Chapter 3: Old Feelings, New Resolve

Four days had passed since Zhang Wei's successful rocket motor test. His daily routine had become a blur of café work during the day and rocket motor production at night. The café job, though mundane, gave him a sense of stability while he waited for sales to pick up at the Flagship Store. Each shift earned him a modest 50 yuan an hour, which kept his mind focused on making ends meet while he worked toward his bigger goal: saving his sister, Xiaoyu.Hours worked: 8 hours/day x 4 days = 32 hoursIncome: 32 x 50 = 1,600 yuan

Balance after 4 days: 300,300 + 1,600 = 301,900 yuan

Minus living expenses (4 days): 400 yuan

Final balance: 301,500 yuan

Zhang Wei's financial situation was improving steadily, but it was nowhere near what he needed for Xiaoyu's treatment. Despite the steady café work and his dumpster diving efforts, the real profit would come from selling the rocket motors. He was still waiting for that first sale on the Flagship Store.After his fourth shift at the café, Zhang Wei trudged back to his dorm, his body exhausted but his mind still buzzing with ideas for the next batch of motors. As he rounded the corner toward the academy's courtyard, he noticed a group of students gathered around, their attention focused on something—or someone—in the middle.Zhang Wei's heart sank when he recognized the faces. It was Li Cheng, the campus bully, and his usual entourage. The arrogant grin on Li Cheng's face was all too familiar to Zhang Wei. Before Zhang Wei's arrival in this world, Li Cheng had been a thorn in the side of the body's previous owner, and it seemed like nothing had changed.But what really caught his attention was the girl standing next to Li Cheng.Her name was Xu Meiling, the former crush of the body Zhang Wei now inhabited. She was known around campus for her beauty, with long, flowing black hair, delicate features, and a charming smile that could make anyone's heart race. But Zhang Wei knew better now. He had inherited the memories of the body's original owner, and those memories told him that her beauty was only skin-deep.Xu Meiling had never noticed the original Zhang Wei, except as someone beneath her. She had entertained Li Cheng's advances instead, likely due to his wealth and status. The more Zhang Wei remembered, the clearer it became that Xu Meiling wasn't the girl the former Zhang Wei had imagined. She was beautiful on the outside, but inside, she was shallow and manipulative.As Zhang Wei approached, he couldn't help but overhear their conversation."Hey, isn't that Zhang Wei?" Li Cheng's mocking voice rang out, drawing the attention of his gang. "What are you doing here, huh? Still playing with rockets? You're wasting your time, man."Zhang Wei felt a flicker of anger, but he kept his face calm. He wasn't the same person Li Cheng used to push around. The old Zhang Wei might have been obsessed with Xu Meiling and hurt by Li Cheng's words, but not him. He had far more important things to worry about than high school drama."Just heading back to my dorm," Zhang Wei replied, keeping his tone neutral."Still the same boring guy, huh?" Li Cheng sneered, stepping closer. "You really think making some cheap rockets is going to make you rich? You're better off doing something useful with your time."Xu Meiling stood next to Li Cheng, her eyes trailing over Zhang Wei briefly before returning to her phone, clearly uninterested. The old Zhang Wei had spent countless hours daydreaming about her, imagining what it would be like to win her favor. Now, looking at her, Zhang Wei felt nothing but indifference. He had seen the kind of person she was beneath the pretty exterior."Ignore him, Li Cheng," Xu Meiling said, not even bothering to look up. "He's not worth it."Zhang Wei's eyes narrowed. He didn't care about her opinion of him anymore, but something about the way she dismissed him so easily left a bitter taste in his mouth. He had real problems to deal with—Xiaoyu's illness, the fledgling business, surviving in this new world—and they were standing here, acting like nothing mattered beyond their shallow lives.But Li Cheng wasn't done. He stepped in front of Zhang Wei, blocking his path. "You know, Zhang Wei," he said, his voice dripping with fake sympathy, "maybe you should give up on all this space stuff. It's not like people like you are going to make it big. Leave that to people with real talent."Zhang Wei clenched his fists. He wasn't going to stoop to their level. He had a system, a chance to turn his life around, and he wasn't going to let a bully like Li Cheng get in his way."I'll manage," Zhang Wei said, brushing past Li Cheng without another word.As he walked away, he heard the mocking laughter of Li Cheng and his friends behind him, but he didn't turn back. He had no reason to. Those people belonged to his past—the past of the original Zhang Wei. He had a future to build, and it wasn't going to be wasted chasing after people who didn't matter.Back in his dorm, Zhang Wei sat down at his desk, the confrontation still playing in his mind. But instead of feeling defeated, he felt more determined than ever.He opened the system interface and checked the store page. No sales yet, but that was fine. He wasn't expecting instant results. Business took time. Still, he knew he needed to move faster. He couldn't rely on the café job forever, and the system was his only real hope of making the kind of money he needed.Zhang Wei thought back to the cans and toilet rolls he had collected earlier. He still had plenty of raw materials to work with, and the system had already processed them into usable parts for the rocket motors.He did the math in his head as he planned his next move.Balance: 301,500 yuanCost per rocket motor (with scrap materials): 300 yuan

Planned batch: 10 motors

He needed 3,000 yuan to produce the next batch of rocket motors. That would leave him with:301,500 - 3,000 = 298,500 yuanOnce he sold those motors at 1,200 yuan each, he would earn:10 x 1,200 = 12,000 yuan in revenueProfit per motor: 900 yuan

Total profit: 9,000 yuan

Zhang Wei nodded to himself. If he could sell this batch, it would be a huge boost. He had the materials, the system, and the determination. All he needed now was for the market to take notice of his products.Taking a deep breath, he got to work. He wasn't going to let bullies like Li Cheng or shallow people like Xu Meiling distract him. They were part of the old world. He was focused on the future—his future, Xiaoyu's future, and the future of Stellar Innovations.