Chapter 2: What Is Dignity Before Money?

When Lin Xiao collapsed earlier, there was already a crowd gathered around him—students from Xuncheng First High School. Most of them knew who Lin Xiao was; after all, he was somewhat of a celebrity at the school. Of course, his fame wasn’t due to academic excellence, but rather to his shameless devotion.

Lin Xiao was fully aware of this irony: years of being top of the class drew little attention, but a single act of groveling made him infamous overnight. Who could have imagined that Lin Xiao, renowned as Liu Ruoyan’s loyal sycophant, would slap her so suddenly and fiercely? It was a scandal of epic proportions.

“Damn, am I dreaming? The super lapdog actually slapped Liu Ruoyan? Is this for real?”
“Bro, I can hardly believe it myself, but it’s absolutely true!”
“I think that slap was well deserved—Liu Ruoyan’s behavior really crossed the line!”
“Let’s not be so quick to judge. People always strive upward—if it were me, I’d choose Ji Boxiao too.”
…
The stares and chatter made Liu Ruoyan feel even more humiliated; a small fireball flickered into existence in her palm. He dared to hit her—this wouldn’t end so easily.

Lin Xiao sensed danger immediately, his eyes locked onto the fireball in Liu Ruoyan’s hand. So this was the supernatural power of this world? Though the fireball didn’t look particularly lethal, Lin Xiao knew that if he were struck by it, he wouldn’t come out unscathed.

Just then, a tall man—just over one meter seventy—pushed through the crowd. His appearance was quite ordinary, even bordering on unattractive, but his clothes were all designer brands, clearly marking him as wealthy.

The man assessed the situation as soon as he arrived and quickly moved to Liu Ruoyan’s side.
“Ruoyan, what’s going on? Is this guy bothering you again?”
Lin Xiao looked at the newcomer and instantly recognized him: Ji Boxiao, the only student at Xuncheng First High School to awaken an S-class wind ability.

Ji Boxiao, celebrated for his S-class power, was a star in Xuncheng. With his father as the city’s richest man, money was never an issue; he was notorious for his indulgence. He had pursued Liu Ruoyan for some time, and she had long been tempted—though he was unattractive, his wealth was undeniable.

Yet, to maintain her image, she hadn’t accepted his advances, stringing him along instead. This only fueled Ji Boxiao’s competitive spirit, making his pursuit even more relentless. After the awakening ceremony, Liu Ruoyan felt the time had come.

Especially since Lin Xiao had only awakened the weakest F-class ability, she didn’t hesitate to break up with him and throw herself into Ji Boxiao’s embrace.

Seeing Ji Boxiao arrive, Liu Ruoyan immediately dispersed the fireball in her hand.
“Boxiao, you’re finally here! This guy not only harassed me—he even hit me! You have to stand up for me!”

Her voice, once cold, now turned syrupy sweet, sending chills down everyone’s spine. Ji Boxiao was utterly taken with this act and was about to defend her, but Lin Xiao spoke first.

“Hey, hey! You can mess around with food, but not with words. Someone like you—how could I possibly harass you? I didn’t come here for that. I came to ask you for the money you owe me.”

Ji Boxiao had been ready to teach Lin Xiao a lesson, but at these words, his gaze grew colder. In the old world, Lin Xiao wouldn’t have hesitated to take Ji Boxiao head-on. The problem now was this world’s resurgence of spiritual energy—Lin Xiao had the weakest F-class ability, while Ji Boxiao possessed S-class. If it came to a fight, Lin Xiao would surely lose.

No matter how much he despised these two, it wouldn’t do to court disaster. Glancing at the crowd, Lin Xiao quickly devised a plan. He quietly melted into the throng, confident that Ji Boxiao wouldn’t risk acting with so many witnesses—accidentally hurting others would be a real problem.

Now Lin Xiao began his performance.
“Classmates, you all know the entanglements between me and these two. I won’t say much—everyone can see what’s happening. Although Liu Ruoyan and I grew up together, childhood friendship can’t compete with money. I accept that. You all know my situation—I won’t begrudge Liu Ruoyan for chasing true love. But shouldn’t she return the money I spent on her? Working five part-time jobs a day isn’t easy. What do you say, classmates?”

The onlookers were eager for drama; Ji Boxiao was untouchable, but with so many people present, he couldn’t possibly target each one.
“That’s right! Most of Lin Xiao’s hard-earned money went to Liu Ruoyan—she should pay it back.”
“Paying debts is only right!”
“I support Lin Xiao on this!”
…

Most voices favored Lin Xiao. Liu Ruoyan’s expression grew darker; seeing her classmates back Lin Xiao, she finally snapped.
“Lin Xiao, what do you mean? Did I force you to give me that money? You gave it willingly!”

Lin Xiao laughed bitterly to himself—oh, the original owner of this body, now you see what kind of person Liu Ruoyan really is? Why ever be her lapdog?

“Ridiculous! All these years I gave you money—did I ever say you didn’t need to pay it back? When I transferred it, did I mark it as a gift? Are you planning to default?”

Liu Ruoyan was about to retort, but Ji Boxiao stepped forward once more.

A sinister smile appeared on his face.
“It’s just money, isn’t it? However much Ruoyan took from you over the years, I’ll pay you double!”

Lin Xiao’s face immediately lit up, dazzling in the sunlight, making several female classmates swoon. In that moment, they couldn’t understand why Liu Ruoyan would abandon such a handsome man for Ji Boxiao. Was it really just for money? Or for an S-class ability?

“Well, then I must calculate carefully. I’ve given her plenty over the years. There’s interest on loans—even brothers do business clearly, let alone strangers. There’s also compensation for my lost youth, and much more!”

With that, Lin Xiao pulled out his phone, opened the calculator, and began tallying numbers, muttering as he went.
“Last month, I gave Liu Ruoyan two thousand, meals together cost twelve hundred, gifts five hundred…”

The faces of Ji Boxiao and Liu Ruoyan grew darker with each item; lingering here was too humiliating. Ji Boxiao pulled a check from his pocket and tossed it to Lin Xiao.

“Fill it in when you’re done. We won’t waste any more time with you!”

Lin Xiao chuckled, picked up the check from the ground, and called out to the departing pair.
“Say, you’re not fobbing me off with a worthless scrap of paper, are you?”
“Hmph, you should know my reputation—I wouldn’t stoop so low!”
“So, what’s the maximum amount for this check?”
Ji Boxiao: (̿▀̿ ̿Ĺ̯̿̿▀̿ ̿)̄…
What did he mean—did he really intend to fill it to the brim?

“Anything under five million can be withdrawn directly.”

“Thank you, boss! You’re generous—may you have sons aplenty, a hundred and eight in one go!”

Liu Ruoyan glanced at Lin Xiao’s sycophantic grin, her eyes flashing with disdain.

“Lin Xiao, you really have no dignity at all when it comes to money!”

Lin Xiao curled his lip.
In the face of wealth, dignity is worth nothing!