This guy once pulled the audacious stunt of shouting “It’s on me!” in the school cafeteria—he was absolutely outrageous.

“Old Carter, no need to feel bad. There must be at least eighty, if not a hundred, people who’ve been rejected by Sophie Clark. I’ll buy you a soda later.”

The second speaker was a chubby, bespectacled guy, considered William Carter’s best friend from high school, named David Harris.

William Carter ignored Andrew Bennett’s teasing and instead looked at David Harris with some emotion, patting him on the shoulder with one hand.

“Old Harris, your legs are still here, huh? It’s really something to see you standing up.”

“?????”

After packing up and leaving the school, William Carter rode his bike south.

To be honest, having a young body is really great—no fatigue, no soreness, you only know if you’ve experienced it.

If it were before his rebirth, let alone riding a bike, he’d be out of breath just walking a few steps.

But now it’s different. With a physique like this, if he went to a factory to screw bolts, he could probably earn himself an apartment.

He pedaled faster and faster as he looked at the Olympic-themed slogans along the road, reveling in the vitality of this youthful body.

Wow, even his hair could flutter in the wind—what a long-lost feeling!

Half an hour later, he arrived at the Fanhuali Community in the north of the city.

The buildings here were already dark and dingy, the paint on the walls peeling off like a skin disease, and the whole neighborhood didn’t even have a proper gate—just a barrier to restrict vehicles. Looking in from the entrance, the first thing you saw wasn’t the unit doors, but a bunch of makeshift storage sheds.

If he remembered correctly, this was the first batch of old neighborhoods in the city to be slated for demolition. The official demolition notice would be issued in July this year, and to show their determination for the redevelopment project, the government had already distributed all the compensation funds by October.

His third uncle’s brother-in-law lived here. As soon as he got the money, his whole demeanor changed—he started smoking Zhonghua cigarettes and bragged about buying a Mercedes.

But in the end, he never got the Mercedes. Instead, his two sons started fighting. The younger one wanted half the money to marry a new wife, and the older one wanted half to marry someone else’s ex-wife.

The two of them ended up beating each other bloody. The younger one said, “Big bro, you’re marrying a second-hand one and you still want half—how is that fair?”

The older one got furious: “I’m marrying an older one and getting a younger one as a bonus—how am I not better than you?!”

He wanted to buy.

Looking at this old neighborhood, William Carter couldn’t help but drool.

But there was a serious problem—he didn’t have any money.

How much money could a fresh high school graduate possibly have? He had enough coins for ice cream, but buying a house was out of the question.

William Carter felt a bit regretful, as if countless little bills were rolling past him, only to vanish without a trace.

He really didn’t have the ability to scrape together a lump sum of seed money in a short time, so there was very little he could do.

Buying property was unrealistic, and he didn’t have the capital for stock investments either.

That’s the downside of not having a system—even if you have a head full of good ideas, without money, it’s hard to take the first step.

Did I get a fake rebirth or what?

Just then, William Carter suddenly saw a bus pull up ahead. Sophie Clark got off, her floral dress swaying in the wind.

As soon as she got off, she saw William Carter. Her expression was first surprised, then she snorted and lifted her chin, as if waiting for something.

But to her surprise, William Carter just nodded politely, took one last longing look at the community across the street, and then rode away down the street.

A breeze lifted the corner of her skirt, leaving only endless astonishment and confusion beneath the bus stop sign.

Chapter 3: Making Money Really Isn’t Easy

After leaving Fanhuali Community, William Carter headed straight home.

A 120-square-meter, three-bedroom apartment, living room on the left, kitchen on the right—almost all of William Carter’s fondest memories were here.

His mother, Ms. Yvonne Cooper, was wearing an apron and cooking, the chopping board making loud thuds—definitely meat, and the kind with bones.

His father, John Carter, was sitting on the sofa reading the newspaper, humming “Clouds of My Hometown,” his slippers dangling from his toes.

Feeling this familiar warmth, William Carter couldn’t help but get a little emotional.

After drifting in Shenzhen for so many years, he was really just a rootless duckweed. The roots that raised him were here, so this place was home—irreplaceable by anywhere else.

Especially seeing his parents suddenly young again—what a strange and wonderful feeling.

“I’m back!”

John Carter squinted at him: “Finished the exams?”

Ms. Yvonne Cooper poked her head out of the kitchen: “How’d it go? Confident?”

“One foot’s already in the door of a top university.”

“You brat, talking so big—are you serious?” Ms. Yvonne Cooper eyed him skeptically.

John Carter, on the other hand, was supportive: “If he dares to talk big, he must have some confidence. Tonight, you and I will have a good drink!”

William Carter waved his hand and refused: “Dad, I’ve decided—I want to start a business during summer break. I can’t waste any time.”

“Start a business?”

“Means making money.”

Ms. Yvonne Cooper thought for a moment: “Then after dinner, you can wash the dishes. Five yuan per dish, ten for a pot.”