Shen Fu sat on the concrete bench near the mall entrance, fingers curled around the ¥60 like it was the last warmth in the world.
The system notification still hovered in his vision.
Next Mission: Earn ¥1,000 within 48 hours
Bonus: Unlock Skill Tree
Time Remaining: 47:42:11
¥1,000.
It sounded impossible. It had taken everything he had—guts, luck, and rain—to make just ¥60.
But now, he had something he didn't have before.
He had a system.
He had an Appraisal.
And he had nothing left to lose.
Shen Fu headed back toward the alley where he'd first found the rice cooker. On the way, he checked the Xianyu app again. His other listings had a few views but no bites.
He needed faster turnover.
Something people needed every day.
Something cheap to get, easy to move, and with a profit margin.
A street vendor was yelling near the corner of the sidewalk.
"Fresh buns! Three for five yuan!"
The crowd swarmed. Shen Fu's eyes narrowed.
Appraisal Activated.
Item: Steamed Pork Bun (Bulk Price ¥0.8/piece)
Street Selling Price: ¥2/piece
Profit Margin: 150%
Hidden Potential: Moderate
Risk: Spoilage / Time sensitive.
A plan clicked in his mind.
Food. Street sales. Micro-profits. But fast.
If he could sell 100 buns a day with even ¥1 profit each, that was ¥100. Ten days ago, the thought would've been laughable.
Now, it felt like a ladder.
That night, Shen Fu slept on the floor of a closed-down shopfront. Cold concrete, no blanket. Just the ¥60 in his pocket and dreams of a thousand.
The next morning, he was up before dawn.
Using ¥20, he bought 25 pork buns in bulk from a supplier who operated near the docks. It was risky—he didn't even know if he could sell half. But the guy didn't ask questions. Just handed over a plastic bag of warm buns and grunted.
Shen Fu set up on a street corner near a construction site. It was 6:40 a.m. The workers were trickling in.
He stood there with the bag of buns, heart racing.
"Fresh buns! Two yuan each! Hot and tasty!"
People walked past.
Ignored him.
Laughed.
But one guy stopped. A tall man in a reflective vest.
"You selling?"
Shen Fu nodded quickly. "Hot pork buns. Two yuan."
The man sniffed. "Gimme three."
That was it. The wall broke.
More workers came. Some curious, some hungry, some just willing to throw a coin at a guy who looked like he needed it.
By 7:15 a.m., the buns were gone.
He counted the notes.
¥54.
Profit: ¥34.
He nearly cried.
[Mission Progress: ¥94/¥1,000]
Time Remaining: 38:02:13
Still a long way.
But now he had proof that it could be done.
Over the next few hours, Shen Fu moved like a man possessed. He spent the ¥54 he earned on more buns—this time 60 units.
He found a new corner near a bus station.
By noon, he had sold 58.
Total cash on hand: ¥160.
By 6 p.m., he'd completed three more cycles.
By the time the streetlights came on, Shen Fu had made ¥412.
He sat down in a noodle shop, legs aching, shirt soaked in sweat. He bought a bowl of plain noodles for ¥5.
It tasted like luxury.
[Mission Progress: ¥506/¥1,000]
Time Remaining: 29:46:33
Halfway.
He leaned back, eyes closed, when the system pinged again.
Bonus Alert
"Appraisal" leveled up to Lv. 2
New Feature: "Micro-Market Scan" – View price ranges for bulk items in your area.
Suddenly, Shen Fu could see floating price tags next to vendor stalls, buses, and convenience store items.
His vision buzzed with data.
He grabbed a pen and the back of a receipt, scribbling:
• Buns: low cost, medium profit, fast turnover
• Disposable phone chargers: ¥3.5 bulk, sell for ¥8–12
• Cold bottled water: buy ¥1.2, sell ¥3 (only works in hot spots)
His mind turned faster than it had in years.
He was building a business model.
By 9 p.m., he was outside a night bar district. With ¥300 of his cash, he bought phone chargers and cold water from different discount warehouses that the system highlighted.
His setup? A plastic crate, a few handmade signs, and a loud voice.
"Phone charger! Only eight yuan! Need water? Three yuan!"
The drunks, the dancers, the barhoppers—they were his customers now.
By midnight, he had ¥926 in hand.
People loved convenience more than anything.
[Mission Progress: ¥926/¥1,000]
Time Remaining: 19:01:22
Almost there.
He could feel it.
But then, it happened.
A man in a black leather jacket stepped up to his crate. The scar on his chin, two friends behind him.
"Yo, you got a license for this setup?"
Shen Fu froze.
"No… I—I'm just trying to—"
The guy kicked over the crate.
Chargers scattered.
"Then pack it up and get lost before someone takes that money from you."
They didn't even bother to rob him. The humiliation was enough.
Shen Fu crouched down, slowly gathering his crushed inventory.
His fingers tightened around the cracked plastic.
They thought he was weak. Just another broke loser trying to get lucky.
But Shen Fu stood back up, eyes cold.
He wouldn't stop here.
He would finish this mission.
He would build an empire, one street corner at a time if he had to.
By 3 a.m., Shen Fu had sold the rest of his stock in a quiet train station.
When the final ¥10 note hit his palm, the system chimed softly.
Mission Complete
¥1,002 earned within 48 hours
Reward: Skill Tree Unlocked
Bonus: Title Upgraded – [Urban Hustler]
New Skill Available: "Negotiator (Lv. 1)"
Next Mission: Make a legitimate business registration within 72 hours
Reward: Business Starter Pack + Passive Income Module
Shen Fu leaned against the wall and exhaled.
He'd done it.
He was still broke. Still tired. Still no roof over his head.
But for the first time in his life, he was on the path.
The system hadn't made him rich yet.
But it had given him a fighting chance.
And Shen Fu?
He wasn't going to waste it.