The bigger economic environment hasn't been great these last couple of years, and there've been constant whispers that the company is about to go under.
Especially since it's the eighth at the start of the month and there's no sign of our salaries. The boss came out saying payments would be postponed by two weeks causing unrest in every department.
Some have already begun secretly sending out resumes to secure their next job.
Li Shi, twenty-five years old, majored in Han Language and Literature at Tanzhou Normal University. With a monthly income of 5000+, after joining the company two years ago and spending his earnings on living expenses and repaying his student loans, all he has to his name is 1989.60 yuan in savings. His family still owes more than 40,000 and if he loses his job, he may not even be able to pay next month's rent.
But at this moment, he's just sitting at his desk, lost in thought, oblivious to his co-workers' gossip.
"Li Shi, dreaming about girls, are you?" Li Gui Ming, sitting next to him, slides over in his chair, slapping him on the arm.
Li Shi jolts awake and there's panic in his eyes, but he quickly recovers and makes an excuse. "No, I was just thinking about what to do if the company really does go under."
Li Gui Ming, who joined the company one year before him, is twenty-six, and has already been divorced once. He's quite overweight. The two of them are of a similar age, their desks are close by, and they're on friendly terms, so they get along fairly well at work.
Li Gui Ming twists his invisible neck and leans in, whispering, "Don't rush into finding another job. Those who are panic searching now simply don't know the law. I checked online. If the company does go under, according to relevant laws, we're entitled to compensation. Keep your labor contract and work permit safe, you'll need them when applying for compensation in the event of bankruptcy."
Right now, Li Shi is only focused on the mysterious "learning panel" that has suddenly appeared in his mind and couldn't care less about anything else. However, aware that Li Gui Ming's reminder was well-intentioned, he pulls himself together to thank him.
"Let's hit up 'The Way of the Earth' after work. Relax a bit, my treat, you in?"
Just as the work day is about to end, Li Gui Ming slides over again.
'The Way of the Earth' is a well-known massage chain in Tanzhou City. Li Gui Ming frequents it often, but Li Shi has only been twice since he's saving to pay off his debts. The first time, Li Gui Ming treated him, and the second time, not wishing to be in his debt, Li Shi returned the favor.
They're both regulars. At least the two times Li Shi went, it wasn't expensive at all. With a group discount, it comes to about two hundred per person.
"Not tonight, I've got stuff to do when I get home." Li quickly declines.
This time, it's not about the money. He's in a hurry to get home and study the attribute panel in his mind.
"Alright then. How about tomorrow night?"
"We'll talk about it tomorrow."
Qin Yuan Resettlement Community, the studio apartment where Li Shi rents.
He locks the door and pulls the curtain to ensure that nobody can see inside, then turns on the light, takes out his Redmi 9, switches on the video function, and places it on the dining table, propped up by a leftover box of White Elephant instant noodles.
Then he sits down at the dining table, takes a couple of deep breaths, immerses his thoughts into his mind, and summons the "learning panel".
Name: Li Shi
Physique: 9.5 (The average attribute of a standard healthy adult male is 10 points)
Wealth: 0 (Does not account for actual wealth)
Currently studying: To be chosen
Learning completion library: None
(Every subject or skill is divided into five levels: Beginner Level, Proficient Level, Master Level, Professional Level, Grand Master Level. Each promotion adds 1 point to a physical attribute and 1 point to a wealth attribute)
(Only one subject or skill can be studied at a time. Once chosen, the subject branch or skill level must reach the Master Level before it can be changed.)
...
Today at noon while napping in the office, Li Shi dreamed that he "saw" a vast nebula suddenly vanish in front of him. He was startled awake and a "learning panel" had appeared in his mind.
By conscious contact with the panel, he miraculously understands its functions.
Simply put, he can improve the attributes of "Physique" and "Wealth" on the panel by learning knowledge, skills, and arts.
"Physique" represents physical fitness. A standard healthy adult male averages 10 points. His starting attribute of 9.5 suggests that his current body is in a subpar health condition.
The "Wealth" on the panel doesn't denote how much money he has in reality, but represents a measure of the material goods he can redeem from the panel. 1 wealth point can exchange for one kilogram of any material he's previously owned.
...
Li Shi "looks" at the panel, touching each option with his thoughts, each one feeding back information. After studying it for a while, he carefully sends a thought:
"Choose learning direction."
"Choose 'Chinese'."
As soon as his thought is transmitted, the panel immediately changes -
Name: Li Shi
Physique: 9.5
Wealth: 0
Currently Studying: Chinese (Beginner Not Started)
Completed Studies Library: None
When Li Shi, a graduate of the Han Language and Literature Major at Tanzhou Normal University, saw that his Chinese level was displayed as "Beginner Not Started" on the panel, he wasn't surprised at all. He knew intuitively that this wasn't a reflection of his actual proficiency, but rather that he hadn't officially started studying yet.
The panel needed to "witness and record" his entire learning process.
He was not in a rush. He first submerged the panel inside his mind and grabbed his phone to check the recording. In the video, he could only see himself spacing out, with no other strange phenomena, and he breathed a sigh of relief.
Next, he went online and searched for Chinese textbooks from elementary to high school. In a resource forum, he spent 10 RMB to buy a "Complete Elementary and Secondary School e-Textbook pdf" pack. Not only were there Chinese textbooks from primary to high school, it also contained textbooks for subjects like Math.
Initially, Li Shi was quite thrilled that he could find the materials he wanted seamlessly. However, when he finished downloading and tried to open the file, his low-powered phone, which he had been using for two years, froze. He was speechless.
"Once I have money, the first thing I'm going to do is change my phone!"
He had no choice but to dig out his ancient laptop and download the resources from the cloud storage again.
By the time he finished all these, it was already past seven in the evening. Eager to study, he boiled some water using the kettle, consumed two packs of White Elephant Signboard Pork Bone Soup Noodles and then opened the PDF of the first semester of first grade Chinese textbook.
"Word Recognition one, Heaven, Earth, Man..."
Li Shi reviewed it seriously, word by word. But after all, it was just primary school content, which was pretty easy for anyone who had completed nine years of compulsory education.
One page, two pages... he kept clicking the mouse, speed-reading the contents.
Seven or eight minutes later, he had gone through the entire first semester of first grade textbook. He summoned the study panel to check, but the Chinese subject still displayed "Beginner Not Started".
He didn't mind and continued to open the second semester of the first grade Chinese textbook.
Ten minutes later, he opened the PDF for the first semester of the second grade.
About ten minutes later, he opened the PDF for the second semester of the second grade.
...
"Where has Spring gone? Lonely and lost in this pathless land. If there is someone who knows where Spring has gone, call it back to stay with me.
Who knows where Spring vanished? Unless you ask the golden orioles. Their hundred songs no one can understand, the wind carries them over the roses."
As soon as Li Shi finished the last lesson of the sixth-grade second semester, Huang Ting Jian's "A Song of Pure Happiness", something stirred in his mind. He quickly summoned the panel—
Name: Li Shi
Physique: 9.5+1[Merge?]
Wealth: 1[Exchange?]
Currently Studying: Chinese (Beginner-)
Completed Studies Library: None
It had really changed!
Excited, Li Shi stood up and walked around the cramped space a few times, then quickly stood still and refocused his attention on the panel.
First, he used his thoughts to touch the "Merge?" next to "Physique." Instantly, the panel gave a response: Estimated merging time five hours.
He quickly moved his thoughts away. The physique point represented one tenth of a healthy adult's physical fitness. While five hours wasn't a long time, he just couldn't wait now.
He decided to wait.
Rubbing his hands together, Li Shi returned to the dining table, unplugged the laptop, closed it, and moved it to the bed, clearing the table. He then concentrated and selected "Exchange 1 wealth point for a kilogram of pure gold"!
In his third year of university, to raise money for his mother's surgery, he had sold his father's only precious possession—a 20g gold bar.
Bang!!
A palm-sized gold bar suddenly appeared in front of Li Shi, heavily landing on the wooden folding dining table, making a loud noise.
Under the light, Li Shi's eyes were filled with a dazzling gold.
He had actually exchanged it for real gold!