"Brother, it's not that I don't want to help you, but I just took on a project and my hands are tied at the moment." Can you wait a bit longer?
"Auntie, I want to start a factory soon." "Can you lend me some money?"
"Your aunt is not here." I am your aunt's husband. "Your younger sister is about to go to college soon, and we don't have any extra money at the moment."
"As for Auntie Four…"
"Just as Li Zhi expected, he asked all his relatives and friends for money, but he couldn't borrow a single penny from his relatives, and his friends only lent him five thousand." However, they mentioned that they did not want the money back and simply gave it to Li Zhi, requesting him not to contact them in the future as they found it bothersome.
Li Zhi held his phone with a somewhat bitter smile on his face, constantly questioning himself whether he was a failure as a person or if society was just too complex.
Everyone has a past, and Li Zhi used to be successful. With the passing of his parents, everything from the past vanished into thin air.
At twenty-one years old, in his third year of college, Li Zhi still had a year left before graduation. It's not that he couldn't wait any longer, but he couldn't afford to wait. Before entering college, Li Zhi had poor academic performance, barely passing the college entrance examination with a score just over three hundred. Back then, with his parents still around and the family not lacking in money, he was able to attend one of the top private universities in the country. But now, with his parents gone and no source of income, Li Zhi simply couldn't afford the expensive tuition and miscellaneous fees. This situation forced him to drop out or take a leave of absence.
Fortunately, after a few months of despair, something unusual happened in Li Zhi's life.
In his mind, the "Nebula I9 Intelligent Factory" appeared out of nowhere.
This system could enable Li Zhi to enter the manufacturing industry.
Now, a bright path lay before him, and Li Zhi felt that he was about to achieve success. However, there was a barrier in his way.
Money!
Li Zhi had no money. He didn't even have the 450 yuan rent for next month. What could he do without money?
The first thought that came to mind for most people was to "borrow." Li Zhi was no exception.
Li Zhi's parents used to trade stocks, and before their passing, they lost a significant amount of money, not only their own but also some from relatives and friends.
Five thousand yuan. Was it enough to start a factory? Obviously not. Even if he wanted to start a small processing plant, he would need tens of thousands.
With the 'Nebula I9 Intelligent Processing Factory' in mind, Li Zhi couldn't say with absolute certainty that he would make money by starting a factory. But if what he had in mind was true, then he would definitely not lose money.
There are two kinds of people in the world: fools and geniuses. Li Zhi was certain that he was not a fool; therefore, he aspired to be perceived as a 'genius' by others.
One hundred thousand yuan. For the old Li Zhi, it wasn't a large sum of money. However, if he were to start working now with a monthly salary of three thousand, it would take him three to four years to save up that amount, and he would have to live frugally.
Three to four years. Li Zhi couldn't wait that long!
As he gazed at the numbers on his phone, he deleted one contact after another from his list. He wouldn't be contacting those people anymore.
Suddenly, a name appeared in his contacts: "Xiao Mei".
Xiao Mei?
In Li Zhi's mind, a slender girl appeared. She had a great figure, standing at least 1.73 meters tall, with long legs that could easily qualify her as a model. She also had a sweet smile, but her skin wasn't very fair, and her chest wasn't large. She had mentioned before that her family was from another province.
Although she and Li Zhi were not in the same college, they met at a gathering in the university town. Both of them were a little drunk at the time, or rather, Li Zhi had gotten her drunk, and then they went to a hotel. After that, Li Zhi couldn't remember much. They couldn't be called lovers; at most, they were just friends with benefits. This kind of relationship lasted for over a year.
After a long time, the relationship lost its novelty. At that time, Li Zhi was very fickle, and it seemed like she could tell. So, they went their separate ways.
"Hello!"
Li Zhi absentmindedly made the call, and when he realized he wanted to hang up, the other person had already answered.
...Li Zhi hesitated before ending the call, but Xiao Mei's voice came through softly, asking, "Have you been doing well lately?"
Li Zhi was familiar with Xiao Mei's voice; after all, they had known each other for a long time. They were very familiar, having spent numerous nights together. He couldn't believe he was about to ask her for money, but he had already made the call, and there was no turning back now.
Xiao Mei fell silent for a moment and asked, "How much do you need to borrow?"
"100,000!"
"Alright, but remember to pay me back in the future!" Xiao Mei laughed and then hung up.
Li Zhi was stunned as he held the phone. She didn't ask him what the money was for, when he would pay her back, or even scold him for being a worthless person.
Ding!
A text message from the bank notified Li Zhi that 100,000 yuan had been deposited into his account.
Li Zhi had previously given money to Xiao Mei, so she knew his bank account number.
"Haha!"
Li Zhi suddenly burst into laughter, with tears streaming down his face. Was this what they called, "When at the end of the mountain and water, doubts arise, suddenly a bright village appears"?
People truly only realize who cares about them when they have nothing left!
If it weren't for today, for being in a state of complete destitution, Li Zhi would never have thought that the woman who had been considered just a 'friend with benefits' would lend him money without hesitation.
"Xiao Mei, thank you." "I will always remember your kindness!" Li Zhi sent a text to Xiao Mei.
In a dormitory in the university town, Xiao Mei lay on her bed, looking at the text message on her phone. She sighed silently. She couldn't tell anyone about lending money, not even her best friends in the dormitory, or they would definitely scold her.
In the eyes of her dormitory sisters, Li Zhi was considered scum, and they wished to see him suffer.
Was Xiao Mei foolish? No, she was not only smart, but she also knew that the money Li Zhi had given her before was just being returned to her. Even if Li Zhi was dishonest, he was simply returning the money to her.
She knew that Li Zhi was a very proud man, and she didn't expect him to repay her in the future. She only asked him to remember to repay her in order to protect his fragile self-esteem.
"Let me tell you a little secret: you are my first man!" Xiao Mei sent this message to Li Zhi, a special secret hidden in her heart.
However, Li Zhi didn't see this message at the moment because his phone was out of credit.
With 100,000 yuan already deposited, adding the 5,000 yuan brought the total to 105,000 yuan. There was one more thing. The friend who lent Li Zhi the 5,000 yuan did not do it out of goodwill but because they had lent Li Zhi more money in the past.
Haicheng, as its name suggests, is a large coastal city.
Li Zhi took a taxi out of the city and headed straight for a place called "Fish Head Island." Li Zhi found online that there was a "factory" available for rent, covering an area of twelve acres, with some supporting facilities, and the annual rent was very cheap, only 30,000 yuan.
With the money in hand, Li Zhi was already contemplating what he could do there.
In fact, calling the place a factory was a bit of an exaggeration. The place for rent on Fish Head Island could barely be called a workshop. According to the Wang Village Chief, it used to be a collective processing plant owned by the village. After the plant closed down, all the machinery and equipment were sold off, leaving behind just over a dozen workshops and a large courtyard.
The courtyard was overgrown with weeds, and the windows of the workshops didn't have a single piece of intact glass. The courtyard was quite large, covering ten acres, and was surrounded by a two-meter-high wall.
"How is it?" Is the place suitable? With such a large area, it is suitable for storage or any other purpose. Plus, we're not far from the city, and the newly constructed highway makes transportation very convenient. "In and out are both very easy." Wang, the Village Chief, said.
Before Wang Village Chief spoke, Li Zhi was already contemplating what he could do there.
The phrase "Nebula I9 Intelligent Factory" was on his mind, but some things couldn't simply be conjured out of thin air. He had the system, but he also needed to purchase mechanical equipment, which required money.
Li Zhi handed a cigarette to Wang, the Village Chief, and asked with a smile, "Do the people in our village still go out to sea for fishing?"
Wang, the village chief, took the cigarette and was momentarily surprised by Li Zhi's question. He said, "Of course, they still go fishing." We rely on the mountains for food and the sea for fish. If we don't fish, what will the people in our Fish Head Village eat and drink? Not only do the people in our village go out to sea for fishing, but also the fishermen from the surrounding villages engage in fishing at sea!
Do they all go out to sea for fishing?
In other words, the fishing industry was thriving!
Li Zhi had an idea in his mind.