018. Mission Reward

Clang—

The bottle of mineral water the hotel staff had given Lin Mi slipped abruptly from her hand and crashed to the ground.

How much?

She could no longer see the earlier messages—her mind was now filled with a long string of staggering numbers.

Had she read that right?

Over eighteen million?!

Yes, that was it. Yesterday, her system wallet had over one million eight hundred thousand. After one night, the balance had automatically multiplied tenfold; of course, now it was eighteen million.

“What’s wrong? Are you alright?” Wei Xun, sitting beside her, noticed something was off and bent to pick up the fallen water bottle, his concern evident.

“Oh, it’s nothing. I just zoned out for a moment, thinking about something.” Lin Mi came back to herself, took the bottle he handed over, and set it carefully on a plastic stool.

She tightened her hands, which still trembled slightly from excitement, relieved she hadn’t dropped her phone.

She had more than eighteen million now?!

What did that even mean?

Just days ago, she’d been a beleaguered intern; now, in the blink of an eye, she’d become a multimillionaire.

A sense of unreality washed over her. Was this truly not a dream? Not some hallucination of hers?

“Thank goodness! President, I finally found you. Are you alright?” Han Lin hurried over, worry etched across his face, a smudge of black soot on his cheek. He’d been swept out by the crowd during the evacuation. The moment he escaped, he’d scanned the area anxiously for his boss, fearing something might have happened.

To make matters worse, his boss’s phone was still in his possession—he couldn’t get in touch at all.

Truth be told, it was strange. Why had his boss left with that woman? After all, his boss was more than capable of handling five attackers at once, hardly the type to be led away by a woman. And he’d always been notorious for keeping strange women at arm’s length.

What on earth was his boss up to?

Now, the area around the hotel was packed with people. Han Lin finally spotted his employer in a secluded corner. He’d been worried sick.

“You look far more like someone in trouble,” Wei Xun commented bluntly, glancing at his hapless assistant.

Han Lin choked back a retort. Typical—his boss’s sharp tongue was as venomous as ever. At least he seemed unscathed.

“Give me my phone. Go get yourself checked out, and clean your face while you’re at it,” Wei Xun continued.

“Oh, alright.”

Han Lin promptly handed over the phone and, as he left, couldn’t help glancing curiously at Lin Mi sitting next to his boss.

What was going on between them?

Now that they’d both escaped unscathed, why were they still sitting here?

When had his boss ever had time for idle chit-chat?

“This really is odd…” Han Lin scratched his head, puzzled, as he walked away.

Meanwhile, Lin Mi paid no attention to their exchange—she was too busy clutching her phone in delight.

It had worked!

She really had changed the course of fate.

Seeing her energy value soar, Lin Mi felt a surge of joy and accomplishment.

She wasn’t just an observer—she could also be a changer.

Her gaze drifted back toward the hotel, where firefighters were battling the flames with urgency. The fire was fierce, but thanks to her early warning and call to emergency services, the disaster was now fully under control.

So far, it seemed the fire hadn’t resulted in any serious casualties.

Lin Mi immediately refreshed today’s trending topics. The news of a “major explosion” had vanished; the sole headline about “multiple casualties” had, because of her intervention, been replaced with “no casualties.”

Her efforts over the past two days had not been in vain.

She drew a deep breath, trying to calm the excitement within her.

The increase in her system’s energy and wallet balance was the most tangible proof.

Lost in her thoughts, she was roused by a commotion nearby. More people were gathering at the hotel entrance—evacuated guests, media reporters flashing cameras as they vied for exclusive coverage, and anxious relatives peering from behind the cordon, desperate for news of their loved ones.

“What’s making you so happy?” Wei Xun turned around with his phone and found Lin Mi grinning at her own screen.

Was she chatting with someone?

“Of course making money makes me happy!” she replied cheerfully. Though she couldn’t share the specifics of her mission rewards, she could certainly celebrate today’s gains.

Were it not for the inappropriate setting, she would’ve jumped for joy right there.

With over ten million in her account, she could do so many things now.

She would finally be able to give her parents the comfortable life they deserved.

“Making money?” Wei Xun was taken aback—he hadn’t expected that answer.

How much money could make her this happy?

He smiled teasingly. For him, money was just an endless string of digits; no amount could stir the slightest ripple within him.

He hadn’t pegged her for a little money-grubber.

Perhaps, he thought, his gratitude should take another form.

“Of course I can’t compare to you big shots. I suppose this little bit is just pocket change to people like you,” Lin Mi said, suddenly remembering the vast gulf between their worlds. The pride she’d felt a moment ago was immediately doused.

Yes, she’d been too naïve, too full of herself.

To ordinary people, this was a fortune. But to the truly wealthy and powerful, it was nothing.

If she ever had to face those elites, she’d still be as insignificant as an ant.

Her smile faded, the flush of pride retreating with it.

“No matter the amount, if you earned it by your own ability, it’s worth showing off,” Wei Xun said with genuine appreciation. Making money through one’s own efforts, no matter how little, was always something to be proud of—far preferable to being a parasite living off others.

He opened the ‘Note’ app.

“Let’s add each other as friends.”

“Alright.” Lin Mi quickly pulled up her own QR code and soon saw a low-key, nearly empty profile.

Wei Xun followed her and sent a private message: “Wei Xun.”

Seeing his actions, Lin Mi breathed a sigh of relief.

She’d succeeded in exchanging contact details; now, at least, she’d established a connection with an industry heavyweight. As for how to turn this “golden opportunity” into profit, she would need to plan carefully.

“Well, there’s nothing else to do here. I’ll be going,” Lin Mi said, putting away her phone and standing up. With everything settled, she could finally leave at ease.

“I’ll walk you out,” Wei Xun offered.

“No need, I have things to do later. Bye!” Lin Mi hurriedly declined, not giving him a chance to speak further, and dashed off.