Making it rich!

Ye Xuan's fingers tightened around the eerie black coin.

A year of his life.

Was that really worth trading for some unknown power?

His rational mind screamed at him to stop.

But then he thought about Su Mengyao. About Lin Tianyi. About his rejected job applications, the empty messages, and the cold, indifferent world that had already discarded him.

What future did he even have?

A bitter chuckle escaped his lips. "Fine. Let's see if this is real."

He flipped the coin.

The moment it left his fingers, a cold wind swept through the alley. The streetlights flickered, and time itself seemed to slow.

Then—

The coin vanished.

In its place, a whisper slithered into Ye Xuan's mind.

💀 "One year... accepted."

A sharp pain stabbed into his chest, like something had been torn from him. His breath hitched as his body trembled uncontrollably.

Then—

His vision blurred.

And suddenly, he wasn't alone anymore.

A figure stood before him, shrouded in ghostly haze.

He wasn't a warrior nor an assassin. No swords, no armor.

Instead, he wore a sleek black suit, his posture relaxed but exuding a quiet authority. His cold, calculating eyes peered at Ye Xuan like he was analyzing a business deal.

His voice was deep, confident, and utterly indifferent.

"Interesting. You're my new contractor?"

Ye Xuan exhaled sharply, steadying himself. "Who… are you?"

The man adjusted his cufflinks, a faint smirk playing at his lips. "Zhou Yi. Former financial strategist. Hedge fund manager. Expert in corporate warfare and market manipulation."

Ye Xuan's mind spun. A businessman?

Zhou Yi's smirk deepened as if reading his thoughts.

📈 "You were expecting a fighter? A killer?" He shook his head. "Those are useful, but not right now. You don't need power, kid. You need money."

Ye Xuan clenched his jaw. "And you can get me that?"

Zhou Yi chuckled, tapping his temple. "The stock market, crypto, business negotiations, real estate flips—I built and crashed empires before I died. And now?" His eyes gleamed. "With me in your head? You're about to make your first fortune."

Ye Xuan's heartbeat pounded in his ears.

This was it. He thought with a small smile appearing on his lips.

Ye Xuan's breath was unsteady as he stared at the man in the black suit. Zhou Yi.

A financial strategist. A corporate manipulator.

This wasn't some warrior from ancient history. This was a man of money, power, and cold calculation.

Yet something about him felt off.

His presence was too sharp. His suit—sleek, expensive—was nothing like the old-world figures Ye Xuan had imagined. And his language... it wasn't like those who had already lived and died in this world.

"What era are you from?" Ye Xuan asked.

Zhou Yi's smirk deepened. "I was wondering when you'd notice."

He slipped a silver pocket watch from his vest, flicking it open. The hands weren't normal—they spun erratically, forward and backward, shifting between numbers Ye Xuan didn't recognize.

📈 "I'm from a future that no longer exists." Zhou Yi's eyes gleamed. "And now, I'm here."

Ye Xuan's mind reeled. A future that no longer exists?

Zhou Yi closed the pocket watch with a soft click. "Let me guess. You thought you'd only be summoning souls of the past?"

Ye Xuan slowly nodded.

💀 "Wrong." The beggar's voice echoed from the shadows.

Ye Xuan turned. The old man, who had been watching the entire time, grinned with amusement.

💀 "The dead don't just come from the past." His voice was slow, deliberate. "Some souls never reach their futures. Some die before they make history. And some... come from timelines that no longer exist."

Ye Xuan's throat went dry.

Multiverse souls.

The implications sent a shiver down his spine.

The Zhou Yi standing before him might have been a titan of finance, a shadow ruler of markets in his world. But here? That future never came to be.

Ye Xuan exhaled. "So, what now?"

Zhou Yi tucked his pocket watch away and grinned.

📈 "Simple. We start making money."

📈 "And if we play this right, you won't just be rich." He adjusted his wristlinks. "You'll be untouchable."

Ye Xuan clenched his fists.

For the first time in his life, he wasn't just playing someone else's game.

💀 He was about to rewrite fate itself.

Ye Xuan stood in the cold night air, his mind spinning with new possibilities.

Zhou Yi had come from a future that no longer existed.

And now, his knowledge belonged to Ye Xuan.

"Alright," Ye Xuan said, crossing his arms. "You talk big. But right now, I have no money, no connections, and nowhere to sleep. So tell me—how the hell do I start?"

Zhou Yi chuckled, adjusting his collarlinks. "Good. You're thinking practically."

"Rule number one of making money: You don't need money. You need an opportunity."

Ye Xuan scoffed. "That's a fancy way of saying nothing."

"Relax, kid. I have a plan. But first—how's your body?"

Ye Xuan frowned. "What?"

"Do you have any injuries? Any health issues?"

Ye Xuan hesitated. He was thin from skipping meals, but overall, he was healthy. "I'm fine. Why?"

Zhou Yi's smirk widened. "Then your first move is simple: plasma donation."

Step 1: Quick Cash—Selling Plasma

Ye Xuan sat in a sterile clinic, a needle in his arm as a machine slowly extracted plasma from his blood.

It wasn't much—just a few hundred yuan per session—but it was fast, legal, and repeatable.

As the machine hummed, Zhou Yi's voice echoed in his mind.

"Look at you, making your first investment. The money's pathetic, but it's enough to get moving."

By the end of the day, Ye Xuan had 600 yuan in his pocket.

Not much.

But it was a start.

Step 2: Leverage Information—Saving Leads

Zhou Yi led Ye Xuan to a crowded internet café, where he rented a cheap seat and logged into a public computer.

"People think making money means working hard. It doesn't. It means knowing something others don't."

Using a burner email, Zhou Yi guided Ye Xuan through gathering valuable business leads—trends in the second-hand market, desperate buyers looking for items, and underpriced goods.

Then he sold those leads to brokers and small-time hustlers who didn't have time to research them.

Within a day, he had 3,000 yuan.

Step 3: High-Risk, High-Reward Sports Arbitrage Betting

Ye Xuan took half of his money and went straight to an online betting site.

"Most people bet based on luck. But with me? We only bet when the math is on our side."

Using Zhou Yi's knowledge of statistics and bookmaker loopholes, Ye Xuan placed arbitrage bets—guaranteed profit by exploiting odds differences between multiple betting sites.

By the end of the night, his 1,500 yuan had turned into 6,000 yuan.

And he didn't lose a single bet.

Step 4: The Real Play—Black Market Crypto Flips

"Now, we stop playing small."

With 6,000 yuan, Zhou Yi led Ye Xuan to an underground crypto exchange—where desperate traders dumped tokens at a discount for quick cash.

Zhou Yi's knowledge of future market trends allowed Ye Xuan to snatch up a few promising tokens dirt cheap.

"Hold for 48 hours."

Two days later, his investment had doubled.

Ye Xuan's balance: 12,000 yuan.

The Breakthrough Moment

Ye Xuan sat on a bench, staring at the number on his phone.

Just 48 hours ago, he was broke, homeless, and discarded like trash.

Now? He had 12,000 Yuan.

It wasn't life-changing.

But it was momentum.

Zhou Yi smirked. "You're no longer a beggar, kid. Now, let's turn this into real money."

Ye Xuan exhaled slowly, his grip tightening on his phone.