Chapter 9: Fang Hong's Calculations Are Spot On
Cao Chenghui had just sent a message and was waiting for a reply. However, after a long time without a response, an unsettling feeling crept over him. The anticipation of unlocking the wealth code, only to lose it on the verge of success, was becoming increasingly unbearable.
Meanwhile, Fang Hong was running laps on the school's playground, his phone left behind in the dormitory.
It was summer break, and since he had applied to stay on campus, the school was relatively empty. After about half an hour, Fang Hong finished his run and walked back toward his dormitory. Although most students had left for the break, a few still remained.
Once back in his room, he took a refreshing shower and changed into clean clothes. As he looked at his reflection in the mirror, he couldn't help but sigh.
"Youth is truly wonderful, just like the morning sun at eight or nine o'clock."
There's a saying that men remain young at heart until the day they die, yet the aging body eventually betrays them.
Having traveled back in time to 2008, Fang Hong deeply appreciated the vitality of his twenty-year-old body. The boundless energy and resilience he once took for granted now felt like an incredible blessing.
Just then, a familiar notification sound from QQ echoed through the dorm room.
Picking up his phone, he saw that Cao Chenghui had sent two messages. He opened the chat window to read them:
[Cao Chenghui: Brother, are you there?]
[Cao Chenghui: Why haven't you been coming to the internet café lately?]
Fang Hong chuckled to himself. Finally, Cao Chenghui couldn't hold back any longer.
After just getting a taste of making money, the "experience card" had only lasted three days before disappearing. It was inevitable that he would be anxious.
And this was precisely what Fang Hong had planned.
He had deliberately disappeared for the past few days, subtly tightening his psychological grip on Cao Chenghui. The key to gaining leverage was to never directly ask for help—doing so would lower one's standing. Instead, it was better to manipulate the situation so that the other party would come to him first.
After a moment, Fang Hong typed a response and sent it:
[Fang Hong: I'm increasing my leverage. Lately, I've been trying to gather more funds, so I've been busy with that.]
On the other end, Cao Chenghui immediately opened the chat window when he saw the notification.
Finally, the boss had replied!
Seeing the message, Cao Chenghui quickly responded:
[Cao Chenghui: Did you manage to get the money?]
Fang Hong smiled at the message, then calmly typed his next reply:
[Fang Hong: Not yet. Since it's summer vacation, many of my university friends have gone back home. I plan to return to my hometown tomorrow to see if I can come up with 50,000 to 60,000 yuan.]
Upon reading this, Cao Chenghui was taken aback.
The boss was leaving for his hometown?!
His anxiety surged instantly.
After thinking for a moment, he gritted his teeth and sent another message:
[Cao Chenghui: Brother, why didn't you come to me? I can provide 50,000 to 60,000 yuan.]
As soon as the message was sent, Cao Chenghui felt a rush of determination.
He couldn't let the boss slip away!
If this was an opportunity to form a close relationship with the boss, then 50,000 to 60,000 yuan was nothing. If this led to bigger opportunities in the future, even millions would no longer be a dream.
Seeing the message, Fang Hong wasn't surprised.
This was exactly the response he had anticipated.
However, he knew he couldn't appear too eager, so he deliberately acted hesitant. He typed his response:
[Fang Hong: Are you sure? Wouldn't that be inappropriate?]
By now, the situation had completely flipped.
Instead of asking for money, he had maneuvered it so that Cao Chenghui was practically begging him to accept the funds.
Sure enough, Cao Chenghui quickly replied:
[Cao Chenghui: There's nothing inappropriate about it, brother. If you consider me a friend, I'll prepare the money right away. You can come to me tomorrow, or just send me your address and I'll come to you.]
With the conversation reaching this point, Fang Hong smirked and replied:
[Fang Hong: Let's meet at the internet café at 8 a.m. tomorrow.]
With that, the matter was settled. Everything was unfolding just as he had planned.
Tossing his phone aside, Fang Hong leaned back in satisfaction.
On the other side, Cao Chenghui was visibly relieved.
He had managed to keep the boss around!
And as long as the boss stayed, the wealth code remained within reach. This was his chance to get rich!
However, he didn't get carried away. The stock market was still open, and there were things to take care of. He quickly logged into his securities account and transferred half of his funds into his bank account, preparing the necessary amount for the deal.
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At the same time, Fang Hong's thoughts shifted to the Social Reputation System. With a single thought, the system interface appeared before his eyes.
"Huh? My reputation points have increased?"
Fang Hong examined the updated numbers on the screen:
[Social Reputation System]
User: Fang Hong
Current Reputation Points: 10
Available Achievement Points: 1
Note: Item Store is now available
"So, it was Cao Chenghui who contributed to my reputation points..."
It made sense. Over the past few days, he had carefully established his influence over Cao Chenghui, shaping his perception of him as a financial expert.
Curious, Fang Hong navigated to the Item Store.
There were six types of item cards available for redemption:
R&D (Research & Development)
Operations (Management & Strategy)
Loyalty (Increases team loyalty)
Attributes (Allows viewing of individual stats)
Clearance (Removes buffs or debuffs from individuals)
Health (Improves physical well-being)
These cards could be applied to himself or his team members, enhancing their capabilities in various ways.
Fang Hong was particularly intrigued by the Health card.
Having experienced the natural process of aging before his rebirth, he now truly understood the value of youth and good health. While the other cards could help him build a powerful business empire, the ability to maintain his health indefinitely was arguably even more valuable.
However, upon further inspection, he realized that redeeming just one item card required 100,000 achievement points.
From what he observed, a single person's deep admiration or influence contributed only 10 reputation points and 1 achievement point.
This meant he needed to establish influence over 100,000 people just to redeem a single card.
While this seemed like a daunting task in the short term, Fang Hong wasn't particularly worried. He had just begun.
For now, he dismissed the system interface and put the thought aside.
There were more important matters to handle first.
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