Brother, I’m fine. I’ve decided that I’ll just focus on being myself, regardless of how much money others have—it has nothing to do with me."
Li Jing watched as her eyes once again became bright and nodded with a smile, "As long as you’re okay."
Having moved past her emotional turmoil, Li Xiaoxiao looked at Li Jing curiously and asked, "Brother, how did you make this money? How did you suddenly make so much?"
As soon as the question was asked, An Tong and Zhang Xinxin both showed slight reactions and discreetly perked up their ears, focusing their attention on Li Jing.
Li Jing had expected this question and naturally replied, "These years, I’ve been investing with friends, starting ventures, playing stocks as well as futures and forex. I’ve been quite lucky and made quite a bit."
Upon hearing this response, perhaps still due to a lack of understanding, or some subconscious influence of the system, the three did not show much skepticism and accepted the answer.
Li Jing continued, "Xiaoxiao, if my parents ask, remember to help explain."
"Don’t worry, I’ll handle explaining to the family. I’ll just say you’re a big boss. They don’t understand and won’t ask much."
Having said this, Li Xiaoxiao seemed to remember something, then said, "Oh, by the way, brother, Aunt won’t be coming this time, did you know?"
"Aunt’s not coming?" Li Jing was surprised, clearly unaware of this news.
"Yes, something came up at her place, so she can’t make it. It was my dad who told me today."
Li Xiaoxiao explained, "This time it’s just your parents and my dad, as well as Sister Qin coming."
Li Jing furrowed his brow, "Who? I don’t recall anyone in the family with the name Qin."
"You’ve probably met her before."
Li Xiaoxiao attempted to jog his memory, "She’s my mom’s niece. I heard she wanted to come to Celestial Sea City for a visit, so my dad brought her along. She’s about a year younger than you, and when she was studying, she stayed at my house for a year. You had interactions with her back then."
Seeing Li Jing still frowning with an expression of not remembering, Li Xiaoxiao tilted her head, then clapped excitedly and said:
"Oh! Do you remember? She’s fair-skinned and pretty, the class beauty. Back then, there were boys coming to my house to confess to her. She even stayed at your place for a day to avoid one of them, remember?"
Hearing this, Li Jing paused, his eyes widening slightly, as a memory of a fair, lovely young girl came to him.
Li Jing recalled that summer when she hid at his house, and he was captivated by her beauty, especially her eyes that seemed to hold an entire starry sky, leaving a deep impression.
So much so that afterward, Li Jing tried looking for her a few times, but once she left Li Xiaoxiao’s house, they never saw each other again.
He always felt it was a pity, as that day spent with her was a rare beautiful memory in his growing up.
He didn’t expect her to come. After all these years, he wondered what kind of person she had become.