Income Multiplied

That damn crow's mouth.

Yesterday, he had just made a random remark, and it actually rained.

Chen Pingsheng lived in a village-in-the-city near the Sixth Ring Road, outside the Fifth Ring of Beijing. His house was a one-bedroom unit with a small kitchen, costing 1,500 yuan in rent per month.

It was part of a three-entry courtyard. If it were inside the Third Ring, it would be a sky-high-priced siheyuan, but in this area, it was just a typical rental for outsiders like him. Over a dozen households lived there, many of whom had moved in thanks to his recommendations.

The rain poured down relentlessly.

Song Yanxi had woken up early, washed up, and cooked a big pot of noodles along with two steamed eggs.

Chen An'an, still in kindergarten and currently on vacation, loved to sleep in. Even after her mother pulled her up by the little butt, she barely opened one eye. Her tiny eyelids fluttered, threatening to close again at any moment.

"Pingsheng, if you're free later, take An'an out to play!"

The moment An'an heard the word play, her big, shiny Karzilan eyes widened with excitement.

Too bad. Even in the rain, he had to go out and make money.

"I'll see later. If I don't get any work, I'll take her out."

After a quick breakfast, Chen Pingsheng put on his raincoat, hopped on his electric scooter, and took his wife to work.

She worked as a customer service representative at an internet company during the day and sold flowers on a popular street in the evenings. Their combined income was decent, and it was clear they were both working hard for their little family.

Beijing was still bustling in the early morning.

Most of the people rushing through the rain were workers like them.

After dropping his wife off, Chen Pingsheng returned home, still thinking about the ding sound he had heard in his mind the night before.

Based on all the web novels he had read, this was definitely the arrival of a life-changing golden finger.

But what kind?

Back home, he eagerly accessed the mysterious ripple in his mind. A line of golden text appeared before him:

[Host: Chen Pingsheng]

[Age: 30]

[Level: LV1]

[Today's Income: 0]

[Explanation: Every day, based on your earnings, you will receive a chance to roll for an income multiplier. At LV1, the multiplier ranges from 2x to 10x.]

Wait… it works like this?

So if he earned 500 yuan today, he would get a roll. If he hit the 10x multiplier, that would mean 5,000 yuan instantly?!

Damn. That was exhilarating—beyond exhilarating!

This golden finger was way too powerful. If it worked like this, then getting rich was no longer a dream.

Chen Pingsheng rubbed his hands together excitedly and planted a kiss on his daughter An'an's little face.

The kid was still thinking about going out to play, eyes full of anticipation.

But he had no time for that right now. He patted her head and reassured her, "An'an, Daddy needs to go make money. Once I earn enough, I'll take you wherever you want, okay?"

An'an was a little disappointed but still nodded obediently.

Daddy always said that… but he never actually took her anywhere.

All the other kids had been to fun places she longed to visit.

But what could he do? Next year, she would start first grade, and if he didn't secure a proper residence, no good school would accept an out-of-town kid like her.

Education and real estate were tightly bound together.

For outsiders like them, not owning a home meant no hope of getting their kids into a decent school.

An'an was often left alone at home. When she got hungry, she'd snack on whatever was available or cook herself a simple bowl of noodles.

So independent that it was heartbreaking.

Before heading out, Chen Pingsheng locked the door and gave a few instructions to the neighbors.

He knew every household in this courtyard. Since the rain was too heavy to sell durians today, he decided to try his luck with a moving job instead.

As luck would have it, right as he stepped out of the courtyard, he spotted a slender young woman under a large black umbrella.

"Miss, are you new here?"

"Yeah."

The girl was stunning—thin, with a sweet smile.

Zhao Liying asked, "Big brother, do you live here too? Do you know anyone who helps with moving?"

"Yeah, I live right over there."

He pointed to his home and introduced himself. "I usually sell durians, but on rainy days, I do moving jobs. That three-wheeler over there is mine."

The tricycle had been with him for two years, enduring sun and rain, and was still quite noticeable.

Zhao Liying's eyes lit up. "Oh! You do moving? That's perfect!"

She had just moved here, having previously lived beyond the Sixth Ring.

After chatting a bit, he learned she was an actress—though clearly not a famous one. If she were doing well, she wouldn't be moving to this area.

Chen Pingsheng was always straightforward and sincere.

"Wow, so you're an actress? You should sign an autograph for me. If you become a big star one day, I can show off that I knew you!"

Zhao Liying's laugh was as sweet as honey.

Her childhood dream was to be an actress, yet she had spent four years playing extras with no real progress.

Four years of struggle in the entertainment industry, with no clear future.

The two hit it off instantly. Both were struggling dreamers in the big city.

But business was business. Zhao Liying's previous place was ridiculously far—over four hours round trip. Worse yet, she had lived on the sixth floor in a building without an elevator.

All the furniture inside was bought bit by bit over the years, representing not just her time in Beijing but also her perseverance in the entertainment industry.

Moving all that would be tough, but he offered a discount—1,000 yuan for the job.

Normally, it would take two people, but he could manage alone.

As long as he could earn more, he never shied away from hard work.

Making no money was the real hardship.

"Brother Chen, are you sure you don't need help?" Zhao Liying asked, concerned.

"No need. I can handle it."

He grabbed a special moving rope, secured the couch, and carried it down, step by step.

If he ran into people, he had to step aside.

In the cold weather, he was sweating like crazy.

No pain, no gain.

Zhao Liying helped as much as she could, carrying lighter items.

After seven or eight trips, everything was finally moved out.

The rain hadn't stopped. He covered the furniture with a tarp to keep it as dry as possible, threw on his raincoat, and set off.

By the time they got back, it was already 3 PM.

An'an had been locked inside all day. Hearing the door, she ran out happily.

She had cooked herself a bowl of plain noodles for lunch, boiled an egg, and was watching Teletubbies.

As soon as she heard her dad return, she turned off the TV, quickly pulled out her homework, and stood eagerly by the door.

"Xiaoying, this is my home. Looks like we're neighbors now."

By coincidence, Zhao Liying had rented the room right next door, which had been vacant for three months.

"Big brother, is this your daughter? She's adorable!"

An'an, with her tiny ponytail and chubby cheeks, looked absolutely precious.

"Hello, Auntie!" she greeted sweetly.

Zhao Liying instantly fell in love with the little cutie.

Meanwhile, Chen Pingsheng was starving. He had been working all morning.

He whipped up two simple dishes and used the leftover rice from the morning to make some fragrant egg-fried rice.

Zhao Liying, feeling a bit shy since it was their first day meeting, declined the meal. Instead, she smiled and said, "Brother Chen, thank you so much today. Do you have Alipay? I'll transfer the 1,000 yuan now."

"Of course."

He showed her the QR code, and soon, a ding sounded.

[Today's Income: 1,000 yuan]

[Would you like to activate the random multiplier draw?]

Excited, he immediately selected "Activate."

Two golden dice appeared. The sides were numbered 1 to 5—no 6.

"Stop!"

The left die landed on 3, the right on 1—totaling 4.

[Congratulations! You've received a 4x multiplier.]

[4,000 yuan has been credited to your Alipay. Balance: 4,500 yuan.]

Holy—!

Chen Pingsheng almost jumped three meters in the air.

This golden finger was insane.

With this, buying a house and raising his kid would no longer be a problem!